Seed Oil Free at Five Guys: What's Clean and What's Not

Five Guys is one of the most debated restaurants in the seed oil free community. Their fries and burgers are cooked in peanut oil — which is technically a legume oil, not a seed oil. But peanut oil is high in omega-6, undergoes industrial refining, and is heated to frying temperatures in their commercial fryers.

So where does Five Guys fall? Here is the full ingredient analysis, the community debate, and the cleanest possible order.

What Oil Does Five Guys Use?

Five Guys uses 100% refined peanut oil for their fries. Their burgers are cooked on a flat-top grill — no added oil is needed because the beef releases its own fat during cooking.

Is peanut oil a seed oil? No — peanuts are legumes, not seeds. Peanut oil is not in the same category as soybean, canola, sunflower, or other seed oils.

But is it "clean"? That depends on how strict your definition is.

The Case That Peanut Oil Is Acceptable

• Peanuts are legumes, not seeds — different botanical category
• Peanut oil has been used in cooking for over a century (not a recent industrial invention)
• The fatty acid profile is better than soybean or canola: ~48% monounsaturated, ~34% polyunsaturated, ~18% saturated
• Five Guys uses 100% peanut oil — no blends with soybean or canola

The Case That Peanut Oil Should Be Avoided

• 34% polyunsaturated fat — higher than olive oil (10%) or butter (4%). Polyunsaturated fats are less stable at high heat and more prone to oxidation.
• Refined using industrial processes — commercial peanut oil is typically solvent-extracted and refined, similar to seed oils
• High omega-6 content — peanut oil is predominantly omega-6, contributing to the same inflammatory imbalance that seed oils create
• Heated in commercial fryers — fryer oil is heated continuously and reused for days, creating oxidation products regardless of the starting oil

Our Position

Peanut oil is in a gray area — it is better than soybean or canola (lower omega-6, not technically a seed oil) but worse than olive oil, butter, tallow, or avocado oil. Five Guys with peanut oil fries is a significantly better fast food option than McDonald's with canola blend — but it is not what we would consider "clean" by strict standards.

The 80/20 approach: If Five Guys is your occasional fast food stop, it is one of the better options available. If you are strictly avoiding all high-omega-6 industrial oils, skip the fries and eat only the burger.

The Ingredient Breakdown

Burgers

| Component | Seed Oil Free? | Notes |

|-----------|---------------|-------|

| Beef patty | ✅ | Cooked on flat grill in its own fat |

| Cheese | ✅ | Standard American cheese |

| Lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles | ✅ | Fresh vegetables |

| Mushrooms | ✅ | Sauteed on the grill |

| Green peppers | ✅ | Grilled |

| Jalapeños | ✅ | Fresh |

| Ketchup | ✅ | Standard (tomatoes, vinegar, sugar) |

| Mustard | ✅ | Clean |

| Mayo | ❌ | Contains soybean oil |

| A.1. Steak Sauce | ✅ | No seed oils |

| Hot sauce | ✅ | Clean |

| BBQ sauce | ⚠️ | Check — some locations use versions with canola |

The mayo trap: Five Guys' mayonnaise contains soybean oil. If you order a burger with "all the way" toppings, it includes mayo by default. Ask for no mayo for a cleaner burger.

Fries

| Component | Seed Oil Free? | Notes |

|-----------|---------------|-------|

| Potatoes | ✅ | Just potatoes |

| Peanut oil | ⚠️ | Legume oil, not seed oil — gray area |

| Salt | ✅ | |

| Cajun seasoning (optional) | ✅ | Spice blend, no oils |

The fries are potatoes cooked in peanut oil, period. No coatings, no preservatives, no additional oils. For a fast food fry, the ingredient list is remarkably short.

Buns

| Component | Seed Oil Free? | Notes |

|-----------|---------------|-------|

| Sesame seed bun | ⚠️ | Contains soybean oil in the dough |

The bun contains soybean oil. If you are strict about seed oils, order your burger lettuce-wrapped or in a bowl (some locations will put it in a container without a bun).

Hot Dogs

| Component | Seed Oil Free? | Notes |

|-----------|---------------|-------|

| Hot dog | ✅ | Beef and pork, no seed oils in the dog itself |

| Bun | ⚠️ | Same bun — contains soybean oil |

The Cleanest Five Guys Order

Strict seed oil free (no peanut oil, no soybean oil):

• Burger patty (no bun) with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, mustard, ketchup
• Skip the fries
• Water

This gives you a 100% seed oil free meal — beef cooked in its own fat with fresh toppings. It is basically a bunless burger salad.

Moderate (accepting peanut oil as gray area):

• Burger with lettuce wrap (no bun — avoids soybean oil in bun)
• All toppings EXCEPT mayo (mayo has soybean oil)
• Regular or Cajun fries (peanut oil)
• Water

This is the practical order for most people in the seed oil free community. You avoid soybean oil entirely while accepting peanut oil as a reasonable compromise for an occasional meal.

What NOT to order:

• Burger "all the way" with mayo (soybean oil)
• Burger on the bun without specifying lettuce wrap (soybean oil in bun)
• Grilled cheese (the cheese is cooked on the grill with the bun — soybean oil exposure)

How Five Guys Compares

| Chain | Primary Cooking Oil | Seed Oil Level |

|-------|-------------------|----------------|

| Five Guys | Peanut oil (fries), grill fat (burgers) | ⚠️ Gray area |

| In-N-Out | Sunflower oil (fries), flat grill (burgers) | ⚠️ Mixed |

| Hopdoddy | Beef tallow (fries and grill) | ✅ Clean |

| Steak 'n Shake | Beef tallow (fries) | ✅ Clean |

| McDonald's | Canola/soybean blend | ❌ Seed oil |

| Wendy's | Soybean/canola blend | ❌ Seed oil |

| Burger King | Soybean/canola blend | ❌ Seed oil |

Five Guys ranks above mainstream fast food (McDonald's, Wendy's, Burger King) but below tallow-cooking chains (Hopdoddy, Steak 'n Shake) on the seed oil spectrum.

Key Takeaways

• Five Guys cooks fries in peanut oil (legume, not seed) and burgers on a flat grill (no added oil)
• Peanut oil is a gray area — better than soybean/canola but high in omega-6 and industrially refined
• Mayo contains soybean oil — always order without mayo or ask for mustard instead
• Buns contain soybean oil — order lettuce-wrapped for a cleaner meal
• The cleanest order: lettuce-wrapped burger, no mayo, all other toppings, mustard/ketchup
• Five Guys is one of the better fast food options but not strictly seed oil free
• For strict seed oil free fast food: Hopdoddy or Steak 'n Shake (beef tallow)

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