Eating in China with a food allergy is very doable — but it runs on different assumptions than the West. Chinese kitchens don’t routinely think in allergens, menus don’t list ingredients, and “does this contain peanuts?” gets a shrug more often than an answer, not because anyone is hiding something but because the person cooking genuinely may not know what’s in the sauce. The travelers who eat well here are the ones who communicate the allergy in writing, know which dishes hide which ingredients, and have an emergency plan before they need it.
This page owns food allergies and gluten in China — religious dietary rules like halal are a separate topic with separate vocabulary. For the medical side of a reaction, our getting sick in China guide covers when a reaction becomes an emergency-room problem.
Quick Summary: Communicate in writing: “我对花生过敏” (wǒ duì huāshēng guòmǐn) = I’m allergic to peanuts — show characters, don’t rely on pronunciation. Know the traps: peanut oil is a default cooking oil, shrimp hides in dumpling fillings and sauces, and most soy sauce contains wheat. Gluten-free runs on rice-based dishes and the phrase 不含小麦 (no wheat). Carry your own epinephrine if you have it prescribed — verified September 2026.
The allergy sentence card (show this, don’t say it)
Written characters work even when your pronunciation fails. Screenshot this table or copy the sentences into a notes app and show the screen:
| English | Chinese | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|
| I am allergic to ___ | 我对___过敏 | wǒ duì ___ guòmǐn |
| Peanuts | 花生 | huāshēng |
| Tree nuts | 坚果 | jiānguǒ |
| Shellfish / shrimp | 海鲜 / 虾 | hǎixiān / xiā |
| Fish | 鱼 | yú |
| Eggs | 鸡蛋 | jīdàn |
| Milk / dairy | 牛奶 / 乳制品 | niúnǎi / rǔzhìpǐn |
| Soy / soybeans | 大豆 | dàdòu |
| Wheat / gluten | 小麦 / 麸质 | xiǎomài / fúzhì |
| Sesame | 芝麻 | zhīma |
| Please don’t put ___ in it | 请不要放___ | qǐng búyào fàng ___ |
| This is a serious allergy (medical) | 这是严重的过敏（会进医院） | zhè shì yánzhòng de guòmǐn (huì jìn yīyuàn) |
Two communication rules that matter more than vocabulary:
- Say “hospital,” not just “allergy.” 过敏 alone can register as “I’m a bit sensitive.” Adding （会进医院）— “it means a hospital trip” — converts polite acknowledgment into actual caution.
- A written card beats a spoken sentence. Hand the card to the server, let them take it to the kitchen. The person who can actually help often isn’t the person taking your order.
The ingredient traps hiding in Chinese dishes
These are the recurring ways allergens ambush travelers in China:
- Peanut oil (花生油) is a default cooking oil across large parts of China — meaning peanut contact isn’t confined to kung pao chicken. If your peanut allergy is severe, restaurant and street food carry ambient risk that a sentence to the server cannot fully remove; favor cuisines and venues where you can verify cooking oil.
- Peanuts as garnish and snack: chopped peanuts on noodles and salads, peanut sauce (花生酱/麻酱) on cold dishes and hotpot dips.
- Shrimp and shellfish in hiding: minced shrimp inside dumplings and wontons, dried shrimp (虾皮) in soups and stir-fries, oyster sauce (蚝油) in vegetable dishes that “look safe.”
- Soy is everywhere: soy sauce seasons most savory dishes — relevant for both soy allergy (see gluten note: soy sauce also usually contains wheat).
- Sesame: sesame oil (香油) finishes soups and cold dishes; sesame paste and seeds appear on breads and snacks.
- Egg in unexpected places: brushed on breads and pastry wrappers, in fried rice and noodle dishes.
- Cross-contamination is real: shared woks, fryers, and prep surfaces are the norm. For severe allergies, high-volume street stalls are the highest-risk end of the spectrum.
Gluten-free in China: what actually works
“Gluten” (麸质) is not a household concept here, and English “gluten-free” gets you nowhere — work with wheat (小麦), which cooks and servers do recognize:
- The phrase that works: 不含小麦 (bù hán xiǎomài) — “doesn’t contain wheat.” Pair it with 我对面筋过敏 (I’m allergic to wheat gluten/面筋) for extra force.
- Soy sauce is the stealth wheat: most Chinese soy sauce is brewed with wheat. If you’re strictly gluten-free, assume sauced dishes are out unless the kitchen can confirm otherwise. Tamari-style wheat-free soy sauce exists in some import supermarkets but is rare in restaurants.
- Naturally safe staples: steamed rice (米饭), congee (粥), rice noodles (米粉/米线) — check broths, but the noodle itself is rice. Wheat noodles (面条), dumpling wrappers (饺子皮), buns (包子/馒头), and fried coatings are wheat — off the list.
- 面筋 (miànjīn) is pure wheat gluten — a common ingredient in its own right, sometimes passed off as “mock meat.” Avoid by name.
- Grocery survival: imported-section gluten-free products exist in big-city supermarkets but are patchy and priced accordingly. Rice, eggs, fruit, tofu, and plain roasted items carry you further than the “free from” aisle.
Ordering delivery with an allergy (Meituan and Ele.me)
Food delivery is where allergies get easier, because you type instead of speak. Every Meituan/Ele.me order has a remarks field (备注) — paste your allergy sentence there, in characters, and the kitchen reads it with the ticket. Our Meituan for foreigners guide covers setting the app up in English; combine it with the phrases above and delivery becomes the lowest-friction way to eat out with an allergy. For the same reason, delivery also lets you re-order safely from places that handled your allergy well once.
Severe allergies: your emergency plan
- Bring your own epinephrine. The US CDC’s China packing list treats an EpiPen as standard travel medical gear — China does not reliably stock foreign auto-injectors at pharmacies, so carry what you need (typically two), in original packaging, with your prescription. (The declaration rules for carrying medication into China are in our prohibited medications guide.)
- Antihistamines are backup, not replacement. Chinese pharmacies sell them cheaply (氯雷他定/loratadine — see the pharmacy guide) but they do not stop anaphylaxis.
- A severe reaction is a 120-level emergency. Use the auto-injector if prescribed, call 120 or get to the nearest hospital ER immediately — the getting sick guide has the emergency walkthrough and the insurance paperwork to keep.
FAQ
Is it safe to travel in China with a peanut allergy?
Manageable with preparation, but genuinely demanding: peanut oil is a default cooking oil in much of China and peanuts appear as garnish, sauce, and snack in countless dishes. Communicate in writing (我对花生过敏…会进医院), favor venues where cooking oil can be verified, carry your epinephrine, and know where the nearest hospital is. Verified September 2026.
Is there gluten-free food in China?
Yes — rice, rice noodles, congee, tofu, eggs, and most simply-steamed dishes are naturally wheat-free. The hard part is sauces: most soy sauce contains wheat, so strictly gluten-free travelers should learn 不含小麦 (no wheat) and 麸质 (gluten), and treat sauced dishes as suspect unless confirmed.
How do I say I am allergic in Chinese?
我对___过敏 (wǒ duì ___ guòmǐn) — “I am allergic to ___.” Fill the blank with 花生 (peanuts), 海鲜 (seafood), 小麦 (wheat), etc. Add 这是严重的过敏（会进医院）(“this is a severe allergy — hospital-level”) so the warning lands.
Does soy sauce contain gluten?
Most Chinese soy sauce does — wheat is a standard brewing ingredient. Gluten-free travelers should assume any soy-sauce-seasoned dish contains gluten unless the kitchen confirms otherwise, and look for wheat-free (tamari-style) soy sauce only in import supermarkets.
Related Guides
- Getting Sick in China: What to Do — when a reaction becomes an ER problem
- China Pharmacy Guide — buying antihistamines and asking by ingredient
- Prohibited Medications in China — the rules for carrying your medicine in
- Can I Bring Adderall to China? — the ADHD medication question
- Healthcare Costs for Foreigners in China — what emergency treatment costs
- China Travel Insurance Guide (2026) — short-trip coverage that picks up emergency treatment
- Meituan Food Delivery for Foreigners — the remarks-field trick, set up in English
Information verified September 2026 against official sources (CDC China traveler guidance including the recommended packing list for medical items such as epinephrine auto-injectors) plus on-the-ground restaurant and delivery practices. This page is general information, not medical advice — severe allergy management belongs to you and your doctor, and kitchens vary by region, staff, and day.