When it comes to eating out on keto, no restaurant chain is truly easy, but some restaurants can be straight up challenging.

Olive Garden is definitely the most difficult restaurant chain that I’ve tried to eat at while on keto, but it isn’t impossible.

That’s why I set out to make this guide to hopefully help some new and curious keto dieters get through this pasta-rich, bread-stick rich, and wine-rich establishment.

Even with all the carbs on the menu, there’s still a few hacks you can use so that at Olive Garden, when you’re here (and keto), you’re still family.

Tips for Ordering Keto at Olive Garden

• Do research ahead of time

This can really be applied to any restaurant, but it’s especially important for restaurants with particularly limited keto options like Olive Garden.

Pastas and sauces and breads are obviously a no-go, so you’ll want to do a considerable amount of research ahead of time. The Olive Garden website is a pretty good resource with nutrition facts and ingredient lists that can help you get fully prepared.

• Opt for salads over anything else

Salads are generally the safest way to go when trying to order at Olive Garden, since pasta is definitely not an option, and everything else is lathered with pretty sugar sauce. However just choosing a salad doesn’t mean you’re in the clear immediately.

Olive Garden’s salad selection is unfortunately pretty limited, and some dressings might be a bit too sugary to safely enjoy while on keto.

One of the better options I’ve seen is their famous house salad, which is unlimited and comes in a pretty large bowl.

As long as you ask for no croutons and stick to oil and vinegar as your dressing, you should be fine. (If it isn’t filling enough, feel free to go crazy with the parmesan cheese they grate over it!)

• Watch those portion sizes

Similarly with the salad bowls, the portion sizes at Olive Garden in general are pretty ridiculous. They have so many unlimited options like breadsticks, bread rolls, shrimp, and salad, but it’s really not that worth it when trying to maintain a healthy keto diet.

When possible, I’d ask to get a “kids size” or a half portion. It usually isn’t a problem, and it will help you stay on track and set you up for success.

• Ask to sub pasta for vegetables

This isn’t the most fun way to go about eating out, but if Olive Garden wasn’t your choice and you’re just trying to survive the meal without breaking keto, vegetables are your best friend.

Almost every possible non-pasta dish on the menu at olive garden still comes with a side of pasta or vegetables. As long as you double up on vegetables (sticking to leafy, high fiber vegetables in particular) you should be just fine.

I’m personally a big fan of their parmesan grilled broccoli, which goes great with most fish and steak options that they serve.

• Ask to have your meat grilled

While Olive Garden doesn’t outright state that they offer grilled meat options, the option for grilled chicken is available on the kid’s menu, so it shouldn’t be too much of a hassle to get some grilled meat for any other dishes too.

This avoids getting meat that’s been cooked in too many inflammatory oils and butter substitutes. Another reason you’ll want grilled is sometimes meat options can be deep fried and will come with breading, which obviously should be avoided while on a keto diet.

• Avoid sugary sauces

Sauces can be pretty tricky with Olive Garden. They don’t have the full suite of nutrition facts available, so you’ll have to use some judgment.

It’s safe to assume that most tomato sauces simply will be too sugary. If you must get a sauce, go for those that are higher in dairy content like Alfredo sauce. 

It’s a toss up because Olive Garden is a chain restaurant, and their sauces are more likely to have sweeteners and thickening agents to preserve them, but dairy based is always going to be a safer bet.

Keto-Friendly Options at Olive Garden

Olive Garden recently introduced a Tastes of the Mediterranean menu that is generally good to follow for anyone trying to watch their calories. From this menu, it can be a little easier to start to cut down on carbs and hack your way to some tasty Italian keto meals.

Some good examples from this menu include:

• Herb Grilled Salmon
• Chicken Scampi (order without sauce and double vegetables instead of pasta)
• Five-Italian Cheese Fonduta (can be ordered by itself or with a side of grilled chicken)
• Grilled Chicken Parmigiana (order without the breadcrumbs on the chicken and try to substitute the pasta for broccoli)
• Chicken Giardino (try to substitute the pasta for extra vegetables)
• Stuffed Chicken Marsala (Hold the sauce and the garlic mashed potatoes, or substitute them for extra parmesan broccoli)
• Salmon Piccata (substitute breaded zucchini for extra broccoli)
• Chicken Piccata (substitute breaded zucchini for extra broccoli)
• Always use oil and vinegar in place of house dressing for any rotating salad options

If these still aren’t working for you or if you’re just a little skeptical, you can’t ever really go wrong with asking for some grilled chicken on a bed of lettuce with some extra cheese on top. It’s basically the same as a protein style chicken burger, and most restaurants should be able to accommodate this order.

Foods to Avoid at Olive Garden

Honestly the list of foods you can’t have at Olive Garden is going to be a whole lot longer than the ones that you can have. But I’ve included a few big ones that might not always be obvious especially for those new to the keto diet.

• Tour of Italy
• Eggplant and Chicken Parmigiana
• All sweetened beverages (smoothies, shakes, soft drinks, teas, and fruit juices)
• Most wines (you can get away with some wines on keto, depending on the sugar content. Check out our alcohol guide for keto here)
• All desserts
• Spaghetti and meat sauce
• All ravioli dishes
• All lasagna dishes
• Five Cheese Zita al Forno
• Breadsticks
• Seafood Alfredo
• Chicken Alfredo
• All appetizers
• All soups

Keto Restaurant Tips to Follow

• Plan out your order in advance

This rule is essential for anyone trying to stick to keto when eating out at any type of restaurant.

The best way you can set yourself up for success when eating out on keto is to plan your meal out ahead of time, and stick to it once you actually get there and are ready to order.

The best ways to do this include doing research (like what you’re doing by reading this article right now), and pre-recording your planned meal with a macro-counting app so you know exactly how many carbohydrates you should be budgeting for.

• Watch out for deep fried foods

Deep fried foods can be challenging. There are ways to safely deep fry foods and enjoy them on keto, but so many restaurants use inflammatory oils and wheat breading, it’s almost guaranteed that eating deep fried foods out will cause some issues for your ketosis.

Some big oils to look out for in terms of inflammation are vegetable oil and soybean oil, two very common oils used by most restaurant chains. You’re better off asking for any grilled meat options whenever possible.

• Aim for high fat over high protein

When it comes to macronutrients on the keto diet, a lot of people make the mistake of worrying too much about where they can get enough protein, and not worrying enough about making sure that they’re hitting their fat targets.

The basic keto macro ratio advises that you should aim to eat more fat than protein, because your body is adapting to burning fat from fuel anyway, and will start to depend on dietary fat for energy once you’re fully in a state of ketosis.

Another reason that you’ll want to go high for fat and lower for protein is because too much protein can actually contribute to knocking you out of ketosis altogether.

This effect takes place via a process commonly referred to as gluconeogensis. During gluconeogenesis, your body starts to generate glucose straight out of protein in place of actual sugars, essentially turning protein into carbs, will take you out of ketosis fast.

While gluconeogenesis can often be a challenge to actually induce just from dietary protein, if you’re not paying close enough attention to your protein count it’s definitely possible to experience it.

• Balance out the rest of your day

Balance is the best virtue you can strive for when following a ketogenic diet.

It’s okay to go off course every once in a while and eat out, and you won’t be able to track every calorie and carbohydrate perfectly, but as long as you’re balancing out the other meals of your day, your body’s state of ketosis will be okay.

• Don’t get discouraged

One of the biggest reasons people give up keto is because they aren’t seeing results, or get kicked out of ketosis and get too discouraged to work hard and see those results.

It’s incredibly easy to get discouraged while on keto, because you’re putting in a lot of effort and struggle, and may not see results in a short period of time. Because ketosis is so fragile especially when met with the standard American diet, it’s also easy to get discouraged because once you’ve been kicked out of it, it can seem like having to climb a mountain to get back into it.

However there are some key steps you can take to get back into ketosis quickly, and there’s no reason to fully beat yourself up if you accidentally slip up. Keto is supposed to be a marathon and not a sprint, and not letting yourself get discouraged is your best defense for maintaining the course.

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