Indian food is one of the easier cuisines for a gluten-free diet. Lots of dishes are built on rice, lentils, chickpeas, vegetables, yogurt and spices. But it isn’t automatically safe: the breads are wheat, some sauces and batters use flour, and one common spice is often cut with wheat. Here’s what to order and what to ask.
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Is Indian food gluten-free?
A lot of it is. Coeliac UK notes that curry sauces are mostly thickened with chickpea flour or yogurt rather than wheat, but says to check. So a tikka masala or korma is often gluten-free, but not always. Ask every time.
Usually gluten-free (ask to be sure)
- Rice dishes: plain rice, pulao and biryani
- Dal and other lentil and chickpea dishes. More on lentils and gluten.
- Tandoori chicken and tikka, marinated in yogurt and spices
- Curries like tikka masala, butter chicken, korma, saag and chana masala, as long as the sauce isn’t thickened with flour
- Raita (yogurt dip)
- Papadums, which are usually made from lentil or rice flour. Ask how they’re cooked: they need oil that hasn’t been used for anything with gluten.
Usually NOT gluten-free
- Breads: naan, roti, chapati, paratha and puri are made with wheat.
- Samosas: the pastry is wheat. Want them at home? Try our gluten-free samosa recipe.
- Sevaiyan (vermicelli pudding): made with wheat vermicelli.
- Some battered snacks: pakoras and bhajis are usually made with chickpea (gram) flour, but the batter can include wheat flour or semolina, and they’re often fried in shared oil. Ask.
The hidden one: hing (asafoetida)
Hing is a pungent spice used in many lentil and vegetable dishes. The spice itself is gluten-free, but Beyond Celiac warns that some brands use wheat as a filler. Ask whether the kitchen uses hing, and which kind. If you cook at home, buy a brand labeled gluten-free. More: What spices have gluten?
How to order safely
- Tell your server you need gluten-free food for a medical reason, not a preference.
- Ask whether sauces are thickened with flour, whether hing is used, and whether anything is fried in shared oil.
- Skip the bread basket and order rice instead.
- At a buffet, ask for a fresh portion from the kitchen. Shared serving spoons are a cross-contact risk.
My usual order is chicken makhani with rice, papadums (after checking the oil) and raita.
Cooking Indian at home
Store-bought simmer sauces make it easy. Maya Kaimal labels many of its simmer sauces gluten-free, including Tikka Masala, Butter Masala and Korma. Patak’s Tikka Masala simmer sauce is listed as gluten-free at US grocers too. Not every product from these brands is gluten-free, so read the jar.
For more cuisines, see our gluten-free meals and world foods page.
Sources: Coeliac UK on takeaways · Coeliac Australia Indian food guide · Beyond Celiac on spices · Maya Kaimal FAQ · Patak’s Tikka Masala (Food Lion) · Legal Nomads celiac guide to North Indian food
Club Gluten Free shares practical, well-researched guides to gluten-free ingredients, products, restaurants and recipes. We check manufacturer statements and celiac organization guidance, and update our guides when products change.