When it comes to McDonald’s fare, you’re not picky. You’ve eaten a few dozen (OK, a few hundred) McNuggets in your day, not to mention cheeseburgers and chicken sandwiches—and let’s not even get started on their breakfast offerings. But now that you’re on a ketogenic diet, your usual orders are off the table. What’s a fast food lover to do? Don’t fret, friend: It’s easier than you think to eat keto at McDonald’s. As long as you mind your carbs and sugars while bulking up on protein and fat, the following menu items are on your diet. (Tip: Before you go to the restaurant or drive-thru, use McDonald’s online nutrition calculator to find out how many calories are in your modified meal. ).
Most Egg McMuffins are low in calories and high in protein, so they’re a good way to start the day—as long as you’re not on a keto or low-carb diet. The sandwich contains 30 grams of carbs if ordered as is, but you can eliminate nearly all of them by nixing the bread. (This also takes away 2 grams of fiber, but the egg, Canadian bacon, and cheese should make up for it.) ) There are a few McMuffin choices to choose from, and luckily, they’re all on your diet if you skip the English muffin.
A lot of people love McDonald’s chicken nuggets. These small pieces of breaded and fried chicken are crunchy on the outside and juicy on the inside. Maybe you’re on a keto diet and want to know if you can still eat these tasty nuggets.
An Overview of the Keto Diet
The keto diet is a very low-carb, high-fat diet. It aims to get your body into a state of ketosis, where your body burns fat for fuel instead of carbs.
Most people need to eat less than 50 grams of net carbs every day to get into ketosis. Net carbs are total carbs minus fiber. While on keto, it’s also important to limit the amount of protein you eat and get most of your calories from fat.
So how do chicken nuggets fit into this way of eating? Let’s take a closer look.
Chicken Nugget Nutrition Facts
Here are the nutrition facts for a 6-piece serving of McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets
- Calories: 280
- Fat: 18g
- Carbs: 15g
- Fiber: 1g
- Net Carbs: 14g
- Protein: 13g
As you can see, a 6-piece serving of nuggets contains 14g net carbs. That’s over a quarter of the daily carb limit on keto.
The nuggets also aren’t particularly high in fat. The 6-piece serving has only 18g of fat, which is less than what is recommended for keto.
Why Aren’t McDonald’s Nuggets Keto-Friendly?
There are two main reasons why McDonald’s chicken nuggets aren’t keto-friendly:
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The breading is high in carbs – The crispy breading coating the nuggets contains flour and other starchy ingredients that drive up the carb count.
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Not enough fat – With only 18g of fat in a 6-piece serving, the fat content is lower than what’s recommended on keto. To stay in ketosis, most people need to get 60-80% of calories from fat.
Lower-Carb Options at McDonald’s
If you’re craving McDonald’s but want to stick to your keto diet, there are some good options to choose instead of nuggets:
Burgers without the bun
The Quarter Pounder, the Big Mac, and the McDouble all have less than 5g of net carbs when they’re not on a bun. Add more bacon and cheese to make them fatter.
Salads
McDonald’s salads like the Bacon Ranch Salad are lower in carbs if you avoid croutons and high-carb dressings. Add creamy ranch dressing or buffalo sauce instead.
Breakfast sandwiches without muffins or biscuits
Sausage, egg, and cheese sandwiches are keto-friendly without the English muffin or biscuit.
Sides of meat
Order a la carte sides of bacon, sausage, or eggs for a quick keto snack.
The Verdict on McDonald’s Nuggets and Keto
While delicious, traditional McDonald’s chicken nuggets are too high in carbs and too low in fat to fit into a keto diet. Stick to bunless burgers, salads, and meat sides if you want to stay in ketosis.
But if you really love nuggets, you could try making a keto-friendly chicken nugget recipe at home with almond flour breading and frying in healthy oils. Homemade allows you to control the ingredients.
Or better yet, opt for grilled chicken tenders or wings with buffalo sauce when eating at McDonald’s to satisfy that crispy chicken craving on keto!
The Big Breakfast
Modified nutrition information: 350 calories, 28g fat, 3g carbs, 20g protein, 0g sugar, 0g fiber
Make it keto: ask for no hash brown, biscuit and hotcakes
Because it is now, this huge meal has way too many carbs and calories for someone on a low-carb diet. (It also has an astounding 48 grams of sugar, and that’s not accounting for the extra syrup you’ll drench those hotcakes with. ) To make this smorgasbord within reach, you’ll have to skip the biscuit, hotcakes and—the most painful cut of all—the hash brown. (You should also stay away from the Fruit.) ) You may be thinking those little spud patties are basically just vegetables, but each one contains 18 grams of carbs. With those three items off your plate, you’ll be left with scrambled eggs and a sausage patty. Feel free to ask for a side of bacon or cheese on your eggs if you’d like to jazz things up a bit.
Modified nutrition information: 240 calories, 18g fat, 3g carbs, 17g protein, 0g sugar, 0g fiber
Make it keto: ask for no bun and ketchup
This juicy beauty starts with a beef patty and American cheese, which are topped with pickle slices, ketchup, onions and mustard. The bun is the source of most of the burger’s carbs (28 grams, to be exact), but the ketchup also clocks in at 2 grams of carbs and 2 grams of sugar per serving. Without them, the meal is totally keto-friendly. You can ask for extra lettuce or bring your own to make a low-carb lettuce wrap. If you want it to taste more like a regular burger, you can use your own low-carb bun. There are also a lot of burgers to choose from at McDonald’s, and you can get any of them without a bun or ketchup. (As for the famous Big Mac, you may also want to skip the Big Mac sauce, since it contains 2 grams of carbs per serving. ).
Other keto burger options: Big Mac, Quarter Pounder with Cheese, Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese, Quarter Pounder with Cheese Deluxe (skip the tomatoes to save 1 gram of carbs), Quarter Pounder with Cheese and Bacon, Cheeseburger, Double Cheeseburger, Hamburger
Bacon, Egg And Cheese Mcgriddles
Modified nutrition information: 200 calories, 15g fat, 4g carbs, 12g protein, 1g sugar, 0g fiber
Make it keto: ask for no McGriddles griddle cakes
These sammies, held together by pancake-like cakes, are the stuff of dreams, but they contain a whopping 36 carbs and 14 grams of sugar. Without the griddle cakes in the picture, the fillings offer protein and fat with minimal carbs. (We’ll miss them in all their syrupy splendor, though.) The same goes for the other McGriddles menu options.
Other keto McGriddles options: Sausage McGriddles, Sausage, Egg & Cheese McGriddles
Modified nutrition information: 160 calories, 13g fat, 3g carbs, 9g protein, 1g sugar, 1g fiber
Make it keto: ask for no flour tortilla
This on-the-go handheld boasts scrambled egg, pork sausage, American cheese and a vegetable mix including tomatoes, onions and green chiles. Unfortunately for keto eaters, it’s wrapped in a carby tortilla. If you skip the tortilla, it eliminates nearly all the carbs in the meal, leaving you with protein, fat and even a little fiber to get you through the morning. You can either nosh on the scramble solo or bring your own low-carb tortilla or wrap to fill.
KETO Chicken Nuggets? (My McDonald’s REDEMPTION)
FAQ
Is McDonald’s chicken keto friendly?
The Chicken McNuggets are not keto. In fact, Mcdonald’s Nuggets are coated with starch and natural flavoring made of dextrose. Both will raise your blood sugar level quickly and take you out of ketosis.
Is anything at McDonald’s keto friendly?
For people who are trying to stay within their low-carb limits, the McDonald’s cheeseburger without the bun is one of the best fast food options. Jun 5, 2025.
Can I have chicken nuggets on a keto diet?
Some restaurants serve chicken nuggets that are suitable for keto diets, while most nuggets may have breading or flour that isn’t good for you. Jan 21, 2021.
How many net carbs are in a 10 piece chicken nugget from McDonald’s?
One McDonald’s 10 Chicken McNuggets has 420 calories, 25g of total carbs, 24g of net carbs, 25g of fat, 23g of protein, and 24g of net carbs.