Eating out might sound challenging, but you can enjoy a keto meal at almost any restaurant. In this guide, you’ll learn how to stay keto at a restaurant and how to order food to keep carbs low, plus what to eat in the most popular US food chains.
Following a keto diet doesn’t mean you can eat delicious foods at restaurants. That’s what makes the keto lifestyle sustainable in the long term.
Best Tips for Eating Keto Fast Food
Here are a few tips that I follow when eating out to keep my carbs low:
- Check the restaurant menu before going out and try to figure out what you can order. You can find the menus online, and some have the nutrition info posted too.
- Avoid all varieties of bread. – If you want to eat a sandwich, you need to skip the bread or replace it with lettuce or low carb tortillas.
- Never order full-sugar soft drinks and stick to drinking water and unsweetened coffee.
- If you are an extra flavor lover, then you need to know that barbeque sauce, teriyaki, and honey mustard are loaded with sugar, and you have to cut them off your list and replace them with ranch dressing or other low carb sauces. Usually, mayonnaise-based sauces are great to eat, but those can be loaded with sugar too.
- When you want to choose a side dish, I recommend low-carb veggies like cauliflower, asparagus, or mushrooms.
- Request that any breaded foods (from appetizers to filet mignon) be grilled rather than fried.
- Remove the croutons from salads, and replace them with nuts and seeds for some extra crunch.
- Avoid deep-fried foods – Most fried foods are breaded, which means a higher carb content.
- Make sure that they got your order clearly and always check your order before eating. Errors can happen, and it’s best to double-check.
Fast Food Places Where You Can Eat Keto
You will be happy to know that there are enough places to grab your low carb order. Make sure to save this post for later, as the list of keto-friendly restaurants will be constantly updated with the best options. Find food suggestions for 12 fast-food restaurants.
- KFC
- Burger King
- McDonald’s
- Chipotle
- Taco Bell
- Subway
- Wendy’s
- Starbucks
- Arby’s
- Jack in the Box
- Panera
- Chick-fil-A
Keto Low Carb Fast Food Options
KFC
KFC is not the most keto-friendly place to eat but with a few changes, you can order a low carb meal.
- Two Kentucky Grilled Chicken Breasts and a side of green beans – 600 calories | 6g net carbs
- Bunless Bacon King Jr. – 740 calories | 3g net carbs
- Bunless BBQ Bacon Whopper – 370 calories | 1g net carbs
- Grilled Chicken Garden Salad – 340 calories | 9g net carbs
- Garden Side Salad, no dressing – 60 calories | 3g carbs
- Bunless Grilled Chicken Caesar Sandwich – 4g net carbs
- Breakfast Sandwiches (no bread) – 1g to 3g net carbs
What to Drink at KFC?
- Water
- Sobe Lifewater
- Diet Soda
- Unsweetened Ice Tea
- Unsweetened Black Coffee
What to Avoid
Coleslaw, Hidden Valley Ranch (8g net carbs), Corn Baked Beans, popcorn nuggets, extra crispy chicken tenders are a few of the menu items that are super high in carbs.
Chipotle
Chipotle is a great restaurant when you want to enjoy a quick keto lunch. The food is simple and super flavorful. Avoid tortillas, rice, chips, and beans. It’s awesome that you can get cauliflower rice at Chipotle instead of the high-carb classic rice.
- Burrito Bowl with Chicken – 425 Calories: 425g | 9g net Carbs
- Double Chicken Salad (ask for no dressing, no beans, no rice) – 760 calories | 12g net carbs
- Double Carnitas Salad – 800 calories | 6g net carbs
- Double Steak Salad – 675 calories | 4g net carbs
What to avoid
Ask for no rice, beans, taco shells, and tortilla chips. Salad dressing and corn salsa aren’t great keto options also.
Taco Bell
With some modifications, you can totally eat keto at Taco Bell. Don’t forget to order “no beans, no rice”. Here are some of my favorite options:
- Steak Power Bowl – 395 Calories | 9g net carbs
- Chicken Power Bowl
- Burrito Steak Supreme (no tortilla and no beans) – 5g net carbs
- Power Menu Bowl – 6g net carbs
- Cheesy Toasted Breakfast Burrito in a Bowl (no tortilla) – 150 Calories | 3g net carbs
What to Avoid
Rice, Beans, Potatoes, Corn, Taco Shells, Tortillas, Desserts, Sauces.
Burger King
- Double Quarter Burger without bun and ketchup – 890 Calories | 6g net carbs
- Whopper Sandwich(No bun and ketchup) – 410 Calories | 3g Carbs
- Bacon Egg and Cheese Croissan’wich – 65 calories | 1g net carbs
- Bunless Double Whopper with Cheese – 730 calories | 4g net carbs
- Grilled Chicken Club Salad – 490 calories | 8g net carbs
What to Avoid
Fries, nuggets, onion rings, crispy chicken salads, bunless crispy chicken sandwiches.
McDonald’s
Like any other fast foods McDonald’s, you’ll get a great low carb option if you order any of the burgers without a bun.
- Artisan Grilled Chicken Sandwich(No Bun) – Calories: 160 | Fat: 4g | Protein: 29g | Carb: 2g
- Bunless Big Mac (with sauce) – 390 Calories | 7g net carbs
- Bunless Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese and Bacon – 8g net carbs
- Double Cheeseburger without Bun – 187 calories | 3g net carbs
What to Avoid
Nuggets, crispy chicken salad, Southwest salad, sauces, and Salad dressings.
Subway
- Tuna Salad (no tomato) – 300 calories | 8g carbs
- Cold Cut Combo Salad – 615 calories | 5g net carbs
- Spicy Italian Chopped Salad – 711 calories | 5g net carbs
- Subway Club Salad – 532 calories | 5g net carbs
- Roasted Chicken Patty Salad – 366 calories | 3g net carbs
What to avoid
Sweet Onion Teriyaki Chicken Salad (30 net carbs), Falafel, BBQ pulled Pork, Meatballs, Orchard Chicken Salad, Veggie Patty, most sauces.
Wendy’s
- Spicy Chicken Caesar Salad – 500 Calories | 6g net carbs
- Dave’s Triple with Cheese – 900 calories | 5g net carbs
- Asiago Ranch Chicken Club – 370 caloriies | 4g carbs
- Chicken Caesar Salad with Grilled Chicken – 700calories | 9g net carbs
- Bunless Grilled Avocado Blt Chicken Sandwich – 430 calories, 6g carbs
- Order any burger from the menu without a bun.
What to avoid
Skip the bun, ketchup, taco salad, chili, apple pecan salad, spicy chicken breast, and most sauces.
Starbucks
- Keto Starbucks Coffee Drinks without sugar and syrups.
- Sous Vide Egg Bites: Bacon & Gruyere – 310 | Carb: 9g
- Bunless Spicy Chorizo, Monterey Jack & Egg Breakfast Sandwich
- Bunless Slow-Roasted Ham, Swiss & Egg Breakfast Sandwich
- Moon Cheese
Arby’s
Arby’s is a sandwich shop with over 25 different delicious sandwiches with roast beef, chicken, and other deli meat sandwiches. Just order “lettuce wrapped” or bunless to make the best keto choice when eating out!
- Lettuce Wrapped Reuben – 350 calories | 6g net carbs
- Bunless Loaded Italian – 7g net carbs
- Classic French Dip Sandwich – 300 calories | 5g net carbs
- Bunless Loaded Italian Sandwich – 440 calories | 6g net carbs
- Lettuce Wrapped Half Pound Beef’n’Cheddar Sandwich (no red ranch sauce)- 530 calories | 6g net carbs
- Roast Turkey & Swiss Sandwich (no honey mustard) – 280 calories | 3g net carbs
- Mount Italy Sandwich in a bowl – 780 calories | 9 net carbs
Jack in the Box
- Bunless Bacon & Swiss Buttery Jack – 690 calories | 0g net carbs
- Bunless Double Jack – 660 calories | 2g net carbs
- Grilled Chicken Club Salad – 360 calories | 8g net carbs
- Bunless Extreme Sausage Sandwich – 490 calories | 0g net carbs
What to avoid
Sauces, Sides, anything with fried chicken.
Panera
- Bacon Egg & Cheese Sandwich – 250 Calories | 2g net carbs
- Turkey Sausage, Egg White & Spinach Sandwich (No bread) – 170 Calories | 2g net carbs
- Bunless Sausage Egg & Cheese Sandwich – 335 calories | 3g net carbs
- Steak Egg & Cheese Sandwich – 35 calories | 3g net carbs
- Caesar Salad – 220 Calories | 2g net carbs
What to avoid
Bread, Cookies, Chips, Soups, pickled onions, salad dressings, sweetened drinks.
Conclusion
- Eating out on a keto diet doesn’t have to be challenging or keep you from having fun!
- There are lots of keto-friendly restaurants you’re surely driving by every day that you didn’t know to have keto options.
- Avoid breaded items, buns, tortillas, salad dressings, and sugary sodas.
- Skip the croutons.
