Keto at Olive Garden is easiest with Herb-Grilled Salmon, Grilled Chicken Margherita or the listed Tuscan Sirloin, then a deliberate decision about salad. Skip pasta and breadsticks, and count soup as another carb serving rather than a free starter. The useful options are already in the nutrition guide; you don’t need to invent zucchini noodles to make dinner possible.
All figures below come from the Olive Garden Nutrition Information PDF, retrieved October 24, 2026. It covers U.S. restaurants excluding Hawaii and carries the document code US_083126, but states no explicit effective date. Values are as published by the chain, as served unless noted.
Start with an as-served entree
| Item and serving | Calories | Total carbs | Fiber | Protein |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Herb-Grilled Salmon, as served | 610 | 9g | 4g | 45g |
| Grilled Chicken Margherita, as served | 650 | 15g | 5g | 65g |
| 6 oz. Tuscan Sirloin, gluten-sensitive menu | 480 | 9g | 4g | 46g |
The salmon is my first pick for a straightforward lower-carb order. Chicken Margherita offers more protein, but also more carbs. Neither requires pretending that a pasta entree is the same meal once someone removes the noodles.
These are whole listed entree values, not numbers for bare fish, chicken or steak. Don’t automatically add a vegetable serving just because you expect vegetables on the plate. Ask what the listed entree includes, then count only genuinely additional food.
Olive Garden’s guide puts the Tuscan Sirloin in its gluten-sensitive section. Gluten-sensitive doesn’t mean carb-free, so its nutrition row still matters. The same goes for the salmon: calculate net carbs from its published carbs and fiber, rather than deciding that all fish dishes must be zero-carb.
Salad names matter
| Item and serving | Calories | Total carbs | Fiber | Protein |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salad without Croutons, gluten-sensitive menu | 110 | 7g | 2g | 2g |
| Salad with Signature Italian Dressing | 150 | 13g | 2g | 3g |
| Salad without Dressing | 70 | 11g | 2g | 2g |
| Italian Dressing, 1 fl oz | 80 | 2g | 0g | 0g |
| Parmesan Garlic Broccoli, side | 150 | 8g | 3g | 5g |
| Alfredo dipping sauce, regular serving | 440 | 5g | 0g | 8g |
Salad without Dressing and Salad without Croutons aren’t interchangeable orders. The first still has 11g total carbs in the guide. The second is a separately published gluten-sensitive menu item with 7g total carbs.
For the complete orders below, ask for Salad without Croutons as listed. Its published count is the one used. Don’t add an Italian Dressing portion on top unless you actually order an additional portion; that would be an extra, not a correction to the existing row.
I wouldn’t order the regular salad and then guess how much its croutons weigh. When the chain gives us the exact alternative, that’s the easier route. Lettuce doesn’t need a supporting spreadsheet drama.
Parmesan Garlic Broccoli is a separate side. Add its count only when you order it in addition to the entree’s included accompaniments.
Alfredo dipping sauce also has a measured serving. It’s an optional addition with both carbs and calories, not a reason to order bread for dipping. A sauce count doesn’t transfer to a full pasta entree.
Soups and pasta need a bigger carb allowance
| Item and serving | Calories | Total carbs | Fiber | Protein |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minestrone Soup, 1 listed serving | 110 | 17g | 4g | 5g |
| Zuppa Toscana Soup, 1 listed serving | 220 | 15g | 2g | 7g |
| Fettuccine Alfredo, dinner | 1220 | 78g | 3g | 27g |
| Plain Breadstick, 1 | 130 | 25g | 1g | 4g |
Minestrone and Zuppa Toscana each work out to 13g net carbs per listed serving. Either one can make a lower-carb entree meal substantially higher in carbs. They aren’t unrestricted keto sides just because they’re served in bowls.
Minestrone’s beans are part of the soup, so this isn’t a side you can turn into a low-carb dish by asking to leave off a topping.
The table uses a plain breadstick because its fiber is an exact published value. A garlic-topped breadstick also lists 25g total carbs, but its fiber is stated as less than 1g. That’s not permission to invent an exact net figure. Either way, removing garlic topping doesn’t remove the bread.
Complete orders, counted
| Order | Calories | Total carbs | Net carbs | Protein |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Herb-Grilled Salmon as served, no extras | 610 | 9g | 5g | 45g |
| Herb-Grilled Salmon + Salad without Croutons | 720 | 16g | 10g | 47g |
| Grilled Chicken Margherita + Salad without Croutons | 760 | 22g | 15g | 67g |
| 6 oz. Tuscan Sirloin + Salad without Croutons | 590 | 16g | 10g | 48g |
| Comparison: Fettuccine Alfredo + Plain Breadstick | 1350 | 103g | 99g | 31g |
| Comparison: Chicken Margherita + Minestrone Soup | 760 | 32g | 23g | 70g |
The first four rows are lower-carb orders. The salmon-only row is the entree without added soup, salad or bread. The other rows add the listed no-crouton salad serving.
The last two rows are comparisons. Notice that even a suitable chicken entree can become a much higher-carb meal when soup joins it. Count the entire sequence of food, not just whatever arrives on the main plate.
No extra bread, sauce refills or drinks are included in these totals. Net carbs are total carbs minus published fiber. Leaving part of a plate uneaten changes what you consume, but isn’t the same as changing the restaurant’s listed serving.
How to order
- Choose the exact listed salmon, Chicken Margherita or Tuscan Sirloin entree.
- Confirm its included accompaniments before adding another side.
- Ask for the listed Salad without Croutons if you want salad.
- Decline breadsticks and decide whether soup fits the meal’s carb total.
- Count extra dressing, sauce and side portions separately.
The listed salmon, chicken and sirloin entrees make dinner straightforward. Pick one, decide on salad, and leave the bread basket alone.
For more chains, see our keto fast food guide and our comparison of high-protein, low-carb fast food orders.