Having our first bakery experience with milk and nut allergy was one of the best days imaginable.
Walt Disney World may be magical, but allergy-friendly Erin McKenna’s Bakery at Disney Springs is a dream-come-true!
At least for our food allergy and vegan friends.
The first time we went to Disney, my son was eleven years old.
Nobody had ever baked for him besides me, my husband, and grandma.
And the thought of walking into a real life bakery surrounded by nothing but safe treats my son could enjoy…
was something we never dreamed possible.
Until Erin McKenna’s that is.
You guys, not just one option.
Not just two options.
The bakery ONLY makes treats dairy-free and egg-free.
Amazingly, the treats are all gluten-free, too.
While our family isn’t even gluten-free, we absolutely adored everything we tried.
And newsflash, we basically tried everything, LOL!
My son seriously picked out 8 treats the first time we walked in.
Nothing tastes gritty or like cardboard.
Gratefully, everything in the bakery was ok for my son anaphylactic milk allergy.
Donuts
Cupcakes
Cookies
Cookie Sandwiches
Brownie Bites
And more!
We tried them all.
Now as you can see with the sign below…
Erin McKenna’s has a nut disclaimer.
They use a lot of coconut, which we can have with our anaphylactic nut allergy.
And they use Bob’s Red Mill flours processed in a plant with nuts.
We do have nut allergies, but the explanation on the sign at Erin McKenna’s (shown below)…
put us at ease.
All was ok, as we hear from many other nut allergy families.
Be sure to use your best judgement based on your own allergy history, if you are allergic to nuts.
On our first trip to Disney Springs, we went at night to stock up on breakfast donuts for the week.
But selection was scarce.
On our second trip, we went right when they opened.
And there was lots to choose from!
One of our favorite things to do is to get these mash-up cups for later.
These are great for the plane, parks, pools, and to take back home!
We took a mash-up cup back to Illinois with us.
Now if you hit Erin McKenna’s at Disney Springs on the weekend,
or at least this is the schedule as of this post,
you can indulge in dairy-free ice cream, too!!!
It’s coconut based ice cream.
And this was an amazing new treat for our kiddo on our second trip.
We absolutely must go on the weekend for our 2019 Disney vacation.
This is a great alternative to Dole Whip in the parks if you are worried about Dole Whip often being served alongside dairy vanilla ice cream.
That’s no good for severe milk allergy.
Dole Whip also doesn’t have all this topping goodness that Erin McKenna’s does!
My kiddo had his choice of crumbled bakery toppings…
and even dairy-free, nut-free CARAMEL!
I’m sorry, yes, I just yelled that.
That’s seriously a food allergy miracle.
And it was so good!
While my kiddo pigged out on this dream-come-true dairy-free and nut-free coconut ice cream sundae,
mama was having her own coconut ice cream milk shake.
Chocolate, of course!
Now if I were to give some first-timer tips, especially for nervous food allergy families,
this is what I would say after two visits to Erin McKenna’s Bakery in Disney Springs.
MY ERIN MCKENNA TIPS FOR ALLERGY FAMILIES
Go early! Then you’ll have the best selection.
Go on the weekend! Then you can enjoy the coconut ice cream soft serve.
Take treats back to your room if you’re too nervous to try them at Disney Springs.
If trying at Disney Springs, eat in the daytime so you can see any reactions or hives.
Stock up on breakfast pastries for your entire Disney stay. They come in a box.
There’s no seating room inside, you’ll need to eat outside where there’s just a couple small tables. Read, HOT.
If saving some goodies, keep them refrigerated as noted below by Erin McKenna’s.
I hope you’ve learned more about Erin McKenna’s allergy-friendly bakery.
And if it sounds safe for your food allergies, I hope you’re inspired to get there someday soon!
Now you can relax and enjoy it once you get there.
I remember freaking out about glove changes that really didn’t need to happen for us.
Because it was all safe for our allergies.
I still can’t believe that and sure wish we had Erin McKenna’s or the like in my town. Maybe someday.
Or I’ll just move to Orlando. 😉
Please know that we now meet families from our Milk Allergy Mom community at Erin McKenna’s Bakery at Disney Springs for regular meet-up’s through our membership.
We’d love to have ice cream with you, too!
See Our Other Disney World Posts
Eating in Disney World Restaurants with Food Allergies
Eating Disney World Quick Service with Food Allergies
Dairy-Free Packaged Snacks at Disney World
Free Printable Chef Thank-You Cards