First Watch Seed Oil Report Card
Based on our menu research, First Watch cooks with: no deep fryer in store; First Watch markets "no fryers, heat lamps, or microwaves" as a core scratch-kitchen brand promise. Potatoes/hash are seared or griddled in oil (secondary sources, including copycat recipes and a seed-oil review site, consistently point to canola oil), eggs are cooked with butter or margarine, and a Vegalene-brand pan spray is used as a release agent (a dairy-free version is kept on hand for allergy requests). Across the 122 menu items we analyzed, it averages 8.1g estimated PUFA per item, earning a seed-oil grade of D (Very High Risk).
What oil does First Watch fry in? The full answer
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Safest Orders at First Watch
Learn this once: a salad with grilled protein and the dressing left off is nearly always the lowest seed oil order anywhere. So the list below sticks to real meals, salads included, never just a water.
Cleanest full order: Steel-Cut Oatmeal + Fresh Seasonal Fruit + Project Sunrise Coffee, 1.0g total
| Item | PUFA |
|---|---|
| Steel-Cut Oatmeal | 1.0g |
| The Triathlete (eggs, turkey, avo) | 1.4g |
| Tri-Athlete | 1.4g |
| Healthy Turkey | 1.5g |
| Power Wrap | 2.7g |
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Build my orderWhat to Avoid at First Watch
| Item | PUFA |
|---|---|
| Farmhouse Skillet Hash | 57.0g |
| The Traditional Breakfast | 43.0g |
| Maple Bacon Croissant Sandwich | 34.7g |
| Pesto Chicken Quinoa Bowl | 30.4g |
| Tri-Fecta | 30.0g |
Every First Watch item, ranked
All 122 items we have for First Watch, safest first. Values are estimated grams of seed-oil PUFA per item.
| Item | PUFA |
|---|---|
| Fresh Fruit (side) | 0.0g |
| Fresh Seasonal Fruit | 0.0g |
| Fountain Drink | 0.0g |
| Blazing Dragon | 0.0g |
| Morning Meditation | 0.0g |
| Kale Tonic | 0.0g |
| Purple Haze | 0.0g |
| Blood Orange Citrus Sparkler | 0.0g |
| Passion Fruit Mint Sparkler | 0.0g |
| Berry Lime Sparkler | 0.0g |
| Hot Chocolate | 0.0g |
| Cheesy Grits | 0.3g |
| Iced Coffee | 0.3g |
| Grab N Go GF Marshmallow Treat | 0.4g |
| Tomato Basil Soup Cup | 0.5g |
| Vera Cruz Sauce | 0.5g |
| Hollandaise Sauce | 0.5g |
| Italian Wedding Soup Cup | 0.6g |
| Million Dollar Bloody Mary | 0.7g |
| Mint Mocha Iced Coffee | 0.8g |
| Honey Caramel Crunch Iced Coffee | 0.8g |
| Market Vegetable Soup Cup | 0.9g |
| Gluten-Free Toast with Preserves | 0.9g |
| Grab N Go Salted Caramel Cookie | 0.9g |
| Steel-Cut Oatmeal | 1.0g |
| Tomato Basil Soup Bowl | 1.0g |
| Sliced Avocado | 1.0g |
| Italian Wedding Soup Bowl | 1.2g |
| Smoked Ham | 1.3g |
| Chicken and Wild Rice Soup Cup | 1.3g |
| The Triathlete (eggs, turkey, avo) | 1.4g |
| Tri-Athlete | 1.4g |
| Healthy Turkey | 1.5g |
| Clam Chowder Cup | 1.6g |
| Broccoli Cheddar Soup Cup | 1.7g |
| Market Vegetable Soup Bowl | 1.7g |
| Biscuits & Turkey Sausage Gravy (side) | 1.7g |
| Kids Steel-Cut Oatmeal | 2.3g |
| One Cage-Free Egg | 2.3g |
| Broccoli Cheddar Soup Bowl | 2.4g |
| Clam Chowder Bowl | 2.5g |
| Lemon-Dressed Organic Mixed Greens | 2.6g |
| Power Wrap | 2.7g |
| Chicken and Wild Rice Soup Bowl | 2.7g |
| Grab N Go GF Brownie | 2.8g |
| Superfood Kale & Quinoa Bowl | 3.0g |
| English Muffin | 3.1g |
| Chicken Apple Sausage Patties | 3.1g |
| Million Dollar Bacon | 3.2g |
| Sunrise Granola Bowl | 3.2g |
| Hardwood Smoked Bacon | 3.2g |
| Buttered Grits | 3.4g |
| Two Cage-Free Eggs | 3.4g |
| Avocado Toast | 3.6g |
| Cobb Salad | 3.8g |
| Elevated French Toast | 4.0g |
| Kids Breakfast | 4.0g |
| Kids Pancakes | 4.0g |
| A.M. Superfoods Bowl | 4.0g |
| Sweet Honey Pecan Salad | 4.0g |
| Turkey Sausage Links | 4.2g |
| Kids Bacon & Egg | 4.4g |
| Kids Half Waffle | 4.4g |
| Seasoned Potatoes (side) | 4.5g |
| Fresh Seasoned Potatoes | 4.5g |
| Chicken Avocado Chop Salad | 4.7g |
| Kids French Toast | 4.7g |
| Belgian Waffle | 4.8g |
| Biscuit with Butter, Honey and Preserves | 4.8g |
| Strawberry Tres Leches French Toast | 5.0g |
| Smoked Salmon Benedict | 6.2g |
| Whole Grain Toast | 6.8g |
| Kale & Berry Salad | 7.0g |
| French Toast | 7.0g |
| Kids Granola Bowl | 7.5g |
| Classic Benedict | 7.6g |
| Million Dollar Potatoes | 7.7g |
| The Floridian (eggs benedict style) | 8.0g |
| Turkey, Bacon & Avocado Sandwich | 8.0g |
| Cinnamon Chip Pancake | 8.0g |
| Market Hash | 8.9g |
| Kids Chocolate Chip Pancake | 8.9g |
| Floridian French Toast | 9.0g |
| Smoked Salmon and Roasted Vegetable Frittata | 9.1g |
| BLT Benedict | 9.6g |
| Frittata Rustica | 9.7g |
| Pork Sausage Links | 9.7g |
| Carnitas Breakfast Burrito | 10.0g |
| Chickichanga (fried burrito) | 10.4g |
| Chickichanga | 10.4g |
| Lemon Ricotta Pancakes | 11.6g |
| Holey Donuts | 11.7g |
| Million Dollar Breakfast Sandwich | 12.2g |
| Farmhouse Hash | 12.7g |
| Kids Grilled Cheese | 12.7g |
| The Works Omelet | 12.7g |
| Pumpkin Spice Donuts | 12.9g |
| Multigrain Pancakes | 13.6g |
| Farm Stand Breakfast Tacos | 13.8g |
| Freshly Baked Blueberry Muffin | 13.9g |
| Chile Chorizo Omelet | 14.0g |
| Bacado Omelet | 14.3g |
| Barbacoa Breakfast Tacos | 14.6g |
| The Godfather Breakfast Bowl | 17.0g |
| Elevated Egg Sandwich | 18.0g |
| Pumpkin Pancake Breakfast | 18.6g |
| Ham and Gruyere Melt | 18.8g |
| Veggie Burger | 19.0g |
| Market Veggie Sandwich | 20.2g |
| Barbacoa Chilaquiles Breakfast Bowl | 21.1g |
| Baja Turkey Burger | 21.1g |
| Pesto Chicken Power Bowl | 21.7g |
| Monterey Club | 23.8g |
| Roast Beef & Havarti | 24.4g |
| BLTE | 25.7g |
| Power Breakfast Bowl | 26.4g |
| Tri-Fecta | 30.0g |
| Biscuits & Turkey Sausage Gravy with Eggs | 30.0g |
| Pesto Chicken Quinoa Bowl | 30.4g |
| Maple Bacon Croissant Sandwich | 34.7g |
| The Traditional Breakfast | 43.0g |
| Farmhouse Skillet Hash | 57.0g |
Frequently asked
Does First Watch use seed oils?
Based on our menu research, First Watch cooks with: no deep fryer in store; First Watch markets "no fryers, heat lamps, or microwaves" as a core scratch-kitchen brand promise. Potatoes/hash are seared or griddled in oil (secondary sources, including copycat recipes and a seed-oil review site, consistently point to canola oil), eggs are cooked with butter or margarine, and a Vegalene-brand pan spray is used as a release agent (a dairy-free version is kept on hand for allergy requests). Across the 122 menu items we analyzed, it averages 8.1g estimated PUFA per item, earning a seed-oil grade of D (Very High Risk).
What oil does First Watch cook with?
Our research indicates: no deep fryer in store; First Watch markets "no fryers, heat lamps, or microwaves" as a core scratch-kitchen brand promise. Potatoes/hash are seared or griddled in oil (secondary sources, including copycat recipes and a seed-oil review site, consistently point to canola oil), eggs are cooked with butter or margarine, and a Vegalene-brand pan spray is used as a release agent (a dairy-free version is kept on hand for allergy requests). Preparation can vary by location, so treat PUFA numbers as estimates.
Does First Watch use beef tallow?
No. Our research indicates First Watch cooks with no deep fryer in store; First Watch markets "no fryers, heat lamps, or microwaves" as a core scratch-kitchen brand promise. Potatoes/hash are seared or griddled in oil (secondary sources, including copycat recipes and a seed-oil review site, consistently point to canola oil), eggs are cooked with butter or margarine, and a Vegalene-brand pan spray is used as a release agent (a dairy-free version is kept on hand for allergy requests), not beef tallow. For chains that fry in tallow or other real fats, see Tallow Watch.
Is First Watch seed oil free?
No. Our research indicates First Watch cooks with no deep fryer in store; First Watch markets "no fryers, heat lamps, or microwaves" as a core scratch-kitchen brand promise. Potatoes/hash are seared or griddled in oil (secondary sources, including copycat recipes and a seed-oil review site, consistently point to canola oil), eggs are cooked with butter or margarine, and a Vegalene-brand pan spray is used as a release agent (a dairy-free version is kept on hand for allergy requests), which includes seed oils. See the lower-PUFA orders above for the cleanest picks.
What is the safest thing to order at First Watch?
Power Wrap is the lowest-PUFA item we analyzed at First Watch, at an estimated 2.7g PUFA. See the Safest Orders list on this page for more options.
What should I avoid at First Watch?
Farmhouse Skillet Hash is the highest-PUFA item we analyzed at First Watch, at an estimated 57.0g PUFA. Fried items and creamy, mayo-based sauces are usually the heaviest.
What are seed oils?
Seed oils — canola, soybean, sunflower, corn, and similar vegetable oils — are extracted from seeds using high heat and chemical solvents. They are very high in polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs), which are unstable at cooking temperatures and can oxidize easily. Many health-conscious eaters choose to minimize seed oils and prefer foods cooked in beef tallow, butter, coconut oil, or olive oil instead. This page shows estimated PUFA grams per menu item to help you make more informed choices. These are estimates — actual values vary by preparation and location. New to the topic? Start with what seed oils are and the complete list, or read the evidence on why people avoid them.
Compare other chains
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See where First Watch lands on the full Seed Oil Index, or check which chains cook in real fats on Tallow Watch. Wondering about a specific dish instead? The Is It Seed Oil food guide answers it for 200+ everyday foods, and the distributor oils page covers what independent restaurants fry in.