Fast Food Salad Ranked From Worst To Best

Fast food salads have come a long way ... mostly. For anyone who's looking to add a few more vegetables into their diet, or who just wants a lighter alternative while eating out, salads can offer a good option. Of course, just because something is labeled as a salad doesn't mean it's inherently better or healthier than other menu items. Still, when it comes to fast food salads, some impressive progress has been made over the course of the last decade or two.

That said, there are a few fast food salads that aren't worth your time or money. Maybe they're really unhealthy, or maybe they're not very fresh, or maybe they're just plain bad. Whatever it is, when you look at what makes a fast food salad both nutritious and delicious, one thing becomes increasingly clear: The more variety a fast food establishment offers in their salad ingredients, the better it usually is. After all, iceberg lettuce, cheese, and croutons don't make for a very good salad, in any manner of the word. So without further ado, here are fast food salads ranked from worst to best.

When it comes to salads, there are a ton of different lettuce options you can use. There's romaine, for a nice crunch. There's also kale, arugula, spinach, and so many more greens that all have a ton of flavor and health benefits. But the worst lettuce a salad can be made of? Definitely iceberg. It might have a great crunch to it, but it doesn't offer any flavor, or have nearly as much nutritional value as other lettuces (via Medical News Today). For that reason, the salad at Carl's Jr. is pretty lackluster.

Specifically, while Carl's Jr.'s Charbroiled Chicken Salad is low in calories, it also lacks decent veggies, says integrative nutritionist Karina Heinrich. "They only use iceberg lettuce, and other than that all they have veggie-wise is a few slices of tomato and red onion," she told HuffPost. "The rest is cheese, croutons and chicken." Yeah, the salad is basically the insides of a chicken sandwich minus the delicious bread holding it all together. So really, you're better off getting a chicken sandwich at that point. 

Look, Dairy Queen isn't a bad fast food establishment. Their Blizzards, burgers, frozen treats, and sides are all delicious. But the salads at Dairy Queen aren't really anything to write home about. Like many other fast food salads, they're just chicken on top of some lettuce with cheese and other not-so-healthy toppings. That renders them fairly disappointing.

It's not surprising, then, that one former Dairy Queen employee told Delish that the salad at Dairy Queen isn't worth your money. "Salads from DQ are a rip off," they explained. "They just recently downsized them while changing the bowl to make it look like the same amount. Over $5 for three ounces of old lettuce, cabbage, carrots, and even older grilled chicken." Another employee summed it up succinctly. "If you go into DQ for anything other than a Blizzard or a burger, you are at fault," they stated. 

Um, gross. No one wants old lettuce and chicken. So if you have to eat at Dairy Queen, just don't get a salad.

Listen, you can call a taco salad a salad all you want, but at the end of the day, it's basically a deconstructed taco. A delicious deconstructed taco, but a taco nonetheless. And at Del Taco, the Signature Taco Salad is the perfect example of that. It's not really a salad, but it is super yummy, and it's not really healthy, but again, it tastes good.

According to the Del Taco website, the salad consists of "Seasoned beef, grated cheddar cheese, sliced avocado, seasoned black beans, pico de gallo salsa, chopped cilantro, cool sour cream, and crunchy tortilla chips [that] are layered over our fresh romaine and iceberg lettuce blend." 

Del Taco's Signature Taco Salad also comes with a side of salsa, further cementing the fact that it's not really a salad. With 550 calories, though, it will probably fill you up and leave you feeling like you ate something a little healthier than your weight in tacos.

When you think of Arby's, it would only be natural to just think of meat, as that tends to be the main aspect of their marketing strategy. Still, Arby's has more than just sandwiches stuffed to the brim with roast beef, and one of their salads was actually equal parts healthy and tasty. That is to say, it's not the healthiest nor tastiest thing in the world, but it was still surprisingly good, though it's no longer offered. 

Nutritionist and author Lisa Richards told Today that the Arby's Roast Turkey Farmhouse Salad is a great fast food salad. "Overall, this is a good choice for a healthier salad," Richards explained. "Roast turkey is a healthy, lean protein, although the bacon is a processed meat and a much less healthy ingredient." Richards also cautioned that adding salad dressing would obviously up the calories, and advised using a lighter dressing like a vinaigrette instead. While Arby's doesn't offer the salad anymore, there is a Roast Chicken Salad, which is seemingly similar in nutrition, and taste. 

The Arby's Roast Chicken Salad is pretty good, although not the best of the fast food salad offerings.

Now, McDonald's probably isn't the healthiest fast food chain out there, but it actually has a good amount of items that aren't burgers and fries. Specifically, the salads at McDonald's are actually both healthy and super satisfying. Normally, you might think that for a salad to be healthy it won't be very filling, but McDonald's proves that to be wrong.

Nutritionist Tamar Samuels told HuffPost that the McDonald's Southwest Salad was especially delicious and nutritious. "It has romaine, baby spinach, baby kale, Lollo Rossa lettuce, red leaf lettuce, red oak lettuce, red tango lettuce, red romaine lettuce, and red butter lettuce," Samuels shared. "It also has a nice variety of vegetables, including black beans, roasted tomatoes, [and] poblano peppers." 

McDonald's Southwest Salad is low in calories but high in taste and nutrients, and that's saying something. Not everything that the golden arches sell is deep fried, and the salads might just become one of your new favorite things.

Chick-fil-A is obviously known for its delicious chicken, but they also have a few salad offerings featuring their delicious grilled or fried chicken, and they are seriously scrumptious. Specifically, the Spicy Southwest Salad from Chick-fil-A is so flavorful (and pretty healthy) that it's one of the best fast food salads out there.

Chick-fil-A's Spicy Southwest Salad features mixed greens, tomatoes, cheese, and a topping made from corn, black beans, poblano chiles, and bell peppers. Then, the salad is served with little bags of tortilla strips and pepitas to top it all off, along with a creamy salsa dressing. If you order the salad with grilled chicken, it remains healthy, and clocks in at 450 calories including dressing. People love the salad, and one Twitter user even went so far as to claim that it might just change your life.  "If you haven't had a spicy southwest salad from chick-fil-a I promise you're missing out on the best thing on earth," they wrote. 

And, if you're less concerned with health and more concerned with flavor, skip the grilled chicken and substitute it for the nuggets. They perfectly complement the flavors in the salad, and make your meal seem a little less healthy without totally sacrificing on your nutrition. Seriously, this salad is more than amazing — it's practically perfection in a bowl.