Eating low carb doesn’t mean you can never stop for fast food. You just need to know where the carbs hide: bread, buns, wraps, sweet sauces and bread bowls. We compared 252 meals with at least 20 grams of protein at Subway, Panera Bread, Arby’s and Little Caesars to find the best low carb fast food, using each chain’s official nutrition data.
The short answer: wings without sweet sauce and Subway’s Protein Bowls and salads are the easiest low-carb meals. Only 42 of the 252 meals have fewer than 20 grams of carbs.
The 15 lowest-carb fast food meals
All of these have at least 20 grams of protein, so they’re real meals, not side dishes. Sorted by carbs:
| # | Menu item | Chain | Carbs | Protein | Calories | Sodium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Steak Nuggets (5) (limited time) | Arby’s | 2 g | 20 g | 140 | 440 mg |
| 2 | Steak Nuggets (9) (limited time) | Arby’s | 3 g | 36 g | 240 | 780 mg |
| 3 | Oven Roasted Caesar Wings | Little Caesars | 3 g | 47 g | 510 | 1,740 mg |
| 4 | Garlic Parmesan Caesar Wings | Little Caesars | 5 g | 49 g | 670 | 2,510 mg |
| 5 | Buffalo Caesar Wings | Little Caesars | 7 g | 47 g | 520 | 3,330 mg |
| 6 | Tuna Protein Bowl | Subway | 9 g | 39 g | 730 | 1,120 mg |
| 7 | Tuna Salad | Subway | 10 g | 21 g | 400 | 600 mg |
| 8 | Oven-Roasted Turkey Protein Bowl | Subway | 10 g | 37 g | 540 | 1,540 mg |
| 9 | B.L.T. Protein Bowl | Subway | 10 g | 22 g | 560 | 880 mg |
| 10 | Oven-Roasted Turkey Salad | Subway | 11 g | 20 g | 400 | 870 mg |
| 11 | Grilled Chicken Protein Bowl | Subway | 11 g | 48 g | 620 | 950 mg |
| 12 | Cold Cut Combo Protein Bowl | Subway | 11 g | 33 g | 650 | 1,870 mg |
| 13 | Turkey & Ham Salad | Subway | 12 g | 20 g | 400 | 890 mg |
| 14 | Grilled Chicken Salad | Subway | 12 g | 26 g | 450 | 580 mg |
| 15 | Turkey & Ham Protein Bowl | Subway | 12 g | 36 g | 540 | 1,570 mg |
- Lowest overall: Arby’s Steak Nuggets (2 to 3 grams), but they’re a limited-time item.
- Most protein: Little Caesars Oven Roasted Caesar Wings, with 47 grams of protein and only 3 grams of carbs. They have 1,740 mg of sodium, though.
- Best balance: Subway’s Grilled Chicken Protein Bowl: 11 grams of carbs, 48 grams of protein and 950 mg of sodium.
Where these numbers come from
All numbers come from each chain’s official US nutrition information, the same data as our Subway, Panera, Arby’s and Little Caesars nutrition pages. We show total carbs, not net carbs, because that’s what the chains publish. Read more in our editorial policy.
Low carb fast food: best picks at each chain
| Menu item | Chain | Carbs | Protein | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuna Protein Bowl | Subway | 9 g | 39 g | 730 |
| Tuna Salad | Subway | 10 g | 21 g | 400 |
| Oven-Roasted Turkey Protein Bowl | Subway | 10 g | 37 g | 540 |
| Green Goddess Cobb Salad with Chicken (half) | Panera Bread | 15 g | 20 g | 290 |
| Greek Salad with Chicken (whole) | Panera Bread | 22 g | 30 g | 760 |
| Caesar with Chicken Salad (whole) | Panera Bread | 27 g | 35 g | 670 |
| Steak Nuggets (5) (limited time) | Arby’s | 2 g | 20 g | 140 |
| Steak Nuggets (9) (limited time) | Arby’s | 3 g | 36 g | 240 |
| Chicken Tenders (3) | Arby’s | 28 g | 23 g | 370 |
| Oven Roasted Caesar Wings | Little Caesars | 3 g | 47 g | 510 |
| Garlic Parmesan Caesar Wings | Little Caesars | 5 g | 49 g | 670 |
| Buffalo Caesar Wings | Little Caesars | 7 g | 47 g | 520 |
- Subway: Protein Bowls and salads are the stars. The best ones have 9 to 12 grams of carbs. See our Subway Protein Bowl guide and Subway salads guide.
- Panera: salads with chicken. The half Green Goddess Cobb Salad with Chicken has 15 grams of carbs and 20 grams of protein. Every Panera sandwich and soup with protein has more carbs.
- Arby’s: hard for low carb, because almost everything comes on bread. Outside the limited-time Steak Nuggets, the lowest-carb meal is three Chicken Tenders (28 grams).
- Little Caesars: wings. Oven Roasted, Garlic Parmesan and Buffalo wings all have 7 grams of carbs or less. The BBQ wings have 32 grams because of the sweet sauce.
The bread swap: how much it saves
At Subway you can get the same filling in four ways. Here’s what happens to the carbs:
| Same filling | Footlong | 6-inch | Salad | Protein Bowl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grilled Chicken (Subway) | 86 g | 43 g | 12 g | 11 g |
| Roast Beef (Subway) | 88 g | 44 g | 13 g | 14 g |
| Oven-Roasted Turkey (Subway) | 84 g | 42 g | 11 g | 10 g |
A Grilled Chicken footlong has 86 grams of carbs. The 6-inch has 43, the salad 12 and the Protein Bowl just 11. The bowl also has double meat, so you get more protein than the salad. That one change takes a sandwich order down to a low-carb meal.
Low carb traps to avoid
These items have the most carbs of everything we compared:
| Menu item | Chain | Carbs | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bacon Mac & Cheese (bread bowl) | Panera Bread | 170 g | 1,170 |
| Mac & Cheese (bread bowl) | Panera Bread | 170 g | 1,140 |
| Hearty Fireside Chili (bread bowl) | Panera Bread | 163 g | 940 |
| Vegetarian Autumn Squash Soup with Pepitas (bread bowl) | Panera Bread | 163 g | 860 |
| Rustic Baked Potato Soup (bread bowl) | Panera Bread | 161 g | 920 |
| Bistro French Onion Soup (bread bowl) | Panera Bread | 158 g | 850 |
| Three Cheese Lasagna Soup (bread bowl) | Panera Bread | 158 g | 880 |
| Vegetarian Creamy Tomato with Croissant Croutons Soup (bread bowl) | Panera Bread | 157 g | 880 |
Every one is a Panera bread bowl. The bread bowl alone adds well over 100 grams of carbs to a soup. Two slices of Little Caesars cheese pizza have 63 grams, and Arby’s sandwiches all come on bread. Sweet sauces like teriyaki and BBQ also add carbs quickly.
Tips for eating low carb at fast food restaurants
- Swap bread for a bowl or salad wherever you can.
- Pick wings or grilled chicken with a dry rub or savory sauce instead of BBQ, teriyaki or honey sauces.
- Skip the fries, bread sides and bread bowls.
- Watch the sodium. Many low-carb picks are salty: every Caesar Wings order has at least 1,740 mg. See our low sodium fast food guide.
- Use our tools: filter by diet on our low-carb menu list, or compare items with the calorie finder.
Is fast food OK on a keto diet?
Strict keto diets often aim for about 20 to 50 grams of carbs a day. A Subway Protein Bowl (9 to 12 grams) or Little Caesars Oven Roasted wings (3 grams) can fit. A sandwich, a wrap or pizza usually can’t. If you follow a medical diet, check the official numbers for your exact order and talk to your doctor or dietitian.
Low carb fast food: frequently asked questions
What fast food has the lowest carbs?
In our comparison, Little Caesars Oven Roasted Caesar Wings (3 grams of carbs, 47 grams of protein) and Subway Protein Bowls like Tuna (9 grams) and Oven-Roasted Turkey (10 grams).
What is the best low carb option at Subway?
A Protein Bowl. The Grilled Chicken Protein Bowl has 11 grams of carbs and 48 grams of protein. Salads are also low, with 10 to 15 grams for most.
Can you eat low carb at Panera?
Yes, with salads. The half Green Goddess Cobb Salad with Chicken has 15 grams of carbs and 20 grams of protein. Avoid bread bowls, which have up to 170 grams of carbs.
Is there anything low carb at Arby’s?
Not much, because almost everything comes on bread. The limited-time Steak Nuggets have only 2 to 3 grams of carbs.
The bottom line
Low carb fast food is easiest at Subway (Protein Bowls and salads) and Little Caesars (wings without sweet sauce). Lose the bread, watch the sweet sauces, and keep an eye on sodium. Browse more on our healthy eating hub.
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