Let me get one thing out there: Waffle House isn’t your go-to place for nutritious, superfood-packed meals. It’s more of your textbook greasier diner with fried eggs, buttered toast, syrupy waffles, and not many vegetables.
That doesn’t mean that you can’t find a healthier (note that I said healthier, not necessarily “healthy”) meal if you find yourself at a Waffle House.
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As a Registered Dietitian, I reviewed pages of Waffle House’s nutrition information for all of its menu items. I chose the better options based on macronutrients (calories, fat, carbs, and protein), and tried to include options from most of the menu categories.
Note that many of these meals are higher in saturated fat than I’d typically recommend, so always consider your health and nutrition goals before dining out!
Please also note that I didn’t consider sodium for this lineup, because, quite honestly, we wouldn’t have much of a list if being low-sodium were part of the criteria. (Waffle House isn’t exactly low-sodium friendly…)
Now let’s see what we have here…
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Eggs are one of my favorite breakfast foods (so high in protein!), and thankfully, Waffle House has tons of options with eggs (at least the egg surcharge is gone now).
You also have a ton of options for the sides that go with the eggs, so here’s my recommended combo…
Add:
- Wheat toast (4 grams of fiber compared to 1 gram in white toast)
- Sliced tomatoes instead of grits or hashbrowns (helps keep total calories and fat in check)
- City Ham (not that we’re tallying up sodium, but the Country Ham has over twice as much sodium as City Ham…)
- Skip the waffle (you get plenty of carbs without it)
Let me grab my calculator and tally up all of the stats for this one…
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Without the waffle, here’s the grand total:
Nutrition stats: 520 calories, 28.5 grams of fat (9.5 grams saturated), 33 grams of carbohydrates, 36 grams of protein
If you were to include the waffle, you’d add 410 calories, 18 grams of fat (10 grams saturated), 55 grams of carbohydrates, and 8 grams of protein.
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Based on the nutrition information provided by Waffle House, it appears that the eggs are scrambled in soybean oil, and butter is added to the toast. This makes the fat content a bit high for these meals, but this one is a lot lower in fat than many of the Waffle House choices (and that’s saying something).
2 scrambled eggs at Waffle House contains 14 grams of fat, which explains why many of the egg-based dishes are so high in fat.
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Considering the T-Bone and Eggs dish has a whopping 23 grams of saturated fat (over 100% of the recommended daily amount), the stats for the scrambled eggs with cheese are more reasonable given the options. It IS one of the highest-fat items on the list, so keep that in mind.
Another bonus is that it’s low in carbs, so it’s suitable for anyone on a keto diet.
Nutrition stats: 280 calories, 22 grams of fat (9 grams saturated), 2 grams of carbohydrates, 18 grams of protein
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This simpler option includes two pieces of grilled chicken and two scrambled eggs, so it’s really high in filling protein. It’s also low-carb friendly, but is one of the highest-fat items on the list (but still lower in fat than many of the other Waffle House options).
Nutrition stats: 500 calories, 30.5 grams of fat (8.5 grams saturated), 4 grams of carbohydrates, 54 grams of protein
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This option wasn’t on the menu for Waffle House when I checked the website, but it’s listed in the lengthy nutrition stats document I used for this lineup.
I’m not sure what kind of bread the egg sandwich is on (there isn’t a description for this one from Waffle House), but I’d ask for wheat bread if it doesn’t already come with it. Wheat bread is higher in fiber than white bread, and fiber is good for your heart, gut, and helps make you feel full!
Nutrition stats: 220 calories, 8.5 grams of fat (2 grams saturated), 27 grams of carbohydrates, 10 grams of protein
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Out of all of the breakfast sandwiches at Waffle House, this one is the most balanced in terms of macronutrients (fat, carbs, and protein).
Nutrition stats: 240 calories, 4 grams of fat (1 gram of saturated fat), 33 grams of carbohydrates, 19 grams of protein
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Moving on from breakfast, it’s time to check out the lunch and dinner choices at Waffle House.
The Ham & Cheese Sandwich is one of the lowest-fat options among the sandwich offerings. I like that it’s high in protein without being loaded with saturated fat. (Some of the sandwich options contain as much as 15 grams of saturated fat, which is close to a day’s worth.)
Nutrition stats: 295 calories, 8 grams of fat (3.5 grams saturated), 34 grams of carbohydrates, 22 grams of protein
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Saving the best for last! The Grilled Chicken Salad is the leanest, highest-protein option out of all of the menu items I’ve covered so far.
Granted, the salad likely doesn’t come with any dressing, given the nutrition stats…so just go easy with the dressing if you use it! (I don’t see any dressings listed in the nutrition document, but I’m sure they have some.)
Nutrition stats: 175 calories, 2.5 grams of fat (0.5 grams saturated), 8 grams of carbohydrates, 31 grams of protein
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As you can see, you have to get a little creative, but it’s possible to find better options at Waffle House.
What do you usually order at restaurants like this when you’re trying to eat healthier? Share your go-to orders in the comments!
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