Eat keto at McDonald's? We have lots of great ideas (2024)

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1. Egg McMuffin

Changed nutritional information:170 calories, 12 g fat, 3 g carbs, 12 g protein, 1 g sugar, 0 g fiber

Make it keto:ask for no english muffin

The standardNot a McMuffinis relatively low in calories and rich inegg white, making it a solid way to start the day, at least if you're not on a keto or low-carb diet. The sandwich has 30 grams of carbs if you order it that way, but you can eliminate almost all of them by ignoring the bread. (This will also cost you 2 grams of fiber, but theno(Canadian bacon and cheese should keep you in place anyway.) There are a few McMuffin choices to choose from, and thankfully they're all on your diet if you skip the English muffin.

Other Keto McMuffin Options:Sausage McMuffin, Sausage McMuffin with eggs

Changed nutritional information:200 calories, 15 g fat, 4 g carbs, 12 g protein, 1 g sugar, 0 g fiber

Make it keto:don't ask for McGriddles griddle biscuits

These sammies, held together by pancake-like cakes, are the stuff of dreams, but they contain a whopping 36 carbs and 14 grams of sugar. Without the baking sheet cakes in the photo, the filling provides protein and fat with minimal carbohydrates. (We'll miss them in all their syrupy glory, though.) The same goes for McGriddle's other menu options.

Other Keto McGriddles Options:Worst McGriddles, Worst, Food & Cheese McGriddles

Changed nutritional information:160 calories, 13 g fat, 3 g carbs, 9 g protein, 1 g sugar, 1 g fiber

Make it keto:ask for no flour tortilla

This on-the-go handheld offers scrambled eggs and porkworst, including American cheese and a vegetable mixtomatoes, ui ingreen peppers. Unfortunately forketoeaters, it's wrapped in a carby tortilla. Skipping the tortilla eliminates almost all of the carbs in the meal, leaving you with protein, fat, and even some fiber to get you through the morning. You can go to the scramble alone or bring your own low-carb tortilla or wrap to fill.

Changed nutritional information:350 calories, 28 g fat, 3 g carbs, 20 g protein, 0 g sugar, 0 g fiber

Make it keto:don't ask for hash browns, biscuits and hot rolls

As it turns out, this huge meal has about a day's worth of calories and way too many carbs for all in onelow in carbohydrateseating pattern. (It also packs an amazing 48 grams of sugar, and that's itdoes notThis is good for the extra syrup you'll be pouring over those hotcakes.) To make this smorgasbord at your fingertips, skip the cookies, hotcakes, and—the most painful part of all—the hash brown. (You'll also want to avoid fruit and maple oats and the whole McCafé bakerybreakfast treats(They're packed with carbs and sugar.) You might think the little patties are really just veggies, but they each have 18 grams of carbs. With these three items off your plate, you're left with scrambled eggs and a sausage patty. Feel free to ask for a side of itbaconor cheese on your eggs if you want to spice things up.

5. McDouble

Changed nutritional information:240 calories, 18 g fat, 3 g carbs, 17 g protein, 0 g sugar, 0 g fiber

Make it keto:ask for no bun and ketchup

This juicy beauty starts with onebeefpatty and American cheese, which is toppedpickleslices, ketchup, onion and mustard. The bun is the source of most of the burger's carbohydrates (28 grams to be exact), but theketchupalso clocks in at 2 grams of carbs and 2 grams of sugar each. Without them, the meal is totally keto-friendly. Ask for extra lettuce (or bring your own) to make a low-carb lettuce wrap, or use your own low-carb bun if you want it to be more like a regular burger. Also note that there are *tons* of burger options at McDonald's, and they're all fair game if you order them without a bun or ketchup. (As for the famous Big Mac, you may also want to skip the Big Mac sauce, as it has 2 grams of carbs per serving.)

Other keto burger options:Big Mac, Quarter Pounder with Cheese, Quarter Pounder with Cheese, Quarter Pounder with Cheese Deluxe (skip the tomatoes to save 1 gram of carbs), Quarter Pounder with Cheese and Bacon, Cheeseburger, Double Cheeseburger, Hamburger

Changed nutritional information:not available

Make it keto:ask for it without bun

Say it isn't: Chicken McNuggets are far from keto-friendly, as they're covered in crunchy, drool-rich breadcrumbs that are high in carbs. The same goes for all Crispy Chicken Sammies and Filet-O-Fish. The Artisan Grilled Chicken Sandwich was unfortunately the only chicken item on the menu that could be keto-fied (aka ordered without the bun and tomatoes), but it wascut from the menuduring the pandemic. We hope it makes a triumphant return soon.

Mostly since thenprayerwould be top of our list, but McDonald's quietlystripped salads from their menuin the US in early 2020, along with the fruit and yogurt parfait. But we know that fries are probably top of mind. Unfortunately, they are not keto friendly.

Here's a keto McDonald's side to eat...

• Appelslices(15 calories, 0 g fat, 4 g carbs, 0 g protein, 3 g sugar, 0 g fiber)

… and one to avoid.

• World famous fries (from 29 g carbohydrates and 0 g sugar)

Chances are you're only asking for McDonald's sauces to dip your McNuggets in, but they can actually add a lot of extra flavor to your burgers and even your breakfast order. (We like to dip our fries in it too, but if you're on keto, you'll have to make do with your own low-carb fries.)

Here are six keto McDonald's sauces to order...

• Spicy buffalo sauce (30 calories, 3 g fat, 1 g carbs, 0 g protein, 0 g sugar, 0 g fiber)
• Creamy ranch sauce (110 calories, 12 g fat, 1 g carbs, 0 g protein, 1 g sugar, 0 g fiber)
• Mayonnaise (100 calories, 11 g fat, 1 g carbs, <1 g protein, 0 g sugar, 0 g fiber)
• Mild and Hot Picante Sauces (0 calories, 0 g fat, 1 g carbs, 0 g protein, 0 g sugar, 0 g fiber)
• Mustard (0 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g carbs, 0 g protein, 0 g sugar, 0 g fiber)

…and four to avoid.

• Honey mustard sauce (6 g carbs and 4 g sugar per serving)
• Hot Mustard Sauce (8 g carbs and 6 g sugar per serving)
• Spicy BBQ Sauce (11 g carbs and 9 g sugar per serving)
• Sweet and sour sauce (11 g carbohydrates and 10 g sugar per serving)

We doubt this will come as a surprise, but McDonald'smilkshakes(and all of their desserts) are not keto friendly due to their high sugar content. You'll also love their lattes, macchiatos andIce Coffee, because they come with high-carb dairy and sugar already mixed in. (Don't let the sugar-free flavors fool you, either: They may be sugar-free, but they're not carb-free, so you'll have to use your own low-carb sweeteners instead.) Nevertheless, there are a handful of bevs to drink insteadison your diet.

Here are six keto McDonald's drinks to order...

• Unsweetened iced tea (0 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g carbs, 1 g protein, 0 g sugar, 0 g fiber)
• Hot tea (0 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g carbs, 0 g protein, 0 g sugar, 0 g fiber)
• Diet co*ke (0 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g carbs, 0 g protein, 0 g sugar, 0 g fiber)
• Black coffee (0 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g carbs, 0 g protein, 0 g sugar, 0 g fiber)
• Americano (0 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g carbs, 0 g protein, 0 g sugar, 0 g fiber)
• Water

...and nine to avoid.

• All regular fountain drinks (from 39 g carbs and 39 g sugar)
• Sweet tea (from 26 g carbohydrates and 24 g sugar)
• All lattes, macchiatos and cappuccinos (from 9 g carbohydrates and 9 g sugar)
• All iced coffee (from 24g carbs and 22g sugar)
• All smoothies (from 44 g carbohydrates and 39 g sugar)
• Hot chocolate (from 52 g carbs and 48 g sugar)
• Milkshakes (from 84 g carbohydrates and 55 g sugar)

Taryn Pire

Associate Foodredacteur

Taryn Pire is PureWow's associate food editor and has been writing about all things delicious since 2016. She has developed recipes, reviewed restaurants and researched food...

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