Keto Fast Food: What to Order at 12 Chains (and What to Skip)

Yes, you can absolutely eat fast food on keto. The whole game is ordering around the carbs: go bunless and protein-forward, get chicken grilled instead of breaded, and skip the buns, fries, breading, sugary drinks, and sweet sauces. Underneath all of that is meat, cheese, eggs, and non-starchy vegetables, which are naturally low in carbs. Nearly every chain will hand you a burger with no bun, a bowl instead of a wrap, or a salad instead of a sandwich if you just ask.

A handful of rules cover most menus. Order any burger bunless, a hamburger bun by itself is about 25g net carbs, and ask for a lettuce wrap, the same swap that makes an Asian-style lettuce wrap at roughly 4g work. Choose grilled over breaded or fried. Pass on fries, onion rings, and hard taco shells. Drink water, unsweetened tea, black coffee, or diet soda instead of regular soda and sweet tea; our what to drink on keto guide covers the details. Go light on sauces, since ketchup, barbecue, honey mustard, and most "special" sauces are sugar-based, the keto condiments guide ranks them. Grab-and-go is usually worse: a California roll is about 28g net carbs. When in doubt, look an item up in the keto food database or run the plate through the Is My Meal Keto? checker.

McDonald's

• Order a Quarter Pounder with no bun at about 3g net carbs, or a Big Mac without the bun at roughly 7g, just know the special sauce adds a little sugar.
• Any burger bunless with extra cheese, plus a side salad, is a safe fallback.
• Avoid the small fries at about 26g and the Chicken McNuggets near 15g; the breading is what gets you.

Burger King

• A bunless cheeseburger runs about 2g net carbs, order it as a lettuce wrap with mustard, onion, and pickle.
• The flame-grilled patties stack well; double the meat and cheese instead of adding bread.
• Avoid the onion rings at around 35g and the breaded chicken nuggets near 15g.

Wendy's

• Order a bunless cheeseburger at about 2g, or a grilled chicken sandwich with no bun at roughly 2g.
• A plain side salad or a Caesar with no croutons rounds out the meal.
• Skip the chili if you are strict, since it carries beans and tomato, and avoid the breaded nuggets.

Chick-fil-A

• The grilled nuggets and a grilled chicken sandwich with no bun at about 2g are your best bets.
• A Cobb salad with grilled chicken works if you drop the corn and crispy toppings.
• Avoid the classic breaded chicken sandwich and the waffle fries.

In-N-Out

• Order any burger "Protein Style," which is really a bunless cheeseburger wrapped in lettuce at about 2g net carbs.
• Ask for a mustard-grilled patty and extra cheese for more fat.
• Avoid the fries, which land near 38g, and go easy on the spread if you are counting closely.

Five Guys

• A bunless cheeseburger in a lettuce wrap with the free toppings, grilled onions, mushrooms, jalapenos, is an easy keto build.
• Load on bacon and cheese for satiety.
• Avoid the fries at about 38g; the cups are enormous.

Chipotle

• Build a keto Chipotle bowl at about 8g or a chicken fajita bowl near 9g, with no rice and no beans.
• Add carnitas at about 1g and guacamole at roughly 3g for fat and flavor.
• Avoid the regular burrito; the flour tortilla alone is around 60g net carbs.

Taco Bell

• Order tacos as a lettuce wrap at about 3g, or a cheese roll-up at roughly 1g.
• A Power Menu bowl with no rice or beans, plus guacamole, keeps things low.
• Avoid the hard-shell taco at about 12g and anything wrapped in a tortilla.

Subway

• Order any sub as a "no bread" chopped salad and pile on meat, cheese, and low-carb vegetables.
• Add oil and vinegar or a creamy dressing rather than the sweet sauces.
• Avoid the bread entirely, a sub roll sits in the same carb range as a hamburger bun.

KFC

• Grilled options win here: a grilled chicken thigh is about 1g net carbs, and plain buffalo wings run near 2g.
• Pair with green beans instead of mashed potatoes or biscuits.
• Avoid the fried chicken breast at roughly 8g from the breading, and skip the boneless breaded wings near 14g.

Starbucks

• Drink an Americano, black coffee, or unsweetened iced tea, and add heavy cream if you want it richer.
• The bacon-and-gruyere egg bites are the most keto-friendly hot food on the menu.
• Avoid Frappuccinos, flavored lattes, and sweetened refreshers, most are dessert in a cup.

Panera

• A Green Goddess or Cobb salad with chicken and no croutons is the reliable order, along with a broth-based cup.
• Ask for no candied nuts or dried fruit on the salad.
• Avoid the bread bowl and the flatbread pizza; a thin-crust slice is about 20g, while a cauliflower pizza crust at home is closer to 6g.

Make any order fit your macros

Fast food works on keto when you keep the meat, cheese, eggs, and vegetables and drop the starch. The pattern repeats at every counter: burger without the bun, chicken grilled instead of breaded, bowl or salad instead of a wrap, and water or coffee instead of soda. For more ideas, browse the keto food lists, our low-carb vegetables guide, and the recipe library for the nights you cook at home.

Not sure a specific order fits? Run it through the Is My Meal Keto? checker to check any order in seconds, then map out a full low-carb day with the Keto Day Builder.