Dante Carrillo
Sticking to a keto diet while eating out can be challenging, but it's not impossible. McDonald's, the world's largest fast-food chain, offers a variety of keto-friendly options for those who want to indulge without sacrificing their dietary restrictions. From bunless burgers to egg and meat breakfasts, there are ways to enjoy a keto meal on the go. However, it's important to be mindful of hidden carbs in sauces and dressings, and to make smart choices when customising your order. So, can you eat keto at McDonald's? Absolutely, as long as you know what modifications to ask for.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Keto-friendly drinks | Unsweetened iced tea, Diet Coke, Coke Zero, Water |
| Keto-friendly foods | Salads, Sausage McMuffin (without the muffin), Bacon, Egg and Cheese Biscuit (without the biscuit), McDouble (without the bun and ketchup), Big Mac, Side Salad, Sausage Burrito (without the tortilla), McGriddle (without the griddle cake) |
| Foods to avoid | Buns, Fries, Shakes, Ketchup, Salad dressings, Sweets, Treats, Sweet beverages |
| Net carbs limit | 50 grams of carbs per day (20 grams for strict keto dieters) |
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What You'll Learn
McDonald's keto breakfast options
When following a ketogenic diet, it is important to minimise your carbohydrate intake and focus on consuming proteins and healthy fats. McDonald's offers several breakfast options that can be modified to fit within a keto diet. Here are some suggestions for keto-friendly breakfast choices at McDonald's:
Egg and Sausage McMuffins: You can order the Sausage, Egg and Cheese McMuffin or McGriddle without the muffin or griddle cake. This option provides a good balance of high fat, moderate protein, and very low carbohydrates.
Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Biscuit: For this option, simply skip the biscuit to make it keto-friendly. You can also add extra bacon or sausage to increase the fat and protein content.
Big Breakfast: Order the Big Breakfast without the biscuit and hash browns. You can add extra sausage, bacon, or scrambled eggs to make it more filling and keto-friendly.
Triple Breakfast Stack McGriddle: By removing the griddle cake, this meal becomes a good keto option with high fat, moderate protein, and low carbohydrates.
Sides and Drinks: It is important to be mindful of sides and drinks, as some options can be high in carbohydrates. Avoid hash browns, French fries, pancakes, and apple slices. For drinks, stick to unsweetened iced tea, Coke Zero, Diet Coke, black coffee, or unsweetened iced coffee without milk or flavourings.
It is always a good idea to check the nutritional information and make modifications where necessary to ensure your meal aligns with your keto diet goals.
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Keto drinks at McDonald's
When following a keto diet, it is best to avoid regular soft drinks, milkshakes, and ice cream treats. Here are some keto-friendly drink options at McDonald's:
Unsweetened Iced Tea
Unsweetened iced tea is a good choice for those on a keto diet, as it contains 0g net carbs. You can sweeten your tea with keto-friendly sweeteners like stevia, which you can bring from home.
Diet Coke and Coke Zero
Both Diet Coke and Coke Zero are zero-carb options at McDonald's.
Diet Drinks
Most other diet drinks at McDonald's are low-carb options. However, some people choose to avoid them due to the artificial sweeteners they contain. If you do opt for a diet drink, it is recommended to get a small size.
Water
Water is always a healthy and keto-friendly option when dining at McDonald's.
Black Coffee
Black coffee is another keto-friendly option at McDonald's. Be cautious of McDonald's coffee flavorings, as they may contain sugar or sugar alcohols that can impact your blood sugar levels.
Hot Tea
Hot tea without any sweeteners is another keto-friendly beverage option for breakfast.
When ordering keto at McDonald's, it is important to be mindful of your food choices as well. Avoid items with obvious carbs, such as buns, fries, sauces, and ketchup. Instead, opt for meat, eggs, cheese, and low-carb vegetables like lettuce.
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McDonald's burgers without the bun
There are several ways to eat keto at McDonald's. Firstly, you can order a burger without the bun, such as the McDouble, which fits most keto diets when you ditch the bun and ketchup. You can also ask for extra shredded lettuce and onions to make it more like a burger salad. Salads are another option for keto dieters, but be sure to choose a low-carb dressing and avoid high-carb ingredients like croutons and carrots. For example, the Bacon Ranch Grilled Chicken Salad without croutons, carrots, and the regular dressing is a good keto option.
When it comes to breakfast, there are several keto-friendly options at McDonald's. You can order the Sausage McMuffin without the muffin, the Bacon, Egg and Cheese Biscuit without the biscuit, or the Triple Breakfast Stack McGriddle without the griddle cake. These modifications significantly reduce the net carbs in your meal, making them more suitable for a keto diet.
It's important to note that while McDonald's offers keto-friendly options, the quality of ingredients and preparation processes may not align with a healthy keto diet. Additionally, be mindful of your drink choices, as regular soft drinks, milkshakes, and ice cream treats are off-limits on a keto diet. Instead, opt for unsweetened iced tea, Diet Coke, Coke Zero, or water.
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Salads at McDonald's
Salads are the best low-carb and keto-friendly option at McDonald's. While there aren't many salad options, you can make them more keto-friendly by eliminating high-carb ingredients and using a low-carb dressing.
McDonald's offered salads in the past, including the Caesar salad shaker, the Southwest Salad, and the McSalad Shakers. However, due to a lack of demand, McDonald's discontinued its salad offerings in 2020 during the pandemic. The company faced challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which created vast labor shortages and impacted both the restaurants and its suppliers.
Although McDonald's no longer offers salads as a regular menu item, they did give franchisees the option to add the Southwest Style Salad and Chicken Caesar Salads back to their menus in 2022. Unfortunately, not many locations took up this offer.
If you're looking for keto-friendly options at McDonald's, you can try the bacon ranch grilled chicken salad without the croutons, carrots, and dressing. With the modifications, the salad provides 320 calories, 14g fat, 42g protein, and 7g net carbs.
For breakfast, you can order the Sausage McMuffin without the muffin, resulting in only 3g net carbs. You can also add extra bacon and cheese for more flavor and satiety.
Remember, when eating keto at McDonald's, avoid buns, breading, ketchup, fries, frozen treats, and shakes.
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McDonald's keto dinner options
McDonald's offers a variety of keto dinner options, although it's important to note that these options may not be considered healthy due to the quality of ingredients and preparation methods. Here are some tips and recommendations for ordering keto-friendly meals at McDonald's:
Burgers and Sandwiches:
- You can order any burger without the bun and ketchup to make it keto-friendly. For example, consider the McDouble or McChicken without the bun.
- The Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese without the bun and ketchup is a good option, with 5g net carbs, 43g fat, and 45g protein.
- Another choice is the Pico Guacamole Burger without the bun, which has 7g net carbs, 31g fat, and 29g protein.
- If you're looking for a more indulgent option, the Big Mac can work on a keto diet, but it's not the healthiest choice.
Salads:
- Salads are a good low-carb option, but be mindful of the ingredients and dressings.
- The Bacon Ranch Grilled Chicken Salad without croutons, carrots, and the original dressing is a keto-friendly choice. You can add some creamy ranch dipping sauce for extra flavor, adding only 1g of carbs.
- If you're having a burger, you can pair it with a side salad without carrots and dressing. Adding ranch dipping sauce will only increase the net carbs by 1g.
Sides and Snacks:
- McDonald's doesn't offer many keto-friendly snacks, but apple slices and mandarin oranges are low-carb fruit options.
- Avoid fries and other high-carb sides, such as buns, wraps, bagels, biscuits, and pancakes.
Drinks:
- Unsweetened iced tea, Diet Coke, Coke Zero, and other diet drinks are good keto-friendly beverage choices.
- Water, black coffee, and unsweetened tea are also recommended.
- Regular soft drinks, milkshakes, and ice cream treats are off-limits on a keto diet.
Customizations and Toppings:
- When ordering through the app, consider adding extra shredded lettuce and onions to your burger to make it more like a burger salad.
- Avoid sauces and condiments, especially those with added sugar. Simple options like mustard and mayonnaise are recommended.
- Pickles, onions, and lettuce are good toppings that won't increase your carb count.
Remember, when following a keto diet, it's important to minimize your carb intake and focus on getting most of your calories from fat, with the rest coming from protein. Always check the nutrition information and make modifications as needed to align with your keto lifestyle.
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Frequently asked questions
You can eat keto at McDonald's for breakfast by ordering items without the muffin, biscuit, or hash browns. For example, you can order the Sausage McMuffin without the muffin, the Bacon, Egg and Cheese Biscuit without the biscuit, or the Sausage Burrito without the tortilla.
You can eat keto at McDonald's for lunch or dinner by ordering burgers without the bun and ketchup. For example, you can order the Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese without the bun and ketchup, or the Pico Guacamole Burger without the bun. You can also order a side salad with a low-carb dressing.
You can have drinks such as water, black coffee, unsweetened iced tea, Diet Coke, and Coke Zero.
You should avoid high-carb options such as buns, fries, sweets, treats, and sweet beverages. You should also be careful with sauces and dressings as they may add unnecessary carbs to your meal.
