Best Keto Diet Fast-Food Options

If you’re on a ketogenic diet, you already know how tough it can be to eat out. To make it even more challenging, you may wind up at a fast-food restaurant if you need to grab a bite in a pinch (or if the people you’re out with want to go there).

Surprisingly, these places do have meals that can fit into a keto diet menu, with a few modifications and substitutions — and a whole lot of planning.

How the Keto Diet Works and Where Fast Food Fits In

“I consider keto diets to be therapeutic diets, meaning they’re designed to be done short term,” says the Chicago-based functional and integrative nutritionist Olivia Wagner, RDN.

How to Build a Keto-Friendly Fast-Food Meal

Here’s how to throw together a low-carb fast-food meal, including main courses, sides, and drinks. (No desserts, unfortunately — fast-food dessert options are sugary, and sugar is a carb.)

How to Choose and Customize a Main Course for Keto

A bowl of leafy greens topped with nonstarchy veggies, including radishes, tomatoes, and bell peppers, can be a good option, says Wagner. Raw onions are okay too, just in smaller amounts (think of them as a “seasoning”), since they are higher in carbs. But you still have to count carbs — even for veggies — she says.

Be sure to steer clear of sweetened dressings, such as raspberry vinaigrette.

Other options include:

• Bunless burgers (100 percent beef is ideal to avoid unexpected carbs from added ingredients)
• Grilled, unbreaded chicken breast
• Bunless hot dogs (but read the label to make sure they are without fillers that add carbs)
• Eggs (with yolks for more fat — one yolk from a large egg provides an extra 4.9 g fat)

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It’s okay to add ham and sausage, but watch out for fillers or additives like sugar. You can make mains more keto-friendly by removing or avoiding the following items when you order:

• Buns
• Tortillas
• Bread
• Breaded chicken breasts
• Breaded chicken nuggets/fingers/wings
• Rice
• Beans

Exactly What to Order at Popular Fast-Food Chains

Now that you’ve got the basics down, here are some sample fast-food meals, all nutritionist-approved for working within the confines of a keto diet.

McDonald’s

Order An Egg McMuffin, without the English muffin. Another good option is to ask for a totally customized order like scrambled eggs with cheese, since you know they have all the ingredients, says Megan Poczekaj, RDN, a nutritionist based in Orlando, Florida.

• Calories 170
• Total Fat 12 g
• Carbohydrates 3 g
• Protein 12 g

Panera Bread

Order A Greek salad, advises Wagner. A whole salad contains 10 g of net carbs (it has 7 g of fiber).

Using the Greek dressing it comes with will add an additional gram of carbs, though Wagner suggests a DIY dressing: your own olive oil and a few lemon wedges from the water fountain to squirt on top.

• Calories 630
• Total Fat 59 g
• Carbohydrates 17 g
• Protein 8 g

Dropping to a half salad helps you take even less out of your carb allowance, with 5 g of net carbs (9 g of total carbs and 4 g of fiber), and 310 calories.

Chipotle

Our experts recommended any salad bowl, with your choice of meat (note that the nutrition info will vary depending on the meat, though carnitas is a good, higher-fat pick), sour cream for an extra dose of fat, guacamole, and shredded cheese. Skip the salsa to save on carbs.

“Portions tend to be quite large for a keto diner, who is usually not that hungry,” says Mancinelli. Eat a modest portion and save the rest for later.

• Calories 453
• Total Fat 33.2 g
• Carbohydrates 4.2 g
• Protein 33.1 g

In-N-Out Burger

Order A protein-style cheeseburger. You’re in luck, because this fast-food joint has long been a low-carb champion. Protein-style means wrapped in lettuce. If you’re eating the onion, ask for it freshly sliced, not grilled, to save on carbs, advises Wagner. In-N-Out Burger is not in every state, but if you happen to be in the West, Southwest, or South, you may be in luck.

• Calories 210
• Total Fat 14 g
• Carbohydrates 8 g
• Protein 12 g

Five Guys

Order A little bacon cheeseburger, no bun. “Ask if they do a lettuce wrap,” says Mancinelli. “Then make a smart use of toppings. It’s a very rich meal, so add pickles and tomato. They’ll brighten up the burger for a small amount of carbs,” she says. Though it’s not considered healthy, mayo will also up the fat content of this pick, adding 11 g to your total.

Bear in mind that adding mayo will add upward of 100 calories to your meal, depending on the vendor, so if you’re also watching calories, that’s a consideration.

• Calories 456
• Total Fat 28.5 g
• Carbohydrates 4 g
• Protein 25 g

• Calories 563
• Total Fat 39.5 g
• Carbohydrates 4 g
• Protein 25 g

Subway

Order Tuna salad on sliced cucumbers and tomatoes or atop a salad. (Nutrition info reflects tuna on a chopped salad.) “If you have an opportunity to get tuna at a fast-food place and you’re light on fish consumption for that week, it’s a good option,” says Mancinelli. (With 4 g of fiber, this meal has 6 g of net carbs.)

• Calories 410
• Total Fat 32 g
• Carbohydrates 10 g
• Protein 22 g

5 Essential Rules to Follow When Ordering Fast Food on a Keto Diet

You can make it work, but here’s what you need to remember before hitting the drive-through.

• Plan ahead. When you know that you’ll be eating out, especially at a fast-food restaurant, use a food tracking app or look at their nutritional databases online to make a choice that will align with your goals, our experts recommend.
• Always add avocado when possible. Is avocado on the menu somewhere? Order a side of it and add it to whatever you order, says Mancinelli.
• Amp up fat, not meat. “One challenge is that people often put a big hunk of meat on their plate and call it keto,” says Mancinelli. Simple math can help you get it right: Reduce a typical portion of protein in half and cover it with a fat-rich sauce. “Always think about how to add fat to your plate, rather than focusing on meat,” she says. Eating too much protein can kick you out of ketosis.
• Set yourself up for success. If you know you’re going out, bring extras to add healthy fats to the meal, like packets of olives, macadamia nuts, and olive oil, says Wagner. Sounds crazy, but it works.
• Balance your day. What you eat over the course of a day matters more than a single meal. “Vary your fat. If you ate a high-saturated-fat fast-food lunch, balance it later with sources of unsaturated fats, like avocado, or omega-3s like sardines, salmon, or tuna,” says Mancinelli. Likewise, if you went higher in carbs during lunch because you ate a salad, focus on protein and healthy fats at dinner.