The #1 Healthiest Order at Longhorn Steakhouse

From its first location on Peachtree Street in Atlanta in 1981, LongHorn Steakhouse has grown into one of the nation’s most popular steakhouse chains. The restaurant takes a customer-first approach to deliver excellent service and consistently good menu options. As a result, the chain has grown to 563 locations across the U.S.

LongHorn is known for its fresh (never frozen) steaks, including Flo’s filet, ribeyes, porterhouses, NY strips, top sirloin, steak tips, and chopped steak.  The chain also has an extensive menu with soup, other appetizers, ribs, chicken, fish, and seafood. LongHorn Steakhouse is owned by Darden Restaurants, the mega-brand that owns nine chains, including Olive Garden, Yard House, Seasons 52, and Bahama Breeze.

To help you make the most informed order when visiting LongHorn Steakhouse, we poured through the menu options and dove into the nutritional nuances of the main dishes. Like many other casual chain restaurants, LongHorn offers many menu options that derail your best intentions of eating well. You should always plan and refer to the restaurant’s nutrition guide when eating at any steakhouse to avoid ginormous portions and oversized calorie, fat, and sodium counts.

At LongHorn, many of the absolute worst choices are the starters. For example, the chain offers 1,180-calorie Texas Tonion (fried onion petals), 2,040-calorie Texas brisket nachos, and 730-calorie cheddar-stuffed mushrooms. These dishes pack in too many calories and excessive amounts of fat, saturated fat, and sodium. Even if they were all you ate, you’d still exceed your daily fat and sodium limits with some of these appetizers.

Fortunately, LongHorn Steakhouse has several main dishes that can fit into a healthful diet.

 The 14 Best & Worst Menu Items at LongHorn Steakhouse

5 Steps To Order the Healthiest Options at LongHorn Steakhouse

Here are some general tricks and tips for ordering healthier options at LongHorn Steakhouse.

1. Choose a smaller steak. If you’re going to a steakhouse to have steak, that’s fine, just order the smaller size. For example, the 6-ounce Flo’s filet has 330 calories, and the 6-ounce Renegade Sirloin has 320 calories compared to 1,250 in the 20-ounce Outlaw ribeye.
2. Select a steakhouse salad. LongHorn Steakhouse offers seven great salads as main dishes. These include the 7-Pepper Sirloin Salad and the LongHorn Caesar Salad with Chicken or Salmon. The healthiest main meal salads with protein include 7-Pepper Sirloin Salad, Farm Fresh Field Greens with Salmon, Farm Fresh Field Greens with Crispy Chicken Tenders, and the LongHorn Caesar Salad with Chicken.
3. Choose the right side dishes. The chain has healthier appetizers and side dishes, including veggies like broccoli, corn on the cob, Brussels sprouts, okra, baked potatoes, and rice pilaf. These are all less than 300 calories, as opposed to the 610-calorie side of macaroni and cheese or the 500-calorie mashed potatoes and gravy.
4. Stick with main dishes that provide up to 500 calories. That way, you can still have a side salad or a side of veggies and a cup of soup, and you’ll still be within a reasonable calorie limit. The good news is that the chain has many tasty mains that won’t break your daily calorie budget. Some of the best options include the six-piece hand-breaded chicken tenders, 7-ounce salmon with eight Redrock grilled shrimp, 6-ounce Flo’s filet, 6-ounce Renegade sirloin, and 12-ounce lemon garlic chicken.
5. Try smarter starters. The appetizers at LongHorn can be loaded with calories and fat, so be sure to choose wisely. The worst options include almost all the epic beginnings, mainly in the 700 to 2,000-plus calorie range.  Instead, order a cup of one of the chain’s soups or side salads. All will be less than 300 calories, and the salad options add fiber and essential nutrients to your diet.

Read on to learn the absolute best main dish to order at LongHorn for your health and some of the best steps to order healthier when dining at LongHorn Steakhouse. Then, check out The #1 Unhealthiest Order at Longhorn Steakhouse.

The healthiest order at Longhorn Steakhouse is…the Farm Fresh Field Greens with Salmon

Nutrition (Per salad):
Calories: 530
Fat: 29 g (Saturated Fat: 9 g)
Sodium: 710 mg
Carbs: 23 g (Fiber: 5 g, Sugar: 7 g)
Protein: 43 g

This substantial main meal salad is the best choice on the menu for many reasons. It has an appropriate calorie count, moderate saturated fat and sodium values, and provides 5 grams of fiber to help keep you full. Moreover, salmon provides beneficial omega-3 fatty acids and 43 grams of high-quality protein that can enhance satiety.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

Most main course menu options, like steaks, surf ‘n turf, ribs, pork chops, and chicken dishes, lack fiber. The field greens and tomatoes will provide essential nutrients found primarily in plant-based dishes like vitamins A and C, folate, and beneficial carotenoids. This menu item also has just 7 grams of sugar, significantly lower than many other dishes on the menu with more added sugars.

If steak is a must-have when you eat out at LongHorn Steakhouse, the 7-Pepper Sirloin Salad is a runner-up best option.

 The Best LongHorn Steakhouse Order for Weight Loss

Another healthy Longhorn Steakhouse order is the 7-Pepper Sirloin Salad

Nutrition (Per salad):
Calories: 490
Fat: 26 g (Saturated Fat: 12 g)
Sodium: 1,120 mg
Carbs: 22 g (Fiber: 5 g, Sugar: 5 g)
Protein: 45 g

The 7-Pepper Sirloin Salad offers a similar nutritional profile as the Farm Fresh Field Greens with Salmon, but it is higher in saturated fat and sodium compared to the salmon salad. It also lacks the beneficial omega-3 fatty acids found only in fatty fish like salmon.

Julie Upton, MS, RD, CSSD