The good news is, you can follow a keto diet anywhere (yes, even at fast food places) as long as you know what and how to order.
This keto fast food guide will show you exactly what’s available at the top keto-friendly fast food restaurants, how to order, and how many carbs each option contains so you can dine out confidently.
Remember, though: just because it’s keto doesn’t mean it’s high-quality. Fast food is still fast food; it’s the quality and nutrient-density of what you eat that determines your long-term health.
If you find you’re eating keto fast food every day, you may want to reevaluate your diet. This keto meal plan can help you get back on track.
But if you’re only eating keto fast food on occasion, either for convenience or as an indulgence, you don’t have much to worry about — and you have a surprising number of good options.
Top 16 Keto-Friendly Fast Food Joints
Whether you’re out with friends or on a road trip, here are the best places to get your keto fast food fix.
#1. Subway
You can find a Subway in most neighborhoods, and although it’s a sub shop, you can turn any of their sandwiches into a salad, instantly slashing the carbs. Their salad portions are larger than other fast-food places, which means you’ll fill up even though you’re ditching the bread.
What to Order
Choose a sub option, make it a salad, add cheese, focus on low-carb vegetables, and pick ditch the dressing or add some olive oil and vinegar.
Just keep in mind that some sub options are higher in carbs than others. Here are the lowest carb options with cheese, black olives, green peppers, lettuce, spinach, and pickles as the veggie options (no dressing added):
Subway also has a useful nutrition calculator so you can plan ahead.
#2. Chipotle
Many people love Chipotle for its delicious, high-quality Mexican food and its focus on sustainability. If you’re one of those people, you’ll be happy to learn that it’s very easy to stay keto at Chipotle.
What to Order
The salad bowl or burrito bowl is the way to go at Chipotle. Don’t be fooled by the name — you can make yourself a hearty salad here that will satisfy your hunger. They make their guacamole fresh every day, so if you love avocado, then go for it. Start with:
Choose from any of their meats (carnitas and steak are especially delicious):
Add any of these low-carb additions (sour cream and guac are particularly tasty and high-fat You can ask for double meat, although they’ll charge you extra):
To plan ahead before going to Chipotle, check out their nutrition calculator. And no matter how much you love a good tortilla or bag of chips, avoid them if you want to keep your net carbs in check.
#3. McDonald’s
McDonald’s is a classic for quick and cheap fast food, and it’s no enemy to the low-carb diet if you simply toss out the bread. When you order a salad, you’ll also want to avoid the croutons and the dressing (it’s probably pretty high in sugar).
What to Order
All of the McMuffin and other breakfast sandwiches sans bread are fair game, including:
For a morning caffeine boost, add a black coffee.
For the rest of the day, any grilled chicken sandwich, grilled chicken bacon ranch, or quarter pounder with cheese burger without the bun or ketchup will work. If you order a salad, avoid the ranch dressing — it has added sugar. Instead, go for an oil and vinegar dressing like Italian. Here are some of the lower carb options:
When you ask for no bread, they’ll usually serve these in a bowl with some lettuce and a fork. Some locations might not know what to do if you order “bunless,” so just order it as it comes and toss the bun.
Stay away from the pancakes, hash browns, burritos, and oatmeal. Chicken nuggets are also off limits as the breading makes the carb count rise quickly.
And the fries are obviously a no-go.
For more, see McDonald’s nutrition calculator.
#4. Burger King
Burger King is a popular fast-food chain that also has some low-carb options. You can easily order a double cheeseburger without the bun and stay keto.
What to Order
Stick with burgers, cheeseburgers, the grilled chicken sandwich, Whopper, or Double Whopper without bread or ketchup. Some of the other sandwiches, like the Farmhouse King, creep up in carbs without lots of customization.
For more nutrition info, see Burger King’s searchable menu.
#5. Arby’s
Arby’s is known for its roast beef, but they have a variety of meat options and you can order many of them without bread for a low-carb alternative. Opt for Arby’s if you want a high-protein fast-food meal that will satisfy your hunger and help you maintain your keto goals.
What to Order
Many of the sandwiches are good without the bun. Here are your options:
Salads:
Pair any of these breadless sandwiches or sliders with a side salad for a bigger meal.
See Arby’s nutrition calculator here.
#6. Taco Bell
It’s possible to eat at Taco Bell while staying keto, just avoid the main meals and stick to sides. (No need to get taco shells that you won’t eat anyway.)
What to Order
Order a side of lettuce, side of beef, side of chicken, and a side or two of guacamole. Then combine it all for a quick meal. You can also add jalapenos for extra kick.
#7. KFC
Ordering food here can be difficult as all the fried foods are pretty high in carbs. In fact, just one medium-sized piece of fried chicken at KFC is around 8-11 carbs. But if you still have a craving for chicken, there are a couple of grilled options.
What to Order
There’s one option for a side here: green beans.
#8. Wendy’s
Wendy’s is another burger-heavy place, so like the others, you can simply remove the buns to avoid kicking your body out of ketosis.
Thankfully, their website has a really easy-to-navigate nutrition menu. It’s complete with photos of each product and includes the carbs, sugar, protein, calories, and main ingredients.
What to Order
For a more keto-friendly option, try a Baconator, Double Stack, or grilled chicken sandwich without the bun.
Extra tips:
- Order any burgers from the value meal and chop the patties into a Caesar salad.
- Order an extra chicken fillet on any sandwich.
- Order the grilled chicken patty with cheese and bacon on top.
- Wendy’s has whole eggs. Order a bunless burger with an egg on the side.
#9. Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s
Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s are owned by the same company, so they have similar menu items with different names. Fortunately, there are plenty of keto options at both.
What to Order
You can have any of these burgers (except the Teriyaki Burger) in a lettuce wrap, just nix the bun, ketchup, and tomatoes if applicable.
Carl’s Jr. has the advantage of the Lettuce-Wrapped Thickburger in both ½ and ⅓ pound sizes.
At Hardee’s, you can just order the Thickburger without the bun for the same experience.
Hardee’s breakfast options:
Low-Carb Breakfast Bowl: 660 calories, 52g fat, 38g protein, 10g carbs, 2g fiber
For extra fat, add bacon or guacamole. For some extra veggies, get a side salad but ditch the dressing.
See the Carl’s Jr. nutritional calculator and Hardee’s nutrition calculator.
#10. Jimmy John’s
Like Subway, any sandwich at Jimmy John’s can be ordered without bread. Just order it as an “unwich” and you’ll be good to go with a low-carb lunch or dinner.
The only downside is that unwiches can be pretty pricey for the lack of bread. But you can order “slim” unwiches too, which still give you a good amount of substance for a lower price.
What to Order
You can order any of the sandwiches as unwiches, but here are some top recommendations:
Sides here are chips or cookies, so stick with the unwiches only.
Craving a chocolate chip cookie? Opt for a keto-friendly option instead. Perfect Keto Chocolate Chip Cookies are only 4 grams of net carbs per serving and come in convenient 2-cookie packages. Pop a package in your bag or keep some in the car for an on-the-go sweet treat — without the added sugar repercussions.
See Jimmy John’s nutrition calculator here.
#11. Jersey Mike’s
Here’s another sandwich place where you can nix the bread — simply order it “in a tub.” Plus, Jersey Mike’s meats are sliced-to-order, so you know they’re fresh.
What to Order
All of Jersey Mike’s cold sub sandwiches are good “in a tub,” but quite a few of the hot subs are higher in carbs — especially the BBQ Beef with 38 grams of carbs in one serving.
Here are the best high-fat, low-carb options:
You can see Jersey Mike’s nutrition facts here.
#12. Five Guys Burgers
Unfortunately, Five Guys is known for their addicting french fries, which you’ll have to avoid. Thankfully, their burgers are made fresh and can come with a ton of low-carb toppings.
What to Order
You can order any of the burgers as a lettuce wrap or as a salad option. All of the toppings are virtually no-carb, except for the BBQ sauce, ketchup, and relish.
See the Five Guys’ nutrition information here.
#13. In-N-Out Burger
If you find yourself in one of the few states with an In-N-Out Burger, there are some delicious options you can order. The simple menu and easy low-carb options at In-N-Out make it perfect for keto fast food. Order any burger “protein style” to replace the bun with lettuce.
What to Order
Along with ordering “protein style,” you can order your burger with double meat (called a “double double”), 3×3 (triple meat), or 4×4 (quadruple meat). Want another option? Try the Flying Dutchman — a “cheese sandwich” with two meat patties as the “buns.” At zero grams net carbs, it’s as keto as you can get.
Browse In-N-Out’s nutrition info here.
#14. Chick-Fil-A
Chick-Fil-A has quite a few keto options, especially if you ask to modify their menu items. You won’t be able to eat their signature crispy fried chicken, but you can choose from several delicious keto foods.
What to Order
- 8-piece grilled chicken nuggets (2g net carbs)
- Cobb salad with grilled chicken and avocado lime vinaigrette (12g net carbs)
- Sausage egg and cheese breakfast sandwich, without the bun (2g net carbs)
- Bacon egg and cheese breakfast sandwich, without the bun (1g net carbs)
#15. Starbucks Coffee
Starbucks also has a wide variety of keto options, including both keto drinks and keto food. Here’s a comprehensive guide to keto Starbucks drinks.
As far as food, Starbucks has surprisingly good keto choices.
What to Order
A lot of Starbucks’ keto foods are egg-based and breakfast-themed. Choices include:
- Bacon and gruyere sous-vide egg bites (9g net carbs)
- Turkey bacon and egg white breakfast sandwich, without the bun (2g net carbs)
- Cauliflower tabbouleh salad (7g net carbs)
- Cured meat and cheese snack tray (0g net carbs)
#16. Panera Bread
Panera is especially keto-friendly, with multiple keto items that you can order straight off the menu, no alterations.
Obviously, their bread is off-limits, but there’s still plenty of low-carb fare to choose from.
What to Order
- Greek salad (5g net carbs)
- Chicken Cobb salad (12g net carbs)
- Asiago, bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich, hold the bagel (1g net carbs)
- Caesar salad, hold the croutons (3g net carbs)