Gluten Free Domino’s – What You Need To Know

Well what a week for pizza fans – it looks like gluten free Domino’s is back on the menu!

Domino’s gluten free menu returned this week (w/c June 22, 2021) after a very long hiatus due to the current pandemic.

It’s return has caused a bit of a discussion on social media with the chain now advertising its bases as Schär gluten free ones.

There have been so many discussions around the return of gluten free Domino’s, I thought I’d put together a little ‘need-to-know’ guide to ordering your gluten free pizza.

This information is for UK Domino’s stores only and is correct at the time of writing (June 2021) – though of course if anything changes I will try to update this.

When did the Domino’s gluten free menu launch?

Domino’s actually launched its UK pizza bases back in 2012 with the full backing of Coeliac UK’s accreditation scheme.

It’s hard to believe we’ve had nearly a decade of being able to eat a gluten free menu at Dominos!

At the time the gluten free base was available as an option for any of the pizzas on the Domino’s menu.

This meant you could pick and choose any toppings you liked – but a couple of years ago Domino’s changed the structure of it’s gluten free menu.

Instead of picking ‘gluten free’ as a pizza base option, the app started to only list certain flavours available gluten free.

This meant instead of customising your pizza, you could only order, for example, a Gluten Free Pepperoni Passion – though I believe at the time you could still add extra toppings.

And then just as COVID hit, disaster struck for gluten free Dominos fans – as the chain announced it would be temporarily ceasing gluten free pizzas nationwide.

Why did Dominos stop gluten free pizzas?

In December 2019, Domino’s delivered an early Christmas present in the form of removing its entire gluten free menu.

And with it came an explanatory blog post, detailing the reasonings behind this

The chain said due to social distancing measures, it had to reduce staff in its kitchens.

Of these ‘major changes’, Domino’s said: “To enable all the above means the specific areas we previously had to make GF pizzas are no longer available – and of course sending them down the makeline with other products mean we can no longer guarantee the gluten free status of your pizza.”

And while this angered many people – I completely get it.

I’d much rather they stopped preparing gluten free pizzas if they cannot guarantee their gluten free status.

Domino’s is Coeliac UK accredited which means they will have very strict procedures to adhere to in order to advertise as gluten free.

So it wouldn’t have been right for them to continue to prepare our gluten free pizzas in an environment they couldn’t confirm was safe.

And now, 18 months later, with restrictions in the UK finally starting to relax a little (for the foreseeable future, anyway) the gluten free Dominos pizzas are back!

How do I order gluten free Domino’s in the UK?

Ordering for Domino’s gluten free pizza is now available online and on the app.

When ordering on the app, you’ll need to scroll past all the yummy, giant, gluten-filled pizzas until you find the ones specifically marked as gluten free.

And yes, that’s right, they’re all only available in a small. Classic.

Here’s a screenshot to show you what you’re looking for…

The current Dominos gluten free menu consists of:

• Gluten Free Cheese and Tomato – £10.99 for a small
• Gluten Free Pepperoni Passion – £14.99 for a small
• Gluten Free Vegi Supreme – £14.99 for a small
• Gluten Free Texas BBQ – £14.99 for a small
• Gluten Free New Yorker – £14.99 for a small

All of the gluten free pizzas are only available on a 9.5″ tiny small base, which is now made by Schär.

They are also the same price as a small ‘normal’ pizza, so there is no extra cost for a gluten free base, which makes a nice change.

Can you customise the gluten free pizza?

Unortunately, unlike before your options are very limited.

You can only customise the toppings currently included in each individual pizza.

So, for example, on the Gluten Free New Yorker, you can remove or add extra of any of the toppings included on that pizza.

But you cannot add any different toppings to it.

And with the cheese and tomato pizza, you can’t make any changes at all.

What about the Schär base?

It’s nice to have the reassurance that, as before the pandemic, the gluten free pizza bases will be brought in pre-packed to ensure there is no cross contamination.

However, many begrudge the fact that you can just nip down to Asda and buy a pack of two Schär gluten free bases for £3.

But if you love spending £14.99 on a pizza (let’s face it, on a hangover, who cares!?) then at least you can now get one delivered to your door.

Is Domino’s gluten free pizza safe for coeliacs?

Since its gluten free launch in 2012, Domino’s has worked closely with Coeliac UK and is part of its accredited venues scheme.

This scheme has very strict protocols in place for foods to be labelled as gluten free.

It also means Domino’s pizzas will be regularly tested to ensure they still meet the requirements of containing below 20ppm of gluten.

Domino’s cross contamination procedures

On it’s website, Domino’s has a very long list of all the procedures in place to ensure there is no risk of cross contamination for gluten free pizzas.

Domino’s gluten free bases are made by Schär in a controlled, 100% gluten free facility, and brought into store in sealed pouches.

Team members all undergo training on how to prepare gluten free foods.

There are also separate preparation stations and ingredients ONLY for use on gluten free pizzas.

To ensure there are no mix ups, Domino’s uses different sized screens to cook gluten free bases, the bases are a slightly different shape, and stickers for gluten free boxes.

I’ve seen a few people worried about the cross contamination risk from the ovens and the preparation of non-gluten-free pizzas.

Domino’s does not use separate toppings for gluten free pizzas but it says there are controls in place to eliminate the risk of contamination from the three toppings which do contain gluten.

It also does not use separate ovens for cooking gluten free pizzas.

However, Domino’s states that regular testing has concluded the procedures in place have ensured all gluten free pizzas remain under the 20ppm threshold.

In terms of the flour used to stretch the ‘normal’ pizza bases – this is actually cornflour.

Domino’s doesn’t handle wheat flour at all in any of its venues, so don’t be put off by the amount of flour lying around, as it’s actually gluten free.

And finally, Domino’s doesn’t cut it’s gluten free pizzas.

I’ve never understood why they cannot just have a gluten free pizza cutter, so just remember this when you’re ordering somewhere you don’t have cutlery.

Yes, I have eaten a whole gluten free pizza without cutting it before.

Gotta do what you gotta do, right!?

Can you get the gluten free pizza in any Domino’s deals?

So can you push the price down at all with any of the Domino’s deals?

Unfortunately, most of the deals in store apply to medium or large pizzas only – and of course gluten free people only eat miniature food.

So naturally, a lot of the deals don’t apply to the gluten free pizzas.

The gluten free pizza can be included in the following UK Domino’s deals:

• Two For Tuesday – any two pizzas for the price of one. It won’t knock a lot off if your partner in crime is demolishing a large pizza, but it might help a bit.
• Lunchtime Sharer – any size pizza for £13.99. That’s a whole £1 off the cost of the gluten free standard pizza with toppings. Steady now!
• Any Size Pizza – Get any size pizza for £9.99 when you buy two sides. So that’s one pizza and two lots of nachos for me.
• Double Delivery Deal – Any two pizzas delivered for £10.99 each. Again, not a mega saving, but it’s enough to go buy a pack of pizza bases for next time.
• Buy One Get One Free – If you can be bothered to drive to the store to pick up, which let’s face it, defeats the whole object of a Domino’s, right!?

There are of course numerous deals which change all the time, but these are just a few I’ve discovered which include the gluten free pizza.

Is Domino’s gluten free pizza vegan?

Well, gluten free vegans, you’ll love this conundrum.

Because while the Schär gluten free pizza base used at Domino’s is vegan – all of the vegan pizza options contain wheat.

There is no option on the menu which is gluten free AND vegan, and you cannot customise the orders on the app or website to even swap for dairy free cheese.

The tomato sauce topping is of course vegan, so if you can persuade them to swap your cheese for vegan cheese, you can make a gluten free and vegan pizza.

If you want to try this you’ll have to ring up your store though, as there is no option to customise gluten free pizzas on the app or website.

However I have seen some people on Facebook saying they’ve been successful in ordering vegan cheese on their pizza over the phone.

I guess it’s the pot luck of whichever store you get!

What gluten free Domino’s side dishes are there?

Previously the Domino’s gluten free menu was pretty poor when it came to side dishes.

However there do currently appear to be some new options labelled as gluten free.

The side dishes marked gluten free on the Domino’s menu are:

• Nachos – £3.99 per portion
• Nachos with jalapeños – £3.99 per portion
• And of course, all of the dips and sauces!

Will you be ordering gluten free Domino’s?

Personally I have never had any issues with ordering gluten free from Domino’s.

And while it’s expensive, it’s nice to have the option of a gluten free treat now and then.

Don’t forget you can also order gluten free pizza from Pizza Hut and Pizza Express too.

Plus lots of other independent retailers also offer gluten free – so it’s worth shopping around.

Will you be getting a gluten free Domino’s now they’re back? Did you miss them? Or will you be avoiding them? Let me know in the comments below!