Craving a meal at IHOP while maintaining a ketogenic lifestyle? It might seem challenging, given IHOP's reputation as the International House of Pancakes. However, with careful selection and customization, it's possible to enjoy a satisfying and keto-friendly meal. IHOP's extensive menu offers various options that can be modified to fit a low-carb diet.
Understanding the Challenges
IHOP's menu is vast, with many items loaded with carbohydrates, sugars, and breading. Pancakes, waffles, and many breakfast sides are off-limits on a keto diet. Even seemingly safe options like omelets can be problematic, as IHOP is rumored to add pancake batter to their omelets to enhance fluffiness, significantly increasing the carb count.
Key Strategies for Keto Success at IHOP
To successfully navigate the IHOP menu on a keto diet, keep these strategies in mind:
- Choose Low-Carb Mains: Start by selecting main dishes that are naturally low in carbohydrates, such as steak, burgers (without the bun), or omelets.
- Be Prepared to Customize: Customization is key to keto dining at IHOP. Be ready to make substitutions and modifications to reduce the carb content of your meal.
- Order Without Bread, Toast, and Buns: These are obvious sources of carbohydrates and should be avoided.
- Inquire About Pancake Batter in Omelets: Confirm with your server whether pancake batter is added to omelets and request that it be omitted. Opt for egg white omelets to further reduce carbs.
- Utilize the Interactive Nutrition Calculator: IHOP's online nutrition calculator allows you to customize your meals and calculate the carbohydrate content, making it easier to make informed choices.
Keto-Friendly IHOP Menu Options
Here are some specific IHOP menu items that can be adapted for a keto diet:
Breakfast Options
- Omelets (Customized): Order an egg white omelet without pancake batter. Add low-carb toppings like cheese, bacon, sausage, spinach, broccoli, mushrooms, and onions. Avoid tomatoes, mushrooms and onions if you want to make your omelets even more keto diet and low carb friendly.
- Bacon and Eggs: A classic keto breakfast. Choose your preferred style of eggs (fried, poached, or over-easy) and pair them with bacon or sausage.
- Ham and Eggs: A simple breakfast option.
- T-Bone Steak and Eggs: A hearty and satisfying keto meal. Order a 10 or 12 oz T-bone steak with your choice of eggs.
- Smoked Sausage Links and Eggs: Another great keto diet option.
Lunch and Dinner Options
- Burgers (Without the Bun): Order a burger without the bun and skip the potato cake. Top it with cheese, bacon, lettuce, avocado, tomato, and mayonnaise.
- Grilled Chicken Salad: A salad with grilled chicken, avocado, mushrooms, red onion and sliced tomatoes, all on a bed of iceberg lettuce mix. Choose a low-carb dressing like oil and vinegar.
- House Salad: An iceberg lettuce mix, red onions and sliced tomato. We recommend this one as a side salad for your dinners.
- Grilled Tilapia: Grilled tilapia with some lemon and seasoning, as well as steamed broccoli.
Items to Avoid
Be cautious of these items, which are typically high in carbohydrates:
Read also: Easy Low-Carb Cheese Crackers
- Pancakes: As the restaurant's namesake, pancakes are a definite no-go on a keto diet.
- Waffles: Similar to pancakes, waffles are high in carbs.
- Hash Browns: A starchy breakfast side that should be avoided.
- French Fries: Another starchy side to steer clear of.
- Toast and Bread: All forms of bread and toast are high in carbohydrates.
- Syrups and Jams: These are loaded with sugar and should be avoided.
- Fruit Cups: Most fruit cups are not keto-friendly due to their high sugar content.
- Protein Pancakes: One order of these protein pancakes contains 70g carbs and 19g sugar - well above the recommended daily limit of 50g net carbs.
- Salsa: Order it without salsa.
- IHOP protein pancakes: The IHOP protein pancakes are not keto-approved.
Tips for Ordering
- Plan Ahead: Review the IHOP menu online before your visit and select potential keto-friendly options.
- Be Specific: Clearly communicate your dietary needs to your server and ask about modifications.
- Request Fresh Eggs: If you're getting an egg-based dish, make sure to ask for fresh eggs and not scrambled.
- Choose Low-Carb Toppings: Opt for low-carb veggies like spinach, broccoli, mushrooms, and onions to boost fiber and antioxidants.
- Read the Nutrition Information: Check IHOP's Interactive Nutrition Calculator to make sure you don't ruin your diet.
Read also: Keto Calorie Counting: A Detailed Guide
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