Low Carb Fast Food Breakfast Guide for Beginners

Get my top 10 low carb fast food breakfast recommendations and then read my 5 quick tips for ordering low carb breakfast at any fast food chain.

Learn how to order a low carb fast food breakfast at the top fast food chains in the United States.

See pictures of my real-life low carb fast food breakfast orders.

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Top 10 Low Carb Fast Food Breakfasts

Below are my top ten favorite low carb fast food breakfasts along with their net carb and calorie counts. I’ve provided recommendations for add-on ingredients where necessary.

Rankings account for taste, presentation, carb count, and price. Photos are my own.

1. Taco Bell Breakfast Mini Skillet (No Potatoes)

This is the best low carb fast food breakfast entree I’ve had. It comes standard with eggs, nacho cheese, pico de gallo, and potatoes. Omit the potatoes to make it low carb and then add steak, bacon, and guacamole to boost the calories. Even with those add-ons it only cost me $3.45.

Low Carb Taco Bell Mini Breakfast Skillet
My low carb Taco Bell Mini Breakfast Skillet
  • Order it low carb: “Mini Breakfast Skillet, no potatoes”
  • Recommended add-ons: Extra steak, bacon, and guacamole.
  • Price: $1 + the cost of any add-ons.
  • Macros: 90 calories and 3 net carbs (plain, no potatoes)

If you plan to customize your Taco Bell Mini Breakfast Skillet, then get my special Taco Bell low carb menu so that you can see the calorie counts, net carbs, and other macros for their low carb friendly add-on ingredients.

2. Jack In the Box Extreme Sausage Sandwich (No Bun)

It’s tough to choose the best of the bunless breakfast sandwiches, but the Extreme Sausage Sandwich tied for tops in taste and had the best overall presentation. Comes with two sausage patties, a fresh cracked egg, and two slices of American cheese.

Low Carb Jack In The Box Bunless Sausage Egg and Cheese Breakfast Sandwich
My Low Carb Jack In The Box Bunless Sausage Egg and Cheese Breakfast Sandwich
  • Order it low carb: “Extreme Sausage Sandwich, without the bun”
  • Recommended add-ons: None.
  • Price: $3.29
  • Macros: 490 calories and 0 net carbs

If you’re curious about other Jack In The Box low carb breakfast options, then consider reading the full version of my Jack In The Box low carb ordering guide.

3. McDonald’s Sausage McMuffin with Egg (No Bun)

When it comes to the low carb McDonalds breakfast, I give the slight edge to the Sausage McMuffin with Egg versus the standard Egg McMuffin which is served with Canadian bacon. For someone on a keto diet, like myself, the sausage is higher fat and more filling.

Low Carb McDonald's Sausage McMuffin with Egg
My low carb bunless McDonald’s Sausage McMuffin with Egg
  • Order it low carb: “Sausage McMuffin with Egg, no bun”
  • Recommended add-ons: None.
  • Price: $2.95
  • Macros: 340 calories and 3 net carbs

If you’re curious about how the macros look without cheese or with double sausage patties, then get my McDonald’s Low Carb Menu to see full macros for their low carb breakfast ingredients.

4. McDonald’s Egg McMuffin (No Bun)

This is probably the most popular fast food breakfast sandwich in the world. Order it without the bun, and all of the sudden it’s low carb. You might want to order two to get full because the Canadian bacon is light on calories.

Low Carb McDonald's Egg McMuffin
My low carb bunless McDonald’s Egg McMuffin
  • Order it low carb: “Egg McMuffin, no bun”
  • Recommended add-ons: None.
  • Price: $2.95
  • Macros: 160 calories and 3 net carbs

If you’re all set on McDonald’s low carb breakfast orders then consider reading my McDonald’s low carb ordering guide so that you’re also prepared for lunch and dinner.

5. Carl’s Jr. Steak & Egg Breakfast Burrito (No Tortilla)

This entree comes standard with eggs, steak, pico de gallo, and melted cheese. I didn’t find it necessary to add anything else.And, for $3.99 it’s a steal.

Carl's Jr. Low Carb Steak and Egg Burrito in a bowl.
My Carl’s Jr. Low Carb Steak and Egg Burrito in a bowl.
  • Order it low carb: “Steak & egg breakfast burrito, no tortilla”
  • Recommended add-ons: None.
  • Price: $3.99
  • Macros: 420 calories and 1 net carb

Right after I ate this meal, I posted on Reddit’s keto forum to announce just how good this low carb breakfast item is. If you want to what see what other low carb breakfast options are available then check out my Carl’s Jr. low carb fast food guide.

6. Starbucks Bacon & Gruyere Sous Vide Egg Bites

The egg bites are made primarily out of cottage cheese, eggs, Monterey Jack cheese, and gruyere cheese. That blend gives them an incredibly soft and indulgent texture. They taste amazing but feel a little price-y at $4.45 for two egg bites.

Low Carb Starbucks Sous Vide Egg Bites
My Low Carb Starbucks Sous Vide Egg Bite
  • Order it low carb: “One order of your Bacon & Gruyere Egg Bites”
  • Recommended add-ons: None.
  • Price: $4.45
  • Macros: 310 calories and 7 net carbs

You get two egg bites with your order. I ate the first one so fast that it didn’t make the photo. If you want to see what other low carb breakfast foods Starbucks has to offer then check out my Starbucks low carb ordering guide.

7. Chick-Fil-A Chicken, Egg, & Cheese Bagel (No Bagel)

You get a biscuit-sized fried chicken filet, a folded egg, and a semi-melted slice of cheese. It’s delicious. The only reason it isn’t ranked higher is because the light breading sends the carb count a little higher than I like. Still, it’s low carb enough to make the list.

Low-Carb-Fast-Food-Breakfast-Chick-Fil-A-3170280906-1508969734414.jpg
My low carb Chick Fil A Bunless Chicken, Egg, and Cheese Bagel
  • Order it low carb: “Chicken, Egg, & Cheese Bagel, no bagel”
  • Recommended add-ons: None.
  • Price: $3.39
  • Macros: 270 calories and 7 net carbs

If you want to see what other low carb options you can order at Chick Fil A, then check out my Chick Fil A low carb ordering guide.

8. Burger King Sausage Egg & Cheese Croissan’wich (No Croissant)

Burger King has it’s own rendition of the breakfast sandwich called the Croissan’wich. It’s delicious when ordered low carb without the croissant. It’s $0.50 more than the McDonald’s Sausage McMuffin with Egg, hence it’s lower ranking.

Low Carb Burger King Sausage Egg & Cheese Croissan’wich (No Croissant)
My Low Carb Burger King Sausage Egg & Cheese Croissan’wich (No Croissant)
  • Order it low carb: “Sausage, Egg & Cheese Croissan’wich with no croissant”
  • Recommended add-ons: None.
  • Price: $3.45
  • Macros: 300 calories and 1 net carb

See the other low carb breakfast foods that Burger King has to offer by checking out my Burger King low carb post.

9. Sonic Sausage Egg & Cheese Burrito (No Tortilla)

Sonic serves their tortilla-less breakfast burritos in these charming containers that were intended for hot dogs. They also serve their sausage in slivers instead of patties and crumbles like every one else. After the repetition of eating so many similar low carb fast food breakfast entrees, these little differences are appreciated. Oh…and it tastes great too!

Low Carb Sonic Breakfast Burrito
My Low Carb Sonic Breakfast Burrito (No Tortilla)
  • Order it low carb: “Breakfast Burrito with Sausage and no tortilla”
  • Recommended add-ons: None.
  • Price: $2.79
  • Macros: 290 calories and 2 net carbs

Sonic has a good assortment of entrees that can be ordered low carb. See all their low carb options in my Sonic Low Carb ordering guide.

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My Top 10 Low Carb Breakfasts

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10. Taco Bell Naked Egg Taco With Sausage (No Potatoes)

A new entrant to the top 10 list. I think Taco Bell’s strategy is to add nacho cheese to all their breakfast entrees…because it works! The Naked Egg Taco, which may seem gimmick-y to some, is the exact type of low carb breakfast I love. It’s one fried egg, some nacho cheese, sausage crumbles, and shredded cheese.

Taco Bell Low Carb Naked Egg Taco (No Potatoes)
My Taco Bell Low Carb Naked Egg Taco (No Potatoes)
  • Order it low carb: “Naked egg taco, no potatoes”
  • Recommended add-ons: None.
  • Price: $1.99
  • Macros: 250 calories and 8 net carbs

The Naked Egg Taco has more net carbs than I prefer (even without the potatoes), otherwise it’d probably rank a bit higher.

 

Get my printable Top 10 Low Carb Fast Food Breakfasts

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My Top 10 Low Carb Breakfasts

Save hours of research...Download my Menu with Macros Included.

It will help you order low carb everytime you go!
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Made with ❤️ by Mr Skinny Pants

 

Low Carb Fast Food Breakfast: 5 Quick Tips

After visiting 25 of the top low carb fast food restaurants in the United States and ordering  30+ different low carb breakfasts, here are the main lessons I learned:

  1. Sausage, egg, and cheese combos offer the best value with the lowest carb counts and highest calories. You can special order a bunless sausage, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwich or a tortilla-less breakfast burrito from almost every fast food restaurant.
  2. Steak, egg, & cheese combos are a great option at places like Taco Bell and Taco Cabana that don’t serve sausage patties.
  3. Fast food bacon is generally over-priced and over-cooked such that much of the fat content is removed and it becomes light on calories. Sausage is a better bet as your breakfast meat of choice.
  4. Make sure the cheese isn’t sticking to the container when it’s served hot. Cheese tends to melt and stick to the package if it’s not properly sandwiched between eggs & meat. If you catch it early, you can fix it.
  5. Similarly, check your bag before driving off. Sometimes they forget to omit the bun, tortilla or potatoes like you requested!

Hopefully, those five tips will help you with any low carb fast food breakfast order. Now let’s look at how I did my research for this project.

Low Carb Fast Food Breakfast: The Research

I wrote this post after visiting 25+ different fast food joints and trying 30+ low carb fast food breakfast entrees.

Before writing my post, I researched the most popular articles popping up in Google and found a post titled 23 Fast-Food Breakfasts That Are Actually Healthy which features 0 low carb fast-food breakfasts (and arguably 0 healthy ones) and then another post which talks about 14 low carb fast foods but only has 3 breakfast ideas.

This high-ranking keto fast food roundup has some low carb breakfast ideas, but nothing specific from what I read.

Based on this research, I decided that readers on a keto diet or other low carb diet might want a more specific low carb fast food breakfast guide that featured photos of actual orders along with the adjusted macros.

Get my printable Top 10 Low Carb Fast Food Breakfasts

Get My Personal Keto Menu Choices

My Top 10 Low Carb Breakfasts

Save hours of research...Download my Menu with Macros Included.

It will help you order low carb everytime you go!
Send me the list >
Made with ❤️ by Mr Skinny Pants

What else is happening at Mr Skinny Pants?

We’ve finished our “Ultimate Guide to Fast Food for Keto”

It will show you exactly what to order at the top 30 fast food chains to stay on your low carb keto diet.

You can grab a copy here.

Keto Fast Food Survival Guide

All the best,

-Mr Skinny Pants

PS are you using the keto diet to lose weight?

If so you’ll want to read 13 things to stop doing if you’re trying to lose weight.

16 thoughts on “Low Carb Fast Food Breakfast Guide for Beginners”

  1. How about Chick-fil-A’s Chicken Hash Brown Scramble Bowl minus the hash browns? That leaves you with chopped nuggets, cheese, and scrambled eggs in a bowl. Also, how do you feel about the Steak, Egg, and cheese biscuit sans biscuit from McDonald’s?

    Reply
    • Hi Kellie,

      Both options should work. If the nuggets are fried, that’ll be a bit higher carb, but should still fit w/in a keto diet as long as you have about 10 carbs to spare. Steak, egg, and cheese from McDonald’s is perfect.

      Reply
    • It’s better to get the sausage instead of chicken. The sausage option is only 2 carbs. I get it with extra sausage for the fat source

      Reply
  2. Hey! So for your chick fil a breakfast option, instead of ordering the chicken, egg, and cheese bagel, you can just order a chicken filet and add egg and cheese, and that’ll be a whole dollar less!

    A good Chick Fil A breakfast for 2.39!

    Reply
  3. Careful! Starbucks sous vide eggs are NOT a good option like the others. Look up their nutrition. One order has 35g net carbs and only 1g fat. I’m so mad I’ve been eating them.

    Reply
    • According to Starbucks website, the bacon and gruyere sous vide egg bites are 9g carbs total and 22g fat. Not the best but certainly not the worst. Hopefully that will put you at ease for eating the delicious bites.

      Reply
  4. Wow. Followed your recommendation for the Taco Bell mini-skillet this morning. It was delicious! Not sure about the “no-bun” options – but will definitely try your other recommendations soon.
    Thanks!

    Reply
  5. How about 2 or 3 Del Taco $1 breakfast rolls minus the tortilla ?? You get eggs, cheese & either bacon or chorizo

    Reply
  6. Thank you for this list! I ended up getting a Sausage Egg McMuffin (no bun) and an extra sausage patty and used the patties as buns. It was delicious and filling and I didn’t feel deprived at all (which is so important!!).

    Reply
    • Yeah looks like it must’ve been either a limited time thing or just never caught on because it’s off TB’s menu altogether now. Phooey…..it looked good too >.<

      Reply

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