An Egg McMuffin is a popular breakfast sandwich sold at McDonald’s restaurants. It contains an English muffin, egg, Canadian bacon, and American cheese. Many people who follow low-carb or keto diets want to know the net carb count of an Egg McMuffin to see if it fits their macros.
What are Net Carbs?
Net carbs refer to the total carbohydrates in a food minus the fiber content. Fiber is subtracted because it is indigestible by the body. To calculate net carbs, you take the total carbs and subtract the fiber:
Net Carbs = Total Carbs – Fiber
For example, if a food contains 15g total carbs and 5g fiber, the net carbs would be 10g.
Egg McMuffin Nutrition Facts
Here are the nutrition facts for an Egg McMuffin from the McDonald’s website:
| Serving Size | 1 sandwich (178g) |
|---|---|
| Calories | 300 |
| Total Fat | 12g |
| Saturated Fat | 5g |
| Trans Fat | 0.5g |
| Cholesterol | 215mg |
| Sodium | 820mg |
| Total Carbs | 30g |
| Fiber | 2g |
| Total Sugars | 3g |
| Protein | 18g |
As you can see, an Egg McMuffin contains 30g total carbs and 2g fiber. To find the net carbs, we calculate:
Net Carbs = Total Carbs – Fiber
Net Carbs = 30g – 2g
Net Carbs = 28g
Breaking Down the Net Carbs
The Egg McMuffin contains 4 main ingredients that contribute to the net carb count:
- English Muffin – 23g net carbs
- Egg – 0g net carbs
- Canadian Bacon – 0g net carbs
- American Cheese – 1g net carbs
The English muffin accounts for the majority of the net carbs. A standard English muffin contains about 30g total carbs and 2-3g fiber. So a whole muffin would have around 27g net carbs. The Egg McMuffin uses a smaller English muffin, estimated to have about 23g net carbs.
Eggs, Canadian bacon, and American cheese contain minimal or no carbs. So the English muffin makes up most of the 28g net carbs in an Egg McMuffin.
How Does it Fit macros?
Whether an Egg McMuffin fits your macros will depend on your specific carb limit for the day. Here are some examples:
- Low-carb diet – Usually under 30-50g net carbs per day. An Egg McMuffin would likely not fit this limit.
- Ketogenic diet – Usually under 20-30g net carbs per day. An Egg McMuffin would exceed this limit.
- Moderate carb diet – Usually around 100-150g per day. An Egg McMuffin could potentially fit into this limit.
- High carb diet – Usually over 200g per day. An Egg McMuffin would likely fit easily here.
On lower carb diets, an Egg McMuffin would take up too many of your daily carb allowance. You may need to skip the English muffin and order just the egg, bacon and cheese. On moderate or high carb diets, you likely have room to fit in an Egg McMuffin while staying under your limits.
Ways to Reduce the Carbs
If you want to make an Egg McMuffin fit your macros, here are some ways to reduce the net carb count:
- Order without the English muffin – This eliminates about 23g net carbs
- Replace muffin with low-carb alternative – Use a low-carb tortilla or cloud bread. Saves about 20g net carbs.
- Skip the cheese – Removes 1g net carbs
- Order a sausage McMuffin – Sausage patties have fewer carbs than Canadian bacon.
Ordering the sandwich as just egg, bacon/sausage, and cheese on top of lettuce or a low-carb muffin alternative can bring the net carbs down to under 5g.
Should you eat Egg McMuffins on a keto diet?
The keto diet typically limits net carbs to 20-50g per day. With 28g net carbs, a regular Egg McMuffin would exceed the daily carb limit on its own.
However, there are a few ways to make it keto-friendly:
- Order without the English muffin – Saves 23g net carbs
- Replace muffin with low-carb alternative like cloud bread – Saves 20g net carbs
- Skip cheese and Canadian bacon – Saves another 1g net carbs
Ordering the sandwich as just egg and bacon or sausage, without cheese or the muffin, can bring the net carbs down to under 5g. This modified version could potentially fit into a keto diet.
Some people may opt to fit the regular Egg McMuffin into their macros by having a very low-carb breakfast and lunch to save carbs for it. But in general, the standard sandwich itself is too high in carbs for keto.
Should you eat Egg McMuffins on a low carb diet?
On a standard low-carb diet of around 50g net carbs per day, an Egg McMuffin may still be too high at 28g net carbs. It would likely use over half of your daily carb limit by itself. To make it fit a low carb diet:
- Order without the muffin to save 23g carbs
- Replace muffin with low-carb alternative like a cloud bread – Saves 20g net carbs
- Skip cheese to save 1g net carb
Getting it as just the egg and Canadian bacon or sausage, without cheese or muffin, reduces the net carbs to under 5g. This modified version can fit a 50g daily low-carb diet.
Some people may carefully plan the rest of their meals to keep carbs very low in order to fit in a regular Egg McMuffin. But in general, the standard sandwich is too high in carbs for most low-carb diets.
Should you eat Egg McMuffins on a gluten-free diet?
The main ingredient that contains gluten in an Egg McMuffin is the English muffin. English muffins are typically made with wheat, which contains gluten.
To make an Egg McMuffin gluten-free:
- Order without the English muffin
- Replace the muffin with a gluten-free alternative, such as a gluten-free bread slice, muffin or tortilla
The eggs, cheese, and Canadian bacon in an Egg McMuffin are naturally gluten-free. By removing the English muffin and replacing it with a gluten-free substitute, you can make a gluten-free version.
Nutrition Comparison to Other Breakfast Sandwiches
How does the Egg McMuffin compare nutritionally to other fast food breakfast sandwiches? Here is a comparison:
| Sandwich | Calories | Total Fat | Carbs | Protein |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Egg McMuffin | 300 | 12g | 30g | 18g |
| Sausage McMuffin | 370 | 24g | 29g | 13g |
| Sausage & Egg McMuffin | 450 | 28g | 33g | 21g |
| Bacon, Egg & Cheese Biscuit | 460 | 28g | 36g | 19g |
The Egg McMuffin is lower in calories, fat, and carbs compared to most other fast food breakfast sandwiches. It offers a high protein option that is lower in calories than many competitors.
Healthiest Ways to Customize Your Egg McMuffin
While the Egg McMuffin has fewer calories than many options, there are ways to make it even healthier by customizing your order. Here are some healthy customizations to try:
- Add spinach or tomato – Extra veggies add nutrients without adding carbs.
- Order egg whites only – Removes about 55 calories and 4g fat compared to whole egg.
- Choose grilled chicken over bacon – Grilled chicken has about 1/3 less calories and fat.
- Get mustard instead of cheese – Saves about 50 calories and 5g fat.
- Skip the English muffin – Saves calories, carbs, fat if avoiding bread.
- Low-fat Canadian bacon – Saves a little fat compared to regular.
Choosing some combination of these options can reduce the calories, fat, carbs, and sodium in your Egg McMuffin while boosting nutritional value.
Is an Egg McMuffin Healthy?
Relative to other fast food breakfast options, the Egg McMuffin can be considered a healthier choice. It is lower in calories, fat, carbs, and sodium compared to many other breakfast sandwiches.
However, there are also more nutritious breakfast choices you can make yourself at home. Homemade breakfast sandwiches on whole grain bread with fresh ingredients are more nutrient-dense options.
In moderation, an Egg McMuffin can fit into a balanced diet. But it should not replace more nutritious homemade options on a daily basis.
Benefits
Here are some benefits of Egg McMuffins when consumed in moderation:
- High in protein – 18g per sandwich is filling and helps stabilize blood sugar.
- Lower in fat, carbs, and sodium than many fast food breakfast items.
- Convenient, inexpensive, and tasty when you want a quick breakfast on-the-go.
- Can be customized to make it healthier by adding veggies, using egg whites, etc.
Downsides
Here are some downsides to keep in mind:
- High in sodium at 820mg – should limit intake for high blood pressure.
- Lacks nutrients and fiber compared to homemade options.
- English muffin spikes blood sugar quickly.
- Cheese and bacon are high in saturated fat.
- Eating too frequently may lead to weight gain or other health issues.
Conclusion
An Egg McMuffin contains about 28g net carbs, mostly coming from the English muffin. On low-carb, keto, or gluten-free diets, the muffin should be removed or replaced with a low-carb or gluten-free alternative.
Compared to other fast food breakfast sandwiches, the Egg McMuffin is lower in calories, fat, carbs, and sodium. It can be a healthier option in moderation.
Customizing your order by adding veggies, choosing egg whites, removing cheese, and using low-sodium bacon can further optimize the nutrition. While it can fit into a balanced diet, for optimal health homemade breakfasts with whole food ingredients are recommended over fast food on a regular basis.
