The 6 Healthiest Menu Items at Smashburger—and 5 To Skip

Smashburger may be famous for its smash burgers, but its menu boasts some of the most unique burgers and sandwiches in the fast food world. From chicken or turkey burgers topped with truffle mayo, ancho chilis, and even brisket to rosemary and garlic-seasoned smash fries, the flavors are undeniably bold. But how do these tasty Smashburger menu items fare in terms of health?

Grabbing a burger and fries often comes down to convenience and cravings, but that doesn't mean you have to abandon your health goals completely. While not every choice at Smashburger is nourishing, there are plenty of options that can satisfy your cravings without derailing your diet. Even at Smashburger, you'll find items that are lower in saturated fat and sodium, have little to no trans fats, and maybe even offer a few grams of fiber to help you meet those daily goals.

We looked at everything the Smashburger menu has to offer to find the healthiest foods on the menu, and you will probably (definitely) want to skip a few.

How We Chose the Healthiest Smashburger Orders

To find the healthiest options at Smashburger, we considered the following criteria:

• Lower saturated fat. While the verdict is still out on whether saturated fats are as bad for us as past research has said, it's wise to avoid consuming 200% of the recommended daily value (DV). The current advice is to limit saturated fat to less than 10% of your daily calories, and each gram of fat adds nine calories to your meal.

• Lower sodium. Although sodium is essential, most people consume too much, increasing the risk of high blood pressure, stroke, and heart disease (the leading cause of death for men and women). While a low-sodium order is hard to find at Smashburger, you can choose items that contribute half or less of the recommended DV of sodium.

• Lower trans fats. Trans fats have largely been removed from processed foods thanks to FDA regulations, but they are still naturally present in meat and dairy from cows and sheep. Natural trans fats are just as harmful as artificial ones, increasing the risk of heart disease. The healthiest options at Smashburger have less than 0.5 grams of trans fats per serving.

Burgers

Avocado Bacon Club Turkey Burger

Piling a turkey burger onto a multigrain bun with avocado, bacon, lettuce, tomato, ranch, and mayo may not seem like the healthiest choice, but it is one of the best options when it comes to a burger at Smashburger. The avocado adds 2 grams of fiber and heart-healthy fat, while the multigrain bun has 3 grams of fiber. Choosing the turkey burger instead of beef saves 3 grams of saturated fat and 40 milligrams of sodium.

To make the Avocado Bacon Club Turkey Burger a bit healthier, skip the bacon and the mayo. Leaving both of these options off will shave 150 calories, 15 grams of fat, and 325 milligrams of sodium from your order.

 I Tried 8 Turkey Bacon Brands & the Best Was Crispy & Juicy

Craft Your Own Turkey Burger on Lettuce with Aged Swiss, Mustard, Lettuce, Pickles, Red Onions, and Tomato

The healthiest burger at Smashburger can be one that you create yourself. For a burger that's lower in sodium and fat but high in protein and flavor, this one hits the spot! Skip the bun and get a turkey burger on lettuce with aged Swiss cheese for extra protein and flavor. Instead of mayo or a sauce that packs in the sodium, choose something simple like mustard or ketchup and pile on the fresh veggie toppings!

Chicken

Classic Smash Grilled Chicken

Choosing the Classic Smash Grilled Chicken Sandwich instead of the fried chicken sandwich saves 220 calories and an impressive 600 milligrams of sodium. While this sandwich is still a bit higher in sodium than we'd like to see for a single meal (49% DV), it's one of the best chicken options you can get at Smashburger.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

 14 Best Fast-Food Chicken Sandwiches In America

Truffle Mushroom Swiss Grilled Chicken

This grilled chicken patty is topped with sauteed crimini mushrooms, Swiss cheese, and truffle mayo before being sandwiched between Smashburgers' classic bun. The ingredients in the Truffle Mushroom Swiss Grilled Chicken Sandwich add tons of flavor to this sandwich, with a lot less sodium and fat than most other chicken options on the menu. Crimini mushrooms and Swiss cheese are naturally low in sodium and fat, helping to keep levels down on this sandwich. The truffle mayo adds wonderful flavor but also 100 calories and 11 grams of fat, so if you want to cut down on either of these nutrients without sacrificing protein, consider skipping it.

Fries and Sides

Smash Fries

The Smashfries are big on flavor, tossed with rosemary, garlic, and olive oil, and have even less sodium than the regular fries. Compared to the other french fry options available, these pack some of the most flavor with the least sodium and unhealthy fat.

Tots

A regular order of Tots adds just 240 calories, over 100 calories less than any other side offered at Smashburger. Each serving also has 3 grams of fiber, or 11% of the DV.

 11 Best High-Fiber Fast-Food Orders

5 Menu Items to Skip

Worst: Double Smoked Bacon Brisket Burger

It really doesn't get much unhealthier than the Double Smoked Bacon Brisket Burger. With 178% DV of saturated fat, 120% DV of sodium, and four grams of trans fats, this sandwich has all the nutrients your heart can't handle. The recommendation for trans fat consumption, whether it's from natural or processed sources, is no more than 2.2 grams per day. Diets high in trans fats increase the risk of death from any cause by 34%. In just this sandwich, you get almost double the recommended limit of this dangerous fat.

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Worst: Scorchin' Hot Chicken Tenders

These all-white meat chicken tenders are battered, fried, and slathered in Nashville hot sauce. All that batter, oil, and sauce add up to a high-calorie, high-fat, high-sodium meal that's best left in the kitchen. An order of five Scorchin Hot Chicken Tenders has 187% of the DV of sodium and 200% DV of saturated fat. Sure, they're high in protein and will most likely leave you full, but there are plenty of other options on the menu that have less than half the salt, fat, and calories as this order.

Worst: Double Colorado Burger

With two Angus beef patties, two types of cheese, mayo, and a spicy bun, the Double Colorado Burger has more than a day's worth of saturated fat and trans fat. At 94% DV of sodium in each serving, there's not much room for the rest of your day to balance out this highly processed, unhealthy burger.

If you like the flavors of this burger, opt for the single and skip the cheese spread to save 420 calories, 2 grams of trans fat, and 17 grams of saturated fat.

Worst: BBQ Bacon Cheddar Crispy Chicken Sandwich

What happens when you pile deep-fried onion rings and greasy bacon on top of a fried chicken sandwich? A whole lot of sodium. One BBQ Bacon Cheddar Crispy Chicken Sandwich has 104% of the DV of sodium. If you're craving a fried chicken sandwich, choose the Classic Smash Crispy Chicken, which saves you 670 milligrams of sodium and 160 calories.

 I Tried the Onion Rings at 6 Fast-Food Chains & the Best Was Crispy and Spicy

Worst: Oreo Cookies & Cream Shake

While most of the unhealthy menu items at Smashburger are savory options, we're settling on a sweet dessert you may want to skip over. The Oreo Cookies & Cream Shake has 66 grams of sugar, most of which are added from ingredients like sugar, corn syrup, and high fructose corn syrup. It also has 155% of the DV for saturated fat, making it a dessert you may want to pass on.