How many carbs are in a big breakfast?

January 2, 2026 •

3 min read

According to nutritional data, a single serving of a 'Big Breakfast with Hotcakes' from a popular fast-food chain can contain over 150 grams of carbohydrates. This high count is a major concern for those watching their macros, and understanding exactly how many carbs are in a big breakfast is the first step toward making informed dietary choices.

Quick Summary

The carb content of a big breakfast varies significantly by restaurant and ingredients. Standard fast-food versions often exceed 100g due to items like hotcakes, hash browns, and biscuits. For lower-carb alternatives, focus on egg-based meals with lean proteins, substituting traditional high-carb sides for healthier options.

Key Points

High Carbs in Fast Food Big Breakfast: Fast-food big breakfasts, especially those with hotcakes, can contain over 150 grams of carbohydrates, primarily from pancakes, syrup, biscuits, and hash browns.
Carb Count Varies by Menu Item: The specific carb content depends on the restaurant and meal components; a McDonald's Big Breakfast without hotcakes has about 57g of carbs, while the version with hotcakes has 158g.
Common High-Carb Ingredients: The main culprits in a standard big breakfast are flour-based products and potatoes, such as pancakes, biscuits, toast, and hash browns.
Low-Carb Swaps for Restaurants: When ordering out, opt for extra protein like sausage or bacon instead of toast and choose avocado or a side salad over hash browns.
Homemade Low-Carb Alternatives: For a DIY big breakfast, use cauliflower or jicama for hash browns and almond flour for pancakes to significantly reduce the carb load.
Control Sugar Intake: Syrup and other added sugars in sweet breakfast components are major carbohydrate contributors and should be avoided or replaced with sugar-free alternatives.

A classic 'big breakfast' is a tempting meal, but for those managing their carb intake, it can be a nutritional minefield. The exact number of carbohydrates depends heavily on the specific components, such as whether it includes hotcakes, hash browns, or toast. Standard fast-food options are often the most carb-heavy, while homemade versions can be customized for better control.

The Breakdown: Fast-Food Big Breakfast Carbs

Fast-food chains are notorious for serving big breakfasts that are loaded with carbs. The inclusion of hotcakes, syrup, and biscuits dramatically increases the carbohydrate count, pushing it far beyond the recommended amount for many diets. Even without the added hotcakes, the standard meal is still a significant source of carbs due to hash browns and an English muffin or biscuit.

McDonald's Big Breakfast Carb Count

McDonald's offers several versions of its Big Breakfast, and the carb counts vary accordingly.

Big Breakfast (with English Muffin and Sausage): This version is considerably lower in carbs than the hotcakes version, with approximately 57 grams of total carbohydrates.
Big Breakfast with Hotcakes: This is the highest-carb option, with up to 158 grams of total carbohydrates. This is primarily due to the inclusion of three hotcakes and a side of syrup.

Denny's Big Breakfast Carb Count

Denny's, another popular diner chain, also serves big breakfast options with varying carb counts. The Grand Slamwich, for instance, contains 82g of total carbs, while the Super Slam has 95g.

IHOP Big Breakfast Carb Count

IHOP's menu includes many large breakfast plates. The 'Big Breakfast Burrito' has a high carb count, coming in at 80g. This is a good example of how even seemingly savory breakfast items can contain substantial carbs when they include flour tortillas and other starchy fillings.

Comparison Table: Popular Big Breakfast Carbs

To put these numbers into perspective, here is a comparison of the approximate carbohydrate content of popular big breakfast options.


Restaurant	Meal	Main Carb Sources	Approximate Total Carbs	Notes
McDonald's	Big Breakfast	English Muffin, Hash Brown	~57g	Excludes hotcakes and syrup.
McDonald's	Big Breakfast with Hotcakes	Hotcakes, Hash Brown, Biscuit, Syrup	~158g	A high-sugar, high-carb option.
Denny's	Grand Slamwich	Bread	~82g	Excludes drinks and extra sides.
Denny's	Super Slam	Pancakes, Hash Browns	~95g	Includes pancakes and hash browns.
IHOP	Big Breakfast Burrito	Tortilla, Hash Browns	~80g	Specific to the burrito option.

Strategies for a Lower-Carb Big Breakfast

Achieving a lower-carb big breakfast is entirely possible with some mindful substitutions. The key is to reduce or eliminate high-carb items like bread, pancakes, and potatoes.

At a Restaurant

When ordering at a restaurant, you can make simple requests to drastically cut carbs:

Swap toast for extra protein: Ask for an extra side of bacon or sausage instead of toast.
Replace hash browns: Request sliced avocado or a side salad without croutons in place of hash browns.
Skip the sweets: Avoid all pancake and hotcake versions, as they are a major source of sugar and carbs.

At Home

Cooking your own big breakfast allows for complete control over ingredients and macros. Some low-carb substitutions include:

Cauliflower or Jicama Hash Browns: These vegetable alternatives can be seasoned and fried to a crisp, providing the texture of hash browns with a fraction of the carbs.
Keto Pancakes: Recipes using almond flour or coconut flour create fluffy, low-carb pancakes that can be topped with sugar-free syrup.
Lettuce Wraps: Use large lettuce leaves as wraps for breakfast burritos instead of tortillas.
Vegetable Fillings: Load up on mushrooms, spinach, and bell peppers in your scrambled eggs or omelets for added nutrients and volume without the carbs.

Conclusion

The carbohydrate content of a big breakfast is highly variable, but it often far exceeds daily recommendations, especially in fast-food settings. With a single restaurant meal potentially delivering more than a full day's worth of carbs, it's essential for consumers to be aware of the nutritional implications. By understanding the primary sources of carbs in these meals—pancakes, hash browns, biscuits, and syrup—individuals can make smarter choices. Whether at a restaurant or at home, simple substitutions focusing on eggs, lean proteins, and low-carb vegetable sides can transform a carb-heavy indulgence into a more balanced and health-conscious meal.

For more detailed nutritional information and recipe inspiration, resources like Nutrifox provide extensive data on popular menu items. Taking control of your big breakfast means you can still enjoy a hearty morning meal without the high carb count.

Frequently Asked Questions

A standard McDonald's Big Breakfast with an English muffin and sausage contains around 57 grams of total carbohydrates. However, the version with Hotcakes and syrup contains a much higher 158 grams of carbohydrates.

The main sources of carbohydrates in a typical big breakfast are hotcakes or pancakes, syrup, biscuits, toast, and potatoes in the form of hash browns.

For a lower-carb version, replace hash browns with sautéed vegetables like mushrooms or spinach, or try cauliflower hash browns. Instead of biscuits or pancakes, use keto-friendly alternatives made with almond flour or simply have extra eggs and meat.

Yes, but it requires significant modification. By eliminating high-carb items and focusing on eggs, bacon, sausage, and low-carb vegetable sides, you can create a keto-friendly big breakfast. Most fast-food big breakfasts are not suitable for low-carb diets without extensive changes.

According to nutritional data, an IHOP Big Breakfast Burrito has approximately 80 grams of total carbohydrates, mostly from the large flour tortilla and hash browns.

To reduce carbs at home, you can make your own hash browns from cauliflower or jicama, replace toast with avocado slices, and use almond flour for pancakes or waffles. Focus on cooking eggs and meat, and load up on veggies.

A big breakfast consisting of only eggs, bacon, and sausage would be very low in carbohydrates, making it a suitable choice for low-carb or ketogenic diets. The high carb count in most commercial big breakfasts comes from the starchy sides.