Top News

Stick to your low-carb goals with these fast-food favorites.

Reviewed by Dietitian Katey Davidson, M.Sc.FN, RD, CPT

Key Points

• Dietitians share four lower-carb fast-food breakfasts worth ordering.
• Protein-rich options can help keep you full and support steadier blood sugar.
• Watch sodium and saturated fat, even when choosing lower-carb options.

Between bagels, pastries and hash browns, the fast-food breakfast menu can make it tricky to keep carbohydrates in check if that’s a health goal of yours. The good news is that most major chains also offer options built around eggs, cheese and lean proteins that keep carbs low without skimping on flavor.

We asked dietitians to share the fast-food breakfasts they actually recommend for people following a lower-carb dietary pattern. Here are their top four choices.

1. Chick-fil-A Egg White Grill

Chick-fil-A Egg White Grill Nutrition:

• Calories: 300
• Carbohydrates: 29 g
• Dietary fiber: 1 g
• Total sugar: 2 g
• Protein: 27 g
• Total fat: 8 g
• Saturated fat: 4 g
• Cholesterol: 65 mg
• Sodium: 990 mg

“My top breakfast pick is Chick-fil-A’s Egg White Grill, which delivers 27 grams of protein for just 300 calories and 29 grams of carbs. Its protein-rich profile helps maintain steady blood sugar levels,” says Whitney Stuart, M.S., RDN, CDCES.

Pairing carbohydrates with a good source of protein can help blunt the blood sugar spike that typically follows a meal. However, it does contain 990 milligrams of sodium, which is close to half of the American Heart Association’s recommended daily sodium limit, so it’s worth being mindful of your sodium intake the rest of the day.

2. Starbucks Egg White & Roasted Red Pepper Egg Bites

Starbucks Egg White & Roasted Red Pepper Egg Bites Nutrition:

• Calories: 170
• Carbohydrates: 11 g
• Dietary fiber: 0 g
• Total sugar: 3 g
• Protein: 12 g
• Total fat: 8 g
• Saturated fat: 5 g
• Cholesterol: 25 mg
• Sodium: 470 mg

“One of my favorite low-carb fast-food breakfasts is Starbucks’ Egg White & Roasted Red Pepper Egg Bites,” shares Olayide Adejumobi, RDN, LD. “They provide protein and include spinach and roasted red peppers, making them a light but satisfying option without a biscuit, bagel or other high-carbohydrate side.”

Vanessa Imus, M.S., RDNseconds this pick, mentioning that it’s also a great way to get in a small amount of veggies early in the day.

However, depending on how hungry you are, you may want to pair this with another protein source found in the cooler section, such as string cheese, which usually offers an extra 7 grams of protein, 80 calories and 1 gram of carbohydrates.

3. Chick-fil-A Hash Brown Scramble Bowl with Grilled Filet

Chick-fil-A Hash Brown Scramble Bowl with Grilled Filet Nutrition:

• Calories: 410
• Carbohydrates: 15 g
• Dietary fiber: 2 g
• Total sugar: 2 g
• Protein: 29 g
• Total fat: 26 g
• Saturated fat: 8 g
• Cholesterol: 420 mg
• Sodium: 1,200 mg

If you’re looking for a filling breakfast, this is a great choice. “The Chick-fil-A Hash Brown Scramble Bowl is a great lower-carbohydrate breakfast option because it pairs relatively few carbohydrates (15 grams) with nearly 30 grams of protein, a combination that can help keep you full and support steadier blood sugar levels,” says Chelsea LeBlanc, RDN.

This bowl runs higher in saturated fat and sodium than the other picks here since it combines eggs, cheese and hash browns in one dish. A simple solution is to order it without the hash browns, which reduces the meal by 10 grams of fat and 240 mg of sodium and brings the total carbohydrates down to only 2 grams. Even then, this choice is better left for an occasional grab than a daily habit.

4. Dunkin’ Bacon, Egg & Cheese Wake-Up Wrap

Dunkin’ Bacon, Egg & Cheese Wake-Up Wrap Nutrition:

• Calories: 210
• Carbohydrates: 14 g
• Dietary fiber: 1 g
• Total sugar: 1 g
• Protein: 10 g
• Total fat: 13 g
• Saturated fat: 5 g
• Cholesterol: 95 mg
• Sodium: 480 mg

“The Bacon, Egg & Cheese Wake-Up Wrap is definitely a solid lower-carb option if you’re dining at Dunkin’ on the go,” says Caroline Thomason Bunn, RD, CDCES. With around 14 grams of carbs, Thomason Bunn notes it’s a lower-carb choice than a bagel, croissant or English muffin sandwich.

The egg, cheese and bacon provide protein and fat, which Thomason Bunn says can make the meal more filling and help prevent a quick blood sugar spike compared with a carb-heavy breakfast.

Our Expert Take

These breakfasts don’t require complex ordering to hit a lower-carb target. Whether you prefer Chick-fil-A, Starbucks or Dunkin’, you can find a low-carb breakfast that keeps you full and satisfied.

That said, when an item is lower in carbohydrates, it will usually be higher in something else. For a few of these options, that means more saturated fat and sodium. So, be mindful of this and enjoy these on occasion rather than as a daily staple.