What this guide covers: Seed oil usage in Five Guys' menu items, based on their published ingredient documentation. Note: Five Guys uses peanut oil, anyone with a peanut allergy should not eat there.
Five Guys fries only in peanut oil (about 32% omega-6 linoleic acid, lower than soybean or sunflower oil but well above tallow or lard). Everything else on the menu is built to order, so a bunless burger with fresh toppings, grilled mushrooms, and ketchup is genuinely seed-oil-free. The fries, the bun, and the mayo are where the oil is.
The cleanest order
Order this
A burger with no bun (lettuce wrap or in a bowl) with any fresh toppings: lettuce, tomato, raw or grilled onion, pickles, jalapenos, grilled mushrooms, plus ketchup, mustard, hot sauce, relish, or A1. Per the Five Guys allergen guide, the patty has no added oil, the grilled toppings use no seed oil, and the ketchup has no oil at all.
Skip this
The fries (peanut oil), the bun (soy-based vegetable shortening), and the mayo (soybean oil is the first ingredient).
Ask for this
Your burger "in a bowl" or wrapped in lettuce, no bun. Five Guys does this routinely and it is the single change that makes the order clean.
What can't be made clean
The fries. Five Guys fries everything in peanut oil and offers no other option, so the fries are out if you are avoiding it.
Five Guys' oil breakdown
No seed oil in the ingredient list
- ✓Beef patty Fresh beef, never frozen, no added oil per published documentation.
- ✓Lettuce, tomato, onion, jalapeños No oil. Fresh produce.
- ✓Grilled mushrooms Cooked on the grill without seed oil.
- ✓Ketchup Tomato concentrate, vinegar, corn syrup, salt, spice, onion powder, natural flavoring. No oil of any kind.
Contains seed oil or peanut oil
- ✗Fries (regular, Cajun) Cooked in peanut oil (~32% omega-6 linoleic acid).
- ✗Bun Contains vegetable shortening (soy-based), per Five Guys' published ingredient list.
- ✗Mayo Soybean oil is the first ingredient, per both supplier formulations Five Guys publishes.
How peanut oil compares to other frying oils
From this standpoint, peanut oil is a middle-ground frying fat, lower in omega-6 than sunflower or soybean oil, but higher than canola, and significantly higher than traditional animal fats. For diners who eat at Five Guys occasionally, the peanut oil fryer is less of a concern than ordering at Wingstop or In-N-Out.
Our Pick
Ancestral Supplements Grass-Fed Tallow
For frying at home without industrial oils. Tallow is approximately 4% omega-6 linoleic acid: far lower than any restaurant frying oil. Stable at high heat, rich flavor.
Frequently asked questions
Does Five Guys use seed oils?
Yes. Five Guys uses peanut oil for frying their fries and other items. Peanut oil is technically extracted from peanuts (which are legumes, not seeds in the botanical sense), but it is industrially refined and has a fatty acid profile similar to seed oils. It is approximately 32% linoleic acid (omega-6). This is lower than soybean oil (54%) or sunflower oil (65%), but higher than beef tallow or lard.
What oil does Five Guys fry in?
Five Guys uses peanut oil exclusively for frying. They are explicit about this because of peanut allergy concerns. Their fries, cooked in peanut oil, are one of the most recognized items on their menu.
Is peanut oil a seed oil?
Peanut oil is sometimes excluded from the 'seed oil' category because peanuts are legumes, not seeds in the botanical sense. However, refined peanut oil goes through similar industrial processing as canola and soybean oil, hexane extraction, degumming, bleaching, and deodorization. It is high in omega-6 linoleic acid (~32%). Whether you categorize it as a 'seed oil' or not, it shares the characteristics that concern people about seed oils.
Does the Five Guys burger patty have seed oil?
Per Five Guys' published nutrition and allergen guide, the beef patty itself contains no added oil. They use fresh beef patties. The bun contains vegetable shortening (soy-based), and the mayo is soybean oil-based. The ketchup, by contrast, contains no oil at all, just tomato concentrate, vinegar, corn syrup, salt, spice, onion powder, and natural flavoring.
How does Five Guys compare to other chains on seed oils?
Five Guys uses peanut oil (~32% omega-6), which is lower in linoleic acid than the soybean oil (54%) Wingstop uses or the sunflower oil (65%) In-N-Out uses. However, it is still higher than traditional fats like lard (~10% omega-6) or beef tallow (~4% omega-6). Among major chains with fryers, Five Guys' peanut oil sits in the middle.
Sources
- Five Guys -- US Nutrition & Allergen Guide (PDF) -- Primary source for oil and ingredient documentation
- USDA FoodData Central -- Peanut Oil nutrient profile -- Source for omega-6 linoleic acid percentage
What to keep at home instead
Five Guys cooks in peanut oil, not a seed oil, so the patties and fries are cleaner than most burger chains. The gap is the mayo and some toppings, which an avocado-oil mayo closes.
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