We scored all 4 entree-style items on Dairy Queen's menu for how well they fit a diabetes-friendly meal -- glycemic index, carb and calorie load against a standard 60g-carb / 600-calorie budget, and how processed the item is.
Best choices
Ranked by GlucoBeacon's own scoring formula -- glycemic index, carbs and calories against a standard 60g-carb / 600-calorie per-meal budget, and how processed the item is -- highest score first.
| Item | Category | Carbs | Calories | Est. GI | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular Hamburger | Burgers | 29g | 350 | 55 | 60 |
| DQ Signature Stackburger (double) | Burgers | 40g | 590 | 55 | 49 |
| Chicken Strip Basket 4pc | Chicken | 56g | 1080 | 55 | 43 |
| Flame Thrower Crispy Chicken Sandwich | Sandwiches | 57g | 850 | 55 | 43 |
How we score it
Each item gets up to 30 points for glycemic index (lower is better), 30 points for staying under a 60g carb budget, 15 points for staying under a 600-calorie budget, and 25 points for being minimally processed -- the same formula GlucoBeacon's in-app Restaurant Advisor uses, just run here against a generic budget instead of your own goals. A higher score means an easier fit into most diabetes meal plans; it isn't a guarantee for any individual, since real blood sugar response depends on portion size, what else you eat with it, and your own physiology.
The full Dairy Queen menu -- all 15 items -- is searchable in the GlucoBeacon app's Restaurant Advisor, scored live against your own carb and calorie goals instead of a generic budget, with one-tap logging straight to your blood sugar history. Download GlucoBeacon on Google Play →