For me, McDonalds is the last fast-food restaurant that I would ever consider low carb when I’m hungry. Really, the only time I ever wonder if I can eat at McDonalds when I travel or go on a road trip and run out of delicious homemade low-carb snacks. It's worse when I have cranky kids with me. But, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do… so I did the research and here’s what I have to share.
Is low-carb McDonald's a thing? Absolutely! There are a few low-carb options at McDonald's that you can enjoy without exceeding your daily carb limits. Are they healthy? Low-carb or Keto fast foods are not the healthiest options, but eating them once in a while doesn’t do much damage… provided there aren’t splurges on frosty’s and apple pie!
In this guide, I will show you how to eat low-carb at McDonald's. It doesn't have to be a cheat day! So, let's dig into the details!
Table of Contents
Understanding Low Carb at McDonald’s
To pick the best low-carb menu items at McDonald's, you must first understand what constitutes a low-carb meal. A low-carb diet is a nutritional plan focusing on limiting carbohydrates and replacing them with proteins and healthy fats. A typical low-carb meal does not contain foods high in sugars and starch like bread, buns, pasta, and sweets. Instead, it has low-carb options like lean meats, fish, eggs, vegetables, nuts, and seeds.
Understanding the best carbohydrate choices is crucial for a low-carb diet. Simple carbs like sugars in items such as buns, sauces, milkshakes, sodas, and fruit juices at McDonald's can cause rapid blood sugar spikes. Opt instead for complex carbs found in veggie side salads like those containing carrots, kale, tomatoes, and lettuce, which are rich in fiber and ideal for maintaining stable blood sugar levels. For more detailed guidance, check out my comprehensive guide on Understanding Carbohydrates for Dieting.
Low-Carb McDonald's Menu
Low-Carb Breakfast Options
- Egg McMuffin (without the muffin)
This is the best keto McDonald's breakfast option. The egg mcmuffin contains 27 g net carbs with the muffin, but if you remove the muffin, you are left with only 3 g net carbs. I know, the muffin is what makes the sandwich, but we are trying to satiate hunger, not cravings.
- Sausage McMuffin (without the muffin)
Sticking with meat (sausage patty or bacon) and eggs is an excellent idea for customizing a McDonald's breakfast option into a low-carb-friendly meal. That said, order the Sausage McMuffin's items without the muffin. It only has 3 g net carbs if you skip the muffin. Request for them to be served on a platter. Add extra bacon and cheese for more flavor and to increase satiety.
- Bacon, Egg & Cheese Biscuit (without the biscuit)
If you order the bacon, cheese, and egg on a platter, this only has 3 g net carbs. For extra flavor, add sausage or more bacon. The biscuit is so good… and years ago I would never dream of doing this, but I know that if I eat that biscuit it won’t make me feel good.
- Breakfast Platter (without hash browns)
Get the big breakfast without the biscuit and hashbrowns. Add extra sausage or bacon to the remaining components: salted butter, , scrambled eggs, and sausage patties to fill you up. This is what I choose to do as I never really ate this before going low carb, so I don’t really know what I’m “missing.”
Low-Carb Lunch and Dinner Options
McDonald's has several keto fast food options for lunch and dinner. To make them low-carb, order any of the burgers and grilled chicken sandwiches without the bun.
Burgers (without buns)
- Big Mac
Get the Big Mac without a bun and sauce. The three beef patties, lettuce, onions, pickles, and two cheese slices provide 230 calories, 17 g protein, 3 g carbs, and 16 g fat; avoid the sauce entirely, as it would add an extra 2 g net carbs. The surprising thing about most sauces in fast food restaurants is the hidden sugars in them… the same applies for ketchup. Stick with some mayo and add extra pickles.
- Quarter Pounder
This is my favorite because it offers a bigger, better burger patty than the lower-priced options. Order it without the bun and ketchup. The shredded lettuce, pickles, mustard, onions, and cheese on the burger patty total 310 calories and 3 g carbs. When I’m really hungry, I order two like this and stack them. Not only does it taste great, but it looks incredibly filling as well.
- Cheeseburger
Get either the double or triple cheeseburger without the bun and ketchup. The double cheeseburger has 2 patties, onions, mustard, pickles, and 2 slices of cheese. The triple cheeseburger has the same components with an extra patty. It has 4 g of carbs, while the double cheeseburger has 3 g of carbs. This is my least favorite option as the burgers are thin and don’t look great to me.
- Grilled Chicken Sandwich (without bun)
The premium classic grilled chicken sandwich without the bun or mayo provides 2 g total carbs, 2 g net carbs, 2 g fat, 29 g protein, and 140 calories. Typically, the mayo in packets has less or no sugar than the mayo used on the assembly line. Keep this in mind! Order it with a side salad to make it more filling.
Salads
Salads are the easiest way to eat keto at McDonald's. Pair them with a low-carb dressing to make them more flavorful and less boring.
- Grilled Chicken Salad
Order the bacon ranch grilled chicken salad without the croutons, carrots, and dressing. If you don't mind, drizzle a bit of the creamy ranch dipping sauce for extra flavor. It adds 1 g of carbs. The modified salad provides 320 calories, 14 g fat, 42 g protein, and 7 g net carbs.
- McDonald's side salad
This is the best McDonald's salad to order with a burger. If you get it without the carrots and dressing, it only has 18 calories, 0 g fat, 1 g protein, and 3 g net carbs. Ask for the ranch dipping sauce to use as a dressing… It adds 1g net carbs, but is so worth it.
Low-carb snacks and Sides
McDonald's doesn't offer many low-carb-friendly snacks. If you must have a snack, your best bet would be apple slices and mandarin oranges. Remember, both fruit options are healthy but have natural fruit sugar. Account for their carb content when planning your meal so you remain within your daily carb limit.
Low-Carb Drink Options
The best low-carb-friendly drink to have at McDonald's is water. If you must have a beverage, opt for the unsweetened iced tea or diet Coke as they are zero carbs. If you want, sweeten the tea with the Splenda sugar-free sweetener packet. Some McDonalds will offer sparkling water as an option (some have this feature and some do not), so just ask.
Avoiding High-Carb Items
Some of the high-carb menu items to avoid at McDonald's include:
- Soda: All the sodas except the diet soda are carb-laden.
- Smoothies: The smoothies have a lot of sugar and other high-carb ingredients.
- Desserts: McDonald's has no low-carb-friendly desserts. Avoid the entire dessert section.
- Crispy chicken sandwich: All crispy chicken sandwiches are breaded with high-carb ingredients, which will significantly increase your carb intake.
- Hashbrowns and fries: These may look very tempting, but avoid them. They are amazingly carb-heavy.
- Buns, biscuits, muffins, or croutons: These are made with flour and other high-carb ingredients. Sometimes you can order a lettuce bun, but sometimes they will not make it for you. Again, you just need to ask!
Tips for Customizing Orders
These tips will help you to easily modify meals that fit your dietary preferences at McDonald's:
- Communicate your needs: Ensure you communicate your needs properly to the cashier so that the meal can be customized to your preference. Don't be afraid to ask for help regarding customization options and the nutritional information of some menu items. Read my extensive guide on Communicating Low-Carb Needs to learn more about requesting low-carb modifications efficiently from stuff.
- Check McDonald's menu beforehand: Go through the menu online to see if there are any foods that align with your low-carb eating plan. Use the McDonald's nutritional calculator to see the nutritional information of the menu items.
- Eliminate high-carb items: Avoid all the obvious carb-loaded menu items, such as buns, soda, sweetened tea, the entire sweets and treats section, sauces, and dressings. Once you eliminate all high-carb items, it becomes very easy to customize low-carb meals at McDonald's.
- Be creative with your order: After eliminating high-carb items, merge two meals with high protein and fiber content for increased satiety. For example, you can order the grilled chicken sandwich without the bun and pair it with the grilled chicken salad (without croutons and carrots) for extra protein and veggies.
Nutritional Information
McDonald's has clear nutritional information on each of its menu items. When you click on a menu item, you will see its ingredients list and a nutrition and allergen information list beneath. All you have to do is click on the drop-down arrow and have the food item's caloric, protein, fat, and carb content.
The nutrition calculator is further below. If you click on it, you can uncheck the ingredients of the menu items and add more if you want. After adding or subtracting ingredients, the calculator instantly gives you new nutritional information. It makes menu customization a breeze for low-carb dieters.
Tips for Identifying Low-carb Items on The Menu
The prevalence of carb-heavy menu items at McDonald's can make it hard to identify low-carb or keto options. Use these tips for an easier experience:
- Ignore all the obvious high-carb items: The easiest way to identify low-carb items is to narrow down the options by eliminating all the high-carb sites. If you remove the entire dessert section, the sides section, the sweet beverages, and all flour-based food items, you'll be left with very few options to choose from.
- Choose grilled chicken options over fried chicken: Crispy fried chicken and chicken nuggets are not low-carb-friendly. The grilled options have lower carbs. The famous buttermilk chicken tenders have a whopping 13 g carbs per serving, and the buttermilk crispy chicken sandwich has 18 g net carbs.
- Check out the salads: While there aren't many options, salads are the best low-carb and keto-friendly options at any fast food joint. Eliminate the high-carb ingredients and use a low-carb dressing to enhance their flavors if you don't mind a few additional carbs.
- Fruits: Check if the fruits align with your low-carb meal plan.
- Sauces: Look for simple options like mustard and mayonnaise. Check out other low-carb options, like creamy ranch dressing, which has only 1 gram of carbs.
Bonus Section!
Get my McDonald's Cheat Sheet for a Low-Carb Diet, which will help you enjoy a cheat day without worrying about carb count! It's super affordable and very helpful!!!
Conclusion
Eating Low Carb McDonald's meals and staying within your carb limits is possible. My suggestion is to take a look a the menu with an objective eye, choosing only those low-carb options that fit your eating plan. Avoid all the obvious high-carb options like buns, sweets, treats, and sweet beverages. Be careful with the sauces as they may add unnecessary carbs to your meal.
Here’s the real kicker: keep temptation in check… resist orderingthe smoothies or fries. Remember, you will feel more energized with a low blood sugar level at the end of the day if you eat within your daily carb limits. I sure do feel better. This is something I have to keep in mind as people around me are chowing down on buns and biscuits… but I know that makes me feel good and have to stay true to myself.
Now that I’ve sharedwhat is Low-carb at MacDonald's, place an order yourself and share your experience. Comment below if you have more tips or questions.
FAQs
No, McNuggets are breaded with high-carb ingredients that will significantly impact your carb intake. Additionally, the binders for the nuggets have additional carbs.
While there are several low-carb McDonald's food options, they aren't necessarily healthy. None of them should be on your regular low-carb or keto diet menu because of the quality of ingredients used to make them and the preparation processes they undergo.
All the burgers and grilled chicken sandwich without the bun are great high-protein McDonald's options. For breakfast, the egg and sausage mcmuffins without the muffins; thebacon, egg and cheese biscuit without the biscuit;and breakfast platters without the hash browns and biscuit are all excellent choices.
Is it low carb? Learn more about it:
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