Sometimes fast food is the only option. You are on a road trip, between meetings, or just too wiped out to cook. The good news is that diabetic friendly fast food exists at almost every major chain — you just need to know what to order and what to skip.
The strategy is straightforward: prioritize protein, add vegetables where possible, minimize refined carbs, and watch for hidden sugars in sauces. Here is a chain-by-chain breakdown with specific orders and carb counts.
Chipotle
Chipotle is one of the most diabetes-friendly chains because of its build-your-own format.
Best order: Burrito bowl with no rice (or half-portion of white rice), black beans, chicken or steak, fajita vegetables, tomato salsa, and cheese or guacamole.
- A full portion of white rice adds about 40g of carbs. A half portion brings that to roughly 18g.
- Black beans add about 12g of carbs per serving, but they have a GI of only 30 and contribute 4g of fiber.
- Skip the tortilla (50g carbs), chips (73g carbs for a full bag), and corn salsa (15g carbs vs. 4g for tomato salsa).
Total for a bowl with half white rice, beans, chicken, veggies, and tomato salsa: roughly 35g of carbs, 40g of protein.
Watch out for: The honey vinaigrette (16g of sugar), queso (9g of carbs), and the tortilla on the side.
Chick-fil-A
Chick-fil-A has solid grilled options if you avoid the breaded items.
Best order: Grilled Nuggets (8-count) with a side salad. The grilled nuggets have 2g of carbs and 25g of protein. The side salad adds 8g of carbs.
Alternative: Grilled Cool Wrap — 29g of carbs and 36g of protein, using a flaxseed flatbread.
Watch out for: The classic Chick-fil-A sandwich has 41g of carbs. The Chick-fil-A sauce adds 7g of sugar per packet — and most people use two. Waffle fries are 44g of carbs.
Subway
Subway can work, but the default six-inch sub on white bread is about 40-46g of carbs before toppings.
Best order: Any protein as a chopped salad instead of a sub. A Rotisserie Chicken Salad comes in around 11g of carbs with 23g of protein before dressing.
Alternative: The 6-inch on 9-grain wheat (about 36g carbs) loaded with vegetables. Skip the wraps — Subway's standard wrap actually has more carbs (50g) than the 6-inch bread.
Watch out for: Sweet Onion Teriyaki sauce (17g of sugar), meatball sub (63g carbs), and cookies (about 30g of sugar each).
Wendy's
Best order: Jr. Hamburger without the bun, paired with a side salad. Use full-fat Caesar or ranch dressing — lower carbs than light dressings, which compensate with sugar. The bunless patty has 0g of carbs and 13g of protein.
Alternative: Grilled Chicken Sandwich without the bun (1g carb, 34g protein) with apple slices (8g carbs).
Watch out for: The Frosty (small: 47g of carbs), baked potato (56g of carbs), and the Spicy Chicken Sandwich bun (38g of carbs alone).
McDonald's
McDonald's is harder to navigate, but not impossible.
Best order: McDouble without the bun (3g carbs, 22g protein) with a side salad.
Alternative: Egg McMuffin (30g carbs, 17g protein) is one of the lower-carb breakfast options. Compare that to hotcakes (53g carbs) or a McGriddle (48g carbs).
Watch out for: Large fries (66g of carbs), McCafe sugary drinks (medium Caramel Frappe has 66g of sugar), and ketchup packets (3g of sugar each — they add up).
General Diabetic Friendly Fast Food Rules
- Go bunless or ask for lettuce wraps. Most buns add 30-50g of carbs with no real nutritional benefit.
- Skip sugary drinks entirely. Order water, unsweetened iced tea, or black coffee.
- Avoid combo meals. They maximize fries and drinks — the two worst categories for blood sugar.
- Check carbs in sauces. BBQ sauce, ketchup, sweet chili, and teriyaki all contain added sugars. Mustard, hot sauce, and vinaigrette are safer bets.
For snack ideas between meals, check out our list of diabetic friendly snacks that travel well. And to understand which foods cause the most damage, see our guide on the worst foods for diabetics.
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