Chick-Fil-A Has Heard Your Complaints — Waffle Fries Are Finally Fixed

Who doesn't love Chick-fil-A? It's not just because of the delectable chicken sandwiches, which are good enough that we forgive the chain for being closed on Sundays, or its savory barbecue-based Chick-fil-A sauce, but also its thick, fluffy waffle fries. They're just starchy and greasy enough to ease your hangover (again, so long as you're not hung over on a Sunday). 

And yet, in recent years, the company has gotten some flak for those fries, with criticism focusing on one particular ingredient — but no longer! Chick-fil-A has announced that it won't use pea starch on its fries anymore, and the official ingredients list has been updated accordingly.

Sometime in late 2024, loyal customers started to notice that Chick-fil-A's iconic waffle fries had been tasting off, which is when pea starch was first used in the coating. "It was like they zapped the flavor out of them," noted one commenter on Reddit. The change away from pea starch happened within the past month, and customers are already noticing a difference. "Legitimately had CFA for lunch this week and said, hey, the fries are really good today," said another Redditor. We guess we have the answer as to why.

Pea starch is, well, just what it sounds like: starch derived from peas. It's usually used to make foods a little more crispy, chewy, or stable while remaining gluten-free. On paper, this is all well and good, but the way Chick-fil-A used it on its fries was a little troublesome. There was the matter of flavor, of course; pea starch is neutral in flavor, but when applied to fries, it clearly served to dampen the taste. Some folks said it interfered with the way the fries held salt, resulting in an uneven eating experience.

Then, of course, there's the matter of allergies. Peas are, after all, a legume, just like peanuts; although Chick-fil-A uses peanut oil to fry its chicken, the waffle fries are cooked in canola oil, which means they should be safe for those with a legume allergy. The use of pea starch jeopardized that, but thanks to concentrated pushback, the fries are now allergy-safe. (Unless you're allergic to potatoes, we suppose, but then they'd be a non-starter anyway.)