The Cheesecake Factory is a popular sit-down chain restaurant known for its wide selection of cheesecakes. The restaurant also boasts a massive breakfast, lunch, and dinner menu.
If you’re on a low carb diet, such as the extremely low carb, high fat keto diet, the menu options may be overwhelming, and you may wonder what options suit your diet.
On a keto diet, most people aim to eat fewer than 50 grams of total carbs, or 25 grams of net carbs, daily. The net carb content refers to the total carb content minus the fiber content (1).
However, many people follow less strict low carb diets, which can allow for up to 100–150 grams of total carbs per day (2).
Healthline has assembled this list of 10 meals, plus a few additional options at The Cheesecake Factory, that contain 20 total carbs or fewer per serving, making them ideal for low carb diets.
Several even contain fewer than 10 grams of total carbs per serving, making them appropriate for a keto diet.
The nutrition information in this article comes from The Cheesecake Factory’s current nutritional guide.
Here are 10-plus low carb and keto options at The Cheesecake Factory.
Share on PinterestAppetizers
Each of these appetizers contains 20 grams of total carbs or fewer. Feel free to enjoy one as your entrée.
1. Stuffed mushrooms
- Calories: 510
- Protein: 15 grams
- Fat: 42 grams
- Total carbs: 19 grams
- Fiber: 4 grams
- Net carbs: 15 grams
These mushrooms are stuffed with a blend of cheeses and herbs in a creamy wine sauce. Their combo of protein and fat makes them a fair choice for a low carb meal.
2. Crispy crab bites
- Calories: 410
- Protein: 15 grams
- Fat: 31 grams
- Total carbs: 19 grams
- Fiber: 2 grams
- Net carbs: 17 grams
These miniature crab cakes are served with a mustard sauce. They make another great choice for a low carb meal thanks to their protein and fat content.
You may want to round out the meal with a side salad or an order of asparagus for added nutrients.
3. Buffalo wings
- Calories: 1,120
- Protein: 109 grams
- Fat: 69 grams
- Total carbs: 16 grams
- Fiber: 2 grams
- Net carbs: 14 grams
A whole order may be a bit much for one person, but these spicy buffalo wings are loaded with protein and fat.
Split an order in half, and you’ll still get over 50 grams of protein for just 8 grams of total carbs.
Entrées
All of these entrées deliver 20 grams of total carbs or fewer with no modifications required. You can order them as is.
4. Pan seared branzino with lemon butter
- Calories: 880
- Protein: 47 grams
- Fat: 71 grams
- Total carbs: 14 grams
- Fiber: 4 grams
- Net carbs: 10 grams
Branzino is a mild white fish, and this fillet is served with vegetables and lemon slices. At just 10 grams of net carbs for the whole dish, it’s an excellent choice for keto dieters.
5. Skinnylicious Tuscan chicken
- Calories: 590
- Protein: 81 grams
- Fat: 21 grams
- Total carbs: 19 grams
- Fiber: 5 grams
- Net carbs: 14 grams
This entrée features grilled chicken breast and vegetables tossed in balsamic vinaigrette. It’s served over fresh vegetables and farro, a chewy and nutty-tasting whole grain.
It’s also packed with protein, providing a whopping 81 grams, all for just 19 grams of total carbs.
6. Grilled branzino with Mediterranean salsa
- Calories: 540
- Protein: 56 grams
- Fat: 28 grams
- Total carbs: 14 grams
- Fiber: 5 grams
- Net carbs: 9 grams
Another branzino entrée, this one is also served with fresh vegetables. The fish is topped with a salsa made from tomatoes, garlic, and herbs tossed in olive oil. Clocking in at fewer than 10 net carbs, it likewise makes a good choice for keto dieters.
Breakfast and brunch
The Cheesecake Factory offers several low carb breakfast and brunch options, and — best of all — they’re available all day.
The breakfast menu is the best option for keto dieters, as these meals are the lowest in total and net carbs.
7. Farm fresh eggs
- Calories: 260
- Protein: 17 grams
- Fat: 20 grams
- Total carbs: 3 grams
- Fiber: 0 grams
- Net carbs: 3 grams
This meal features two eggs cooked your way. Ask your server to hold the standard sides of potatoes and bread, which are high in carbs.
Adding a side order of old smokehouse bacon will only add 4 grams of carbs, and the side of grilled ham will add just 1 extra gram of carbs. Both options deliver hefty doses of extra protein and fat to keep you feeling full.
8. Plain omelet
- Calories: 610
- Protein: 22 grams
- Fat: 13 grams
- Total carbs: 2 grams
- Fiber: 0 grams
- Net carbs: 2 grams
A plain omelet has just 2 grams of carbs. However, you can add up to four toppings from a variety of meats, cheeses, and vegetables. The most that any single topping would add to your omelet is 4 total (3 net) grams of carbs, so feel free to pile them on.
9. California omelet
- Calories: 1,140
- Protein: 57 grams
- Fat: 96 grams
- Total carbs: 11 grams
- Fiber: 3 grams
- Net carbs: 8 grams
The California omelet contains avocado, mushrooms, green onions, tomatoes, garlic, shallots, sour cream, and two types of cheese.
At just 8 grams of net carbs, it’s a solid keto choice. However, you may want to split it into two meals, as it contains nearly 100 grams of fat and over 1,100 calories.
10. Spinach, mushroom, bacon, and cheese omelet
- Calories: 700
- Protein: 41 grams
- Fat: 57 grams
- Total carbs: 7 grams
- Fiber: 1 gram
- Net carbs: 6 grams
This omelet features spinach, mushrooms, bacon, green onions, and cheese.
It’s an ideal choice for a keto dieter because it contains only 6 grams of net carbs. It also clocks in at 700 calories — a reasonable calorie count for a meal, especially if you’re on the keto diet for weight loss.
Meals you can modify to low carb
All of the menu items listed above are low in carbs with no modifications necessary, but several entrées also only require slight modifications to significantly reduce their carb counts.
Because of these modifications, The Cheesecake Factory won’t be able to give you an exact total carb or net carb count for these meals. However, they should be less than 20 grams of total carbs per serving based on the ingredients they contain.
Salads
Choose any salad on the menu, but leave out the following higher carb ingredients, such as croutons, rice noodles, crisp wontons, corn, black beans, tortilla strips, and fried onion strings.
Choose a salad dressing other than the Chinese plum dressing, citrus honey dressing, and spicy peanut vinaigrette. These are higher in carbs than other salad dressings on the menu.
Burgers
Enjoy any one of The Cheesecake Factory’s beef Glamburgers with no bun.
Avoid the following condiments and toppings: crispy onion strings, barbecue sauce, crunchy potato crisps, and macaroni and cheese.
Opt for a side salad instead of fries.
Grilled steak or salmon
The New York strip steak, ribeye steak, filet mignon, and grilled salmon are all low carb choices.
Although they’re usually served with mashed potatoes and one other side of your choice, stick to the following sides to keep the carbs low: side salad, green beans, sautéed spinach, broccoli, or grilled asparagus.
Ordering tips to reduce carbs
Beware — some other menu items that sound like they may be low in carbs are often actually high in carbs due to their sugary sauces or breading. Examples include the crispy Brussels sprouts and Korean fried cauliflower.
Finally, if you’re not on a strict low carb diet but want to reduce your carb intake for health reasons, try replacing the pasta, rice, potatoes, or bread accompanying any entrée of your choice with an extra serving of low carb veggies.
What about dessert?
Unfortunately, all of the desserts at The Cheesecake Factory are too high in carbs for a low carb or keto diet, including the “low-licious” cheesecake.
While lower in carbs than the standard cheesecake, it still contains 37 grams of total carbs (30 grams of net carbs) per serving.
One way to enjoy some of The Cheesecake Factory’s signature cheesecake while on a low carb diet would be to either split a piece of “low-licious” cheesecake with another person, or eat half and save the other half for another day.
The bottom line
The Cheesecake Factory has a huge menu of breakfast, lunch, and dinner options, along with a large selection of cheesecakes. Fortunately, several low carb and keto options are available.
If you’re following a low carb diet, stick to certain low carb appetizers like stuffed mushrooms or low carb entrées like Tuscan chicken. If you’re following keto, order eggs or an omelet from the breakfast menu for the lowest carb count.
You can also choose salads, bunless burgers, steak, or salmon. Just make sure to avoid high carb toppings and side dishes. For dessert, try half a slice of “low-licious” cheesecake if you can work it into your daily carb allotment.
The Cheesecake Factory offers a surprisingly large variety of low carb meal options, making it an excellent restaurant choice for anyone on a keto or low carb diet.