In the current trend of prioritizing healthier food choices, everyone wants to enjoy more nutritious options, even at fast food chains like McDonald’s. Although McDonald’s offers some healthy food on their menu, does McDonald’s have salads on their menu in 2023? Let’s find out!
As of now, McDonald’s does not have salads on their menu. Although salads were initially a part of the McDonald’s menu, they were discontinued a few years ago.
Salads at McDonald’s may seem strange to so many people. But yes, the chain had some delicious salads on its menu that were some of their bestsellers.
In this post, we will discuss the flavors McDonald’s initially offered with their salads, along with whether or not they will be back on the menu!
What's In The Post
Why Doesn’t McDonald’s Have Salads On Their Menu?
McDonald’s discontinued salads to slim down their menu, cut some costs, and use the same money for other needed purposes.
McDonald’s discontinued the salads from their menu just around the time the pandemic hit us. As we all know, this was a tough time for all of us, including major fast-food restaurant chains like McDonald’s. So, just like every other restaurant, McDonald’s also made efforts to do some cost-cutting.
As per “Eat This, Not That!” it turns out that McDonald’s needed a particular type of lettuce blend for their salads. This lettuce blend was pretty different from what they used to add to their burgers and sandwiches. As we all know, most people visit McDonald’s to enjoy their burgers and sandwiches more than their salads.
So, McDonald’s Corporation decided to cut down some costs by slimming down their menu options and using the same money elsewhere, where needed. Since this was right when the pandemic hit us, McDonald’s wanted to use the same money for safety measures like gloves, disinfectants, training staff, and social distancing efforts.
Hence, to limit their spending, McDonald’s discontinued salads entirely from their menu. It turns out that just them not ordering the unique lettuce blend for salads saved the corporation some money that could be used elsewhere!
When Did McDonald’s Stop Selling Salads?
McDonald’s discontinued salads in April 2020 to slim down their menu.
As you can see, McDonald’s discontinued all salads at the pandemic’s peak. This was when restaurants shut down, and quite a few places faced a complete lockdown.
So, before the situation got stable and McDonald’s outlets were to reopen, the chain did some cost-cutting and wholly removed the salads from their menu. So, if you ever ordered after the pandemic, you may not have seen salads on their menu.
What Salad Options Did McDonald’s Have In The Past?
Here are some lovely salad options that McDonald’s previously offered on their menu:
- Southwest Chicken Salad
- Classic Caesar Salad
- Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad
- Crispy Chicken Caesar Salad
- Side Salad
1. Southwest Chicken Salad
Price of the salad: $5
What’s In It: Grilled Chicken Breast, Lettuce, Black Beans, Grape Tomatoes, Avocado Dressing.
This salad from McDonald’s was probably one of their bestsellers. The salad is packed with delicious ingredients, making it a complete meal to enjoy any time of the day! The salad was loaded with grilled chicken breast as the protein.
Further, the salad also had lettuce, black beans, sweet corn, and grape tomatoes and was topped with a delicious avocado dressing! Sounds impressive. The good news is that you can still make this salad at home by following this easy Southwest chicken salad recipe.
2. Classic Caesar Salad
Price of the salad: $10.75
What’s In It: Lettuce, Mixed Greens, Chicken Breast Strips, Caesar Dressing, Croutons, Parmesan Cheese
Everyone knows a classic Caesar salad! McDonald’s stuck to this traditional recipe the best way possible by incorporating all the ingredients to make this delicious treat! To start, the salad was a pretty large portion!
Moreover, the salad consisted of all the elements of a Caesar salad, from Romaine lettuce, deliciously cooked chicken, and a yummy Caesar salad dressing. Further, the salad was topped with croutons and parmesan cheese!
3. Grilled Caesar Salad
Price of the salad: $13.99
What’s In It: Romaine Lettuce, Caesar Dressing, Grilled Chicken, Grated Parmesan, Croutons.
McDonald’s tried a few lovely versions of the classic Caesar salad, one of which was made with grilled chicken. The chicken itself, which was grilled perfectly, made this salad stand out.
The chicken is juicy yet tender and almost melts in your mouth. The rest of the elements in the salad are classic, ranging from romaine lettuce to crunchy croutons, parmesan cheese, and, finally, some Caesar dressing.
4. Crispy Chicken Caesar Salad
Price of the salad: $7.99
What’s In It: Romaine Lettuce, Crispy Chicken, Caesar Dressing, Grated Parmesan, Croutons.
Another lovely attempt by McDonald’s to elevate a classic chicken Caesar salad was this crispy chicken Caesar salad. As the name suggests, the salad is packed with the goodness of crispy fried chicken!
The fried chicken is breaded, perfectly juicy, and just the right amount of crispy. But it surely does not end there with this salad! The crispy chicken is all topped on a bed of romaine lettuce with parmesan cheese, croutons, and salad dressing.
5. Side Salad
Price of the salad: $ 2.19
What’s In It: Lettuce, Tomatoes, Choice of dressing – tangy vinaigrette, creamy ranch, zesty Italian sauce.
Lastly, McDonald’s also offers a lovely side salad on their menu. This salad is the perfect healthy accompaniment to any meal you crave. It is a great healthy option to consider in place of fries and other sides.
McDonald’s side salad is as simple as it could get. The salad is packed with fresh vegetables, including lettuce and cherry tomatoes. Further, customers can also customize their salad dressing, with options ranging from tangy vinaigrette, creamy ranch dressing, and a zesty Italian dressing!
Were McDonald’s Salads Healthy?
No, McDonald’s salads were not healthy, as believed by most nutritionists. McDonald’s salads had a lot of added dressings and cheese loaded with fat, making them unhealthy.
Moreover, the salads were often topped with generous amounts of cheese, increasing the fat and sodium content.
Like most McDonald’s food, eating these salads too often can harm the body. So, overall, the salads are alright to eat if you want to enjoy them in moderate quantities, and once in a while. However, as a complete meal, no, the salads at McDonald’s are not the healthiest.
Are Salads Coming Back To McDonald’s?
McDonald’s has not yet announced if the salads are returning to the menu.
To date, McDonald’s has not made any announcements regarding the salads and whether they will be added back to the menu anytime soon. Moreover, salads were also not a significant part of their sales, so McDonald’s has not mentioned anything about returning them.
But, although the salads were less popular, there has been sufficient demand to bring them back. Moreover, the matter of fact here is that McDonald’s is very particular about customer needs. So, despite no official news about the salads making a comeback, we hope it will happen soon!
Other Healthy Options At McDonald’s
McDonald’s salads were one of the healthier options this fast food chain had to offer their customers. But, although they are not available anymore, you can still enjoy a healthy meal at McDonald’s! Here are some other healthy options to enjoy at McDonald’s:
- Apple Slices
- French Fries – Small portion
- Hash Browns
- Smoothies
- Hamburger
- Egg McMuffin
- Fruit & Maple Oatmeal
These are some lovely healthy options you can enjoy at McDonald’s without any worries. However, you must still be aware of the portion sizes and more to ensure the option remains healthy. For more details about the same and unique options, look at Low-Calorie Healthy McDonald’s options to enjoy!
Conclusion
McDonald’s does not have salads, although they did before. They discontinued the salads from their menu in April 2020, right at the pandemic’s peak. Their salads were not one of their top sellers, which was one of the reasons why they were discontinued.
Moreover, the salads also needed a particular type of lettuce, which added to their costs. Hence, McDonald’s decided to discontinue the lovely salads from their menu to reduce costs and use the same money for Covid protocols and safety.
McDonald’s has not announced when the salads will be back to be a part of their menu. However, we can hope the same happens soon! Similarly, if you have doubts about other menu items and whether McDonald’s still has them on their menu, like snack wraps, Fruit and Yogurt Parfaits, Soups, and Almond Milk, I recommend looking at the articles on the same!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Does McDonald’s have salads on its menu?
No, McDonald’s does not have salads on their menu anymore.
When did McDonald’s discontinue salads from its menu?
McDonald’s discontinued salads from their menu back in April 2020.
Why did McDonald’s remove salads from their menu?
McDonald’s removed salads from their menu around COVID-19 to cut some costs and use the same for COVID-19 safety protocols.
What salads did McDonald’s previously have on their menu?
McDonald’s previously offered five different salads on their menu: Southwest Chicken Salad, Classic Caesar Salad, Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad, Crispy Chicken Caesar Salad, and Side Salad.
Is McDonald’s bringing salads back to their menu?
McDonald’s has not made any announcements about bringing salads back to their menu.
Were McDonald’s salads healthy?
McDonald’s salads were healthy, but only if eaten in moderation.
