Hitting a drive-through on keto usually means improvising — peeling buns off burgers, scraping filling out of tortillas, hoping the sauce isn't full of sugar. Every major fast food chain has keto friendly fast food options if you know exactly what to order and what to skip.
This guide covers six chains in detail with specific menu items, net carb counts, and the customizations to ask for.
McDonald's
McDonald's gets a bad reputation in health circles, but its bunless options are surprisingly clean.
Best keto orders:
- Quarter Pounder with Cheese (no bun) — 3g net carbs. Ask for it in a container. The beef patties, cheese, onions, pickles, and mustard all stay well under your carb limit.
- McDouble (no bun, no ketchup) — 2g net carbs. A budget option. Ketchup adds about 4g of sugar per packet, so skip it or substitute mustard.
- Sausage McMuffin (no muffin) — 1g net carbs. Just sausage, egg, and cheese — a nearly zero-carb breakfast.
Watch out for: Chicken McNuggets (10-piece has 16g net carbs from the breading), Big Mac sauce (2g carbs per serving), and all breakfast burritos.
Wendy's
Wendy's uses fresh beef and offers more customization than most chains.
Best keto orders:
- Baconator (no bun) — 3g net carbs. Two beef patties, six strips of bacon, two slices of cheese, ketchup, and mayo. Drop the ketchup and you're at 1g. At 57g of fat, this is one of the most macro-friendly fast food items available.
- Grilled Chicken Sandwich (no bun) — 3g net carbs. Simpler and leaner if you want a lighter option.
- Side Caesar Salad — 2g net carbs without croutons.
Watch out for: Wendy's chili (19g net carbs per serving from the beans), Frosty (a small has 47g of carbs), and any crispy chicken option.
Chick-fil-A
Chick-fil-A's menu leans heavily on breaded chicken, which makes keto trickier here — but not impossible.
Best keto orders:
- Grilled Nuggets (8-count) — 2g net carbs. Pair with a side salad and Avocado Lime Ranch for a complete meal under 6g net carbs.
- Grilled Chicken Cool Wrap (no tortilla) — Eat just the filling: chicken, lettuce, and cheese come to about 3g net carbs without the flour tortilla (which adds 29g).
- Cobb Salad (no corn, no tortilla strips) — 5g net carbs with Avocado Lime Ranch.
Watch out for: All breaded sandwiches (the Original Chicken Sandwich has 40g net carbs), waffle fries (44g), and their signature Chick-fil-A sauce (7g carbs per packet). Stick with Ranch for dipping.
Chipotle
Chipotle is one of the most keto-friendly chains if you build your bowl right.
Best keto orders:
- Burrito Bowl (no rice, no beans) — Lettuce base, chicken or steak, cheese, sour cream, and guacamole. Total: approximately 6-8g net carbs depending on salsa choice.
- Salad Bowl — Same concept on romaine. Skip the crispy salad shell (35g carbs).
Watch out for: Rice (36g per serving), beans (12-15g per serving), corn salsa (15g per serving vs. 4g for fresh tomato salsa), and the flour tortilla (46g).
Five Guys
Five Guys will lettuce-wrap any burger on request, and their toppings are all free.
Best keto orders:
- Cheeseburger (lettuce wrap) — 1-2g net carbs. Load it up with free toppings: lettuce, tomato, pickles, grilled onions, mustard, and jalapenos. Two patties with cheese deliver roughly 40g of fat and 40g of protein.
- Bacon Cheeseburger (lettuce wrap) — 1-2g net carbs. Same concept, plus bacon.
Watch out for: Fries — even a "little" order of Five Guys fries has 54g of net carbs. There's no salad option, so your side choices are limited.
In-N-Out
In-N-Out pioneered the "secret menu" lettuce-wrap burger years before keto went mainstream.
Best keto orders:
- Double-Double Protein Style — 11g net carbs (includes their spread). Ask for mustard instead of spread to drop it to about 7g. "Protein style" replaces the bun with lettuce.
- Flying Dutchman — 0.5g net carbs. This secret-menu item is just two beef patties with two slices of melted cheese — nothing else. It's as low-carb as fast food gets.
Watch out for: Their spread (Thousand Island-style) adds about 4g carbs per serving. Animal Style adds extra spread plus grilled onions — the onions add another 3-4g.
Make the Drive-Through Easier
For a broader list of chains with quick-reference items, see our keto friendly fast food options guide. And if you're eating at a sit-down spot, our keto friendly restaurants guide covers every cuisine.
Let DinePick Order for You
Next time you're staring at a fast food menu board and wondering what's safe, DinePick can flag keto-friendly items at any restaurant instantly — join the waitlist to try it first.