Low carb fast food is hard to come by. Most offerings are full of carbs, whether in the bun, crust, breading, condiments or, of course, fries. As a general rule, it’s best to prepare and eat meals at home, but sometimes the need for convenience or affordability demands you eat fast food. Fortunately, low carb fast food options do exist. We’ve outlined some of our top picks below.
Know that these options may still be high in calories or trans fats, and it’s not recommended to make fast food a staple of your diet. However, when you’re on the road or need a low-cost meal, the tips and options below will help you stay low carb.
Low Carb Fast Food: General Tips
- Skip the Bun: Some establishments let you order a burger wrapped in lettuce leaves, or you can always remove the bun and eat the inside with a fork.
- Avoid Fried Food: Some chains now offer grilled, broiled, or roasted chicken that’s neither battered or breaded. In a pinch, peel the battered skin off of a piece of fried chicken or fish and eat only the meat. Limit french fries, which are high in trans fats and studies show may trigger cravings for more.
- Get Dressing on the Side: Sauces and salad dressings may be full of sugar or corn syrup. Check the ingredients, have it on the side, or even bring your own.
- Fill Up on Veggies: Head to the salad bar, or choose a salad from the menu. Top your salad with proteins like ham or chicken and healthy fats, such as sunflower seeds.
- Check Nutritional Info: Bigger chains provide complete nutritional data for their foods online. Check these before you order.
- Watch Portions: Share your meal with friends, or portion out half when your food arrives, leaving the other half to take home.
Low Carb Fast Food Options
We’ve included suggestions on what to order and what to avoid at 11 national chains below. Remember that the best approach is to make up your mind before you go and stick to your guns. Check out this Fast Food Nutrition Calculator before you go to help formulate your game plan.
Arby’s
Thumbs Up: Minus the bun: Roast Chicken, Roast Turkey, Roast Ham, Roast Beef, Roast Beef melts, Reuben Corned Beef, and BLT sandwiches and the contents of all subs; Chopped Turkey Club Salad with Buttermilk Ranch dressing.
Thumbs Down: Popcorn Chicken; Chicken Filets; most salad dressings and condiments.
Click Here to see complete list of nutrition information.
A & W
Thumbs Up: Minus the bun: Hot Dog, Cheese Dog, Coney Dog, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, Grilled Chicken sandwich; Ranch dipping sauce.
Thumbs Down: Chicken Strips, Crispy Chicken Sandwich, Corn Dog Nuggets, BBQ and Honey-Mustard dipping sauce.
Click Here to see complete list of nutrition information.
Blimpie
Thumbs Up: Minus the bun: Deli Subs, Super Stacked Subs, Hot Philly Cheese Steak and Hot Pastrami subs; also Antipasto, Chef, Grilled Chicken, and Tuna salads; blue cheese, Caesar, and oil and vinegar salad dressings.
Thumbs Down: All panini grilled subs, Hot Meatball Sub; Chile Ole and Roast Beef ’n Bleu salads; Blimpie Sauce and Dijon Honey Mustard.
Burger King
Thumbs Up: Minus the bun: All burgers and Whoppers and Tendergrill Chicken Sandwich; Tendergrill Garden Salad (remove the carrots if you’re in earlier phases); Ken’s Ranch dressing; Ham Omelet Sandwich with/without bacon/sausage (minus the bun and honey butter sauce); Veggie Burger okay for Phases 3 and 4 (minus the bun).
Thumbs Down: Tendercrisp Chicken, Tendercrisp Garden Salad, Chicken Tenders; Honey Mustard and Ken’s Fat-free Ranch dressings.
Carl’s Jr.
Thumbs Up: Low-Carb Six-Dollar Burger (wrapped in lettuce leaves); minus the bun: Famous Star, Big Carl™, Guacamole Bacon Burger, most other burgers/cheeseburgers, and Charbroiled Chicken Club; Charbroiled Chicken Salad (lose the croutons); House and blue cheese salad dressings; house and buffalo wing sauces.
Thumbs Down: Teriyaki Burger, Parmesan Chicken Sandwich and all other fried chicken and fish dishes; thousand island and low-fat balsamic salad dressings; BBQ, honey, mustard, and sweet and sour sauces.
Chick-fil-A
Thumbs Up: Minus the biscuit: breakfast egg, cheese, sausage, and bacon dishes; sausage breakfast burrito (unwrap and discard the tortilla); Chargrilled Chicken Club and Chicken Salad sandwiches minus the bread; blue cheese, Caesar, and buttermilk ranch salad dressings; Buffalo and buttermilk ranch sauces.
Thumbs Down: All breaded and fried chicken dishes; Chick-fil-A sauce and barbecue, honey mustard, and Polynesian sauces; fat-free honey mustard and other low- or no-fat salad dressings.
Chipotle:
Thumbs Up: Salad of Romaine lettuce with Chicken, Beef, Barbacoa, Fajita Vegetables, Fresh Tomato Salsa, Guacamole, Cheese, Tomatilla Salsas, Sour Cream, but NO Vinaigrette (it has 18g NC – sugar!). Burrito Bowl with Chicken, Beef, Barbacoa, Fajita Vegetables, Fresh Tomato Salsa, Guacamole, Cheese, Tomatillo Salsas, Sour Cream and/or queso.
Thumbs Down: Any of the burritos, tacos, or quesadillas – due to the high carb wraps. Also avoid chips, corn salsa, sofritos, beans and rice. Be cautious not to add on too many “extras” – as they do add up quickly.
Click Here to use their Nutrition Calculator!
Dairy Queen
Thumbs Up: Minus the bun: Grillburgers, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, hot dogs, cheese dogs, grilled chicken and turkey items; side salad (lose the carrots in earlier phases); BBQ, Wild Buffalo, and Ranch dipping sauces.
Thumbs Down: All crispy chicken items; blue cheese, sweet and sour, honey mustard, dipping sauces, all fat-free salad dressings.
Hardee’s
Thumbs Up: Hardee’s Alternative Options menu: Low-carb Thickburger, low-carb Breakfast Bowl, and Charbroiled Chicken Club “Sandwich” salad.
Thumbs Down: All other burgers with buns.
KFC
Thumbs Up: Roasted Chicken Caesar or Caesar side salad, both without croutons; roasted chicken BLT salad; Heinz Buttermilk Ranch Dressing; most wing dishes; green beans, KFC Mean Greens.
Thumbs Down: All fried, breaded or crispy dishes and salads; biscuits, most sides.
Starbucks
Thumbs Up: Cauliflower Tabbouleh Side Salad,Garden Greens & Shaved Parmesan Side Salad, Sous Vide Egg Bites: Bacon & Gruyere, Any of the egg sandwiches without the bun/biscuit/croissant (i.e. Bacon, Gouda & Egg Breakfast Sandwich without the bun/biscuit), Certified Gluten-Free Breakfast Sandwich.
Thumbs Down: Any of the pastries, Caramelized Apple Pound Cake, Cinnamon Raisin Bagel, Cranberry Orange Scone, Double Chocolate Chunk Brownie
Click Here to see complete list of nutrition information.
Join the Atkins Community or Log In today and share your favorite low carb combinations with our growing community.
