When I first found out about my Dairy Allergy- I thought I’d never go on vacation again. Good news for those of you that feel this way… eating dairy free at Disney World IS possible!
Most of you are wondering, Does Disney World have a lot of Dairy Free Food?
Disney World has some incredible options for Dairy Free Food at the Parks and the Resorts. It’s helpful to plan ahead by looking at allergen menus and then speaking to a Chef once you are at the restaurant.
Well, it just takes a little bit of planning… and knowing where to find the best dairy allergy-friendly meals and snacks! And we’ll talk about everything below from intolerances to plant based options to living totally free from dairy at Disney World!
But trust me: you will not starve and you WILL be able to enjoy some delicious Disney eats while you’re on vacation! Don’t be scared, you’ve got this, and I’m here to help!
⭐ If this is your First Time to Disney World, you’ll want all the insider tips and done for you plans found in the Food Allergies at Disney World Made Easy Guide
Does Disney have dairy free milk?
Yes, you can find Soy Based ‘Milk’ at the Resorts and some of the Table Service locations will have Soy and Almond ‘milk’ inside Disney World. You can also bring in milk in your own personal cooler (no refrigeration available for allergies) inside Disney World Parks.
Is Disney World Dole Whip Dairy-Free?
Several of the plant based flavors are Dairy Free and labeled Dairy Free when you check ingredients. There is a risk of cross contact with Dairy Based Dole Whips and Ice Creams, so please talk to qualified Disney Staff to get a safe dairy free dole whip!
***As Always, please speak to a qualified restaurant employee when ordering food. In order to see the most accurate ingredients and risk assessment, you will need to confirm allergy safety in real-time. This is my personal experience, I am not employed or endorsed by companies or brands mentioned.***
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Quick Link- Table of Contents
- What to Expect at Disney With a Dairy/Milk Allergy, and how that differs from Lactose Free or an Intolerance
- Favorite Dairy Free Restaurants at Disney World
- Dairy Free Desserts and Snacks
- Quick Tips for Ordering when Dairy Free
- Mobile Ordering Dairy Free
- Character Meals Dairy Free
- EPCOT Festivals Dairy Free
Break up with the kitchen and take a vacation! Get the information you need to have a stress less and safe food allergy Vacation
What should You expect with a Dairy Allergy/ Intolerance/ Restriction at Disney World
There’s a lot of planning involved when you have foods that you avoid, wether it’s for a new baby who is gassy because of dairy, an avoidance of cows milk or someone that is anaphylactic and has to obsessively watch for allergens because it could be a life or death situation… trust me when I say that all of these people have gathered and enjoyed Disney World.
It is going to look different for those of you that have an intolerance/ethical preference vs those of you with a non-negotiable allergy when you vacation at Disney World.
For most people, you’ll be able to eat foods listed on the allergen menu (where available) and maybe most importantly, choose many of the options with the plant based symbol. In 2019 Disney World rolled out a new menu at every location that has at least one plant based entree, and you can see it on the menu with the green leaf.
BUT, Plant Based does not automatically mean Dairy Free. The plant based menu is supposed to be made without Dairy (Milk), Egg, Meat, and Honey. So one would assume that all items marked with a plant based symbol would be Dairy-Free.
Here’s a recent example of an items being labeled plant based and then having allergens in it.
This means that for some people, like those who are lactose intolerant, or have a very mild intolerance to milk, speaking with a chef won’t even be necessary because ordering the plant based symbol or ordering from the allergy menu that most locations have will be enough to avoid milk based products.
If you have a NON NEGOTIABLE allergy, things will be *slightly more complicated* because you’ll need to speak with a Chef/Manager and be diligent in confirming that your food is actually dairy free. Always double and triple check with everyone you talk with that you have a life threatening allergy and confirm that food comes out seperate (and likely with a little allergy skewer)
I’d love to tell you that no planning is required, but that’s simply not the case! There are some locations that are better for those who avoid dairy, and you’ll find that snacks and treats will need to be preplanned as well.
However, planning has gotten so much easier with the inclusion of the allergy menu and plant based offerings, plus we’ll talk below about some of my favorite treats and places to get them in the parks and resorts!
Favorite Dairy Free Restaurants at Disney World
While there are a lot of restaurants to choose from (and many that are really good for you!) there are some I would recommend over others and then ones I’d skip. For the current list of ones to skip, check the Restaurant Skip List.
I did not list any third party restaurants (they are officially called ‘Operating Participants‘) here, only those owned by Disney. While many third party locations have great allergy procedures in place, they vary by location and some are no better than your restaurant’s back home.
My top three favorite locations for lots of Dairy Free options inside the Parks (including a dessert) would be:
Top Three Table Service
- Coral Reef EPCOT
- Skipper Canteen at Magic Kingdom
- 50s Prime Time Cafe in Hollywood Studios
For quick-serve places, Pecos Bill is a good choice in Magic Kingdom for lunch and dinner and Sunshine Seasons at Epcot also has some options for lunch (not open at dinner).
Sunshine Seasons
At Animal Kingdom, the dino-themed Restaurantosaurus is a fun place to grab lunch
And in Animal Kingdom, we’ve had good experiences with Satu’li Canteen over in Pandora (And they also have the fun treat that you can see below…) Zuri’s Snack Shop
And if you’re in Hollywood Studios, don’t fret! We’ve had success at all of the quick service locations! If you want Pizza with Dairy Free cheese, head to Catalina Eddies or PizzeRizzo. 
PizzeRizzo
Dairy Free Desserts and Snacks
When you can’t have regular dairy desserts like ice cream and cake, it’s always a triumph to find delicious, dairy allergy-friendly alternatives that satisfy your sweet tooth! Fortunately, you can find some yummy options at the parks!
I do have a full list of top dairy-free desserts at Disney World, but let me just highlight a few below. For
Does Disney Popcorn have Dairy?
One of the top Dairy Free snacks is the Popcorn at Disney World Resort! It is 100% Dairy Free, and uses coconut as the “butter” base for the popcorn.
Do yourself a favor and get the refillable bucket, I promise you will not be disappointed by this affordable and deliciously dairy free snack!
Blue and Green Milk, people!!!
When you’re at Galaxy’s Edge, you just have to try the blue and/or green milk! And the best part is that its made without Dairy! They used coconut oil and rice milk to get the signature flavor.
Does Disney have Dairy Free ice cream? Non-Dairy ice cream?
Disney World has quite a few options for Dairy Free Ice Cream all around the property. Most restaurants carry a raspberry sorbet, and you can find Tofutti Soy Based Dairy Free Ice Cream at a lot of places. and So Delicious Coconut Based Ice Cream is only found on the Boardwalk at Beaches and Cream.
Find non dairy ice cream at Disney World at the following locations:
- Plaza Ice Cream in Magic Kingdom
- Dino Bite Snacks in Animal Kingdom
- Hollywood Scoops at Hollywood Studios
- The Boardwalk Ice Cream Shop on the Boardwalk (outside the back entrance of EPCOT)
In the France corner of the Epcot World Showcase, you’ll find L’artisan des Glaces Ice Cream Parlor, which offers some really yummy dairy-free sorbet!
Sunshine Seasons also has a great coconut-based chocolate mousse.
Quick Tips for Ordering Food when you are Dairy Free
Table service is a sit down option, pretty comparable to other casual sit downs like Olive Garden or Outback Steakhouse. You can expect to find bread at most of these locations (and yes, they have some incredible gluten free bread!) and you can also order appetizers, mixed drinks and dessert.
First, when you reserve dining, make sure to list your allergies. (They don’t have options for all, so pick what you can!). This can be done on your my Disney App, online at Disney World, or over the phone (but you typically won’t call in unless you have more than 8 people in your party).
Once you get the restaurant, Then clarify at check in that you have allergies and get an allergen menu (if they have one). I also like to grab a regular menu so that I can cross compare some options, and always check to see the differences between what they offer the kids (like dairy free mac and cheese) versus what they offer the adults.
*Please consider talking to a manager or chef, especially if you have more than one allergy and ESPECIALLY if you have a cashier that might seem like they don’t know what they are doing.
Eating at Quick Serve with a Dairy Allergy
Next up is quick serve, or the fast food equivalent for Disney World. While they used to have McDonald’s fries in Magic Kingdom years ago, quick serve isn’t actually fast food. You’ll find some hearty options here in addition to sandwiches and burgers.
(For those of you with moderate to severe allergies, Mobile Ordering is NOT the best option-See Below for examples.)
Ask to see an allergen binder, and see for yourself what is in each entree.
Why? Because accidents happen- even with the chefs. The thing about mobile ordering is that the person that hands you the food is not the person that prepares it and there are huge concerns about misplaced food and cross contamination (Think grabbing a chocolate milk with spillage and then not changing gloves before handling your tray).
When you talk to a manager or a Chef then you can alert them to how serious your allergy is and they can limit the number of people touching your food.
Mobile Order with Dairy Allergy
In 2020, Disney World introduced Mobile Order, and shortly after brought Allergy Mobile Order to the table.
You can mobile order safely by selecting what you’d like, and then asking to speak to ‘someone’ (generally a coordinator) before placing your order! Then when your order is ready, just double confirm that it’s for your allergy.
Learn all about Mobile Ordering with an Allergy in this dedicated walk through guide.
Character Meals with a Dairy Allergy
You can still eat at Character Meals with a Dairy Allergy.
Many of the below options are buffet style. You can absolutely eat safely at a buffet at Disney World with a few changes to how nonFA folks order. Learn more about buffets here.
Each of the Table Service Restaurants has an allergy menu, and then you talk to a Chef or Manager about the best options for you. I do recommend getting all items prepared by the Chef to avoid cross contact.
But not all Character Meals are worth it, and I don’t recommend a few of them for Dairy Allergies. Tusker House lunch and dinner was hard to navigate but has some good desserts, and Cape May Cafe Breakfast isn’t at the top of the list either when there are so many other good Dairy Free options.
Dairy Free at Epcot Festivals
I can’t leave you without talking about the Epcot Festivals- especially because it’s a big part of the Epcot experience (and yes, I’m biased, Epcot is my favorite park!)
EPCOT has been slowing making the Festivals more allergy friendly, each and every festival we get new procedures and options!
First things first, the plant based symbol for the festivals does not automatically mean Dairy Free. You should still let them know your allergy and double check with staff about ingredients.
For the full current procedures at the EPCOT Festivals, see this guide. If you’d like to read the news post about the changes at EPCOT this year, see this post.
The vegan guides are helpful, however, they omit anything with animal, leaving out some really good dairy free options that have things like egg, seafood, or protein. (I’ve also had this weird thing where they don’t want to modify it because it’s a calorie waste and they’d rather have other options?! not my expertise for sure)
FAQs
Will I find Dairy Free Ice Cream at Every Park?
Yes and no! Sometimes that have the options (like raspberry sorbet is popular around the park) but sometimes they don’t have the options due to supply constraints. Most resorts have dairy free ice cream/sorbet and you can stop by for a treat!
How hard is it being Dairy Free or no animal products like Vegan/Vegetarian at Disney?
It’s a solid moderate. You’ll need to plan ahead and pack some snacks just in case. Check the menus before hand and make sure that you’ve got a back up plan. There’s lots of plant based options around the parks- some are much better than others!
How hard is it being Keto or Paleo at Disney World?
With a grain free/dairy free/sugar lite/corn lite kiddo I can relate to this question!
It’s tempting. That’s what it is. Your hit with smells and lots of treats and sadly there’s very few ‘keto/paleo/lowgrain’ options for snacks and desserts at the parks. Highly recommend table service options and places that have a buffet where you can load up on meat, veggies and safe fruits. Favorite Budget options include Whispering Canyon Lodge, Boma and Trails End. Also consider places like Crystal Palace, Garden Grill, and Tusker House.
I have a Baby that has a Dairy Allergy, how hard is it going to be for me?
It will truly feel like a vacation! Sure you’ll still have to avoid Dairy (and trust me, you aren’t alone in this. I’ve had to do it with all three kiddos and know countless other women that have had to do it too!) but you’ve got lots of options for good eats and caring chefs that can make a safe meal for you and your baby!
If you’d like some tips/pointers on successful breastfeeding or pumping or combo feeding while at Disney World, I’ll quickly tell you that it’s easier if you try not to get too many expectations and bring lots of patience. It’s vacation! You should enjoy yourself. The Baby Care Centers are a total game changer too!
Conclusion
Well that’s a quick guide to dairy free eats at walt disney world. If you have more questions, check out the detailed FAQ section for food allergy questions.
Otherwise, drop a comment below!