The Ultimate Keto Wendy’s Guide – What to Order and What to Avoid

Have you been wondering, “Can I eat keto at Wendy’s?” The answer is yes! Find out exactly what to order from the home of the Frosty with this comprehensive Ultimate Keto Wendy’s Guide.

Wendy’s is the 12th largest fast food chain in the world and is known for its signature Frosty dessert and square burgers. Yep, square burgers! Once I show you how to eat keto at Wendy’s, I’ll share with you why Wendy’s burgers are square. (There is a really good reason!) Oh, and I’m also going to link to a keto Frosty recipe at the end of this post, so you’ll definitely want to read everything. 🙂

If you’re currently standing in a Wendy’s, on your way to the drive-through, or just doing a little pre-meal research, you’ll be happy to know that Wendy’s offers PLENTY of keto-friendly menu options! Quite a few of the burgers and sandwiches will work as long as you remove the bread, and they also offer some awesome salads.

If you follow the simple guidelines I’m going to show you, you will have no problem eating keto at Wendy’s! There are so many choices that you could practically go on a Wendy’s diet and never get bored.

Ready? Let’s get started!

Please BOOKMARK this post right now because I am going to update and improve it as much as possible. I want it to be so comprehensive that you wouldn’t think of going anywhere else!

Keto Wendy’s Guide

… and how I sourced nutrition info.

Wendy’s has an AWESOME app that lets you choose any menu item, remove anything that’s not keto-friendly, and optionally add even add more to your meal (at a specified additional cost). It will spit out your custom item with nutrition facts, which you can then save as a “favorite” as long as you have an account. Here is an example:

Using the app, you can go to town making the best Wendy’s keto meals beyond even what I’ve shown here!

Note that this info was correct to the best of my ability at the time of publishing this post, but I am only human (darn!), so if you see an error, please let me know by commenting on this post and I’ll correct it. Thank you!

Keto at Wendys: What Can You Eat?

You will be happy to know that you can eat keto at Wendy’s for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! A few important notes about how to eat keto at Wendy’s:

• Modifications are listed in the first set of parentheses, and they MUST be followed to make the food keto-friendly.
• The main modifications you’ll always want to follow are to remove the bread and to remove sugar-heavy sauces such as ketchup.
• If no fat grams are listed, that means the food does not contain fat.
• For many options, I included (in a second set of parentheses) “vs. Xg Net Carbs.” I did this to show you how many net carbs you’re saving by choosing the keto friendly option. Numbers are powerful motivators!
• I used the main Wendy’s corporate website and app to source the nutrition info below. There is a chance that not every option listed below will be available at every Wendy’s location. Get friendly with your local Wendy’s and see what they can do for you. With the increasing popularity of eating keto, more options and more modifications will become available!

Wendy’s Keto Options: Breakfast

Want Wendy’s Keto Breakfast options? You’re in luck… there are a lot of great choices for you!

Drink Options

• Cold Brew Coffee Coffee – 3g Net Carbs (This is a solid Keto Coffee option.)

Breakfast Sandwich Options

• Sausage, Egg, and Swiss Croissant (no croissant) – 3g Net Carbs; 32g Fat; 17g Protein (vs. 33g Net Carbs)
• Bacon, Egg, and Swiss Croissant (no croissant) – 2g Net Carbs; 15g Fat; 13g Protein (vs. 32g Net Carbs)
• Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Biscuit (no biscuit) – 3g Net Carbs; 33g Fat; 18g Protein (vs. 30g Net Carbs)
• Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Biscuit (no biscuit) – 1g Net Carbs; 12g Fat; 10g Protein (vs. 29g Net Carbs)
  • Note: If you order the Classic Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Sandwich without the bread, the Net Carbs remain the same, but the Fat is 16g and the Protein is 13g. This might be due to a slight difference in the amount of each ingredient included.
• Breakfast Baconator (no bun) – 5g Net Carbs; 50g Fat; 31g Protein (vs. 36g Net Carbs)

Note: The standard cheese on the breakfast sandwiches is an American cheese slice. The Swiss cheese is a sauce rather than sliced cheese.

Keto Wendy’s Lunch Options & Dinner Options

Want Wendy’s keto lunch and dinner options? You have tons to choose from! Two notes:

• All of the Wendy’s keto burgers and sandwiches below are calculated with a lettuce “bun” (wrap), which is something you can ask for instead of bread.
• You can customize your order by adding extra cheese, burgers, bacon, mayo, etc. Download the Wendy’s app to build your own custom order and view the nutrition facts!

Chicken Options

• Grilled Asiago Ranch Chicken Club (no bun) – 3g Net Carbs; 20g Fat; 39g Protein (vs. 33g Net Carbs)
• Grilled Chicken Sandwich (no bun) – 4g Net Carbs; 7g Fat; 29g Protein (vs. 35g Net Carbs)
  • Note: Can be reduced to <1g net carbs if you remove the Smoky Honey Mustard.

Burger Options

• S’Awesome Bacon Cheeseburger (no bun) – 7g Net Carbs; 37g Fat; 29g Protein (vs. 37g Net Carbs)
• Peppercorn Mushroom Melt (no bun, no onions) – 5g Net Carbs; 33g Fat; 25g Protein (vs. 43g Net Carbs)
• Dave’s Single (no bun, no ketchup) – 5g Net Carbs; 31g Fat; 24g Protein (vs. 37g Net Carbs)
• Son of Baconator (no bun, no ketchup) – 4g Net Carbs; 37g Fat; 29g Protein (vs. 36g Net Carbs)
• Baconator (no bun, no ketchup) – 5g Net Carbs; 60g Fat; 53g Protein (vs. 38g Net Carbs)
• Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger (no bun) – 3g Net Carbs; 21g Fat; 15g Protein (vs. 24g Net Carbs)
• Jr. Cheeseburger Deluxe (no bun, no ketchup) – 3g Net Carbs; 17g Fat; 12g Protein (vs. 25g Net Carbs)
• Jr. Cheeseburger (no bun, no ketchup) – 1g Net Carbs; 12g Fat; 12g Protein (vs. 25g Net Carbs)
• Jr. Hamburger (no bun, no ketchup) – 1g Net Carbs; 8g Fat; 10g Protein (vs. 24g Net Carbs)
• Double Stack (no bun, no ketchup) – 3g Net Carbs; 19g Fat; 20g Protein (vs. 25g Net Carbs)

(Wendy’s factoid: The “Dave” mentioned in some of the choices above is Dave Thomas, the founder of Wendy’s. He founded Wendy’s, named after his eight-year-old daughter, in Columbus, Ohio in 1969.)

Salad Options

Wendy’s offers several keto-friendly salads, including side salads. Their Parmesan Caesar Chicken Salad is especially great for keto dieters!

• Parmesan Caesar Chicken Salad (half-size) – 5g Net Carbs; 20g Fat; 29g Protein
• Taco Salad (no chili, taco chips, or salsa; half-size) – 10g Net Carbs; 16g Fat; 12g Protein (vs. 54g Net Carbs)
• Caesar Side Salad (no croutons) – 5g Net Carbs; 14g Fat; 9g Protein (vs. 17g Net Carbs)
• Garden Side Salad (no croutons, with Ranch Dressing; Caesar Dressing adds 1g Net Carbs) – 5g Net Carbs; 14g Fat; 5g Protein (vs. 25g Net Carbs)

Wendys Keto: Ultimate Fat Bomb Meal

Keto fat bombs are low in carbs, high in fat (hence the fat “bomb” name, and can be sweet or savory. The biggest “fat bomb” at Wendy’s is the Baconator:

• Baconator (no bun, no ketchup) – 5g Net Carbs; 60g Fat; 53g Protein (vs. 38g Net Carbs)

YUM!

Keto at Wendy’s: Worst Food Choices

Unfortunately, there are plenty of foods at Wendy’s that just won’t work for the keto diet. While there are many more foods than listed below that are not keto friendly, for your convenience, here are just some of the high-carb foods you will want to AVOID at Wendy’s if you are on the keto diet:

Breakfasts to Avoid

• Homestyle Potatoes – 31g Net Carbs
• Sausage Gravy & Biscuit – 47g Net Carbs
• Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit – 47g Net Carbs
• Gravy and Sausage Breakfast Bowl – 46g Net Carbs
• Seasoned Homestyle Potatoes (small) – 31g Net Carbs
• Plain Oatmeal – 37g Net Carbs
• Vanilla Iced Coffee – 28g Net Carbs
• Mocha Iced Coffee – 28g Net Carbs

Lunches/Dinners to Avoid

• Spicy Chicken Sandwich – 50g Net Carbs
• Homestyle Chicken Sandwich – 48g Net Carbs
• French Fries (small) – 39g Net Carbs
• Smoky Mushroom Baked Potato – 59g Net Carbs
• Baconator Fries – 42g Net Carbs
• Chili Cheese Fries – 47g Net Carbs
• Cup of Chili – 12g Net Carbs
• Bacon Cheese Baked Potato – 57g Net Carbs
• Chicken Nuggets (4-piece) –  10g Net Carbs
• Chicken Tender (4-piece) – 26g Net Carbs

Desserts to Avoid

• Chocolate Frosty (small) – 58g Net Carbs
• Vanilla Frosty (small) – 56g Net Carbs
• Chocolate Chunk Cookie – 38g Net Carbs

Additional Keto at Wendy’s Q&A

Where can I get Wendy’s nutrition facts?

Check out the Wendy’s app! It lets you customize any menu item and even save your customization as a favorite for next time.

Does Wendy’s do low carb burgers?

Yes! By choosing the lettuce wrap instead of the bun, you significantly reduce the carbs in the burgers. For further reduction, remove any sauces.

Can you order no bun at Wendy’s?

Yep, you can request any burger to be served to you without a bun (or you can ask for it in a lettuce wrap).

Is Wendy’s chili keto friendly?

It is not the worst choice (see the next question for the net carb count) carb-wise, but it isn’t great. It will definitely bump your carb count up quite a bit and you won’t be satisfied at all since it contains so few calories.

How many carbs are in Wendy’s small chili?

In a small Wendy’s chili, there are 13g Net Carbs. That doesn’t sound too bad until you find out it has only 160 calories. It contains 14g Protein and 4g Fat, so it’s very carb-heavy. You can always make your own keto chili using our Keto Chili Seasoning.

How many carbs are in the Wendy’s Baconator without the bun?

The Wendy’s Baconator with no bun and no ketchup (a common source of carbs) is only 5g Net Carbs, making it a wonderful choice on keto.

What is low carb at Wendy’s?

There are lots of low carb options at Wendy’s, so to answer the question I’ll just share a few of the lowest carb options at Wendy’s.

Breakfast options

• Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Biscuit (no biscuit) – 1g Net Carbs; 12g Fat; 10g Protein
• Bacon, Egg, and Swiss Croissant (no croissant) – 2g Net Carbs; 15g Fat; 13g Protein

Lunch/dinner options

• Jr. Cheeseburger (no bun, no ketchup) – 1g Net Carbs; 12g Fat; 12g Protein
• Jr. Hamburger (no bun, no ketchup) – 1g Net Carbs; 8g Fat; 10g Protein
• Grilled Asiago Ranch Chicken Club (no bun) – 3g Net Carbs; 20g Fat; 39g Protein

Why are Wendy’s burgers square?!

I’ve always wondered this, and you may have too! I admit that the square look makes me think they aren’t fresh — I just think of those square frozen burgers, which is kind of funny because Wendy’s uses the “fresh, never frozen” slogan. As it turns out, the reason Wendy’s burgers are square is because the founder, Dave Thomas, wanted to show that the restaurant doesn’t “cut corners” with their food and wanted people to be able to see the quality of the beef outside of the circular bun.

How can I make a keto Frosty?

Yep, you can make a keto Frosty at home! Here is a recipe for you to try from Hip2Keto.

Help Me Make this the BEST Keto Wendy’s Guide!

I’ve given you plenty of info, but I want to know about your experiences with sticking to the keto diet while eating at Wendy’s.

Please leave a comment on this post and tell me:

• What you’ve ordered
• Your favorite keto menu items at Wendy’s
• Your least favorite keto menu items at Wendy’s
• Any corrections or other info you might have

Thank you!

More Keto Fast Food

You’re in luck! Check out my ultimate guides to Keto McDonalds, Burger King Keto and Keto Chipotle. Also, our Keto Chick-fil-A guide has the famous Keto Cobb Salad as well.

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