It’s always best to avoid fast food at all costs, especially if you’re trying to stay in ketosis. However, there are ways to make it work in emergency situations.
Burger King offers a lot of high-fat and low-carb options. You’ll just need to learn how to customize your meals so that you’re getting the proper macronutrient ratio.
We’ve put together a list of tips for ordering at Burger King and which food options are best. Here’s how to order low-carb at Burger King.
Tips For Ordering at Burger King
Burger King isn’t your ideal ketogenic restaurant, but it is a lot better than most fast food restaurants when it comes to finding something low-carb.
You’ll want to keep in mind that there is a big difference between ketogenic and low-carb.
Follow these tips to help you make the best decision possible when ordering at Burger King (BK).
#1. Stick with a bunless burger
You can take just about any burger at BK and throw out the bun and you’ll have a low-carb meal. Along with getting rid of the bun, you’ll also want to order your burger without any sauces, such as ketchup or BBQ sauce.
Some burgers also come with fries or onion rings on them, so you’ll want to make sure to throw these out too (or ask for your burger without them).
Try their bacon king sandwich, which comes with two quarter-pound beef patties, bacon and cheddar cheese, and eat it alongside your plain salad for a low-carb meal.
#2. Consider a breakfast sandwich
If you need a quick mid-morning snack, consider a breakfast sandwich without the bun or bread, of course.
The fully loaded Croissan’Wich comes with ham, bacon, sausage, and egg. All you have to do is throw away the bun.
Plus, their breakfast sandwiches are pretty easy to eat without the bun since the egg is in solid form and isn’t runny.
#3. Check their nutritional information
You can look up the nutrition information for all of the food offered at Burger King. However, you won’t be able to customize this information.
This means that you can look up the macro information for a Whopper, but you won’t know how many carbs it contains if you hold the bun and sauce.
Here are some of the lowest carb options at Burger King based on the nutrition information:
- Bacon King sandwich (minus the bread and sauce)
- Cheddar bacon kind (no bread or sauce)
- Bacon double cheese burger (no bread or sauce)
- Side salad with no croutons or dressing
This brings us to our next tip!
#4. Ask for no sauce
In addition to throwing the bun away, you’ll also want to order your sandwiches (and salad) with no sauce or dressings. This includes mayo, ketchup, BBQ sauce, and salad dressing.
Stick with mustard if you must top your burger with something or ask for another slice of cheese. You can add ranch dressing to your side salad, but this will tack on a few carbs.
There is nothing ketogenic about any of the sides at BK, which include French fries, pies, shakes, onion rings, applesauce, and hash browns. Even the iced tea appears to be sweetened.
You can always check at your local BK, but if your iced tea is sweetened, you’ll want to stick with a bottle of water or a cup of coffee with cream.
Related: How To Order Low Carb at McDonald’s
What To Order At Burger King For Every Meal
We’ve broken down the best foods you should eat at Burger King for every meal. Remember that although these foods are OK to eat every once in a while, you definitely don’t want to make them part of your daily or even weekly menu plan.
Breakfast Options
The breakfast sandwiches at Burger King are some of your best bets when it comes to ordering fast food. They are easy to eat without the bun or bread, and they tend to contain fewer calories than the burgers. Plus, they don’t usually come loaded with sauce or onion rings.
You can also enjoy one of these mid-morning to help you get by until lunch. Check your local BK as some locations might stop serving them around 10 am or 11 am.
Here are the best breakfast sandwiches to order:
- Double bacon breakfast sourdough king (minus the sourdough)
- Double sausage breakfast sourdough king (minus the sourdough)
- Double ham breakfast sourdough king (minus the sourdough)
- Fully loaded biscuit (minus the biscuit)
- Fully loaded croissant (minus the croissant)
- Sausage, egg and cheese croissant (minus the croissant)
- Bacon, egg and cheese croissant (minus the croissant)
- Ham, egg and cheese croissant (minus the croissant)
- King croissant with sausage and bacon (minus the croissant)
- King croissant with ham and sausage (minus the croissant)
- King croissant with double sausage (minus the croissant)
- Sausage, egg and cheese biscuit (minus the biscuit)
- Bacon, egg and cheese biscuit (minus the biscuit)
- Ham, egg and cheese biscuit (minus the biscuit)
Lunch or Dinner Options
As the name implies, Burger King is home to a lot of burgers. Since you can customize these sandwiches any way you want, choosing a burger is a good way to eat low-carb.
Remember that you can also eat one of these for lunch or even breakfast if you’re in need. Here are some of the best burgers at BK and how to order them:
- Jalapeno King sandwich (minus the bun and sauce)
- Sourdough King (minus the bun and sauce)
- Double quarter pound King (minus the ketchup, mayo and bun)
- Bacon King Jr. (minus the sauce and bun)
- Rodeo King (minus the onion rings, sauce, and bun)
- Whopper sandwich and whopper Jr. (minus the mayo, ketchup and bun)
- Sourdough King (minus the bun and sauce)
- Quarter pound King (minus the bun, sauce, and ketchup)
- BBQ bacon whopper sandwich (minus the sauce and bun)
- Double whopper sandwich (minus the sauce and bun)
- Bacon King sandwich (minus the bun and sauce)
- Bacon and cheese whopper (minus the sauce and bun)
- Single and double hamburgers and cheeseburgers (minus the bun and ketchup)
- Bacon and double bacon cheeseburger (minus the ketchup, sauce, and bun)
- Chicken garden salad (minus the croutons and dressing)
- Big King XL (minus the bread and sauce)
What NOT To Eat at Burger King on Keto Diet
Most of the foods on this list are a no-brainer when it comes to foods that you should avoid on the ketogenic diet, but we’ve listed them out here so you know not to indulge in them.
The reason why they are not allowed on the ketogenic diet is because they contain breaded meat or ingredients that are too high in carbs.
- Egg-normous burrito (while the insides of the burrito are OK to eat, it might get a little messy trying to eat a burrito without the tortilla to hold it together)
- Breakfast burrito Jr. (contains hash browns)
- BK ultimate breakfast platter (contains hotcakes, hash browns and bread)
- French toast sticks
- Maple chicken biscuit
- Pancakes and sausage platter
- BK Joe Iced Coffee (contains sweetener)
- All fish sandwiches
- Crispy chicken tenders
- Spicy crispy jalapeno chicken sandwich
- Spicy crispy chicken sandwich
- Crispy jalapeno chicken sandwich
- Crispy chicken sandwich
- Rodeo crispy chicken sandwich
- BBQ bacon crispy chicken sandwich
- Bacon and cheese crispy sandwich
- Chicken fries
- Original chicken sandwich
- Chicken nuggets
- Big fish sandwich
- Chicken Jr. and spicy chicken Jr.
- Morning star veggie burger
- All milkshakes, pies and ice cream cones
What’s New at Burger King?
Burger King offers several new items on their menu, including a “best seller” section. This section allows you to mix and match your meals. You can choose between several entrees, such as a Whopper, chicken fries, a chicken sandwich, or an impossible burger.
Speaking of the impossible burger – you’ll want to stay away from this, which is Burger King’s only plant-based burger. It contains no beef and is made with ingredients such as wheat and soy. This burger contains too many carbs to be eaten on a low-carb diet, even if you order it without the bun and sauce.
Conclusion
Burger King is an acceptable fast-food restaurant because it offers so many low-carb options. You just have to know how to order them.
Keep in mind that there is a difference between low-carb and ketogenic. While you might find plenty of burger options at BK, they are not strict keto. So try not to eat it more than once a month or so. For breakfast, try a BK breakfast sandwich without the bread.
For lunch or dinner, start with a plain side salad for some added vitamins and fiber and follow it with a bunless and sauceless burger. Stick with meats, cheese, and low-carb veggies, and you won’t derail your ketogenic diet.
