Lowest-Sodium Fast Food Breakfast: 116 Items Ranked
One breakfast at Cracker Barrel carries 5,050mg of sodium. The FDA’s limit for an entire day is 2,300mg.
That is the New York Strip Steak N’ Eggs. It is 620 calories, which sounds reasonable, and 220% of your daily salt in a single plate. Calories are not the problem at breakfast. Sodium is.
We pulled all 116 breakfast items from seven major chains and ranked them by sodium. Here is what the data shows.
The Short Answer
Lowest-sodium real breakfast: Denny’s two scrambled eggs. 360mg, 220 calories, 14g protein. That is 16% of a day’s sodium.
Best chain on average: Denny’s, at 478mg per item. Sheetz is worst at 1,543mg.
The one to avoid: Cracker Barrel’s New York Strip Steak N’ Eggs, at 5,050mg. Nothing else on any menu comes close.
Average Sodium by Chain
Average across every breakfast item that chain sells. Lower is better.
| Chain | Items | Average sodium | Worst single item |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denny’s | 13 | 478mg | 1,420mg |
| Cracker Barrel | 32 | 889mg | 5,050mg |
| Wawa | 5 | 920mg | 1,050mg |
| McDonald’s | 29 | 1,122mg | 2,070mg |
| Burger King | 24 | 1,254mg | 2,290mg |
| Tropical Smoothie | 9 | 1,299mg | 2,020mg |
| Sheetz | 4 | 1,543mg | 2,645mg |
Cracker Barrel is the interesting one. It has the second-best average and by far the worst single item. Its menu is enormous and the spread is huge, so where you land depends entirely on what you order. Wawa, by contrast, has a tight range. Its worst item is 1,050mg, which is lower than the average at three other chains.
If you want predictability, a small menu helps. If you want the best possible option, Cracker Barrel has it. It also has the worst.
The 10 Lowest-Sodium Breakfasts
These are real meals, not garnishes. We filtered to items with at least 10g of protein and 200 calories, because a bowl of fruit is technically low sodium but it is not breakfast.
| # | Item | Chain | Sodium | Calories | Protein |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scrambled Eggs (2) | Denny’s | 360mg | 220 | 14g |
| 2 | Smoked Sausage Patties (2) | Cracker Barrel | 390mg | 240 | 13g |
| 3 | Thick-Sliced Bacon (3) | Cracker Barrel | 460mg | 210 | 14g |
| 4 | Impossible Sausage (2 patties) | Cracker Barrel | 630mg | 210 | 12g |
| 5 | Dreamy Bacon Croissant | Sheetz | 634mg | 400 | 14g |
| 6 | Egg & Cheese Croissan’wich | Burger King | 640mg | 310 | 12g |
| 7 | Breakfast Burrito | Wawa | 700mg | 290 | 12g |
| 8 | Loaded Hashbrown Casserole | Cracker Barrel | 730mg | 350 | 15g |
| 9 | Sausage McMuffin | McDonald’s | 760mg | 400 | 14g |
| 10 | Spicy Chicken Sausage (2 links) | Cracker Barrel | 760mg | 220 | 21g |
Two things stand out. Cracker Barrel takes five of the ten places, which is the same chain that sells the 5,050mg plate. And bacon is not the villain here. Three slices of Cracker Barrel’s thick-cut bacon carry 460mg, less than most breakfast sandwiches.
The pattern is simple. Plain protein plus eggs is low sodium. The salt arrives with bread, cheese, sauce and processed patties.
The Worst Offenders
| Item | Chain | Sodium | % of daily limit | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Strip Steak N’ Eggs | Cracker Barrel | 5,050mg | 220% | 620 |
| Fried Bacon & Egg Sammich | Sheetz | 2,645mg | 115% | 941 |
| Pancake Tacos | Cracker Barrel | 2,560mg | 111% | 930 |
| Steak N’ Egg Hashbrown Casserole | Cracker Barrel | 2,340mg | 102% | 1,080 |
| Fully Loaded Biscuit | Burger King | 2,290mg | 100% | 660 |
| Big Breakfast with Hotcakes | McDonald’s | 2,070mg | 90% | 1,340 |
Five of these six meet or exceed a full day’s sodium in one sitting. The Cracker Barrel steak plate is in a category of its own. It carries nearly twice the sodium of the next worst item on any of these menus, and it does it in only 620 calories.
This is the case against judging breakfast by calories. The 620-calorie steak plate will do more to your blood pressure than the 1,340-calorie McDonald’s Big Breakfast.
Protein Per Milligram of Sodium
If you want protein at breakfast without the salt that usually comes with it, this is the ranking that matters. Grams of protein per 1,000mg of sodium.
| Item | Chain | Protein | Sodium | g per 1,000mg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scrambled Eggs (2) | Denny’s | 14g | 360mg | 38.9 |
| Smoked Sausage Patties (2) | Cracker Barrel | 13g | 390mg | 33.3 |
| Thick-Sliced Bacon (3) | Cracker Barrel | 14g | 460mg | 30.4 |
| Spicy Chicken Sausage (2) | Cracker Barrel | 21g | 760mg | 27.6 |
| Bacon N’ Egg Hashbrown Casserole | Cracker Barrel | 49g | 1,820mg | 26.9 |
Eggs win, which is not a surprise. What is more useful is the fifth row. Cracker Barrel’s Bacon N’ Egg Hashbrown Casserole delivers 49g of protein, more than most lunches, at a sodium cost that is proportionally reasonable. If you need a large protein breakfast, that is the efficient way to buy it.
How to Order Low Sodium at Breakfast
- Order components, not combos. Eggs and a meat side beat any assembled sandwich or platter.
- Skip the biscuit. Biscuit-based items dominate the worst list. Burger King’s Fully Loaded Biscuit alone is a full day of salt.
- Watch the steak, not the pancakes. The saltiest breakfast on any of these menus is a steak plate, not a sweet item.
- Bacon is fine. Three slices carry less sodium than most breakfast sandwiches. It has a worse reputation than the numbers support.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the lowest-sodium fast food breakfast?
Two scrambled eggs at Denny’s, at 360mg of sodium with 220 calories and 14g of protein. That is about 16% of the FDA’s 2,300mg daily limit. Among assembled sandwiches, Burger King’s Egg & Cheese Croissan’wich is lowest at 640mg.
Which chain has the lowest-sodium breakfast menu?
Denny’s, averaging 478mg across its 13 breakfast items. Sheetz is highest at 1,543mg. Cracker Barrel averages 889mg but has the widest spread of any chain, from 390mg to 5,050mg.
How much sodium is too much in one meal?
The FDA recommends under 2,300mg per day. A reasonable target for one meal is under 700mg, which leaves room for the rest of the day. Six of the breakfast items in this comparison exceed 2,000mg on their own. If you have high blood pressure, speak to your doctor about your own target, which may be lower.
Is a low-calorie breakfast also low sodium?
No, and that is the main finding here. Cracker Barrel’s New York Strip Steak N’ Eggs is only 620 calories but carries 5,050mg of sodium. McDonald’s Big Breakfast with Hotcakes is more than twice the calories at 1,340 and carries 2,070mg, well under half the salt. Calories tell you almost nothing about sodium.
Check Your Own Order
Every figure comes from each chain’s published nutrition data. Build your exact breakfast and see the sodium total before you order:
- Denny’s Nutrition Calculator
- Cracker Barrel Nutrition Calculator
- Wawa Nutrition Calculator
- Sheetz Nutrition Calculator
- McDonald’s Nutrition Calculator
- Burger King Nutrition Calculator
- Tropical Smoothie Nutrition Calculator
More comparisons: McDonald’s vs Burger King and Chipotle vs CAVA on protein.
Figures are the chains’ own published values and are averages, not measurements of your specific meal. Portions vary by location. This is not medical or dietary advice. If you are managing blood pressure or kidney disease, work with a qualified healthcare professional.