What Are Low Carb and Keto Options at Waffle House?
If you are looking for Waffle House keto or low-carb options, you have probably found that eating low-carb at a restaurant that prides itseld on syrup-covered sugary waffles can be a challenge. In fact, I think just researching this article and looking at all the different waffle options kicked me out of ketosis for a week… 😉

A lot of the items at Waffle House are loaded with sugars, flour, bread, and other high-carb ingredients that make them difficult to eat on a keto or low-carb diet. Fortunately, if you are thinking about eating keto at Waffle House, there are a few good low-carb options available. A few examples of low carb and keto-friendly options include:
- Waffle House Ham and Cheese Omelet: One of the first options you might want to reach for is the ham and cheese omelet. This is pretty straightforward. It is your traditional egg omelette with ham and cheese. None of the ingredients in this omelet have a high number of carbohydrates, so it comes in at approximately 10 grams of net carbohydrates according to the nutrition information. Even though it does contain a lot of fat, this omelet also contains plenty of protein.
- Pork Chop: If you are looking for another source of meat, you can also reach for the pork chop at Waffle House. If you order a pork chop at Waffle House, make sure you pay close attention to what comes on the side. The pork chop itself should not have any grams of carbohydrates in it, but the other food that comes with the pork chop may have a lot of carbs. If the pork chop comes with eggs on the side, the carb count should still be low, according to the nutrition information.
- Grilled Chicken Breast: Another safe menu item at Waffle House is a grilled chicken breast. This also has a very low number of carbohydrates, according to the nutrition information. Similar to the pork chop, you need to pay attention to what comes on the side. That way, you know you are not breaking the keto diet.
- Waffle House Country Ham: There are lots of people who love the delicious smell and taste of a side of country ham at Waffle House. If this is something you enjoy, the good news is you can still eat it while following the keto diet. It has a very low number of carbohydrates, according to the nutrition information. You can probably combine this with some eggs and adhere to the keto diet as well.
- Sirloin Steak and Onions: If you are someone who enjoys steak in the morning, you should be able to eat the steak at Waffle House as well. A single sirloin steak itself does not have any carbohydrates in it. Furthermore, you can combine this with the sauteed onions at Waffle House and still stay far under the keto diet carb limit, as sauteed onions do not have very many carbohydrates either. If you find you are still hungry, you can even throw a few eggs on there and still be under the carbohydrate limit for the keto diet.
Even though it can be a difficult task to make Waffle House Keto-friendly, there are options available. Consider giving a few of these menu options a try to enjoy your next trip to Waffle House without ruining your keto diet.
How to Make High Carb Waffle House Menu Items Low-carb and Keto-friendly
If you want to branch out your menu items at Waffle House to make them keto-friendly, there are other options available. A few key options to consider include:
- Remove the Toast: One of the most popular options at Waffle House is the All-Star special. It comes with two scrambled eggs with toppings and your choice of toast. Unfortunately, toast is not keto-friendly. If you decide to go with a biscuit or raisin toast, you will be consuming a lot of carbohydrates. Therefore, try to replace the toast or bread selection with some form of meat instead. You may want to switch to sausage, bacon, or country ham. This will keep the carbohydrate count very low.
- Skip the Hash Browns: Another easy option is to remove the hash browns. There are a lot of items on the Waffle House menu that come with hash browns, including the hash brown bowl. Again, hash browns, since they are made from potatoes, have a very high number of carbohydrates. (But you can try a cauliflower hash brown recipe at home as a potato hash brown subsitiute.) Instead of ordering the high-carb hash browns, switch out the hash browns for some form of meat. The country ham, the sausage, and the bacon are all good low-carb keto options. Consider going with them instead of hash browns if you want to stay under the carbohydrate limit for the keto diet.
- Ditch the Grits: Another item you need to stay away from is grits. Even though you may be someone who loves grits, you cannot have them on the keto diet. Otherwise, you are very likely to go over your limit. A lot of omelet breakfasts at Waffle House have the option to include grits. Try to stay away from them. Instead, you should reach for a meat alternative such as steak, bacon, and sausage are all fine. As long as you stay away from the grits, you should be okay. Of note, the Fiesta omelet has a higher number of carbohydrates than the others.
These are a few easy modifications you can make when you eat breakfast at Waffle House if you are looking for a way to stay under the limit of the keto diet. Even though you may not like getting rid of the grain, replacing it with a meat option can still be a delicious alternative.
Waffle House Menu Items With a Surprisingly High Number of Carbs
There are a few items on the menu that have a surprisingly high number of carbohydrates. Even though it may not look like it has a lot of sugar, it is not necessarily friendly to the keto diet. A few examples include:

- Waffle House Plain Waffle: You probably know to stay away from syrup. It is basically pure carbohydrates. Even without the syrup, you just stay away from waffles at Waffle House. It probably defeats the purpose of the name, but even a plain waffle from Waffle House has a very high number of carbohydrates. You should go for something else instead, such as the eggs.
- The Deluxe Grilled Chicken Sandwich: You should also try to stay away from The Waffle House Deluxe grilled chicken sandwich. This also has a very high number of carbohydrates. Even though the grilled chicken breast itself is fine, the instant you put it on one of their sandwiches, it is no longer good for the keto diet. The bread on the sandwich certainly does not help, but there might be some sauces that are driving up the carbohydrate limit.
- Steer Clear of the Condiments: Finally, you could also pay close attention to the condiments and salad dressings. There are a lot of people who like to use Caesar dressing and ketchup when they go to Waffle House. A lot of these condiments have carbohydrate counts that can add up quickly. Even if you reach for something that is good for the keto diet, try to avoid putting condiments on it with high numbers of carbohydrates.
If you keep these low-carb Waffle House menu items in mind, you should be able to make keto-friendly selections at Waffle House.