She has also had 16 wellness books published by major publishers including the bestselling Easy GI Diet, The Macro Method, Quit Alcohol (For a Month) and Eat 5. Her books have sold over one million copies.
- 26 Cottage Cheese Toast Toppings - June 17, 2026
- Simple No-Carb Tabbouleh Recipe - October 12, 2025
- 24 Healthy Egg-Based Breakfasts - August 22, 2025
If you’ve been told to keep a close tab on your sodium intake, you might be wondering if you can still order at Sonic. Well, we’ve searched through the Sonic menu and found the menu items that contain the lowest amount of sodium – and if you’re trying to eat healthily in other ways too, we’ll also pinpoint the low salt dishes that also have the fewest calories, fat, and sugar.
The Absolute Lowest Sodium Option At Sonic
The absolute lowest sodium menu item at Sonic is the Chicken Slinger which contains 680mg of sodium.
This menu item is only small, but, if you want to stick to the average per meal of 767mg we use as our cut-off for low sodium in these posts, you don’t have much wiggle room to add a side. The lowest sodium side at Sonic is the Small Fries which contains 260mg of sodium. That would take your meal to a total sodium level of 940mg.
That is well over the cut-off for our average. and is likely to be pretty close to your limit if your doctor has suggested your low-sodium diet, so you might have to balance out your intake for the rest of the day.
The Next Lowest Sodium Options At Sonic
If you don’t feel like the Chicken Slinger, here are the next ten lowest items – and the good news is you can have a burger. Some of the other items do come over that cut-off – even without a side dish, so you’ll need to keep a careful eye on your salt intake at your other meals.
| Dish | Sodium Level |
| JR. Burger | 710mg |
| Crispy Tenders 3 PC | 730mg |
| All Beef Regular Hot Dog | 800mg |
| Crispy Chicken Sandwich | 870mg |
| BLT Toaster | 940mg |
| JR Burger with Cheese | 1040mg |
| Pork Tenderloin Sandwich | 1060mg |
| Grilled Cheese Sandwich | 1090mg |
| Jumbo Popcorn Chicken (Small) | 1100mg |
| New York Hot Dog | 1110mg |
5 Other Ways to Cut Sodium at Sonic
Customise Carefully
If you want to add extra toppings to your burger, choose wisely – pick the Hatch Green Chillis (zero sodium) over Jalapenos (140mg) or Hot Chilli (170mg). Bacon has less sodium (220mg) than cheese (330mg). Onions are okay – they have just 5mg.
Breakfast on French Toast
The French Toast is by far the lowest salt way to start your day at Sonic with 460mg of sodium.
Fries over Tots
A small portion of fries has half the sodium as a small portion of Tots. Ask for your fries unsalted and you will decrease things a little further.
Shake it Off
The Classic Shakes are generally slightly lower in sodium than the other shakes – and the Real Banana Mini has the least at 260mg. This is also lower than the Soft Serve.
Skip the Buffalo Dip
It’s always the highest in sodium when we write these posts, and Sonic is no exception. If you need to dip your fries in something, pick ketchup or mustard which have 85mg each.
Low Salt Choices at Sonic for Other Diets
If you’re also watching other elements of a healthy diet at Sonic, this section is for you. It looks at how to cut calories, fat, and sugar, while also watching your salt intake.
The Lowest Sodium, Lowest Saturated Fat Choice At Sonic
The lowest sodium, lowest saturated fat main menu option is the Crispy Tenders at 730mg of sodium and just 1 gram of saturated fat.
But, you need to consider portion size. The Crispy Tenders are just three pieces of chicken and so will definitely need a side dish. You might therefore be better off choosing the Chicken Slinger or the JR Burger which both have less sodium and just 4g of saturated fat and, can work as a small meal. Then grab some fruit and a yogurt from elsewhere to increase your portion size.
Image: Sonic Press Gallery
The Lowest Sodium, Lowest Calorie Choice At Sonic
If you’re counting calories, the 3-piece Crispy Tenders are the lowest main menu item you can order at Sonic. They contain just 260 calories which is actually too low for a main meal, so you’ll have to order a side dish. Here you’d be looking at the Small Fries which have just 250 calories and 260mg of sodium taking your meal up to 990mg.
The Chicken Slinger with 350 calories and 680mg of sodium or the JR. Burger with 360 calories and 690mg of sodium are both better choices. They are both more filling and closer to that 400-600 calories per meal mark that is healthy. Again, you might want to grab some fruit to help make your lunch more filling.
Sonic’s Lowest Sodium, Lowest Sugar Option
The lowest sugar, lowest sodium option is the 3-piece Crispy Chicken Tenders (again). They contain 0 grams of sugar and as we mentioned above, 730mg of sodium. However, once again, this might not be enough food for you, so you might want to choose something else.
In that case, you could pick the All Beef Regular Hot Dog (800mg of sodium and 4 grams of sugar).
The Lowest Sodium Vegetarian/Vegan Option
Sonic doesn’t offer any low-sodium vegetarian or vegan main menu items.
One of the only options available to vegetarians is the Grilled Cheese Sandwich which contains 1090mg of sodium.
The Lowest Sodium Gluten-Free Option At Sonic
Sonic has no dedicated gluten-free menu, and none of the main menu items are gluten-free. You could order some fries, which are gluten-free by ingredient, but there is a risk of cross-contamination in the friers so, this wouldn’t be suitable if you are ceoliac.
So, Sonic doesn’t have the widest choice of things to eat if you’re on a low-sodium diet (we think that prize so far goes to Taco Bell) but, it is possible to order some of your favorites if you’re flexible about your side dishes, or a bit careful with the rest of your day
Until next time, feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments below!
What to Read Next
You might want to check out some of our other low-sodium guides we’ve covered a heap of your favorites including Olive Garden, Arbys, Red Lobster, and Chick-Fil-A
IF you find it easy to stick to eating low sodium during the day, but, lose all your willpower at night, you might want to look at our guide to sticking to your diet at night. It talks a bit about calories, but the principles are the same for changing your diet in other ways too.
You might also want to look at our guide to handling food cravings which explains one reason why you might crave salt – and, how to combat it if that sounds familiar.
