It can be tough to find many keto food and drink options in the world of fast food chains and quick-service restaurants, but a few stand out when it comes to a keto-friendly menu. Subway may be a sandwich shop at its core, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s lacking in low-carb options. Lucky for those on a keto diet, there’s plenty to order at the build-your-own sub shop that will make for a keto-friendly meal.
The keto diet has quickly become one of the most popular in the US, relying on a very limited amount of carbohydrates, a high amount of fats, and a moderate amount of protein. Its goal is to keep the body in ketogenic state, which means you’ll burn fat rather than carbs for energy and lose weight more quickly.
Obviously bread is one of the big no-nos on the diet since it’s so high in carbs, but with a plethora of bowls and salads on the menu as well as meats, vegetables, and cheeses to choose from in the ingredients bar, Subway offers a surprising amount of keto-friendly options. Next time you stop by for a convenient and affordable meal, here’s everything you can order on the menu that will fit within a keto lifestyle.

Keto items available on the Subway menu
Your key to ordering keto at Subway will be to order one of their various salads or bowls, and the good news is that there are lots of options to choose from. Subway’s Salads and “No Bready Bowls” offer entire sections of the menu that are almost all low carb options, with dozens of different items that avoid bread and grains and focus instead on proteins and veggies.
Another alternative is to simply build your own meal with your choice of keto-friendly ingredients – just stay away from breads, wraps, and some of the condiments that tend to be high in carbohydrates. Since sugar is a carb and should be avoided on the keto diet, any sauces or dressings that are high in sugar (like Sweet Onion Sauce and Honey Mustard) are not considered keto-friendly. That also means that Subway sweets like cookies and sugary drinks like sodas and juices are out.
Subway did partner with Hero Bread back in 2021 to release and test a low-carb bread option. This was a 6-inch sub roll that contained just 1 gram of net carbs, and testing was successful. However, the Hero Bread was only tested in a handful of markets and has yet to make it across Subway menus nationwide…but there’s definitely hope that it will resurface in the future!
Other than bread and a few sugary items, most of the other foods to avoid on keto – like grain-based foods, legumes, and sweet fruits – generally aren’t found on the menu, so you pretty much have free reign to build your own low-carb creation. One thing to note: many of the protein-rich options include processed meats like bacon or salami; while these are technically allowable on a keto diet, it’s recommended to limit the consumption of processed meats, so you can always remove or replace with a more keto-friendly meat option.
To determine what qualifies as low carb, we’re basing the carb count on the fact that most people need to stick to under 50 net carbs per day to remain in a ketogenic state. With that in mind, each meal should land somewhere under 18 total grams of carbs.
Without further ado, below is a complete list of keto menu items on the current Subway menu, along with any individual ingredients up for grabs if you choose to build your own meal. Have at it, keto friends!
Keto Breakfast Items |
Egg and Cheese (No Flatbread) Bacon, Egg and Cheese (No Flatbread) Black Forest Ham, Egg and Cheese (No Flatbread) Steak, Egg and Cheese (No Flatbread) |
Keto Salads |
Big Hot Pastrami Salad* Black Forest Ham Salad B.L.T. Salad* Buffalo Chicken Salad Chicken and Bacon Ranch Salad Cold Cut Combo Salad Grilled Chicken Salad Italian B.M.T. Salad Oven Roasted Chicken Salad Oven Roasted Turkey Salad Roast Beef Salad Rotisserie-Style Chicken Salad Spicy Italian Salad Steak and Cheese Salad Tuna Salad Veggie Delight Salad Veggie Patty Salad* |
Keto No Bready Bowls |
Big Hot Pastrami Bowl* Black Forest Ham Bowl B.L.T. Bowl* Buffalo Chicken Bowl Cold Cut Combo Bowl Grilled Chicken Bowl Italian B.M.T. Bowl Oven Roasted Turkey Bowl Oven Roasted Turkey & Ham Bowl Roast Beef Bowl Rotisserie-Style Chicken Bowl Spicy Italian Bowl Steak and Cheese Bowl Tuna Bowl Veggie Patty Bowl* |
Keto Meats |
Bacon Black Forest Ham Buffalo Chicken Capicola Genoa Salami Grilled Chicken Oven Roasted Chicken Oven Roasted Turkey Pastrami* Pepperoni Roast Beef Rotisserie-Style Chicken Steak Tuna Veggie Patty* |
Keto Veggies + Cheeses |
Avocado Banana Peppers Black Olives Cucumbers Green Peppers Jalapeños Lettuce Pickles Red Onion Spinach Tomato American Cheese Monterey Blend Mozzarella (Fresh) Mozzarella (Shredded)* Pepper Jack Provolone Swiss* Parmesan |
Keto Condiments, Sauces + Dressings |
Baja Chipotle Buffalo Sauce Creamy Sriracha* Giardiniera* Guacamole Mayonnaise Mustard MVP Parmesan Vinaigrette Oil and Vinegar Peppercorn Ranch Roasted Garlic Aioli Red Wine Vinegar |
Keto Beverages |
Diet Coke Hot Coffee Freshly Brewed Iced Tea (Unsweetened) Bottled Water |
The lowest carb bread option at Subway, aside from the Hero Bread which was tested at a few select locations, is the Hearty Multigrain Bread at 36 grams of carbs per serving.
Yes, Subway’s plant-based Veggie Patty is keto-friendly on its own at 9 grams of net carbs. As long as it’s paired with other low-carb ingredients, it can make for a keto-friendly protein or meal option.
While the breakfast options require modifications to be made keto-friendly, there are a few menu items you can order without the flatbread: the Egg and Cheese, the Bacon, Egg and Cheese, the Black Forest Ham, Egg and Cheese, and the Steak, Egg and Cheese.
Subway’s Hero Bread was tested from October to December of 2021 at select Subway locations in Colorado Springs, Boise, Des Moines, and Atlanta, and as of June 2022 it was available at 1,600 locations across select markets in the US. However, the Hero Bread is still not a widely available option nationwide, and it’s not clear if or when it will be added to menus.
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