Fast food salads aren’t always the healthier choice. Some pack more calories than a burger, thanks to add-ons like fried chicken, cheese, and creamy dressings. Here’s a look at 10 surprising salads that might make you think twice before ordering.
We’ve compared their calorie count to Big Macs and included some healthier hacks. Remember, when it comes to fast food, green doesn’t always mean lean.
Cheesecake Factory’s Barbeque Ranch Chicken Salad
Calories: 1,950 🚨
Burger Equivalent: 3.36 Big Macs (580 calories each)
Loaded with fried chicken, crispy onions, BBQ sauce, and ranch dressing (70–80 calories per tablespoon), this salad is a calorie bomb. The dressing alone adds nearly 300 calories.
Healthier Hack: Skip the fried onions (as it reduces fat and calories from crispy toppings) and request dressing on the side (allows for portion control).
Applebee’s Oriental Chicken Salad
Calories: 1,570 💥
Burger Equivalent: 2.7 Big Macs (580 calories each)
Crispy fried chicken, sugary dressing, and crunchy noodles turn this “healthy” option into a meal with more calories than most burgers.
Healthier Hack: Opt for grilled chicken and light vinaigrette. Skipping fried toppings (noodles, almonds) and reducing dressing can further lower calories.
Chili’s Quesadilla Explosion Salad
Calories: 1,420 🌮
Burger Equivalent: 2.4 Big Macs (580 calories)
Cheese-stuffed quesadilla slices and citrus-balsamic dressing make this salad heavier than Chili’s own burgers.
Healthier Hack: Swap fried chicken for grilled and skip the quesadilla garnish. Even a Big Mac meal (burger + fries + soda) totals ~1,120 calories, still less than the standalone salad.
Buffalo Wild Wings’ Crispy Buffalo Chicken Salad
Calories: 1,100 🔥
Burger Equivalent: 1.8 Big Macs
Bleu cheese dressing and crumbles (adds 200 to 300 calories), bacon (high in saturated fat and sodium), and fried chicken (breaded and deep-fried) drown this salad in fat. It’s a wing-lover’s dream (and a dieter’s nightmare).
Healthier Hack: Choose grilled chicken and swap bleu cheese for vinaigrette.
El Pollo Loco Double Chicken Tostada Salad
Calories: 1,000 🌯
Burger Equivalent: 1.72. Big Macs
This salad swaps greens for a crispy tortilla bowl loaded with beans, rice, avocado, cheese, sour cream, and two servings of grilled chicken. The combination of carb-heavy ingredients and double protein makes it a stealthy calorie contender.
Healthier Hack: Skip the fried tortilla bowl and request dressing on the side to save ~300 calories.
Ruby Tuesday’s Ribeye Caesar Salad
Calories: 920 🥩
Burger Equivalent: 1.5 Big Macs
Grilled rib eye atop a Caesar salad? This protein-packed dish also delivers a day’s worth of saturated fat (22g), exceeding even the FDA’s 20g daily limit. On the other hand, one Big Mac contains about 10–11g of saturated fat.
Healthier Hack: Skip the croutons and use dressing sparingly, as it cuts excess fat and sodium.
Chick-fil-A Cobb Salad with Nuggets
Calories: 830 🥑
Burger Equivalent: 1.4 Big Macs
Crispy nuggets, bacon, and avocado lime ranch dressing add up fast. This salad has a little more than double the amount of sodium (2220 mg with dressing) than a Big Mac too (1007 mg).
Healthier Hack: Grilled chicken and light dressing cuts about 415 calories
Red Robin’s Southwest Salad
Calories: 790 🌶️
Burger Equivalent: 1.36 Big Macs
Fried jalapeños, tortilla strips, and creamy salsa-ranch dressing pack more calories than Red Robin’s Tavern Double Burger.
Healthier Hack: Hold the fried toppings and choose a lime wedge instead — this could lower the calorie count by 200-300, depending on portion size.
Taco Bell’s Fiesta Taco Salad (Beef)
Calories: 760 🌯
Burger Equivalent: 1.3 Big Macs
The edible fried tortilla shell (adds 250-300 calories), seasoned beef, cheese, refried beans, and sour cream make this salad rival Taco Bell’s heartiest burritos.
Healthier Hack: When or if this beloved salad is back on the menu, you could skip the shell and opt for chicken or beans, as it would reduce the calories to 438-490.
Panera’s Southwest Chicken Ranch Salad
Calories: 670 🌶️
Burger Equivalent: 1.15 Big Macs
Panera’s Southwest Chicken Ranch Salad swaps contain romaine, roasted corn, Chipotle Aioli, and ranch dressing. The grilled chicken and blue corn tortilla strips push it past their BBQ Chicken Sandwich in calories
Healthier Hack: Skip the tortilla strips (estimated 100 calories) and swap the dressing for something lighter like Greek or white balsamic vinaigrette.