McDonald’s – the symbol of fast eating. But a burger joint wants some keto diet-friendly food options. Of course! McDonald’s is a pretty decent spot to visit if you wish to easy keto fast food.
Try these keto at mcdonald’s to your enjoy fast food on ketosis diet.
Thanks to their meat-heavy line, you can tailor quite a number of their menu choices to get a dinner that’s low in net carbs. If you’re on a keto train (like almost any celebrity), you could be wondering if there’s a way you can adopt a diet without cooking all your meals all the time. Good news: it’s possible, not just in conventional “safe” restaurants.
Yep, at quick-food staples like McDonald’s, you can eat Keto. You have to know how to order correctly. Currently, the menu includes a few items without any changes that are Keto. Also, with a few tweaks to fit a keto diet, there are plenty of recipes you can order.
You can tailor quite a number of their menu choices to get a lunch that’s low in net carbs. In reality, if you follow some of the guidelines that I’m going to show you, you can get some excellent McDonald’s keto food! There are many options that you might eat at McDonald’s all day and never get bored.
How I Sourced Diet Details for the Keto McDonald’s Ultimate Guide
Note that this knowledge was accurate when writing this article, to the best of my abilities. I got my data from the McDonald’s Diet Calculator, but I am just human (darn!), so please confirm me know if you find a mistake by writing on it.
McDonald’s Foods to Order while you’re on the Keto Diet
What Should I Eat on Keto at McDonald’s?
Good news: you should eat Keto for breakfast, lunch, and dinner at McDonald’s! A couple of important notes:
- Modifications are listed in parentheses, and to make the diet keto-friendly, they MUST be observed.
- Removing the bun/muffin/biscuit and removing all sauces, including ketchup, are the fundamental changes you would still want to adopt.
- If there are no fat grams specified, that means there is no fat in the ingredient.
- At a McDonald’s, not every alternative mentioned below will be available.
Keto at Mcdonald’s
You’ll want to stick to these basics, just like the techniques I use for eating Keto at Wendy’s:
- Stop healthy carbs: buns, rolls, bagels, cookies, french fries, etc.
- Although others are filled with sugar, make wise condiment choices.
- Be cautious of iced coffee and dressings that are sugar-free.
- Unfortunately, the Pico Guacamole Chicken Sandwich is not served by McDonald’s anymore. A great Keto lunch was made of grilled chicken, guacamole, cheese, bacon, and pico de gallo!
- It is best at any time of day to be able to pop into the drive-thru for breakfast!
Below is a short primer of what the keto diet looks like before getting into the best McDonald’s keto orders.
Scott Keatley, RD, of Keatley Medical Nutrition Counseling, previously told WH, Keto is another form of “ketogenic diet” .The consuming strategy could minimize our carbohydrates and upping your fat to excel the body to use fat as energy as a result.
- 60 to 75 percent of your fat-based calories
- 15 to 30 percent of the protein-based calories
- 5 to 10 percent of the carbohydrate calories
Although everyone’s body and needs are slightly different, that usually translates to the primary determinant of the daily macro above.
Typically, that means consuming 50 grams of carbohydrates daily. Ketosis is defined as the condition of using fat instead of carbohydrates for food. For specific individuals, adopting a keto diet helps in successful weight loss. Yet it’s not without its pitfalls; diet experts caution that it’s not sustainable, and there’s also the whole thing with keto flu.
Below’s definitely how to shop to keep on board with your keto goals at McDonald’s, directly from certified dietitians.
McDonald’s Keto Menu: Salads
You can still order a pair of side salads if you are not looking for a gourmet meal and don’t mind keeping it bland. Here, a side salad contains:
- Roman lettuce (and up to five different lettuce types)
- Spinach for kids
- For carrots
- Honey spinach,
- Tomatoes and grapes
Just 3 grams of net carbs are found in side salads. You could also order a few side salads if you are looking to adhere to 12 grams. Drop the grape tomatoes, and the side salad is just 2 grams of carbs!
If you choose the Southwest Grilled Chicken Salad, you have 37 grams of protein (mostly from chicken, of course). So if you order from the menu the way it is, there are 27 grams of carbohydrates. However, cut 22 grams of carbs from the tortilla strings. Ditch the dressing with lime glaze, and you’re down to 15 carbs now.
(Interestingly, the chicken is fried with clarified butter, which is on the fat-burning list of my favorite keto foods.)
The Bacon Grilled Chicken Salad is a healthier, low carb McDonald’s choice. It has only 9 grams of carbohydrates in it. Drop the tomatoes, and the carbs are just 7 grams. This one is my favorite low carb meal choice for McDonald’s. And make sure you’re not applying dressing to the ranch! It has 11 grams of carbohydrates, which requires additives such as corn syrup and sugar if you want to stop.
Side Salad
All right, the side salad at McDonald’s is undoubtedly not a Big Mac. For keto dieters, though, it’s a practical choice. “For lunch and dinner, I still recommend that at least half of your plate be packed with non-starchy veggies-keto or not. This would bring nutrients and fibre for anyone on a keto diet to every meal with very little carbs,” says Baker Lemelin.
Info on nutrition: 3 g carbohydrates, 0 g fat, and 1 g protein
Keto diet McDonald’s fat Bomb Meal
You will most definitely become acquainted with what is referred to as a fat bomb while you are on the keto diet. Fat bombs are less in carbs, can be sweet or savoury, and a fat “bomb” can be delivered. The best thing about eating Keto at McDonald’s is that if you want to treat yourself to a keto fat bomb dinner, they have some solid choices.
Below are two basic keto fat bomb choices for McDonald’s:
- Cheese Double Quarter Pounder (no bun, no ketchup)-5 g Net Carbs; 43 g Fat; 45 g Protein
- Pico Guacamole Burger (no bun)-Net Carbs 7 g; Fat 31 g; Protein 29 g
“Big Breakfast” without biscuit and hash browns
If you miss the biscuit and hash browns to lower the carb count (essentially rendering it scrambled eggs and sausage meal), this classic breakfast entirely counts as Keto.
Nutrition facts (without the significant carb products): 2 g of sugars, 29 g of fat, and 19 g of protein
Big Mac without the bun
Yup, when you are on the keto diet, you can always eat a Big Mac, but it is certainly not the healthiest keto option on the menu. If you’re searching for an indulgence in the keto spectrum that always slips, this is it.
Data on a diet (no bun): 5 g sugars, 25 g fat, and 18 g protein
Bacon, cheese biscuits, and eggs ignore biscuit.
The bacon, egg, and cheese fit the bill for a keto morning meal without the bread on the breakfast sandwich. Plus, essential nutrients such as choline and vitamin D are added to the eggs, says Baker Lemelin.
Nutrition facts (no biscuits): 4 g of sugars, 13 g of fat, and 14 g of protein
Egg McMuffin without English muffin
On the menu, this is the best keto breakfast choice. “A lot of protein can be produced by the egg and Canadian bacon, plus, Canadian bacon is lower in saturated fat than bacon or sausage,” says Baker Lemelin.
Double cheeseburger without the bun
The saturated fat in a hamburger would be lower than breakfast sandwiches but not as a filling. However, a burger certainly suits the keto bill,” says Baker Lemelin.
Data on a diet (sans bun): 4 g of carbohydrates, 20 g of fat, and 20 g of protein
Pico guacamole chicken sandwich without the bun
This sandwich is filled with good avocado fat and tomato and onion nutrients in the pico de gallo.
Data on a diet (no bun): 9 g sugars, 18 g fat, and 34 g protein
Bacon grilled chicken salad
“In my book, this is the healthiest choice,” says Baker Lemelin. The vegetable content provides added fibre and lean protein from grilled chicken, which many Americans, especially those on Keto, are missing. It is also low in saturated fat.
Nutrition information: 8 g of sugars, 13 g of fat, and 39 g of protein.
LOW CARB Fried CHICKEN AT MCDONALD’S?
What type of chicken sandwich you have doesn’t matter. Drop the bun and the plummets for the carb count. However, if you’re carefully watching net carbohydrates, more carbs are found in the crispy chicken.
There are 18 net carbs in the Buttermilk Crispy Chicken Sandwich and 13 gross carbs in the Buttermilk Chicken Tender. Stop chicken nuggets, too, as the breading with a keto meal plan is not a healthy option. Going for an artisan grilled chicken sandwich is your best choice. It includes zero carbohydrates without a bun! The pico guacamole grilled chicken contains just 6 net carbs if you want anything tastier and don’t mind a little more carbos.
Quick Meal AND SIDES LOW CARB DRINKS
Water is the healthiest thing to drink. But if there’s anything else you could have, you should order unsweetened iced tea. These two are the perfect choices for McDonald’s Keto.
And the rest of Mickey D’s have apple slices and mandarin oranges (Cuties) if you’re in the mood for a nutritious snack. But those options have natural fruit sugar, so they’re not the perfect low-carb foods.
Final Thoughts
When there are few dining choices, and fast food is the only way to alleviate your appetite, you can make it low carb by:
- Bun, biscuit, or loaf withdrawal
- Orders without ketchup
- Do not use salad dressing (put your bottle of olive oil in your vehicle)
- Removing croutons from salads and tomatoes
- Stop french fries and shakes, no matter how rough,
- Drink just water and unsweetened iced tea
