How to Order Low Carb at Sonic

Learn how to order low carb Sonic fast food quickly and confidently.

Get my 44 item Sonic low carb menu. It’s a great resource for any one who wants to order low carb, Atkins, keto, sugar free, or diabetic friendly at Sonic.

###

I’m on a mission to order low carb at the top 30 fast food chains in the US. For each fast food restaurant I evaluate:

1. Availability of low carb entrees (less than 20 net carbs).
2. Satiety of low carb entrees.
3. Price of low carb entrees.
4. Taste of low carb entrees.
5. Ordering experience.

My most recent stop was at Sonic which has a location less than 2 miles from my house. Every time I drive by one of their restaurants I’m amazed they’re still in business.

    Download My Personal Sonic Menu

The car hop thing lost its appeal to me when the waiters stopped wearing skates. I assume they make some good tasting food to keep themselves afloat. Let’s see if any of it is low carb.

What to order

My first time into Sonic I was excited to order the bunless Footlong Quarter Pound Chile Cheese Dog with extra jalapenos. This wasn’t a pre-planned order. I saw it on the menu and asked if they could do it without a bun. They agreed and I was stoked…

And it delivered. It was a little cumbersome to eat with a fork and knife, but it was delicious. I could have easily eaten two, if not three.

I wish they would have completely immersed the wiener in chili to give it more calories, but overall I was pleased with the order.

My second time into Sonic, I wanted to try something from their burger menu so I got the bunless SuperSONIC Bacon Double Cheeseburger.

Because they only have hot dog trays in-house, they had to split the patties and toppings into different trays. I combined the ingredients when I got home and added some mustard for flavor.

It had 1050 calories, 6 grams of net carbs, and 61 grams of protein which means it’s a pretty good option if you’re looking for high protein low carb fast food.

It was good but I wish they added condiments for you and served the ingredients together in one container. The bunless Double Quarter Pounder from my low carb McDonald’s review is more convenient to eat because they serve it in a plastic container.

For my third entree test, I got a bunless low carb Grilled Chicken Sandwich.

I liked the way they chopped up the chicken breast and set it on the lettuce and tomatoes like a salad. It made it easy to eat. The chicken breast was admirably juice and tender and had a crisp outer crunch as if it had been sauteed. It was a pleasant surprise and definitely something I’d consider ordering again.

To test Sonic’s version of a low carb fast food breakfast, I got a tortilla-less Sausage and Egg Breakfast Burrito and a toast-less Bacon & Egg Breakfast Toaster sandwich.

The presentation was shabby, but both tasted good. The tortilla-less Sausage & Egg Burrito cost $2.69 and had more food than the bunless Bacon & Egg Toaster Sandwich which cost $3.29.

I’d probably go with two tortilla-less burritos next time.

What you should order

If it’s lunch and you can sit down to eat with fork & knife, get one or two Footlong Quarter Pound Conies with Chile, Cheese, and Jalapenos.

If you need something easier to eat, get the SuperSonic Bacon Double Cheese Burger. You’ll have to ask for condiments on the burger as they don’t provide them automatically.

For breakfast, get two tortilla-less Sausage & Egg Breakfast Burritos.

What you can order

Sonic has fifteen different burgers on the menu that you can order without the bun. You can also get their Chile Cheese Conies or New York Style Hot Dogs without the bun. And, there’s also the Footlong Hot Dogs that I’ve mentioned.

If you’re in the mood for chicken, you can get a bunless chicken sandwich.

For breakfast, you can order their breakfast burritos without the tortillas. Just make sure they don’t add tater tots / hash brown to them (some have them, some don’t). You can also get their Breakfast Toaster Sandwiches without the toast.

It’s the same menu I used to plan my last two Sonic orders.

    Download My Personal Sonic Menu

What you should avoid

All of Sonic’s sides are too high carb. This includes: fries, tater tots, onion rings, jalapeno poppers, and mozzarella sticks. Similarly, all their ice creams, shakes, blasts, smoothies, and juices are off limits.

There are some items on the menu that seem low carb, but aren’t. Here are the tricky menu items to avoid:

Avoid these Chicken Entrees

• Chicken Strips –  350 calories and 25 net carbs for their smallest order.
• Popcorn Chicken – 190 calories and 12 net carbs for their smallest order.
• Bunless Crispy Chicken Sandwich – 390 calories for 15 net carbs (risky).
• Boneless Buffalo Wings – 540 calories and 32 net carbs for their smallest order.

Avoid these Hot Dogs

• Corn Dog – 230 calories and 18 net carbs.
• All American Dog – 280 calories and 13 net carbs. Request “no relish” to save 6 carbs.
• Chicago Dog – 290 calories and 18 net carbs. Request “no relish” to save 6 carbs.

Avoid these Sauces

• Honey Mustard Sauce – 90 calories and 7 net carbs
• BBQ Sauce – 30 calories and 8 net carbs

Overall Ratings for Sonic

I rate Sonic as low carb friendly because you can get bunless burgers, dogs, and breakfast sandwiches at all of their locations.

• Low carb / keto friendly – Yes.
• Low carb entrees on menu – No. You’ll need to special order their burgers, dogs, and breakfast sandwiches by requesting “no bun.”
• Satiety of low carb entrees – Average. My bunless footlong hot dog was big, but not quite enough to fill me up. The bunless double bacon burger wasn’t enough for a full meal either. The two breakfast sandwiches I ordered seem to offer less food than other fast food places I’ve visited.
• Taste of low carb entrees – Above average. I enjoyed everything I got from Sonic even though the presentation was shoddy.
• Price / value of low carb entrees –  Above Average. I paid $4.69 for a bunless footlong dog w/ extra jalapenos. The double bacon burger was $5.99. And I had a tortilla-less breakfast burrito for $2.69 and a bunless Breakfast Toaster for $3.29
• Ordering experience – Above Average. 100% accuracy on all orders. Drive-thru operators were diligent with ensuring they heard me correctly. Car hops were friendly and attentive, though not wearing roller skates.

Sonic is a good option for low carb eaters. Especially if you want to mix up it up with a little chili cheese dog action. That’s something you can’t get at most other fast food locations.

What’s next

My next low carb / keto ordering guide will be for Domino’s — Destroyer of Low Carb Diets. To get my Domino’s low carb ordering guide via email, sign up here:

[convertkit form=5279492]

Enter your email above and I’ll send you one low carb / keto ordering guide per week for all 30 top fast food chains in the US.

I’ll also report back with final results for how this fast food experiment affects my health, well-being, and bank account. And you’ll get some simple low carb recipes and other tips from me for all the times you’re not eating in a fast food joint.

Cheers,
“Mr. SkinnyPants”