High protein, low carb fast food
15 items from 7 chains with 20g+ protein and 30g total carbs or less, ranked by grams of protein per gram of carbs.
Carbs here are total carbs, not net: fibre is not tracked, so the net figure may be lower. Watching calories too? See high protein, low calorie fast food, use the protein intake calculator, or read our eating out guide.
Under 10g carbs
1 items, best protein per gram of carbs first.
| Item | Protein | Total carbs | Protein per g carbs | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grilled Nuggets (8 ct) Chick-fil-A · 8 pieces (95g) | 25g | 1g | 25 | 130 |
11 to 20g carbs
9 items, best protein per gram of carbs first.
| Item | Protein | Total carbs | Protein per g carbs | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Double Chicken Salad (supergreens, fajita veg, tomato salsa, no dressing) Chipotle · 1 salad as described | 66g | 16g | 4.1 | 420 |
| Grilled Chicken Protein Bowl Subway · 1 bowl, no dressing or cheese | 48g | 12g | 4 | 620 |
| 5 Meat Italian Protein Bowl Subway · 1 bowl, no dressing or cheese | 66g | 17g | 3.9 | 960 |
| Chipotle Philly Protein Bowl Subway · 1 bowl, no dressing or cheese | 46g | 16g | 2.9 | 600 |
| Subway Club Protein Bowl Subway · 1 bowl, no dressing or cheese | 44g | 16g | 2.8 | 410 |
| Chick-fil-A Nuggets (8 ct) Chick-fil-A · 8 pieces (113g) | 27g | 11g | 2.5 | 250 |
| Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Panda Express · 1 entree (6.0 oz) | 33g | 14g | 2.4 | 275 |
| Grilled Chicken Salad Subway · 1 salad, no dressing | 26g | 12g | 2.2 | 440 |
| Chipotle Philly Salad Subway · 1 salad, no dressing | 25g | 15g | 1.7 | 400 |
21 to 30g carbs
5 items, best protein per gram of carbs first.
| Item | Protein | Total carbs | Protein per g carbs | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green Goddess Cobb Salad with Chicken Panera Bread · 1 whole salad | 40g | 30g | 1.3 | 580 |
| Chicken McNuggets (10 pc) McDonald's · 10 pieces | 23g | 25g | 0.9 | 410 |
| Baja Chicken Protein Pocket Subway · 1 pocket, with cheese and suggested sauce | 24g | 30g | 0.8 | 330 |
| Sausage McMuffin with Egg McDonald's · 1 sandwich | 21g | 30g | 0.7 | 480 |
| Chicken Bacon Protein Pocket Starbucks · 1 pocket (124 g) | 20g | 29g | 0.7 | 310 |
Low carb fast food protein: common questions
What is the highest protein, lowest carb fast food?
Ranked by grams of protein per gram of total carbs across 7 chains, the Chick-fil-A Grilled Nuggets (8 ct) comes first with 25g protein and 1g carbs.
How much protein can I get under 10g of carbs at a fast food restaurant?
The Chick-fil-A Grilled Nuggets (8 ct) gives 25g of protein with 1g of carbs, the most of any item in the under-10g tier. 1 items qualify in that tier.
Which chains have the best low carb, high protein options?
Chains in the ranking: Chick-fil-A, Chipotle, Subway, Panda Express, Panera Bread, McDonald's, Starbucks. Across the 15 qualifying items, Chick-fil-A holds the top spot.
Are these net carbs?
No. Figures are total carbohydrates from each chain's published nutrition information. Fibre is not tracked here, so net carbs are not calculated and the real net figure may be lower.
How is this ranked?
Items need at least 20g of protein and at most 30g of total carbs. They are sorted by grams of protein per gram of carbs (carbs counted as at least 1g so zero-carb items stay finite), then grouped by carb cap (10, 20, 30g). Beverages and bare protein add-ons (a plain 4 oz meat portion) are excluded, and only US menus are compared.