How to “Eat Keto” at Disney World

Chances are by now you’ve heard of the keto diet, which has been my husband’s preferred way to eat for the last six months or so. It was important to us to find dining options for our upcoming Disney World vacation that he could enjoy while maintaining his diet.


Our most recent visit took place over seven nights at the Yacht and Beach Club resorts (two nights at Yacht Club, and five nights in a one-bedroom villa at the Beach Club Villas). While there may be an exhaustive list that details every keto-friendly option available on property, here are my overall five tips for “eating keto” or following a similarly low-carb diet at Disney World:

1. Substitute carbs for veggies 


• Most menu items, whether quick- or table-service, come with a starchy side-item like French fries, chips or potatoes. In our experience, requesting to change that item to a vegetable was almost always accommodated. Some of the substitutions were broccolini, coleslaw, asparagus, and side salad.
  
  

  

  Get veggies as a side item instead of carbs



2. Make special requests (if they aren’t too complicated) 



• The number-one request my husband made was simply “no bun.” The table- and quick-service restaurants were happy to accommodate this request, and often the food looked even better without the bun – like at Hurricane Hanna’s when my husband skipped the bun and added bacon to the grilled chicken sandwich! Even the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival booths were able to accommodate his requests, such as leaving off the rice on the Szechuan Spicy Red-braised Beef Shank at Lotus House in China and skipping the roll on the Beef Torta at Jardin de Fiestas in Mexico (though I did make sure neither kiosk was busy before making the special request).
  
  
  

  

  Bun-less burger from Hurricane Hanna's



3. Cook in a villa


• This isn’t always an option, but if “eating keto” is extremely important to you, look into booking a one-bedroom or larger villa which comes equipped with a full-size kitchen. We used a local grocery delivery service for a few items so that we could cook breakfast in our villa a few times during our stay, which made for a relaxing start to those days and took the question out of what my husband would find to eat those mornings. I would imagine it’s also possible to cook a full keto-friendly lunch and/or dinner with some thought and planning as well!


4. Eat at a buffet


• At most Disney World all-you-care-to-eat restaurants, chances are there is something on the buffet to please everyone. We dined at Cape May for breakfast where my husband was able to assemble his own keto-friendly plate of eggs, meats, vegetables, an omelet and cheese. We also enjoyed 'Ohana where – though a set menu of food is brought to your table for the whole family to enjoy – he was able to pick and choose which items he wanted on his plate. There he enjoyed the salad, vegetables, and lots and lots of meat (which then left more potstickers and noodles for me!)
  
  

  

  Dining keto at 'Ohana



5. Use snack credits wisely


• The one area we had a little trouble finding keto-friendly options was when using dining plan snack credits in the parks. It took some looking, but he was able to use snack credits for Chip & Dale Snack Company Roasted Nut Mix in many of the resort and parks' gift shops; boiled eggs in the resort quick-service restaurant; and coffee from various places including Starbucks in the parks, which is always a treat!
  
  

  

  You can use your snack credits for coffee!

Disclaimer: We’re not dieticians or experts at the keto diet; this is simply what I found to work for us on our most recent vacation while trying helping my husband maintain his usual way of eating.

- Agent Katie