How to Stay Keto at Jimmy John’s
Jimmy John’s is known for top-notch sandwiches with layers of onion, ham, beef, lettuce, peppers, and more, all piled high. Those delicious toppings are typically stuffed inside carb-heavy bread, leaving keto dieters wondering: can you stay keto at Jimmy John’s? Let’s look at the Jimmy John’s menu and discuss the keto-friendly options available at this renowned sandwich restaurant.
Staying Low-Carb With the Unwich
Carb-packed grain-based bread is off-limits on a ketogenic diet, but you can ditch the bread and enjoy pretty much any Jimmy John’s unwich or slim on a lettuce wrap. Jimmy John’s states that any sandwich you order as an unwich contains 10 grams or fewer of total carbs. [1] Ordering an unwich just means you’re leaving the bread behind and enjoying your delicious fillings on a crispy lettuce wrap instead.
Slims
All of the Jimmy John’s ‘plain slims’ sandwiches as an unwich clock in at fewer than 5 grams of net carbs because they’re just meat and cheese. [2]
Here are a few examples of the lowest carb ‘unwiches’ on offer:
- The number 2 Big John roast beef unwich has 2 grams of net carbs
- The number 4 turkey tomato unwich has 3 grams of net carbs
- The number 6 veggie unwich has 4 grams of net carbs and contains double cheese, avocado spread, and cucumber
Clubs
Even the clubs, which contain more ingredients, are on the lower carb side as unwiches. Here are some examples:
- The number 7 Spicy East Coast Italian unwich has 9 grams of net carbs, with double salami, double capocollo, and all the cheesiness you desire
- The number 8 Billy Club unwich has 5 grams of net carbs, with roast beef, ham, cheese & Dijon mustard
- The number 10 Hunters Club unwich has 3 grams of net carbs with double roast beef and cheese
- The number 12 Beach Club unwich has 6 grams of net carbs with turkey, double cheese, avocado spread, and cucumber
- The number 15 Club Tuna unwich has 7 grams of net carbs with tuna salad, double cheese, and cucumber
If you’re seriously hungry, the renowned JJ. Gargantuan unwich is protein-packed, with 65 grams of protein, and still only clocks in at 10 grams of net carbs. Enjoy this tasty meal of salami, capocollo, ham, roast beef, turkey, cheese, onion, oil and vinegar, and oregano-basil.
Jimmy John’s Fillers and Extras
Plenty of the sandwich and unwich filler options at Jimmy Johns are keto-friendly, and you can always add more to your unwich for a satiating meal. This includes meats, cheeses, veggies, and sauces.
Meats and Cheeses
Like most meats, Jimmy John’s meats are very low-carb, so you can add more if you’re hungry, for example:
- Bacon – 0 grams of net carbs
- Salami – 1 gram of net carbs
- Turkey breast – 1 gram of net carbs
- Roast beef – 0 grams of net carbs
- Provolone cheese – under 1 gram of net carbs
It isn’t clear if the ham contains a negligible amount of sugar, but it would be such a minor amount that it shouldn’t impede ketosis. The same goes for the tuna, which is typically made with a mayonnaise that contains canola oil and sugar. Some keto dieters steer clear of the tuna and mayo because they don’t believe it’s a true keto meal, while others maintain that the carb count is negligible and won’t get in the way of ketosis.
Veggies
Jimmy John’s veggies are also low-carb, for example:
- Sliced pickles – 0 grams of net carbs
- Onion – 2 grams of net carbs
- Jimmy John’s peppers – under 1 gram of net carbs
- Cucumber – under 1 gram of net carbs
- Tomato – 1 gram of net carbs
Sauces
Here are the best Jimmy John’s low-carb sauces:
- Avocado spread – 2 grams of net carbs
- Jimmy mustard – 0 grams of net carbs
- Grey Poupon mustard – 0 grams of net carbs
- Yellow mustard – 0 grams of net carbs
- Oil and vinegar – 0 grams of net carbs
- Mayo – 0 grams of net carbs
- Oregano and basil – under 1 gram of net carbs
The mayonnaise may contain a negligible amount of sugar, but it’s such a minor amount that it shouldn’t be a problem for most keto dieters, and clocks in at 0 grams of net carbs per Jimmy John’s nutrition information.
Other dressing packets, such as ranch and classic Italian vinaigrette, are sometimes available. While the ranch dressing has 0 grams of net carbs, the Italian vinaigrette has 4 grams, which is high for just one packet of dressing, probably because it contains a small amount of sugar.
Jimmy John’s Sides
The only keto-approved sides at Jimmy John’s are the avocado spread and the jumbo dill pickle, which contains only 1 gram of net carbs. Avoid the potato chips, which are carb-heavy.
Beverages
When it comes to washing down your delicious Jimmy John’s unwich, the only keto-friendly drinks are diet soda and water. Water is the healthier choice, of course. You may be able to get an unsweetened iced tea at some locations.
Desserts
Unsurprisingly, the Jimmy John’s desserts are flour and sugar-loaded and not suitable for a ketogenic diet. To give you an idea, the single chocolate chip cookie has a whopping 55 grams of net carbs, which is more than the total daily carb allowance for keto dieters. Keep your blood sugar in check and treat yourself to these double chocolate chip keto cookies at home instead or these sweet keto sugar cookies.
Top Tips for Staying Keto at Jimmy John’s
Here’s the lowdown on staying keto at Jimmy John’s:
- Choose an unwich
- Add high-fat, low-carb extras like meats, cheeses, and avocado spread
- Add keto-friendly extras like cucumber, tomato, and onion to bulk up your unwich
- Stay away from carb-loaded sides like potato chips and sugary beverages and desserts like Coca-Cola and cookies
Jimmy John’s-Inspired Recipes from Ketogenic.com
Check out these appetizing keto Jimmy John’s-style recipes from our recipe creators here at Ketogenic.com:
References
Jimmy John’s. Jimmy John’s Unwich Information Online. The Unwich: A Healthy Lettuce Wrap Sandwich | Jimmy John's (jimmyjohns.com)
Jimmy John’s. Jimmy John’s Allergen and Nutrition Guide. NutritionGuide.pdf (jimmyjohns.com)
