Science
Molly Mulshine
If you ascribe to the low-carb, high-fat ketogenic diet, you may think dining out is near impossible. But it turns out, you may be able to hit up your favorite drive-thrus without straying from the structured eating plan.
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For those who aren't aware, the ketogenic diet— more commonly referred to as the keto diet — consists of high-fat, low-carb foods. It doesn't emphasize protein as much as the low-carb diets of the past did.
Not every keto practitioner's ratio of fat-to-carbs-to-protein is the same, so this list of keto-friendly fast foods isn't totally foolproof. Just make sure these food items' fat, carb, and protein counts are consistent with your macros before you take the plunge.
Unless otherwise noted, all data was gathered from each restaurant's nutrition guide.
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McDonald's Big Breakfast —sans the biscuit, pancakes, and hash browns — has only 2 grams of carbohydrates.
This dish has 340 calories, 29 grams of fat, 2 grams of carbs, and 19 grams of protein.
A bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich from McDonald's is a safe bet if you remove the biscuit.
Without the carb, this dish has 190 calories, 13 grams of fat, 4 grams of carbs, and 14 grams of protein.
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McDonald's double cheeseburger will work if you forego the bun.
Without the bun, you're looking at 270 calories, 20 grams of fat, 4 grams of carbs, and 20 grams of protein.
A bacon ranch grilled chicken salad from McDonald's is keto-friendly with no modifications.
It's got 380 calories, 19 grams of fat, 10 grams of carbs, and 42 grams of protein.
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McDonald's Pico de Guacamole sandwich is fine if you don't eat the bun.
Without the bun, this sandwich has 330 calories, 18 grams of fat, 9 grams of carbs, and 34 grams of protein.
Burger King's Ultimate Breakfast Platter works — with heavy modifications.
Take out the pancakes, hash browns, and biscuit, and about half the meal is gone. But as far as what remains, you're looking at 340 calories, 29 grams of fat, 1 gram of carbs, and 16 grams of protein, according to HealthLine.
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Burger King's grilled chicken sandwich with no bun will work.
It's got 350 calories, 25 grams of fat, 2 grams of carbs, and 30 grams of protein.
A plain Burger King Whopper has no carbs once you take away the bun.
A plain Whopper with no bun has 240 calories, 18 grams of fat, no carbs, and 20 grams of protein.
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A bunless Whopper with all the other toppings intact will run you 7 grams of carbs.
After modifications, the dish's nutritional value comes in at 430 calories, 36 grams of fat, 7 grams of carbs, no fiber, and 21 grams of protein.
Add cheese to your plain Burger King Whopper, and it adds 1 more carb.
A Burger King Whopper with cheese and no other toppings has 320 calories, 24 grams of fat, 1 gram of carbs, and 24 grams of protein.
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A Whopper with cheese and all the typical toppings has 8 carbs.
Add the other typical toppings to your Whopper with cheese, and you'll go up to 510 calories, 42 grams of fat, 8 grams of carbs, and 25 grams protein. Even more minute details about Burger King's burgers can be found at the blog No Bun Please.
Burger King's bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit is keto-friendly without the biscuit.
It's got only 150 calories, 12 grams of fat, 1 gram of carbs, and 9 grams of protein.
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Burger King's sausage, egg, and cheese Croissanwich — sans croissant — is also part of the one-carb club.
It's got 280 calories, 24 grams of fat, 1 gram of carbs, 14 grams of protein.
Take away the biscuit itself, and Burger King's fully loaded biscuit is keto-friendly.
It's got 380 calories, 29 grams of fat, 3 grams of carbs, and 24 grams of protein.
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Wendy's Double Stack cheeseburger, no bun, has only 1 carb.
It's got 260 calories, 20 grams of fat, 1 gram of carbs, and 20 grams of protein.
Five Guys bacon cheeseburger has no carbs at all, if you take away the bun.
It's got 370 calories, 30 grams of fat, and 24 grams of protein. Just make sure you're not adding condiments, lettuce, or tomato.
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Hardees ⅓ lb Thickburger with cheese and bacon is one of the most keto-friendly meals on this list, without the bun.
It's got 430 calories, 36 grams of fat, no carbs, and 21 grams of protein.
You can get a Chipotle steak burrito bowl with only 6 carbs if you play your cards right.
Order Chipotle's steak burrito bowl with lettuce, salsa, sour cream, and cheese — just make sure they leave out the rice and beans. This will run you 400 calories, 23 grams of fat, 6 grams of carbs, and 29 grams of protein.
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For avocado junkies, Chipotle guacamole has only 4 net grams of carbohydrates.
If you're comfortable eating guac with a spoon, Chipotle's large guacamole has 460 calories, 44 grams of fat, 16 grams of carbohydrates, 12 grams of fiber, and 4 grams of protein.
Chipotle's carnitas bowl has no carbs.
Order a burrito bowl with carnitas, cheese, lettuce, and nothing else. This will run you 325 calories, 20 grams of fat, 2 grams of carbs, 1 gram of fiber, and 29 grams of protein.
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Taco Bell's Cantina Power Steak Bowl without rice or beans has only 8 grams of carbs.
Even with extra guacamole, according to HealthLine, this meal will run you 310 calories, 23 grams of fat, 8 grams of carbs, and 20 grams of protein.
Wendy's grilled chicken sandwich with no bun has 5 grams of carbs.
It's got 286 calories, 16 grams of fat, 5 grams of carbs, and 29 grams of protein.
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Starbucks' bacon and gruyere sous vide egg bites are a little carb-heavy for keto, but if you're in a pinch, they'll work.
They've got 310 calories, 22 grams of fat, 9 grams of carbs, and 19 grams of protein.
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In-N-Out's 4 x 4, ordered protein style, is a meat-and-cheese heavy low-carb bonanza.
The 4 x 4 is literally four beef patties with four slices of cheese. Order it protein-style, and they'll leave off the bun. It's got 900 calories, 67 grams of fat, 8 net carbohydrates, and 63 grams of protein.
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