Milly Gaines
The ketogenic diet is a low-carbohydrate method of eating that aims to get your body to burn fat for energy. While McDonald's may not seem like the most keto-friendly place, it actually offers a variety of keto fast food options. The key is to avoid buns, breading, ketchup, fries, frozen treats, and shakes. Instead, opt for grilled chicken or beef patties with cheese, and low-carb sauces like mustard, mayonnaise, or guacamole. You can also order a side salad or a burger without the bun, and pair it with unsweetened iced tea or a diet drink. So, if you're on the keto diet and craving some McDonald's, there are definitely ways to indulge without sacrificing your dietary restrictions.
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What You'll Learn
McDonald's keto breakfast options
Sticking to keto while eating at McDonald's is possible, but it requires some adjustments to your order. The keto diet is a low-carbohydrate method of eating, so you'll want to avoid buns, bread, fries, and hash browns.
For breakfast, your best options are typically eggs and sausage. You can order the Sausage McMuffin without the muffin, or add extra bacon and cheese for more flavour. The Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Biscuit is another option, but you'll want to skip the biscuit. If you're looking for a bigger meal, you can get the Big Breakfast without the biscuit and hash browns, and add extra meat.
If you're a fan of McDonald's breakfast sandwiches, you can order the Sausage, Egg, and Cheese McGriddle without the English muffin or griddle cake. The same goes for the Triple Breakfast Stack McGriddle—skip the griddle cakes to keep it keto-friendly.
When it comes to drinks, regular soft drinks, milkshakes, and ice cream treats are off-limits. Instead, opt for unsweetened iced tea, Diet Coke, Coke Zero, or water. If you're craving coffee, stick to hot black coffee or iced coffee without milk or cream.
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Keto buns and burger alternatives
The keto diet is all about minimizing your carb intake to get your body to burn fat for energy, a state known as ketosis. This roughly translates into getting 60 to 75 percent of your calories from fat, 15 to 30 percent from protein, and 5 to 10 percent from carbs. This usually means consuming no more than 50 grams of carbs per day.
Most keto buns are made with almond flour and are expensive to produce. As a result, they may cause an insulin spike, defeating the purpose of eating keto. Thus, it is recommended to go for bunless burgers or bring your own low-carb tortilla.
At McDonald's, you can order burgers without the bun and add extra romaine to make it a lettuce wrap. You can also skip the ketchup on lunch and dinner sandwiches, as well as the salad dressings, fries, and frozen treats.
- McDouble without the bun and ketchup
- Bacon Big Mac without the bun
- Side salad with a creamy ranch sauce instead of dressing
- Pico Guacamole with Artisan Grilled Chicken Sandwich without the bun
- Mushroom & Swiss Grilled Chicken without the sauce, bun, or onion strings
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Keto-friendly drinks
The ketogenic diet is about limiting carbohydrates and focusing on moderate protein and high-fat foods. McDonald's does not offer many keto-friendly drinks, but some options are available.
Regular soft drinks, milkshakes, and ice cream drinks are not keto-friendly. However, McDonald's offers a range of diet drinks with zero net carbs, such as Diet Coke and Coke Zero. Unsweetened iced tea is another option, and you can sweeten it yourself with keto-friendly sweeteners like stevia. Water is always a good choice, too.
While not a drink, it is worth noting that ketchup should be avoided on keto as it contains lots of sugar. Instead, add fat to your meal with keto-approved sauces like Spicy Buffalo or Creamy Ranch.
McDonald's coffee and milk-based drinks are not recommended due to the use of whole milk, which contains natural carbs and sugar. However, you can order an unsweetened iced coffee, which has zero net carbs.
Remember, the key to staying in ketosis is keeping your net carb intake below 50 grams per day, so choose your drinks wisely!
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Chicken options
If you're craving chicken on the keto diet, McDonald's has a few options, but you'll want to skip the buns, fries, and ketchup.
The grilled chicken sandwich without the bun is a good option, and you can add some fat with sauces like guacamole or pico guacamole. Just be sure to opt for grilled chicken instead of breaded to keep your carb count low. For example, the Pico Guacamole with Artisan Grilled Chicken Sandwich (no bun) has 6g net carbs, 19g of fat, and 29g of protein. The Mushroom & Swiss Grilled Chicken (no sauce, bun, or onion strings) has 2g net carbs, 9g of fat, and 33g of protein.
If you're looking for a side dish, the side salad at McDonald's is a valuable option for keto dieters, with 2g net carbs, 0g of fat, and 1g of protein. You can also add some healthy fats to your salad with keto-friendly sauces.
You can also create your own keto-friendly meal by ordering chicken patties or a plain McChicken without the bun, depending on your carb allowance for the day.
Some people choose to bring their own keto-friendly buns or sandwich thins to McDonald's and make their own chicken sandwiches.
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Salads
The McDonald's side salad is a good keto option, with 2g net carbs, 0g of fat, and 1g of protein. You can add some fat with one of the approved sauces, such as guacamole or creamy ranch dressing, which has only 1 gram of carb.
If you're looking for a more filling option, you can order two egg and sausage patties without the muffin and put them together to make a keto breakfast sandwich. You can also add a side salad to a burger patty or a plain McChicken without the bun.
When ordering salads at McDonald's while on the keto diet, it's important to avoid high-carb ingredients and salad dressings. Instead, opt for low-carb options like mustard, mayonnaise, or a keto-friendly bun or tortilla that you bring yourself.
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Frequently asked questions
Unsweetened iced tea and diet drinks such as Diet Coke and Coke Zero are keto-friendly drink options at McDonald's.
You can order burgers without the bun and ketchup. Some examples are the McDouble, Quarter Pounder with cheese, and Big Mac. You can also order the grilled chicken options without the bun and sauces. Sides such as side salad and sausage and egg McMuffin without the muffin are also keto-friendly.
Sauces such as mustard, mayonnaise, and creamy ranch dressing are keto-friendly options.
No, McDonald's does not offer keto-friendly desserts as they are usually high in carbs and sugar.
McDonald's does not offer keto-friendly buns. You can bring your own keto buns or opt for a bunless burger.
