| What to Order & Avoid at Jimmy John's | |
|---|---|
| Most Nutritious Options | Least Nutritious Options |
| Bootlegger Club (Favorites) | Spicy East Coast Salami (Favorites) |
| Turkey Tom (Originals) | The Veggie (Originals) |
| Little John #4 (Little Johns) | Little John #6 (Little Johns) |
| Slim 4 (Plain Slims) | Slim 5 (Plain Slims) |
| Jumbo Kosher Dill Pickle (Sides) | Chocolate Chip Cookie (Sides) |
| Dasani Bottled Water (Drinks) | Dr Pepper (Drinks) |
Most Nutritious Option
The Little John #4 sandwich with turkey, lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise is the most nutritious item to order, thanks to its smaller size and lean protein filling.
Favorites
When ordering a Jimmy John's sandwich, you start by choosing your bread: French, thick-sliced wheat, or the Unwich (a lettuce wrap). You then order from the sandwich menu with opportunities to customize all along the way. The favorites menu at Jimmy John's includes meat- and cheese-loaded combinations commonly served with lettuce, tomato, and onion.
✓Bootlegger Club
The Bootlegger Club sandwich at Jimmy John's features roast beef and turkey breast, and comes topped with lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise. Served on a regular 8-inch French sub, it delivers 680 calories, 23g fat, 3.5g saturated fat, 71g carbohydrates, 44g protein, and 1,890mg sodium.
Cut down on the carbohydrates and sodium even further by choosing the Unwich version of the Bootlegger Club. It has 330 calories, 20g fat, 3.5g saturated fat, 5g carbohydrates, 31g protein, and 1,180mg sodium. And you can save calories and fat by skipping the mayo (which accounts for 160 calories and 16g fat on the 8-inch sub.
Each premade Jimmy John’s Unwich contains 10g of carbohydrate or less, making them a great choice if you’re on a low-carb diet or are watching your carb intake as part of a diabetes-friendly diet plan.
✗Spicy East Coast Salami
The Spicy East Coast Salami sandwich comes with two servings of genoa salami, capicola, and provolone cheese, and also includes lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise, sauce, onions, and hot peppers. Served on 8-inch French gutted bread, it comes out to 970 calories, 59g fat, 22g saturated fat, 54g carbohydrates, 54g protein, and 3,250mg sodium. Choose the Unwich version to eliminate 43g carbohydrates.
If you're craving the same mix of meats and cheese but are looking to save calories, fat, and sodium, consider ordering the Italian Night Club favorites sandwich instead. It features the exact same meats as the Spicy East Coast Salami option, just a single serving of each. It has 930 calories, 46g fat, 14g saturated fat, 77g carbohydrates, 48g protein, and 2,850mg sodium on an 8-inch regular sandwich.
5 Calorie-Saving Bread Swaps for Sandwich Making
Originals
The Originals sandwich menu contains seven options ranging from veggie and tuna options to turkey and roast beef.
✓Turkey Tom
The Turkey Tom sandwich has a simple ingredient list. It features only turkey, lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise and comes out to 480 calories, 19g fat, 2.5g saturated fat, 48g carbohydrates, 23g protein, and 1,160mg sodium on an 8-inch regular French bread sandwich. Swap mustard for mayo to cut calories and fat.
✗The Veggie
Surprisingly, the least nutritious option on the Originals menu is the only option without meat or fish. With provolone and avocado spread, as well as tomato, lettuce, cucumber, and mayo, the Veggie sandwich is the highest-calorie Originals sandwich and contains 670 calories, 39g fat, 13g saturated fat, 50g carbohydrates, 27g protein, and 1,160mg sodium.
Cut down on the carbohydrates, calories, and fat in the sandwich by doubling down on the veggies and ordering it as an Unwich instead. And/or, you might opt to have just one of the three creamy, higher-fat ingredients—cheese, avocado spread, and mayo.
Bread Swaps to Make Your Sandwich Healthier
Little Johns
Little Johns are exactly what you'd expect: Little versions of Jimmy John's most popular flavor combinations (6.5 inches long instead of 8). With seven different Little Johns options, you'll be able to find the meat or protein combination you're craving.
✓Little John #4
Called simply Little John #4, this sandwich has the same ingredients as the Turkey Tom Original sandwich, but comes on a smaller French sub. Jimmy John's notes it's the ideal size for kids or as a mid-day snack. The turkey Little John has 240 calories, 10g fat, 1.5g saturated fat, 24g carbohydrates, 12g protein, and 580mg sodium.
✗Little John #6
The Little John #6 sandwich has provolone cheese and avocado spread (just like the Veggie originals sandwich) and contains 340 calories, 20g fat, 7g saturated fat, 25g carbohydrates, 13g protein, and 580mg sodium.
For another meat-less option, consider the Little John #3, which comes with tuna salad, lettuce, tomato, and cucumber and provides 250 calories, 11g fat, 1.5g saturated fat, 26g carbohydrates 10g protein, and 590mg sodium.
Low Sodium Lunch Meat Brands
Plain Slims
The Plain Slims part of the menu simplifies the ingredients in each sandwich even further, making these truly "plain" subs. Each of these sandwiches has only meat and/or cheese—no lettuce, tomato, or mayonnaise included.
✓Slim 4
The Slim 4 sandwich features hand-sliced turkey breast on a French sub. This simplified sandwich has 420 calories, 3g fat, 0g saturated fat, 68g carbohydrates, 27g protein, and 1,250mg sodium when served on an 8-inch French sub.
✗Slim 5
Meanwhile, the Slim 5 sandwich packs in a bit more meat, with capicola and salami along with provolone cheese. It provides 630 calories, 23g fat, 10g saturated fat, 69g carbohydrates, 35g protein, and 1,960mg sodium.
If you're craving a meat-and-cheese sandwich and want to stick to the Plain Slims menu, look to the Slim 1 sandwich, which has ham and provolone cheese and 90 fewer calories than the Slim 5.
Sides
Jimmy John's menu is focused on its sandwich offerings but it does include a few options of sweet or savory sides like potato chips and cookies.
✓Jumbo Kosher Dill Pickle
The Jumbo Kosher Dill Pickle comes in at 20 calories, 0g fat, 4g carbohydrate, 1g sugar, 1g protein, and 1,710mg sodium.
✗Chocolate Chip Cookie
The chocolate chip cookie offers 410 calories, 19g fat, 12g saturated fat, 56g carbohydrate, 32g sugar, 5g protein, and 290mg sodium. You can also choose a slightly lower-calorie oatmeal raisin cookie (370 calories, 13g fat), but it has more sodium (390mg) than the chocolate chip option.
Potato chips are another classic sandwich side at Jimmy John’s. One bag of chips contains about 300 calories (150 calories per serving) whether you get regular, BBQ, salt and vinegar, or jalapeño. Jimmy John’s Thinny Chips have 130 calories per serving, making them lower in calories, but they are actually slightly higher in carbohydrate (20g) than the regular potato chips (17g).
To satisfy a craving for an after-lunch treat, skip the cookies and instead reach for a naturally sweet piece of fruit, which provides fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
Drinks
Jimmy John's offers a typical range of cold bottled and fountain drinks, including soda, juice, iced tea, and water.
Dasani Bottled Water
Plain water is typically the most nutritious drink option, and Dasani bottled water is available at Jimmy John's restaurants nationwide for 0 calories. Fuze unsweetened iced tea is another zero-calorie, zero-sugar option.
Dr Pepper
Dr Pepper (22oz) comes in at 280 calories, 0g fat, 74g carbohydrates, 0g protein, 74g sugars, and 95mg sodium.
While diet soda is a calorie-free option, these options aren't the best choice if you're avoiding caffeine, carbonation, food additives, preservatives, or artificial sweeteners like aspartame.
6 Reasons to Drink Plenty of Water
Diet-Specific Options
Jimmy John’s menu offers choices for gluten-free, low-carb, low-FODMAP, vegetarian, and vegan diets. However, you won't find many low-fat or low-sodium options at Jimmy John's.
Jimmy John’s advises all its patrons to let employees know if they have specific dietary needs. Given the highly customizable nature of its menu, Jimmy John’s can cater to many preferences and diets.
Gluten-Free
Jimmy John’s doesn’t have designated gluten-free bread, but the lettuce Unwich can be a good swap. Many ingredients that can be used to fill a sandwich do not contain gluten. However, these ingredients may be cross-contaminated through shared storage, utensils, and preparation. Possible gluten-free sandwich ingredients and sides include:
- Condiments: Avocado spread, Kickin’ Ranch, mayo, mustard, oil & vinegar
- Fillings: Ham, turkey, roast beef, salami, capicola, bacon; vegetables
- Chips: Regular chips, Jalapeño chips, and Thinny Chips
- Unwich lettuce wrap
If you have gluten intolerance or celiac disease, let the employee making your meal know. For a healthy option, order the Plain Slim #4 with turkey on an Unwich lettuce wrap.
Guide to Gluten-Free Fast Food
Low-Carb
The Unwich option provides a great low-carb swap. You can get any Jimmy John's sandwich wrapped in lettuce, but the lowest-carb options include:
- Hunter's Club Unwich
- J.J.B.L.T Unwich
- Bootlegger Club Unwich
- Club Lulu Unwich
- Turkey Tom Unwich
For the best combo of low carbs and higher protein, opt for the Turkey Tom Unwich (480 calories)
Low-Fat
If you are on a low-fat diet, there are some options for you at Jimmy John's. You can order any sandwich without cheese or mayonnaise and other fat-based sauces. Low-fat menu options include:
- Slim ham and cheese (omit cheese)
- Slim roast beef
- Slim turkey
- Slim cheese unwich
Choose the slim roast beef for plenty of protein (30g) and fiber (4g) with little fat (5g).
Low-FODMAP
Like gluten-free options, there are no specific low-FODMAP menu items on the Jimmy John's menu. But you can build a low-FODMAP sandwich with the following ingredients that are safe on this diet:
- Unwich wrap
- Turkey, ham, or roast beef
- Lettuce, tomato, cucumber (and other veggies as tolerated)
- Mayo, mustard, or oil and vinegar
Choose an Unwich wrap with turkey, lettuce, tomato, and cucumber for a nutritious option that's free from FODMAPs.
Diabetes-Friendly
At Jimmy John's you can make a diabetes-friendly (low-carb, low-sugar) sandwich with any of the following ingredients:
- Unwich wrap
- Provolone cheese
- Roast beef, turkey breast, or bacon
- Avocado spread, mustard, mayo, or oil and vinegar
- Veggies (including lettuce, tomato, sprouts, peppers, cucumber, pickles, and onion)
To keep to a diabetes-friendly diet at Jimmy John's, choose the turkey breast protein with veggies (as in a Turkey Tom) sandwich.
Vegetarian and Vegan
Jimmy John’s doesn’t designate specific menu items as being vegan. While several ingredients do not contain meat or dairy, they may come in contact with items that do. Items on Jimmy John’s menu that do not contain animal products include:
- Avocado spread
- Classic, BBQ, or Jalapeno Jimmy Chips; Thinny Chips
- Oil & vinegar and yellow mustard
- Unwich wrap and French bread
- Veggies (lettuce, tomato, cucumber, onion, sprouts, peppers)
Jimmy John's menu offers two vegetarian subs: the Veggie Sub and the Little John #6. You can also customize your own vegetarian-friendly meal using Jimmy John’s selection of bread, cheese, and veggies.
Gluten-Free Vegetarian and Vegan Food Guide
Food Allergies and Safety
Jimmy John’s provides information on its website about which food allergens may be present in its menu items, including:
- Milk
- Eggs
- Fish and shellfish
- Peanuts and tree nuts
- Soy
- Wheat
- Gluten
For people with nut allergies, the chart also indicates if an ingredient may have been produced in a facility that also produces tree nuts or peanuts. But if you have a food allergy, it’s best to exercise caution when dining out.
Jimmy John’s Allergen Statement
"Please note that because individual foods may come into contact with each other during preparation of your sandwich, and because of shared utensils and equipment, we cannot guarantee that our food is free from any allergens. If you have any special requests or concerns related to allergies or other dietary restrictions, please inform your cashier when placing your order."
A Word From Verywell
Jimmy John’s is a popular choice for sandwiches that are made to order with fresh ingredients. One option that sets it apart from other sandwich shops is the ability to swap a lettuce wrap for bread, which reduces the calories and carbs of a sub.
Jimmy John’s makes it easy to customize a sandwich to suit your dietary needs and preferences. Once you know the nutrition info of the ingredients on the menu, you can create a tasty, satisfying, and relatively healthy meal.
What to Eat at Subway: Healthy Menu Choices and Nutrition Facts
