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We Found the Healthiest Items Under $5 at 12 Popular Fast-Food Chains

by Jenna Limbach, Jamie Cattanach

A couple eat burgers while sitting outside. The woman is laughing as she's feeding her boyfriend.
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Whether you’re juggling a busy schedule or just not in the mood to cook, a trip through the drive-thru is probably in your future.

But with inflation driving up the cost of your favorite salty cravings, it’s not the best thing for your wallet.

You can always find coupons or check out restaurants rewards programs, but the promotions usually focus on calorie heavy items.

Keep your order simple and you’ll skip the guilt.

Thank goodness for value menus, right?

An app called Upside can help you save money every time you dine out or buy groceries — an average of 17% at restaurants. Download the Upside app and create a free account.

The Healthiest Fast Food Under $5

When you think of healthy restaurants, you’re not going to think of places like KFC or McDonald’s.

But when you’re hungry, those neon lights at your local fast food joint just seem to lure you in.

We asked registered dietitian Wendy Wesley for some tricks to keep your visits cheaper and guilt-free.

Her biggest advice? Avoid the sugary beverages and skip the value meals.

“You’ll save money if you don’t get the value meal,” Wesley said. “They benefit the restaurants, not us. Just get the sandwich.”

It’s a lot easier to make healthier choices and a lot harder to stay under $5 at restaurants like Panera Bread and Chipotle, so we’ve focused on our fast-food guilty pleasures.

Side note: Any restaurants that didn’t have pricing information available online we sourced from websites like www.fastfoodmenuprices.com.

A Taco Bell store is photographed from the outside.
Adobe Stock

1. Taco Bell

Soft or Crunchy Taco – $1.79 

OR 

Chicken Chipotle Melt – $1.89

Taco Bell is one of the easiest restaurants to stay relatively healthy and on a budget, especially if you keep it simple.

“Stay away from five-layer anything and avoid chips,” Wesley said.

Your basic soft taco is only 180 calories, 9 grams of fat and 500 milligrams of sodium.

Prefer crunchy tacos? You’ll save on sodium. One crunchy taco is 170 calories, 10 grams of fat and 300 milligrams of sodium.

“Skip the supreme versions and you’ll stay under 200 calories per taco,” Wesley said.

Fans of chicken can get a Chicken Chipotle Melt, which clocks in at 190 calories, 9 grams of fat and 530 milligrams of sodium.

A hamburger is photographed with three orders of fries behind it.
Tina Russell/The Penny Hoarder

2. McDonald’s

Hamburger – $1.59 

The classic McDonald’s hamburger is your best bet at 250 calories, 9 grams of fat and 510 milligrams of sodium.

Trust us and don’t get a cheeseburger. The single slice of cheese adds 60 cents, 50 calories, 4 grams of fat and 210 milligrams of sodium.

If you’re really craving those salty fries, just get a kids meal. For $3.79, you can get a hamburger, kids fries, apple slices and 1% milk for about 400 calories.

A burger sits on a plate with fries and other burgers around it.
Adobe Stock

3. Burger King

Hamburger – $1.89 

OR 

4-Piece Chicken Nugget – $1.59

Having it your way may be tempting, but Burger King’s signature sandwiches can easily eat up your daily calorie intake.

A Burger King hamburger is only 250 calories, 10 grams of fat and 560 milligrams of sodium, and you still get the flame-grilled deliciousness.

If you’re more in the mood for chicken, go for the nuggets. A 4-piece is only 190 calories with 12 grams of fat and 490 milligrams of sodium. Just watch out for the sauces, which can add 46 to 152 calories per packet, depending on your choice.

Try sticking with a packet of ketchup, which has 10 calories. Just watch how much you use. Or try mustard, which has 3 calories.

“Be mindful of ketchup,” Wesley said. “It’s just sugar.”

A four-piece chicken nugget meal is photographed.
Photo courtesy of Wendy’s

4. Wendy’s

Entree: Jr. Hamburger – $1.49 

OR 

Chicken Nuggets – $1.59

Side: Plain Baked Potato – $2.49

Wendy’s has salads and grilled chicken, but their price tags take them out of the running for our list.

At 250 calories, 11 grams of fat and 420 milligrams of sodium, a Jr. Hamburger wins again.

Or you can get a 4-piece nugget for 180 calories, 12 grams of fat and 380 milligrams of sodium. Try the spicy version and you’ll add only 10 calories.

What separates Wendy’s is the baked potato option. A plain baked potato has 270 calories, 0 grams of fat and 40 milligrams of sodium. Just be cautious with your butter and sour cream add-ons, if you don’t want to skip them.

If you get the Wendy’s kids meal with apples and water, you’ll only spend $4.19 and clock in around 335 calories.

A Hardee's fast food store front is photographed from the outside of the establishment.
Adobe Stock

5. Hardee’s/Carl’s Jr.

Double Cheeseburger – $2.99 

Again, simpler is better at Hardee’s. Get a double cheeseburger and you’ll be looking at 380 calories, but further nutritional value was not available.

If you’re really craving fries, you can get a hamburger kids meal with water or milk for $4.99.

A box is photographed containing an Arby's sandwich.
Adobe Stock

6. Arby’s

Sliders – $2.49

Arby’s advertises its Market Fresh sandwiches, but those can still run you hundreds of calories and they aren’t cheap.

Your best bet? Get the sliders. The roast beef slider is 167 calories, 7 grams of fat and 487 milligrams of sodium. Like some kick? The jalapeno roast beef slider only adds 10 calories.

For comparison, the full size classic roast beef has 510 calories, 24 grams of fat and 1610 milligrams of sodium.

7. In-N-Out

Hamburger (Protein-Style) – $3.15

With its signature simple menu, staying healthy at In-N-Out might seem limiting.

This is where their Not So Secret Menu comes in. You can get every sandwich Protein-Style. They’ll swap out the bun for a lettuce wrap.

This one just might be a bit tricky if you’re the one driving!

A Protein-Style Hamburger is only 240 calories with 17 grams of fat and 370 milligrams of sodium.

A person picks up a drumstick.
Photo courtesy of Church’s Chicken

8. Church’s Chicken

Entree: Leg Piece – $1.79

Side: Small Corn or Coleslaw – $2.29

According to Wesley, it’s best to avoid foods with names like fried, crispy, honey, golden brown, breaded or sweet in the title.

This makes going to any fried chicken joint tricky.

But one thing they have going for them? They serve vegetables.

At Church’s Chicken, you can get a small side of corn for 190 calories, 6 grams of fat and 15 milligrams of sodium. A regular coleslaw is 170 calories, 11 grams of fat and 200 milligrams of sodium.

As for their entrees, get a leg piece a la carte and it’ll be only 150 calories, 8 grams of fat and 400 milligrams of sodium.

It won’t hurt to indulge once in a while, right?

Chicken is photographed with fries and a beverage at KFC.
Photo courtesy of KFC

9. KFC

Entree: A La Carte Wing – $2.59

Side: Mashed Potatoes or Corn – $3.19

We’ll be honest. KFC is the toughest entry on our list. Chicken prices have gone up, so your $5 won’t get you far.

To stay under $5 and still get your side, get an a la carte wing for $2.59. It’ll run you 130 calories, 8 grams of fat and 380 milligrams of sodium.

Stick with vegetables for sides. An individual side of corn is just 70 calories, 0.5 grams of fat and 0 milligrams of sodium. You can still indulge with mashed potatoes. An individual size of mashed potatoes is 110 calories, 3.5 grams of fat and 330 milligrams of sodium.

A person holds bags and boxes containing Chick-fil-A food.
Adobe Stock

10. Chick-fil-A

Entree: 5-Piece Grilled Nuggets – $3.55 

OR 

Side: Kale Crunch – $3.99

Unlike most of its competitors, Chick-fil-A hasn’t given up on its grilled chicken yet. You can get a 5-piece grilled nugget for only 80 calories, 2 grams of fat and 270 milligrams of sodium.

Just pass on the Chick-fil-A dipping sauce, since that’s 140 calories per packet. Stick to ketchup or mustard.

If you’re more in the mood for leafy greens, get the Kale Crunch side option. It’s a mix of kale, cabbage and almonds for 170 calories, 12 grams of fat and 250 milligrams of sodium.

Flavored drinks are photographed at Sonic.
Photo courtesy of Sonic

11. Sonic

Mini Slush (any flavor) – $1.39 

OR 

Mini Classic Shake – $3.19

If you go to Sonic for the drinks and sweet options, you don’t have to worry about regretting them later.

If you’re thirsty, order a mini slush. All flavors in the mini size range from 120-150 calories, 32-40 grams of sugar and 0 grams of fat. For an additional charge, you can add different flavor mix-ins (both sugary and sugar-free) or real fruit.

For your ice cream fix, stick to a mini Classic Shake. The mini-sized Reese’s Peanut Butter Classic Shake is 480 calories, 31 grams of sugar and 31 grams of fat. The vanilla shake is only 420 calories, 32 grams of sugar and 23 grams of fat.

A very chocolate chip cherry blizzard is photographed.
Photo courtesy of Dairy Queen

12. Dairy Queen

Small Pineapple or Strawberry Sundae – $3.29 

OR 

Mini Choco Dipped Strawberry Blizzard – $3.99

The burgers are great, but you know you really go to Dairy Queen to drool over the ice cream options.

When you’re watching your intake, you can still indulge with a small fruit-based sundae. The pineapple version is 230 calories, 7 grams of fat and 33 grams of sugar. The strawberry sundae is 240 calories, 7 grams of fat and 34 grams of sugar.

Can’t stay away from the Blizzards? That’s OK. We understand.

Get a mini Choco Dipped Strawberry Blizzard. It’s 310 calories, 11 grams of fat and 40 grams of sugar.

Not a fan of strawberryflavored ice cream? The Snickers mini Blizzard is 350 calories, 12 grams of fat and 45 grams of sugar.

Contributor Jenna Limbach writes on financial literacy and lifestyle topics for The Penny Hoarder from her home base in Nevada. Jamie Cattanach contributed to this report.