I don’t know about y’all but I have no trouble finding low carb Keto items in fast food restaurants. (Can you call them restaurants? Maybe we’ll call them establishments instead).
Get unbreaded meat, toss the bun. Get a salad, pick out the icky – as in off-plan – usually, the icky stuff is the best part!
But it’s still not always cool with your macros and with keeping hunger at bay – yes, I’m talking to you, Lettuce! Sometimes you need friendly Keto fast food sauces to make it fit into your plan for the day.
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Low Carb and Keto Fast Food Sauces Are Great Meal Additions
We all know you can eat on Keto easily when you order fast food – most unbreaded meats (although not fast food, avoid grilled chicken tenderloins at Cracker Barrel – marinade has carbs)are fine but we sometimes need to up the fat content to go from general low carb to Keto.
The easiest way is to add a sauce.
It’s much easier to predict Keto fast food sauces than independent restaurants because they usually come packaged and have the data available.
Many Mom & Pop places, diners, family restaurants – home cooking places especially – will add sugar to their dressings or mix one or two dressings together to get a ‘signature’ taste. And if you get a newer server, they may not be aware of that. In that case, it’s never wrong to bring your own.
A discreet pouch of dressing in your purse can be a diet saver.
Not All Sauces Fit the Bill
Not every sauce you meet in a fast food joint is going to be helpful for sticking to your weight loss goals. Avoid sweet sauces like Honey Mustard, Polynesian, Sweet & Sour etc. Anything that sounds sweet IS sweet!
You’re usually safe with Ranch, Blue Cheese, and Caesar but you may need to check before you go. The ones listed below are all 3 grams of sugar or less and no more than 5 carbs.
Keto Fast Food Sauces Tips – How to Occasionally Enjoy the Higher Carb Sauce and Not Blow Your Macros
Here are just a few things to remember:
You don’t have to eat the whole darn thing.
Yes, I said it. You CAN have the higher carb sauces (within reason) if you don’t eat it all! There is no rule that says you must eat it all. Seriously. I checked.
Try this:
Use the ‘tining method‘ with your fork. If it’s in a pouch, ask for another plate or cup and pour your dressing into it. Dip the tines of your fork in the dressing, then spear your food. You get a burst of flavor without all the junk you’d have from pouring it over your salad.
You can get away with only having a teaspoon instead of 2 tablespoons of dressing! If your dressing or sauce is 6 carbs (or 6 sugars) you could save 5 of them.
Don’t make this a habit on higher carb sauces and dressings. It can become a slippery slope.
Here is my short list of Keto Fast Food Sauces:
Calories | Fat Grams | Net Carbs | Sugar | ||
Arbys | |||||
Cheddar Cheese Sauce | 50 | 3.5 | 4 | 0 | |
Buttermilk Ranch | 210 | 22 | 2 | 1 | |
Ranch Dipping Sauce | 100 | 11 | 2 | 1 | |
A&W | |||||
Ranch Dip | 160 | 17 | 2 | 1 | |
Blimpie | |||||
Blimpie Special Dressing | 40 | 5 | 0 | 0 | |
Chipotle Mayo | 90 | 10 | 1 | 0 | |
Blue Cheese Dressing | 260 | 28 | 2 | 1 | |
Buttermilk Ranch Dressing | 230 | 24 | 3 | 1 | |
Creamy Caesar Dressing | 210 | 23 | 2 | 2 | |
Creamy Italian Dressing | 240 | 26 | 1 | 1 | |
Peppercorn Ranch Dressing | 240 | 23 | 3 | 0 | |
Mayo | 100 | 11 | 0 | 0 | |
Oil Blend | 130 | 14 | 0 | 0 | |
Burger King | |||||
Ranch Dipping Sauce | 140 | 15 | 1 | 1 | |
Buffalo Dipping Sauce | 80 | 8 | 2 | 1 | |
Zesty Onion Ring Dipping Sauce | 150 | 15 | 3 | 0 | |
Carls Jr/Hardees | |||||
House Dressing | 210 | 23 | 5 | 2 | |
Blue Cheese Dressing | 310 | 34 | 2 | 1 | |
Buttermilk Ranch Dipping Sauce | 110 | 11 | 2 | 1 | |
Chick Fil A | |||||
Chick-Fil-A Jalapeno Salsa
|
10 | 0 | 2 | 1 | |
Zesty Buffalo Dipping Sauce
|
50 | 5 | 1 | 0 | |
Garlic & Herb Ranch Dipping Sauce | 140 | 14 | 1 | 1 | |
Garlic & Herb Ranch Dressing
|
280 | 29 | 2 | 1 | |
Avocado Lime Ranch
|
310 | 32 | 3 | 2 | |
Creamy Salsa Dressing
|
290 | 31 | 3 | 1 | |
|
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Chicken Express |
|
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Buffalo Sauce | 40 | 3.5 | 1 | 0 | |
Buttermilk Ranch Dressing | 160 | 17 | 2 | 1 | |
Chipotle Ranch Dressing | 150 | 15 | 3 | 2 | |
Chipotle | |||||
Guacamole (use as a dip) | 150 | 13 | 2 | 1 | |
DQ | |||||
Marzetti Blue Cheese Dressing | 200 | 22 | 2 | 1 | |
Marzetti Creamy Caesar Dressing | 180 | 18 | 2 | 1 | |
Marzetti Buttermilk Ranch Dressing | 200 | 22 | 2 | 1 | |
Freddy’s | |||||
Fry Sauce | 35 | 3.5 | 1 | 0 | |
Golden Chick | |||||
Village Ranch Dressing | 225 | 24 | 1.5 | 0 | |
KFC | |||||
Heinz Buttermilk Dressing | 160 | 17 | 1 | 1 | |
KFC Creamy Parmesan Caesar Dressing | 260 | 26 | 4 | 2 | |
Pollo Tropical | |||||
(Mojo) Garlic Sauce | 80 | 9 | 2 | 0 | |
Chipotle Mayo | 160 | 17 | 2 | 1 | |
Curry Mustard | 150 | 17 | 0 | 0 | |
Caesar Dressing | 290 | 31 | 1 | 1 | |
Chipotle Ranch Dressing | 260 | 27 | 5 | 3 | |
Cilantro Garlic Sauce | 160 | 17 | 2 | 0 | |
Peppadew Spread | 150 | 16 | 3 | 3 | |
Spicy Poyo-Poyo | 100 | 7 | 1 | 0 | |
Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen | |||||
Blackened Ranch | 118 | 13 | 2 | 1 | |
Buttermilk Ranch | 150 | 15 | 3 | 1 | |
Tartar Sauce | 140 | 15 | 1 | 1 | |
Schlotzkys | |||||
Blue Cheese | 460 | 49 | 3 | 3 | |
Buttermilk Ranch | 320 | 33 | 4 | 3 | |
Italian | 280 | 28 | 3 | 3 | |
Tuscan Caesar | 430 | 45 | 2 | 0 | |
Subway | |||||
Chipotle Southwest (21 gr) | 100 | 10 | 1 | 1 | |
Oil (5 gr) | 45 | 45 | 0 | 0 | |
Ranch (21 gr) | 110 | 11 | 1 | 1 | |
Regular Mayo (15 gr) | 110 | 12 | 0 | 0 | |
Wendys | |||||
Heartland Ranch Dipping Sauce | 120 | 12 | 3 | 2 | |
Classic Ranch Dressing | 100 | 10 | 2 | 1 | |
Lemon Garlic Caesar Dressing | 110 | 11 | 2 | 1 | |
Light Classic Ranch Dressing | 50 | 5 | 2 | 1 | |
Of course, there are MANY more fast food joints where you can safely eat Keto fast food sauces – but this list will get you started. We’ll be revisiting it from time to time to update it.
Do you have a favorite place you’d like to see on this list? Shoot me a comment!
Need Keto Help?
Basic Keto:
- How to Get Started with the Keto Diet For Beginners
- The Ultimate Keto Grocery List to Lose Weight on the Ketogenic Diet
- Keto Beginners Tips – 48+ Tough Love Tips and Tricks
- Part 1 – How to Plan for Success on Your Keto Diet on a Budget
- Part 2 – How to Save More Money When You Start Your Keto Diet
- Part 3 –How to Do Cheap Keto Meals for Keto on a Budget
- Part 4 –How to Shop and Save Money For Keto on a Budget
- Part 5 –How to Meal Prep to Save Time For Keto on a Budget