Indian food is one of the easiest cuisines to eat gluten-free, because its backbone is rice, lentils, vegetables, yogurt, and spice — not wheat. The gluten hides in a short, predictable list: the tandoor breads, a few fried snacks, and the occasional thickener. Learn that list and you can order confidently almost anywhere. Below is the dish-by-dish guide we give guests at Sonny’s Indian Kitchen in Chatham, NJ, along with the items we mark gluten-free on our own menu.
The Short Answer
Curries, dals, biryanis, basmati rice, raita, lassi, and most tandoor-grilled meats are traditionally made without wheat. Naan, roti, paratha, kulcha, and bhatura are wheat breads — skip them. Samosas and spring rolls have wheat-flour wrappers. When in doubt, ask whether a sauce was thickened with flour or whether a marinade uses soy sauce or asafoetida blended with wheat; a good kitchen will know.
Naturally Gluten-Free: Order Freely
- Curries and gravies: tomato-, onion-, cream-, and yogurt-based sauces such as butter chicken, tikka masala, korma, saag, and palak paneer are built on spices and dairy, not flour.
- Dals and legume dishes: dal makhani, chana masala, and other lentil or chickpea curries are gluten-free by nature.
- Rice: biryani, pulao, and plain basmati. Rice is the gluten-free diner’s bread — order extra and use it to scoop.
- Sides: cucumber raita, plain yogurt, and most fresh chutneys (mint, tamarind) are safe; ask about any chutney that looks glossy or thickened.
- Drinks and dessert: mango lassi and kheer (rice pudding) are wheat-free; gulab jamun and ras malai are not reliably so, since the dough and syrup bases vary by kitchen.
Contains Gluten: Skip or Ask
- All tandoor and griddle breads: naan (every flavor), roti, tandoori roti, paratha, kulcha, and bhatura are wheat flour.
- Fried snacks with wrappers: samosas, spring rolls, and samosa chaat. Pakoras and onion bhaji are usually chickpea-flour batter, but the kitchen may add wheat flour for crispness — ask.
- Wraps and rolls: a kathi roll or tikka wrap is bread by definition.
- Thickened or “Indo-Chinese” dishes: Manchurian, chili chicken, and anything with soy sauce or cornflour-and-flour slurry.
- Battered items: fish fry, chicken 65, and other crumbed or battered appetizers unless the kitchen confirms a rice- or gram-flour coating.
Gluten-Free Picks on the Sonny’s Menu
We mark items “GF” on our menu only where we’re confident of the recipe. The current gluten-free-marked list, with prices:
- Appetizer: Mango Coconut Shrimp ($14).
- Vegetarian entrees: Palak Paneer ($19), Kali Dal Makhani ($17), Aloo Gobhi Masala ($17), and Chana Masala ($16).
- Chicken entrees: Sonny’s Famous Butter Chicken ($22), Chicken Tikka Masala ($22), Chicken Korma ($22), and Chicken Saag Wala ($22).
- Rice: Sindhi Chicken Biryani ($19), Sindhi Vegetable Biryani ($17), and extra basmati rice ($3).
- Sides, dessert, drinks: Yogurt Cucumber Raita ($5), Kheer ($6), and Mango Lassi ($5).
A complete gluten-free dinner for two, then, looks like Mango Coconut Shrimp to start, Butter Chicken and Chana Masala with a double order of basmati rice, raita on the side, and kheer to finish. All our meat is halal, and most dishes can be ordered mild, medium, or hot online.
Cross-Contact: What to Tell the Kitchen
Our breads, curries, and fried snacks come out of one kitchen, so if you have celiac disease rather than a preference, say so when you order. We’ll steer you to the dishes we’re surest of and flag anything that shares fryer oil or a tandoor surface with wheat. This matters most for catering: tell us the number of gluten-free guests and we’ll label trays and plate their portions separately. The catering page has the details, and the portions guide covers quantities.
Gluten-Free Indian Food Near Chatham, Madison, and Summit
We cook everything fresh at 225 Main St in downtown Chatham, minutes from Madison, Summit, and Short Hills, with pickup and delivery across the area. If you’re eating vegetarian or vegan as well as gluten-free, the vegetarian & vegan guide narrows the list further — and since we’re BYOB, a gluten-free cider or dry Riesling rounds out the table.