8 Low-Carb Fast Foods You Can Eat

Are you finding yourself too busy and looking for some low-carb keto-friendly fast food options?

 

Low-carb keto diets are an increasingly popular method of losing weight.

 

One problem with keto diets is that sticking to a carb-restricted diet can be difficult, especially when high-carb processed foods are so common and readily available.

 

Most fast-foods are high in carbs and low in healthy fats and proteins.

Best Keto-Friendly Fast Food

Fortunately, there are some keto fast food options that are low in net carbs keto-friendly.

Even better, these options are cheap and tasty.

1. Bunless Burgers

Most fast-food burgers have a high carb-count because of the buns.

 

You can make virtually any fast-food burger keto-friendly by just removing the bun and holding any high-carb toppings.

 

Things like onions, honey mustard, and fried toppings are a no go, but classic toppings like lettuce, tomato, cheese, and pickles are all fine.

 

Add some mayo or ranch dressing to your burger to get an extra source of healthy fats.

 

A single bunless burger from popular fast food joints like Wendy’s or McDonald’s has almost 20 grams of fats and over 20 grams of protein, perfect for keto diets.

 

Other places such as In-N-Out will let your switch a bun with lettuce wraps and these are great low-carb options.

 

Check out our own bunless burger recipes here!

2. Grilled Chicken

Chicken, in general, is a decent keto food because it is lean and packed with protein.

 

Fried chicken, on the other hand, has a ton of carbs, mostly from the breading and additives.

 

Luckily, most fast food places that serve fried chicken now offer grilled chicken alternatives for the same price.

 

For example, KFC offers a grilled variant of their famous chicken, and Chick-Fil-A has grilled versions of their breaded nuggets.

 

Many other popular fast food places will replace a fried chicken patty with a grilled version of sandwiches upon request which is low in net carbs.

3. Burrito Bowls

Despite what you might think, a single burrito can have up to 50g carbs.

 

Most of these come from the tortilla wrap and some ingredients, like beans or rice.

 

Burritos are pretty flexible, so thankfully, you can build a keto-friendly burrito easily.

 

First things first, ditch the wrap and put the ingredients in a bowl.

 

Make sure to only pick low-carb toppings like veggies, tomatoes, leafy greens, cheese, and onions along with a protein source.

 

Avoid starchy toppings such as corn, beans, tortilla chips, and rice to keep your net carbs lower.

4. “Unwich”

Sandwiches are cheap and easy to make, but unfortunately not normally a good keto-option because of all the bread.

 

An “unwich” is exactly the same as a sandwich, just minus the bread.

 

The term “unwich” comes from sandwich chain Jimmy John’s, who offers every unwich version of every sandwich on their menu.

 

Keep in mind that you also need to remove any high-carb toppings.

 

J.J’s also has slim versions of their unwiches that have a lower calorie count which are great low-carb options.

5. Buffalo Wings

Buffalo wings are a great keto-friendly fast food. Many buffalo wings are fried, but several chains may offer low-carb versions that are not fried or not dipped in batter.

 

Generally, buffalo sauce is fairly low-carb too as it’s made from basically vinegar and peppers.

 

Other sauces like barbecue, honey mustard, or teriyaki can be rather high in carbs, in contrast.

 

Buffalo wings also usually come with veggies like carrots and celery, both of which are good keto foods.

 

Make sure you figure out how the wings are prepared so you know if they have a low net carbs count.

6. Bacon, Sausage, and Eggs

Bacon is often considered a stable food for keto diets because it is packed with protein and fats with almost 0g carbs.

 

Likewise, sausage has tons of fats and protein while eggs have proteins and amino acids.

 

Sometimes a simple breakfast is the best and most fast food places that serve breakfast items have some kind of bacon, sausage, or egg dish.

 

For example, you can get a biscuitless sausage egg and cheese biscuit from McDonald’s which has up to 38 grams of fat and over 20 grams of proteins.

 

Keep in mind though that heavy consumption of fatty meats like bacon and sausage are linked to heart disease, so while they make decent keto foods, you should still eat them sparingly.

7. Keto-Friendly Snacks

Sometimes you may be running behind and don’t have time to stop for a full meal.

 

Keeping some keto-friendly snacks on hand can give you something to tide you over until you have time for your next meal.

 

It may come as a surprise, but a lot of gas station convenience stores have some really good keto-friendly snack options. Things like:

 

∎ String cheese

∎ Nuts

∎ Beef jerky

∎ Sunflower seeds

∎ Pork rinds

∎ Dark chocolate (>70% cocoa)

 

Are all fairly decent sources of nutrition while having relatively few carbs.

 

Convenience store snacks are cheap and make a good treat on the go, but generally, making your own food at home is a better option.

8. Bowls

Several fast food places offer “bowls” which are basically versions of their entrees in a bowl.

 

Taco Bell, for example, offers power bowls that have your choice of grilled meat coupled with toppings (low in carbs).

 

Panera (or St. Louis Bread Co., depending on where you’re from) offers some nice breakfast bowl options with eggs and meat that are low in carbs and high in proteins.

 

Even if a place does not specifically offer it on the menu, you can always ask if they can make a bowl version of one of their entrees.

 

Conclusion

 

Keto diets are tough to stick to because you have to keep your carbs low.

 

Fortunately, most fast food places have jumped on the train of offering low-carbs or healthier versions of classic dishes which means there are a number of keto fast foods.

 

Even if a place mostly features high-carbs options, it should not be too difficult to make a keto-friendly meal by making some simple substitutions.

 

Fast food is definitely not the optimal choice, and you should cook food at home whenever you can.

 

But if you need a quick bite to eat, there are a lot of great fast-food options that won’t require you to break your diet restrictions.