What oil does Qdoba fry in?
Qdoba cooks with Soybean oil throughout — rice, grilled proteins, queso and tortillas all contain soybean oil; chips fried in a canola/soybean/sunflower vegetable oil blend..
The 5 cleanest things to order at Qdoba
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.
| Item | PUFA |
|---|---|
| Sour Cream | 0.3g |
| Brisket Birria | 0.4g |
| Shredded Cheese | 0.5g |
| Lite Sour Cream | 0.5g |
| Ground Beef | 0.7g |
Lower PUFA is cleaner. These are estimates from published nutrition data and disclosed oils; preparation varies by location.
Why the frying oil matters
Most fast-food chains fry in seed oils like soybean, canola, corn, or a blend of them, which are high in polyunsaturated fat (PUFA). A handful still use beef tallow or other stable fats, which are far lower in PUFA. The oil a kitchen fries in is the single biggest driver of how much seed oil ends up on your plate. See the full breakdown on the Qdoba report card, or where it lands on the Seed Oil Index.
Frequently asked
Does Qdoba use beef tallow?
No. Qdoba cooks with Soybean oil throughout — rice, grilled proteins, queso and tortillas all contain soybean oil; chips fried in a canola/soybean/sunflower vegetable oil blend., not beef tallow. See which chains fry in real fats on Tallow Watch.