Fast Food Baked Goods That Are Way More Unhealthy Than You Think

You're in a hurry, the drive-thru speaker crackles, and the words just tumble out: "Oh, and throw in a cookie." Or maybe you're popping into Starbucks for a caffeine fix when an Iced Lemon Loaf gives you that come-hither look. It's just a little treat, right? But some of those innocent-looking baked goods aren't as innocent as they seem. Based on Food & Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines, that Iced Lemon Loaf just took up 40% of your daily limit for saturated fat. And it's not alone. 

We've collected a tasty-but-troublesome lineup — each culprit qualifies as "high" in saturated fat, added sugars, and/or sodium according to FDA guidelines (read more about our criteria at the end of the article). There's a muffin at Dunkin' that can wipe out your entire day's added sugars quota before sunrise. Domino's molten Chocolate Lava Crunch Cakes erupt with half your daily saturated fat in just a couple of forkfuls. The salt content in Dairy Queen Pretzel Sticks would make an ocean blush. 

Rest assured, we're not here to make anyone embarrassed about their food choices. We love fast food baked goods, too. But a quick glance at the nutrition facts, at least every now and then, helps us find that sweet spot between healthy choices and worthwhile treats. If we know a Cinnabon Caramel PecanBon serves up 150% of our daily added sugar limit, maybe we'll enjoy half of it today and save the other half for... five minutes from now. Everything in moderation, right?

"Muffin" sounds wholesome, like something a yoga instructor might snack on between classes. And without frosting, does "coffee cake" even count as cake? So, when you see "Coffee Cake Muffin" on the Dunkin' menu, it might register as a perfectly reasonable breakfast snack. But don't order just yet.

That muffin packs 590 calories, 24 grams of total fat (8 grams of those are saturated), and 51 grams of total sugar. Fifty grams of that sugar is added sugar, exactly 100 percent of the FDA's daily recommended limit. That's all your added sugar wiped out before you even finish your first cup of joe. You could eat any donut on the menu and consume less sugar. Compared to the Coffee Cake Muffin, the classic Glazed Donut delivers less than a quarter of the added sugar, and cuts the calories and total fat by more than half. Welcome to a wonderful world where a donut is actually the more sensible option.

If you're watching cholesterol, the Coffee Cake Muffin doesn't do you any favors there, either. It sneaks in 65 milligrams of cholesterol. Many of the donuts, including that classic Glazed, contain zero. By all means, enjoy something sweet with your coffee every now and then. Those moments qualify as self-care. But take care of yourself wisely — almost any other sweet pastry on Dunkin's menu would probably be a smarter treat.

At first glance, the Starbucks Iced Lemon Loaf seems like a cheery little breakfast bread to brighten your morning. But this "loaf" is essentially a frosted piece of cake. That radiant yellow is filled with sugar, powdered sugar, eggs, butter, and buttermilk — ingredients that add up to 410 calories and 36 grams of sugar. To put that into perspective, a Krispy Kreme Original Glazed Lemon Filled Doughnut has 290 calories and 17 grams of sugar. Yup, the Iced Lemon Loaf has more than double the sugar of a lemon-filled donut!

And it's not just high in sugar. Each slice packs in 8 grams of saturated fat — that's 40% of your entire daily limit. Also toss in 90 milligrams of cholesterol, or about a third of the daily recommended maximum, and this sunny snack starts looking a lot stormier.

If you're at Starbucks and looking for some fruity bakery alternatives, the Baked Apple Croissant would save you 160 calories, 7 grams of total fat, and 24 grams of sugar. That said, part of the reason it's so much "lighter" is simply because it's smaller (75 grams compared to the lemon loaf's 115 grams). That's a classic portion-perception trap — the loaf looks like a light citrus nibble, but each slice is thicker and denser than it appears. If you genuinely love your loaf (you're not alone), savor every bite. Just don't loaf around the nutrition facts, and maybe pair it with some "I'm having cake for breakfast" energy.

In a survey asking people which pizza chain serves the best dessert, Domino's took the crown. And it's not hard to see why. Beyond pizza, Domino's serves up a strong dessert game with Cinnamon Bread Twists, Marbled Cookie Brownies, and Chocolate Lava Crunch Cakes.

Chocolate Lava Crunch Cakes come in orders of three. Each oven-baked cake arrives dusted in powdered sugar, slightly crispy on the outside, and ready to burst with molten chocolate fudge as soon as you rip it apart. And while those lava cakes erupt with flavor, they're also nutritionally destructive.

A serving size of one Chocolate Lava Crunch Cake comes with 350 calories, along with more than half of the FDA's daily added sugar allowance, and half of your recommended maximum for saturated fat. Pair that chocolate cake with a couple of slices of pizza, and you've hit your saturated-fat ceiling for the day. Of course, nobody orders Domino's lava cakes thinking they're health food. Still, it's worth knowing what you're dealing with — when it comes to lava, volcanic surprises are best avoided.

It's no shocker that Dairy Queen's highest-ranked menu items lean heavily on, well, dairy. The Royal New York Cheesecake Blizzard and Reese's Blizzard proudly claim the top two spots. While DQ isn't exactly known for a bakery lineup of cookies and cakes, there is one warm-baked good on the "Snacks and Sides" menu that's built a bit of a fanbase: Pretzel Sticks with Zesty Queso.

According to Dairy Queen, these salty-soft sticks served with melty cheese dip are one of the restaurant's top 10 most popular delivery items. The menu describes the pretzel-cheese combo as "a little salt and spice to shake up snack time." But after glancing at the nutrition info, it's clear Dairy Queen and the FDA have different definitions of "little."

The FDA considers a food "low" in sodium if it contains less than 5% of your recommended daily value. One order of these Pretzel Sticks with Zesty Queso packs 2,060 milligrams of sodium. That's over 89% of your entire day's suggested intake. That number does include the queso dip — so you could skip the cheese and shave off about 700 milligrams. But even then, the pretzels alone will land you at about 55% of your daily sodium limit. That's still a long way from the single-digit 5% mark the FDA considers low.

When Arby's changed its slogan to "We have the meats," it was clear the brand wasn't angling to become a dessert destination. But Arby's does dabble in the sweet stuff, including one hefty baked good: the Salted Caramel & Chocolate Cookie. With chocolate chips, gooey caramel, and salty-sweet sprinkles, it's basically everything you could want in a cookie. But it's also... a lot. This cookie weighs in at 95 grams. For context, that's more than double the weight of a Subway Chocolate Chip Cookie (just 45 grams).

With that size comes some serious nutritional baggage, including 450 calories. And because it's loaded with butter, cocoa butter, and caramel, the fat stats aren't shy either — 21 grams of total fat and 13 grams of saturated fat. That's 65% of the FDA's recommended daily limit for saturated fat, all in one single cookie. Sometimes that's just how the cookie crumbles. And sometimes the cookie is so substantial that it barely crumbles at all — it just sits there confidently being twice the size you expected.

In Mashed's ranking of Wendy's desserts, the Cinnabon Pull-Apart took the top spot. It's a delicious cupful of warm, doughy bites baked with cinnamon and topped with Cinnabon's gooey cream cheese frosting. It's a bakery-inspired treat available in the convenience of the drive-thru.

But here's where things get sticky (and not just from the frosting). The little cupful packs 550 calories. Based on a standard 2,000-calorie diet, that's more than a quarter of your recommended daily intake without even eating a meal. It also contains 26 grams of total fat, including 11 grams of saturated fat. That's over half of the FDA's daily recommended value of saturated fat in one cinnamon-sugar swoop.

Is it delicious? Absolutely. Is it convenient? You bet. Putting a cinnamon roll in a cup is a brilliant fast-food innovation. So, by all means, marvel at the creation — the Cinnabon Pull-Apart is definitely worth experiencing occasionally. But like any intense relationship, you might also want to spend some time apart.

We've all heard that 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutritional advice. Want to know what devours a full quarter of that in just a few bites? One Jersey Mike's Brownie. That dense, gooey, chocolate chip-loaded brownie contains about 500 calories, along with 28 grams of total fat and 11 grams of saturated fat.

The saturated fat is especially alarming. That single brownie gives you over half of the FDA's recommended limit of 20 grams. And if you're pairing it with one of Jersey Mike's famously hearty sandwiches, chances are your meal will put you over the top. Whether you go for The Original Italian, Jersey Shore's Favorite, Tuna Fish, Roast Beef and Provolone, or even The Veggie (yes, even The Veggie!), tag on a brownie and you've exceeded the daily cap for saturated fat.

The brownie also sneaks in over 89 milligrams of cholesterol. Sticking with the general guidance of 300 milligrams, that's nearly 30% of your daily amount — in one baked good. And to add insult to injury, the brownie isn't even one of Jersey Mike's highest-ranked items. So if you're imagining a life-changing bite, it might not deliver the flavor-to-fat ratio you're hoping for. Still, if it's something you rank highly, enjoy it once in a while — we all know life is better with a brownie in one hand, and knowledge in the other.

It's got a crunchy chocolate crust, a creamy filling, a fudge drizzle, plenty of chocolate chips, and it comes in a neat little wedge-shaped package. What's not to love about Burger King's Hershey's Sundae Pie? Besides the nutritional content, of course.

Once you peek at the numbers, this chilled treat starts to look a lot less chill. The little wedge crams 310 calories and 18 grams of total fat into a dessert you can inhale during one stoplight. And that total fat includes 12 grams of saturated fat, the same amount you'll find in a Whopper – which is 60% of your entire day's recommended saturated fat in one dessert. Pair it with a whopper, and you've hit 120%.

Is all that saturated fat worth it for your taste buds? Well, it's worth noting that this dessert does rank in the top three of Mashed's ranking of fast food pies. So, apparently, a lot of people think the answer is yes. You can crunch all the numbers you want, but sometimes pie simply beats math.

Jamba might be your go-to for a refreshing smoothie, but sometimes it's nice to have a little something solid to go with those sips. Indeed, there is an entire menu section called "Bites" to serve just this purpose. When smoothie lovers crave something they can actually chew, two classic baked treats sit among the options — pretzels.

Jamba serves a Sweet Pretzel and a Savory Pretzel. Both clock in with a serving size of 141 grams, but nutritionally, they're far from identical. The Savory Pretzel edges out its sweet sibling in just about every stat, and not in a good way. It has more calories (420 vs. 390), more total fat (11 grams vs. 5 grams), more saturated fat (3 grams vs. none), more cholesterol (15 milligrams vs. zero), and more sodium (1,020 milligrams vs. 330 milligrams).

If your eyes started to glaze over with all those numbers, no worries — here's the salty highlight: The Jamba Savory Pretzel contains 1,020 milligrams of sodium. That's 44% of your recommended daily max, according to the FDA. From a snack. A "bite." Not a full meal. Just a few doughy twists that somehow manage to sneak in nearly half your salt budget. So, if you're swinging by Jamba for a snack or light meal, just be aware that throwing in a quick pretzel takes a big bite out of your daily sodium allotment.

Subway turned heads when it decided that "footlong" shouldn't be reserved for cold cuts. At 285 grams, the Footlong Chocolate Chip Cookie weighs more than six standard Subway cookies stacked end to end. It looks like the ultimate "treat yourself" sidekick to your turkey sub. But nutritionally, it's a full‑blown main course.

This high-carb slab contains 1,330 calories, 61 grams of total fat, and 32 grams of saturated fat. The FDA suggests capping saturated fat at 20 grams a day, so this dessert alone jumps to 160% of your daily limit. No surprise, it also contains a lot of sugar, with twice the entire daily added‑sugar allowance. Even the sodium sneaks in with 690 milligrams, which is almost a third of what the FDA recommends for an entire day.

Thinking of sharing? Great idea! Though cutting the Footlong Chocolate Chip Cookie into four still leaves each piece with 40% of your day's saturated fat and 50% of your added sugars. Any way you slice it, there's a lot of sugar in a cookie that's literally the same length as a shoe.

Sometimes you just can't ignore that intoxicating cinnamon scent wafting through the mall. You follow your nose, approach the counter, and stare at a dizzying swirl of options. If you need a cheat sheet, Mashed serves up a ranking of every Cinnabon menu from worst to best. The top three? The Cinnabon Classic Roll, the CinnaSweeties bite-sized doughnuts, and the Caramel PecanBon. Obviously, everything on the list is pretty unhealthy. For our purposes, we'll focus on the Caramel PecanBon, which takes the classic cinnamon roll, drenches it in caramel sauce, and buries it under a pile of pecans. Clearly, it has a few calories.

Okay, maybe more than a few. More like a thousand. Make that 1,090 calories. Add on 51 grams of total fat, with 20 of those grams as saturated fat. That's exactly 100% of the FDA's daily recommended limit. One roll, one full day's worth of saturated fat.

Also add 1,280 milligrams of sodium. That's over 55% of the FDA's daily value. And, of course, add some sugar – 75 grams of added sugar. You might get a sugar high just reading that, because it's 150% of the recommended daily value. Add all that up and — actually, maybe don't. When it comes to sugar and cinnamon, sometimes you just have to roll with it.

We set our sights on baked goods sold at major fast food chains. Cookies, muffins, and other pastries are often marketed as innocent snacks or sweet add-ons, but can quietly deliver high amounts of saturated fat, added sugars, and sodium. To uncover the most deceptively unhealthy items, we dug through nutritional information from official restaurant websites. These numbers can vary a bit by location, so consider this more of a nutritional ballpark than a lab-grade breakdown.

We focused on items that clock in at more than 20% of the FDA's Daily Value for saturated fat, added sugar, and/or sodium. The FDA uses the 20% threshold to flag foods as "high" in a given nutrient. Other health organizations can be stricter. For example, the American Heart Association's recommendations would amount to about 13 grams or less of saturated fat per day for a 2,000-calorie diet — a good bit lower than the FDA's 20-gram benchmark. That means the percentages shared on this list could be even greater than they appear.

Among the foods that are "high" in saturated fat, added sugars, or sodium, we looked for items that seemed especially surprising. As such, this list is inherently subjective and non-exhaustive.