The world’s largest fast food-chain is known for french fries, burger buns, sugary sodas, milkshakes, and apple pies – all things you should avoid on keto. With that said, does McDonald’s have anything keto on the menu?
There are a couple of McDonald’s options that are already low enough in carbs, which makes them keto-friendly. Then there’s also order customizing. All this makes it possible to eat keto at McDonald’s.
When ordering at McDonald’s, there are a couple of rules you need to follow: keep burgers bunless; avoid anything breaded; no ketchup; skip the fries and read the nutrition info on dressings. Stick to grilled chicken, patties, sausages, eggs, and don’t be afraid of added veggies.
But to make eating out on keto easier for you, we’ve compiled a list of low-carb orders to make at McDonald’s. To create this comprehensive list, we’ve checked their menu and used the McDonald’s Nutrition Calculator. Below, you’ll find a comprehensive list of breakfast, burger, salad, sauce, and drink options to choose from.
Breakfast
You’ll find great McDonald’s keto options in their All Day Breakfast and Breakfast section, but all include some type of bread. Ask for your favorite breakfast meal without the muffins or biscuits and you should be able to keep the carbs low. Some of these are available in regular or large sizes.
160 Calories | 3g Net carbs | 11g Fat | 12g Protein |
260 Calories | 2g Net carbs | 24g Fat | 9g Protein |
340 Calories | 3g Net carbs | 29g Fat | 16g Protein |
200 Calories | 4g Net carbs | 14g Fat | 14g Protein |
200 Calories | 1g Net carbs | 19g Fat | 7g Protein |
270 Calories | 2g Net carbs | 23g Fat | 12g Protein |
180 Calories | 3g Net carbs | 12g Fat | 14g Protein |
310 Calories | 3g Net carbs | 26g Fat | 15g Protein |
190 Calories | 1g Net carbs | 18g Fat | 7g Protein |
150 Calories | 4g Net carbs | 12g Fat | 9g Protein |
Burgers
Of course, McDonald’s is most famous for burgers. If you skip the bun, burgers become low-carb options at McDonald’s. Most places will wrap your favorite burger in lettuce, but you may also get them in a box.
330 Calories | 6g Net carbs | 25g Fat | 18g Protein |
330 Calories | 7g Net carbs | 22g Fat | 24g Protein |
520 Calories | 4g Net carbs | 37g Fat | 43g Protein |
420 Calories | 5g Net carbs | 33g Fat | 25g Protein |
230 Calories | 3g Net carbs | 16g Fat | 17g Protein |
410 Calories | 5g Net carbs | 29g Fat | 32g Protein |
140 Calories | 3g Net carbs | 10g Fat | 10g Protein |
290 Calories | 3g Net carbs | 21g Fat | 19g Protein |
90 Calories | 1g Net carbs | 6g Fat | 7g Protein |
Chicken & Sandwiches
McDonald’s keto options in this section include grilled chicken sandwiches and chicken salads. Best you avoid anything breaded, like McNuggets. However, the fish sandwich is still fairly low in carbs despite the breading.
230 Calories | 2g Net carbs | 13g Fat | 26g Protein |
330 Calories | 8g Net carbs | 15g Fat | 39g Protein |
230 Calories | 10g Net carbs | 17g Fat | 11g Protein |
Dressings & Sauces
McDonald’s doesn’t offer that many salad dressings that would be appealing to the low-carber. Their carb count can easily add up. The sauces options are a bit better, but still limited. Here are a couple of McDonald’s keto menu options in the dressings and sauces.
35 Calories | 4g Net carbs | 2g Fat | 0g Protein |
30 Calories | 1g Net carbs | 3g Fat | 0g Protein |
110 Calories | 1g Net carbs | 12g Fat | 0g Protein |
100 Calories | 3g Net carbs | 9g Fat | 0g Protein |
80 Calories | 5g Net carbs | 7g Fat | 1g Protein |
80 Calories | 5g Net carbs | 7g Fat | 1g Protein |
Salads
Besides grilled chicken salad, you can also order a side salad to go with your breakfast or burgers. Ask for a salad with vinaigrette since other dressings are high in carbs as already explained. The macros for the side salad are as follows:
50 Calories | 6g Net carbs | 2g Fat | 1g Protein |
Drinks
McDonald’s also offers a couple of low-carb drinks. You’ll need to skip the milkshakes, frappes, and lattes and go for these drinks instead:
1 Calories | 0g Net carbs | 0g Fat | 0g Protein |
4 Calories | 0g Net carbs | 0g Fat | 0g Protein |
80 Calories | 8g Net carbs | 5g Fat | 2g Protein |
0 Calories | 0g Net carbs | 0g Fat | 0g Protein |
0 Calories | 1g Net carbs | 0g Fat | 0g Protein |
Conclusion
These low-carb, keto McDonald’s meals and drinks can help you stay keto while eating out. Double your order when necessary to make it more filling and order a drink for a boost of energy and hydration.
This fast-food chain will gladly take your order without the buns and sugary sauces. But if you’re still feeling shy about making special demands for, say, bunless burgers, you can use the McDonald’s app. It lets you plan your order ahead and simply pick it up at the drive-thru. The app also comes in handy when making special deals.