If you’re on a paleo diet, does that mean you need to give up burgers? Absolutely not! However, there are some aspects of burgers that aren’t usually paleo-friendly, like the bun and cheese – and Five Guys Burgers and Fries is no exception.
While your paleo options at Five Guys are limited, there are some paleo-friendly food and drink options – the main choice being bunless burgers. We’ve included a complete list of paleo food and drink options at Five Guys below!
What CAN’T you have on paleo?
A paleo diet (aka the caveman diet) is an eating style meant to mimic what people could hunt and gather thousands of years ago, much earlier than the farming of modern crops began.
Some of the foods that are avoided on a Paleo diet include:
- All grains, including gluten-free and “ancient” grains
- “Pseudocereals” like quinoa
- Dairy products (milk-based ingredients, cheese, etc)
- Refined sugar/sweeteners (e.g. high-fructose corn syrup & regular sugar, as well as artificial sweeteners. Honey is allowed.
- Legumes (beans, peanuts, soy, etc.)
Paleo food and drink options at Five Guys Burgers and Fries
Burgers
Burgers can be paleo-friendly if you remove the bun (also good for keto!), skip the cheese, and avoid non-paleo toppings (see the list of paleo-friendly toppings later on).
Whether or not bacon is paleo is up for debate, with most paleo dieters erring on the side of avoiding it since it’s processed and often has non-paleo ingredients like nitrites added for preservation. (The bacon used at Five Guys contains sodium nitrite.) For this guide, we’re considering processed bacon non-paleo-friendly.
| Item | Modifications needed to make it paleo |
| Burger patty (plain) | None |
| Hamburger | Sub lettuce wrap instead of bun |
| Little hamburger | Sub lettuce wrap instead of bun |
Hot dogs
Paleo hot dog options: None
Hot dogs are processed and contain sodium nitrite, and the ones used at Five Guys also contain soy, which isn’t paleo-friendly. (You CAN find paleo-friendly hot dogs free of non-paleo preservatives at some grocery stores, just not at Five Guys.)
Drinks
Paleo drink options: water
This one is a bit boring, but regular (non-diet) soft drinks contain added sugar or sugar substitutes in diet soda, and neither are paleo-friendly. (Cavemen didn’t have Diet Coke!)
Fries
Paleo fries: none
Potatoes are allowed on a paleo diet, but the peanut oil they’re cooked in isn’t, which means you’ll need to skip the famous Five Guys fries if you’re on a paleo diet.
Milkshakes/mix-ins
Dairy and added sugar aren’t paleo-friendly, so the milkshake base and most of the mix-ins (other than coffee) aren’t Paleo-friendly. (Fruit is allowed on paleo, just not versions with a sugar-based syrup like these mix-ins.)
| Item | Paleo-friendly? |
| Milkshake base | NO – dairy, added sugar |
| Bacon (mix-in) | NO – nitrites |
| Banana | NO – added sugar |
| Chocolate | NO – added sugar |
| Cherry | NO – added sugar |
| Coffee | YES |
| Dark vanilla syrup | NO – added sugar |
| Malted milk | NO – dairy, wheat |
| Oreo Creme | NO – added sugar |
| Oreo cookie pieces | NO – added sugar, dairy, soy, corn-based ingredients |
| Peanut butter | NO – legumes |
| Salted caramel | NO – added sugar, dairy |
| Strawberry | NO – added sugar |
| Whipped cream | NO- added sugar |
Sandwiches
Paleo sandwiches: none
Since you’ll need to remove the bun and cheese for any sandwich to be paleo-friendly, you’d only be left with a few veggies, not a sandwich.
Toppings
Several toppings at Five Guys are paleo, but keep in mind that some might technically be considered non-paleo-friendly if they’re cooked on the grill with peanut oil, like the sauteed mushrooms.
| Item | Paleo-friendly (if not, offending ingredient(s) listed |
| Green peppers | YES |
| Grilled mushrooms | NO – sauteed on the grill with peanut oil |
| Jalapeno peppers | YES |
| Ketchup | NO – added sugar |
| Lettuce | YES |
| Mayonnaise | NO – soybean oil, added sugar |
| Mustard | YES |
| Onions/grilled onions | NO – grilled with peanut oil |
| Pickles | YES |
| Relish | NO – added sugar |
| Tomatoes | YES |
| Bulk peanuts | NO – legumes |
| Fry sauce | NO – added sugar |
| Malt vinegar | NO – derived from barley, a grain |
FAQs:
Burgers are paleo-friendly as long as you skip the bun and avoid cheese and other non-paleo toppings like ketchup, which typically contains high-fructose corn syrup (added sugar).
Eggs are a paleo-friendly protein, whether they’re from chickens, ducks, quail, or any other type of bird.
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