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Healthy + Delicious Options at Buffalo Wild Wings

One of my husband and my favorite eating out spots is Buffalo Wild Wings aka BWW aka B-dubs!  We like to chill there and watch football, especially since we are too cheap for cable, so it’s how we see all the good games! Eating healthy at Buffalo Wild Wings is challenging. Perhaps one of the most challenging spots because well, it’s a sports bar known for their chicken wings. And they’re not exactly known for the healthiest options.

Healthy eating at buffalo wild wings - great tips!

 

But no challenge is to great to help you, my dear readers, (and goodness myself—that place is always a death trap for my diet!).

Disclaimer: I recognize that fast food even “upscale” fast food is what it is—lots of sodium, processed food, probably GMOs, animals raised in factory farms—my point is NOT to laud fast food as the healthiest choice, but to help you discover some of the healthiest fast food options out there.Eating Healthy at Buffalo Wild Wings is possible! Use these tips to make healthier choices while out with your friends at BWW!

The Pros of Eating Healthy at Buffalo Wild Wings

  • They have an allergen list online which is great for people with food sensitivities and allergies.
  • They also have their Buffalo Wild Wings Nutrition Guide you can consult and plan ahead for picking the healthiest option for you! Always option to have the nutrition facts available and I would consult those on the menu as well! 
  • They have beautiful food photos online!
  • You can watch your favorite sports teams on a bunch of t.v.s while you eat!
  • The atmosphere is relaxed and fun. No one there is taking things too seriously—well, besides the games!

RELATED: HEALTHY OPTIONS AT CHICK-FIL-A

Buffalo Wild Wings Healthy Eating Cons

  • There aren’t many healthy options. At all. I know their target demographic is probably not the “health nut” crowd, but I think Americans are generally getting more informed about their health and BWW seems woefully behind.
  • The portion sizes are large and because you may be in the restaurant for a long time (an entire ballgame!) it’s easy to keep eating even after you are full. 

buffalo wild wings website

12 Healthy Option Ideas at Buffalo Wild Wings

WINGS FOREVER!

  • 5 Count Naked Chicken Tenders are 260 calories; the total fat is 6 grams and great for those who are doing a low-carb diet. You can add dry seasonings to these as well or one of the signature sauces. For a lighter option this is a definite winner! Plus you can get EVEN more wings with the naked tenders because these are basically a chicken breast sliced into pieces. 
  • 6 Count Boneless wings plain are 360 calories. Add mild, medium, hot, spicy garlic, sweet barbecue, wild, or Nashville Hot sauce for only another 70 calories.
  • 6 Count Traditional wings are 430 calories and you can add a dry rub or one of the signature sauces above for a lighter options. Some of the sauce options are very high in calories (looking at you parmesan garlic!) so keep that in mind and don’t order willy-nilly. 
  • A small cauliflower wings is a great option at 550 calories for those who are gluten-free. These are also part of the vegan options and vegetarian option BWW offers. 
  • Mac and Cheese and Naked chicken tenders

Blue cheese dip is 280 calories for a serving and Ranch (Southwest or regular) is 320 calories a serving.

Nosh on celery sticks and carrot sticks! They normally bring you a big plate and don’t be afraid to ask for more to munch on! 

Healthy eating at Buffalo Wild Wings CAN be done! You just have to be intentional.

Classic Healthy Choices

You can’t go wrong with these choices, but they don’t really scream “B-dubs!” to me.

  • Garden Chicken Salad with grilled chicken for 450 calories. Their Chicken Caesar salad is also a not a bad choice at 600ish calories. Light dressing options include ranch and light balsamic. 
  • Classic chicken wrap with pulled chicken or boneless wings is 670 or 680 calories–totally reasonable and it is a fairly healthy choice with those extra veggies.
  • Saucy Chicken Sandwich for 500 calories and 30 gram of protein. Top it with your preferred sauce, add blue cheese, cheddar cheese or American cheese or pepper jack for 80ish extra calories. Yes, please! Whenever I’m not sure what is a good restaurant choice you can hardly go wrong with a plain, grilled chicken sandwich.
  • Street Tacos – A solid option for around 630 calories and 28 grams of protein. 
  • Brisket Tacos – Similar to the above these brisket tacos come in at 610 and 33 grams of protein. 

Healthy Starter and Side Ideas

  • Chips and Salsa — It will only run you 250 calories for a full order. I love chips and salsa!!
  • Garden Salad — Add one of these is a great way to fill up and get in vegetables! 
  • Carrots and celery. Just eat them without ranch or blue cheese dip! 
  • Potato wedges are a lighter choice than french fries and still give you the “french fry” feel. Dip them in ketchup or buffalo sauce for more of a kick. 

Definitely Avoid at Buffalo Wild Wings

  • Ribs. They’re just plain not good for you. Anything paired with ribs, is standard to avoid—ribs and wings, ribs and chicken, ribs and more ribs—all weigh in with over 1500 calories. The portion sizes are also a factor here as well. 
  • Big Jack Daddy Burger—Oh my! This burger weighs in at over 1000 calories and is topped with pulled pork and onion rings! It’s completely crazy.
  • There is a lot of “green-washing” happening in the salads. The Buffalo Chicken, Honey BBQ chicken, and Santa Fe salad all have over 1000 calories! *insert gasping emoji!* Even though they include fresh vegetables watch out for the extra grams of fat that hide in these salad dressings. 
  • Excessive amounts of anything. I think one of the dangers of BWW is that you can down 10 wings, 2 mozzarella sticks, some queso and dip, and a few beers and not even realize it over the course of a game!
  • Anything with the word “queso” is going to be unhealthy. Eat your queso on your birthday or when you get a promotion at work. An order of Chili Cheese dip is 920 without the chips. Wowza!
  • Cheese curds –These are so low in nutritional value. They’re tasty little morsels, but it’s hard to justify them in a healthy lifestyle. 

drinkatbww

 

Lighter Drink Options

Here are some good choices for lighter drinks.

  • Diet coke and rum. (My personal drink of choice for BWW)
  • Vodka cranberry
  • Skinny margarita (Second favorite drink)
  • Light beer—not a beer person so I’m not going to make a personal recommendation for a type. Ask your beer connoisseur friends—everyone has one or two of those, right?
  • Unsweetened iced tea

Bottom line: There are some healthier options at Buffalo Wild Wings, but not many. 

Healthy Restaurant Cheat Sheet on ipad on top of white plate against a gray background

Get my Healthy Restaurant Cheat Sheets with the top healthy choices at all my favorite fast food and casual dining places!!

 

So there you have my healthy eating at Buffalo Wild Wings tips! Next time I go to BWW I will be ordering a snack pack of boneless wings with chipotle BBQ sauce, a caesar side salad, lots of celery, and a diet coke.

This is a classic game day meal that is very “sports bar” and “Buffalo Wild Wings” to me, but still a reasonably healthy option. There aren’t a ton of best choices at Buffalo Wild Wings but you can definitely find some options. 

Do you have any tips for healthy eating at Buffalo Wild Wings or at a sports bar in general? I’d love to hear them in the comments!

Don’t forget to pin this post so you can reference it when you eat out! 

Healthy Eating at Buffalo Wild Wings with these tips and meal ideas!

If you liked this, you may like my Healthy Boneless Buffalo Wings recipe! Delicious, boneless buffalo “wings” you can make and enjoy at home! No wild crowds at home!

Boneless Buffalo Wings made healthier! Perfect for game night!

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17 Comments

    1. Yeah, I definitely have to go in with a “plan” otherwise it becomes a free for all. haha! Their desserts are pretty good too. I think that’s bad is you sit there for two hours watching a game and get hungry again! Lol!

  1. i personally don’t eat at buffalo wild wings because places like that just don’t do healthy food very well. however if i ever was stuck going there because someone else got to pick the place, i’d probably get those naked wings and a brew!

  2. My safe go-to is a piece of grilled fish or chicken, where ever I go. And every place always has some lettuce leaves, even if salads are not on the menu, so I just order A LA CARTE if I can 🙂 There is no harm in asking – after all, you ARE the one paying!

  3. My husband and I used to ALWAYS go to BWW for football before we got NFL Sunday Ticket. But then we realized that we spent more at the bar than we would on the ticket going week after week!

    My healthy go-to is one miller lite (I feel like beer is necessary there, and this is not a bad one…) and a 6 piece naked tender with a side salad. no sauce for the tenders. I am full, I got a good amount of protein, and I enjoyed ONE adult beverage. 🙂

    1. I think my husband wished we went enough to justify Sunday ticket! haha! Sounds like you’ve got your meal keyed in–that’s awesome!

  4. Thanks so much for this post! My hubby and I go to B-Dubs a couple of times a week, and it’s hard on a diet! I love their salads. Just keep the dressing on the side and I usually skip the croutons!

  5. Kate,
    Thank you for taking the time to do this. I’m currently on this NutriMost “life change”..as I won’t call it a diet. Unfortunately, for the first 20 days my caloric intake is VERY minimal and have to stay clear of carbs if possible. I’m a sports guy like most, so I do LOVE hitting greasy sports bars for beer, wings, burgers, and greasy fries! Tonight, I’m going to BWW with my girlfriend and I’m going to be tortured as she will be crushing ALL sorts of greasy, tasty things and washing then down with micro beers. I will just have 4-6 dry wings and dip them slightly into a hit sauce. I’ll have some cole slaw or a small salad with no dressing, and I’ll get to wash that down with a lemon water! Haha! I can’t wait for this 1st 20 days to end. Thank you once again for helping those that don’t have a clue of what we’re able to eat and be healthy.
    Regards,
    Gary

  6. Their nutritional information is currently available as a PDF online:
    https://www.buffalowildwings.com/Documents/BWW_Nutritional_Info.pdf

    The statistics in this article could use an update as it understated the caloric content of the menu by a very wide margin. For quick perspective, large twenty piece wing orders with most sauces contain about 286 grams of fat, 112 grams of which are saturated (the recommended daily saturated fat intake is only 16 grams). Furthermore they pack 10,000+ milligrams of sodium! Also, almost every appetizer on the menu that’s fried has over 60 grams of fat.

    1. Thanks for the info, Andy! Hopefully a 20 piece wing order wouldn’t be consumed by just one person, but yes, there are a lot of calories, fat, and sodium in the typical BWW meal.

  7. Think your calorie count is wrong as BWW staltes a snack size wing is 890 calories. Gotta take into accountability they FRY them. No wings are considered low in calorie unless they are baked ir grilled.

  8. On their nutritional info sheet it says that their chicken breast has 0 grams of saturated fat, but as someone who worked as a cook at BWW for 4 years, I can assure you that all their grilled chicken is covered in butter flavoured oil alternative. which is pure fat. When prepped in the morning or days before, it is grilled on a flat top lathered with said oil, cooled, diced and portioned. When ordered for a salad, it is cooked to order, but still a heavy brushing of the oil goes onto the flat top. Of course, not all of this soaks or clings into the chicken, but definitely more than 0 grams of saturated fats worth. The healthy options are not as healthy as they claim.

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