While McDonald’s isn’t a restaurant you want to eat at often, you can order low carb at McDonald’s and safely stay in ketosis.
The fast-food restaurant serves breakfast all day which makes it a bit easier for keto eating out. This means you always have eggs, meat, and cheese as an option on their menu.
You can also choose from a variety of bunless burgers to keep it keto at McDonald’s.
Unfortunately, McDonald’s in the USA no longer serve salads or grilled chicken. However, if you are in a location that does offer grilled chicken salad, artisan grilled chicken sandwich (no bun), or a side salad, those are also great options.
Don’t forget the unsweetened iced tea!
Here is how to stay low carb with keto-friendly options at McDonald’s. All information is based on the McDonald’s nutrition calculator.
Sausage Burrito (without the tortilla)
A sausage burrito without the tortilla contains 160 calories, 13g of fat, 3g of carbs, and 9g of protein.
A normal Sausage Burrito (with the tortilla) contains 360 calories and 25g carbs. So, simply ditching the tortilla saves you a lot of carbs!
The burrito contains scrambled eggs, pork sausage and vegetable mix, and American cheese.
How to order: ask for the Sausage Burrito in a bowl without the tortilla. Alternatively, just order the Sausage Burrito and eat out the insides only.
Bacon, Egg & Cheese McGriddle (minus the griddle cakes)
Bacon, egg, and cheese McGriddles minus the griddle cakes contain 200 calories, 15g of fat, 4g of carbs, and 12g of protein.
The meal contains folded eggs, bacon, and American cheese as well as clarified butter. Ditching the griddle cakes eliminates 230 extra calories and a massive 40 grams of carbs!
Note that the folded eggs do contain a little milk. This doesn’t throw off the ratios and will still keep you in ketosis, but if you strictly want to avoid milk, then opt for something without folded eggs (like a burger) instead.
Alternatively, egg meals with scrambled eggs (instead of folded) do not contain milk.
How to order: ask for a bacon, egg, and cheese McGriddle with no griddle cakes.
Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese (No bun or ketchup)
If you’re on the hungry side, this can be a good option. Note that it is very high in fat, but it’s also great for high protein. If you hold the bun and ketchup you’ll save 200 calories and 38 grams of carbs!
The Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese (no bun or ketchup) contains 540 calories, 40g of fat, 5g of carbs, and 42g of protein.
Your order will contain two beef patties, two slices American cheese, as well as pickles, mustard, and onions.
The pickle-onion mix contains 1 gram of carbs, so consider leaving this off if you’re already near your carb count limit for the day.
How to order: ask for a Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese. Ask them to hold the ketchup and buns.
Bunless Cheeseburger
A bunless cheeseburger from McDonald’s has 140 calories, 10g of fat, 2g of carbs, and 10g of protein (double that for a bunless double cheeseburger).
You will also need to omit the mustard, ketchup, pickles, and onions from your burger, and obviously no French fries. Adding the mustard, onions, and pickles will add 1 gram of carbs.
If you need something a little more filling, then order one more burger patty. This will tack on 90 calories, 6 grams of fat, and 0 grams of carbs to your order.
How to order: order a “regular” or standard cheeseburger and ask to hold the bun, ketchup, onions, pickles, and mustard.
Sausage Biscuit with Egg (minus the biscuit)
A keto breakfast isn’t that hard to find. A sausage biscuit with egg minus the biscuit contains 270 calories, 23g of fat, 2g of carbs, and 12g of protein.
If you’re feeling extra hungry, then order another sausage patty. It will add 190 calories, 18g of fat, 1g of carbs, and 7g of protein to your order.
How to order: ask for a sausage biscuit with egg without the biscuit. Order some creamy ranch dipping sauce to dip it in!
Bunless & Sauceless Big Mac
Here’s another one of Mcdonald’s burgers you can add to your keto friendly meals list. A Big Mac without the bun, sauce, pickles, or onions contains 240 calories, 18g of fat, 3g of carbs, and 17g of protein.
In this case, leaving out the pickles and onions allows you to drop another carb. The Big Mac sauce alone contains 3 grams carbs.
How to order: ask for a Big Mac and hold the sauce, bun, pickles, and onions.
Egg McMuffin (minus the English muffin)
An egg McMuffin without the English muffin contains 160 calories, 11g of fat, 3g of carbs, and 12g of protein. It contains eggs, cheese, and Canadian bacon. You can also just order scrambled eggs!
How to order: ask for an egg McMuffin without the English muffin.
Sausage, Egg, Cheese McMuffin (minus the English muffin)
A sausage McMuffin with egg minus the English muffin contains 340 calories, 29 grams of fat, 3 grams of carbs, and 16 grams of protein. The breakfast sandwich contains a sausage patty, egg, and cheese.
How to order: Order a sausage McMuffin with egg and ask to hold the English muffin.
Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Biscuit (minus the biscuit)
A bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit minus the biscuit contains 200 calories, 15 grams of fat, 4 grams of carbs, and 12 grams of protein.
By leaving the biscuit you drop a whopping 35 grams of carbs, so make sure you leave the biscuit!
The order includes folded eggs, smoked bacon, American cheese, and butter. Keep in mind that the folded eggs contain a small amount of milk.
How to order: ask for a bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit with no biscuit.
Bunless Quarter Pounder With Cheese Bacon
A bunless Quarter Pounder with Cheese and Bacon contains 430 calories, 33 grams of fat, 5 grams of carbs, and 30 grams of protein.
If you leave off the pickles and onions as well, you will drop another 1 gram of carbs for a total of 4 grams carbs and 29 grams protein.
How to order: ask for a Quarter Pounder with Cheese Bacon without the bun. Also, ask to hold the ketchup.
Plain Sausage Patty
Sausage patties from McDonald’s with nothing else contain 200 calories, 19 grams of fat, 1 gram of net carbs, and 7 grams of protein.
This would be a great snack option on the keto diet. From here, you can add a slice of cheese or a side of bacon if you want a little something extra.
How to order: ask for a sausage biscuit without the biscuit. Your order should come with a wrapped beef patty and nothing else.
Conclusion
Keto dieters shouldn’t eat fast food often (neither should anyone else for that matter). However, keto at McDonald’s can work if you’re in a pinch.
Mcdonald’s breakfast menu has some good keto options. A breakfast sandwich (without the bread, biscuits, or griddle cakes) is generally a good choice to keep your carb count low.
A single beef patty is also a good choice on a low carb diet since it only contains 1 gram of carbs. Add bacon and cheese for a keto meal or snack.
You can also get a keto friendly bunless cheeseburger for 2 grams of carbs. Be sure to omit any sauce and go with water, unsweetened tea, or unsweetened iced coffee as a beverage.
You’ll want to stay away from hash browns, fries, and apple pie when eating keto. If your store doesn’t have grilled chicken, don’t go for Mcdonald’s chicken nuggets or crispy chicken–these are not keto! Enjoy the above options instead.
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