Is it the place to be for low-carb fast food? If you know what to get and what to avoid, you should be able to easily modify some of the menu items at Wendy’s. Here’s a handy low-carb ordering guide.
Overall Assessment
Wendy’s is a low-carb friendly option because you can go bunless on a number of different burgers and chicken sandwiches.
- Low-carb friendly: Yes.
- Low-carb entrees on the menu: No. You will have to modify your order to make it low-carb.
- Satiety of modified low-carb meals: Above average. Servings are big enough to be filling.
- Taste of modified low-carb meals: Average for some, above average for others. The presentation is always great, but you might find some of the meals lacking in flavor. The best tasting option is the chicken caesar salad.
- Value for your money: Above average. Given the hefty servings and high calorie content, you get back more than enough for the prices.
- Overall customer experience: Average. The restaurant has a clean feel, and the staff are accommodating. They get a lot of points for paying extra attention to how they present their food.
Low-Carb Wendy’s Options
Spicy Chicken Caesar Salad with Grilled Chicken and No Croutons
- As beautiful as a salad should look – with bright and fresh colors, real parmesan slices, and large chicken chunks. It also tasted great. If you like your salad heavy on the dressing, you should ask for three packets of their Caesar Salad dressing – they only give two.
- Estimated Macros – 500 calories and 6 net carbs
Bunless Dave’s Triple with Cheese
- Great presentation. The order includes three quarter-pound patties, lettuce, cheese, onions, and pickles.
- Estimated Macros – 875 calories and 5 net carbs
Bunless Grilled Chicken Sandwich
- Aside from the grilled chicken breast’s tenderness and good flavor, the whole meal was not satisfying. If you’re ordering this for takeout, you can make it more interesting by adding some buffalo sauce.
Bunless Asiago Chicken Club
- The order includes chicken breast, bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, and Asiago cheese. The sandwich is tasty, but it would be more enjoyable to eat as a salad, with the ingredients chopped up into bite sized pieces.
Additional Recommendations
- Your best bet for a low-carb meal at Wendy’s is the Spicy Chicken Caesar Salad with Grilled Chicken, with three servings/packets of Caesar Salad dressing, and no croutons. You’ll get a total of 700 calories and 9 net carbs – definitely a filling meal.
- You can other burgers and chicken sandwiches on the menu without the buns to make them low-carb
What You Should Not Order
On a keto/low-carb diet, you should always go bunless and skip the baked potatoes, fries, nuggets (Wendy’s nuggets are high-carb), chilis, fruits, and frosties.
These are the menu items to avoid:
- Wendy’s Chili – 12 net carbs and 170 calories (from the beans)
- 4-Piece Chicken Nuggets – 10 net carbs for 100 calories
- Spicy Chicken Breast – 16 net carbs and 270 calories
- Homestyle Chicken Breast – 17 net carbs and 280 calories
- Crispy Chicken Patty – 9 net carbs for 160 calories
- Taco Salad – 53 net carbs for 660 calories
- Power Mediterranean Chicken Salad – 38 net carbs and 480 calories
- BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad – 37 net carbs and 590 calories
- Apple Pecan Chicken Salad – 45 net carbs and 560 net calories
