Seed-Oil-Free at Chain Restaurants: What to Order at 12 Major Chains (2026)

Eating seed-oil-free at an independent farm-to-table restaurant is easy — that's literally why The Blueprint exists. But real life happens at airports, on road trips, and at the chain restaurant your coworkers picked. The good news: the seed-oil-free movement has gone mainstream, and several major chains have switched to beef tallow, avocado oil, or olive oil in the last two years.

Here's the chain-by-chain breakdown. One caveat before we start: chains change suppliers and recipes constantly. Everything below is accurate as of this writing, but always verify with the location — our guide to reading a menu for seed oils covers exactly what to ask.

The Good: Chains Cooking in Traditional Fats

Steak 'n Shake — beef tallow fries

The headline convert. In 2025, Steak 'n Shake switched its fry program to 100% beef tallow nationwide and made it a centerpiece of their marketing. The burgers are griddled beef. This is currently one of the most seed-oil-free-friendly fast food orders in America.

Order: Steakburger (sauce on the side), tallow fries.

Buffalo Wild Wings — traditional wings in beef shortening

Few people realize this: BWW's traditional (bone-in) wings are fried in beef shortening. The boneless wings and most appetizers are breaded and fried differently, so stick to traditional wings with dry rubs — many of the wet sauces contain soybean oil.

Order: Traditional wings, dry seasoning (salt & vinegar, lemon pepper, or plain), no ranch.

Sweetgreen — avocado oil and olive oil

Sweetgreen has been systematically removing seed oils: their Ripple Fries are air-fried in avocado oil, and the company has publicly committed to moving its menu to olive oil and avocado oil. Check the dressing ingredients in the app — the transition has rolled out in waves — but this is the strongest fast-casual option for clean eaters.

Order: Any protein plate; dress with olive oil and lemon if you want zero doubt.

Chipotle — rice bran oil (a judgment call)

Chipotle primarily cooks in rice bran oil, with sunflower oil in some items. Rice bran oil is technically a seed oil but is lower in linoleic acid than soybean or corn oil, and Chipotle's format means much of your bowl (meat, beans, salsa, guacamole) is relatively low-oil. Strict avoiders should skip it; pragmatists consider it a reasonable middle option.

Order: Salad bowl with double protein, fresh salsas, and guacamole; skip the vinaigrette.

The Middle: Peanut Oil Chains

Refined peanut oil is a legume oil rather than a true seed oil, and it's lower in polyunsaturated fat than soybean or corn oil — but it's still a refined industrial oil. Where these land for you depends on how strict your protocol is.

Chick-fil-A

The breaded chicken is pressure-cooked in fully refined peanut oil. The waffle fries, however, are fried in canola — skip them. Grilled nuggets are the cleanest protein on the menu.

Order: Grilled nuggets or the original chicken (if peanut oil fits your rules), fruit cup instead of fries.

Five Guys

Everything fried goes into 100% peanut oil, and the burgers are griddled beef. Their fries are arguably the cleanest mainstream fast-food fry after Steak 'n Shake's tallow switch.

Order: Bunless burger bowl with all the toppings; fries if peanut oil fits your rules.

The Avoid List

• McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's: Fries and fried items in canola/soybean oil blends. (McDonald's famously used tallow until 1990 — the petition to bring it back is eternal.) If stuck: order plain griddled burger patties.
• Wingstop: Wings fried in soybean oil — the opposite of BWW.
• Panera, Subway: Soybean/canola oil throughout the dressings, sauces, and breads. Plainest possible salad with oil-free toppings if you have no other option.
• Almost every fried appetizer everywhere: Unless a chain advertises its frying fat, assume soybean or canola.

The Universal Ordering Playbook

When you're at a chain not on this list:

1. Default to griddled or grilled animal protein. A plain burger patty, grilled chicken, or steak is almost always safer than anything fried or sauced.
2. Sauces and dressings are the #1 hidden source. Ranch, vinaigrettes, aiolis, and "house sauces" are nearly always soybean or canola based. Ask for them on the side or skip entirely.
3. Ask one question: "What oil do you fry in?" Staff at chains can usually pull up the allergen/ingredient sheet. Peanut and tallow answers are wins; "vegetable oil" means soybean.
4. Check the chain's published ingredient list — every major chain publishes one online, and it's the ground truth that settles any debate.

Better Option: Skip the Chains Entirely

Chains are the fallback, not the plan. Every city we cover has independent restaurants cooking in tallow, butter, and olive oil as a point of pride — find them with The Blueprint search or browse our city guides, including deep dives on Austin and the SF Bay Area.

And for the meals you control completely, stock your kitchen with the right fats — our Clean Kitchen guide covers the best beef tallow brands and non-toxic cookware, and our tallow vs. seed oils deep dive explains the science behind why traditional fats win.