Gluten free in Bangkok: It’s all about the snacks

Whilst there are plenty of incredible things to do in Bangkok, gluten free food is hard to come by. So strap yourself in for an emotional ride.

Before I dive in, it’s worth noting that as well as being gluten free, I am also pescatarian. Whilst I enjoy the occasional crispy bacon sarnie back home, I’ll be eating very limited if any meat in Asia. Enter a complicated palette.

We hate soy sauce

Soy sauce is everywhere. It might sound obvious, but it seriously is everywhere. Not only is it in everything, but it’s also then added to the majority of things too.

Keep this in mind when buying street food. Whilst it may look gluten free, it’s very likely they’ll stir some in or spray it on before giving it to you, rendering it not gluten free.

Do not trust fruit pots

I got insane food poisoning, and I’m almost certain it was the watermelon.

Fresh pots of watermelon were a large portion of my daily food intake, it’s delicious and easy to come by.

Do NOT buy fresh fruit from food vendors though. Seriously. I had the worst experience of my life on the 14 hour night bus down to Phuket with the worst food poisoning.

After some research, we learnt that fruit vendors often spritz the fruit with tap water throughout the day to make it look more ‘fresh’. A serious no go. 

Pad Thai pad Thai pad Thai

That’s right, three pad Thais across three nights. I’m sick of it now I won’t lie and fell ready to move to our next place

Pad Thai is made with tamarind, a gluten free Asian food lover’s best friend. Opt for restaurants that have their ingredients listed under each meal. One good choice was Madame Masur and it was easy to navigate.

There were several other dishes that had tamarind instead of soy sauce, but they also had meat so were a no go for me. But great for non veggie gluten free people.

7/11…not your friend

Now everyone raves about 7/11. It’s famous for its toasties, coffees and incredible range of everything else. Except for gluten free food…

I said to the girls on many occasions I would honestly kill for a toastie. They said they’re only about a 6/10, but they’re also extremely lovely people so were probably just saving my feelings.

Live off snacks

Honestly, your best bet is to not spend long in Bangkok as gluten free options are few and far between.

Even though I mentioned earlier 7/11 not being amazing, there are some snacks I became a fan of.

Mini boxes of cornflakes and individual plain yogurts were a great combo. Salted nuts and plain packets of crisps were also a winner. I stayed away from the flavoured ones just in case.

If Bangkok is your first stop on a backpacking trip, as it often is for lots of people, bring snacks from home. My lovely Mum packed me an adorable care package which was seriously appreciated.

Overall, Bangkok gluten free food is tough to find. It’s possible I just didn’t do a very good job of it as I was very jet lagged though, so I recommend continuing to do some research whilst also stocking up on snacks.