11 Best Carl's Jr. Secret Menu Items To Try in 2025

The Carl's Jr. secret menu is one of those things that people whisper about online — but is it actually real? After all, how many times have you looked at a fast food menu board and wondered, “Can I combine these two things I’m craving, or do I have to stick to the regular menu?”

And this desire to create custom orders isn't a small trend. As Kadence International explains, almost three-quarters of fast food customers prefer restaurants that allow order customization. Therefore, it's not surprising that secret menus are being created for an increasing number of fast food restaurants, like Carl's Jr. 

To help you learn more about what's on the Carl's Jr. secret menu, we've put together this curated guide that highlights our favorite custom orders and what you need to do to get them.

So, if you think your existing fast food order needs a bit of excitement, read on for 11 tasty secret menu items you can indulge in during your next Carl's Jr. run. 

 Jump to Section

• Does Carl's Jr. Have a Secret Menu?
• How We Created This Carl's Jr. Secret Menu Guide
• The 11 Best Carl's Jr. Secret Menu items
• How To Order From the Secret Menu at Carl's Jr.

Does Carl's Jr. Have a Secret Menu?

The short answer is yes — but the Carl's Jr. secret menu isn’t an official booklet of hidden options tucked behind the counter. Instead, it’s the amalgamation of fan-devised creations and clever swaps built out of ingredients already stocked in the kitchen. 

Some items, like the “swap your combo” (AKA the healthy combo) — where you trade fries and soda for a side salad and bottled water — have even become so popular that they’re practically part of the standard lineup now.

That’s one of the greatest strengths of the Carl's Jr. secret menu: it gives you freedom to personalize, whether you want a triple-decker burger featuring all your favorite sides or you want to scale things back with a low-carb bun and extra veggies. 

While burger joints often make headlines as some of the unhealthiest fast food chains out there, Carl's Jr. secret menu hacks like “Trim It” or “Veg It” show that you don’t have to go all-in on the pre-determined burger selections every time.

As long as it’s an ingredient that's in stock and you’re not asking for drastic changes to things like the cooking methods, it’s pretty easy to make simple swaps to your meal to suit your exact craving. 

How We Created This Carl's Jr. Secret Menu Guide

We take hunting down secret menus very seriously at Cozymeal, and compiling this Carl's Jr. secret menu guide wasn’t a matter of guesswork; it required a mix of research, verifying item details and their popularity, and even trying some of these secret menu orders ourselves. 

Our research team sifted through fan forums, food blogs and social media posts to uncover the combinations that diners actually order and enjoy. We also cross-checked all our hacks against Carl’s Jr.’s current official menu to make sure each request is still feasible today.

Most importantly, this list reflects a range of tastes. The Carl's Jr. secret menu is about more than just over-the-top orders. It also covers lighter swaps and vegetarian dishes that can make your favorite combo into a whole new meal. By testing these hacks and narrowing them down to the most reliable options, we’ve built a resource you can trust when hunger strikes.

The 11 Best Carl's Jr. Secret Menu items

1. Spicy El Diablo Chicken Sandwich

Fans of the El Diablo Burger will love this version if they’re looking for something a little lighter. It’s also one of the best fast food chicken sandwiches you can order when you’re craving something spicy and with more toppings than the average chicken sandwich. 

This Carl's Jr. secret menu sandwich is a layered heat bomb made with charbroiled chicken, jalapeños, pepper jack cheese and habanero ranch sauce. Like with the official menu El Diablo Burger, you’ll also get jalapeño poppers and bacon, all served up on a seeded bun. 

Every bite of the Carl's Jr. secret menu El Diablo chicken sandwich hits you with a combo of spicy and creamy flavors and the melted cheese keeps the heat from being too overwhelming. If you’ve never even considered ordering the charbroiled chicken sandwich until now, the secret menu at Carl's Jr. is the perfect way to experience it without getting let down. 

The leaner flavor profile isn’t for everyone, but if you add all the heat of the El Diablo, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a fan of spicy food who doesn’t love this burger. 

How To Order

Simply ask for an El Diablo Burger, but request that the beef patty be replaced with a charbroiled chicken filet. You can also do the same with the Double El Diablo and Triple El Diablo, and could opt for breaded chicken over charbroiled if desired. 

Components

• El Diablo Burger (without beef patty)
• Charbroiled Chicken Filet
• or Breaded Chicken Filet

2. Chicken Stuffed Famous Star

If you find yourself thinking about the Carl's Jr. secret menu and you’re extra hungry — and we mean extra hungry — then this fast-food Frankenstein is well worth trying. The Chicken Stuffed Famous Star (previously named the Chicken Stuffed Super Star) is essentially a towering stack of meat. 

This high-protein fast food item is made by wedging a crispy spicy chicken sandwich inside the already substantial Double Famous Star. Although few fast food joints include a beef-chicken combo burger on official menus, we think that this is a perfect match.

The spicy crunch of the chicken contrasts with the juicy charbroiled beef, and it’s all wrapped up with melted cheese, mayonnaise and pickles. This burger is greasy, salty and teetering on the edge of over-indulgent — but this audacity is exactly what makes this item so popular on the Carl's Jr. secret menu. 

How To Order

Ask for a Double Famous Star and a spicy chicken sandwich. If the chefs won’t build this Carl's Jr. secret menu burger for you, order them separately and stack the spicy chicken inside the burger yourself. If there’s no Double Famous Star on your local Carl’s Jr. menu, you can ask for a super star with cheese instead — it’s essentially the same thing. 

Components

• Double Famous Star 
• Spicy Chicken Sandwich

3. Zucchini Burger

There's a nearly endless list of burger customizations available with the Carl's Jr. secret menu, and the Zucchini Burger embodies this. While the Fried Zucchini Star is typically only ordered by people looking for the best vegetarian fast food options, this version takes it to new, meaty heights. 

Best of all, this Carl’s Jr. secret menu hack can be customized even further because it simply involves adding fried zucchini to your favorite burger. The sweetness of the fried zucchini, paired with the meat-filled sandwiches, creates a flavor profile you’d never expect at a drive-through. 

We also love a twist on this Carl’s Jr. secret menu hack, which involves adding jalapeño poppers to your favorite burger. Or, why not add both?  

How To Order

Simply choose your favorite chicken sandwich or beef burger and ask for fried zucchini to be added. If it can’t be added directly, you can order a side of fried zucchini and add it yourself. 

Components

• Sandwich or Burger of Your Choice
• Fried Zucchini 

4. Western Breakfast Burger

Driving past a Carl’s Jr. before 10:30 a.m. (or whenever your local breakfast cut-off is) and wondering what Carl's Jr. secret menu foods you can order? We’ve got you covered. 

The Western Breakfast Burger takes the best of two icons — the Western Bacon Cheeseburger and the Breakfast Burger — and merges them into a smoky, yolk-dripping delight. This Carl's Jr. secret menu burger layers charbroiled beef with crispy bacon, an over-medium fried egg, tangy barbecue sauce and a golden onion ring as the finishing touch. 

It’s the Carl's Jr. breakfast of champions and with over 40 grams of protein, you’re basically fueling a new PB at the gym — though, let’s be honest, you’re far more likely to be setting records for the longest food coma than on the squat rack.

What sets this apart on the Carl’s Jr. secret menu is balance. The egg softens the smokiness of the bacon and beef, while the barbecue sauce adds a sweet, tangy kick to the whole sandwich. Add in the crunch of the onion ring, and you have one of the best fast food burgers that feels indulgent without being completely unhinged.

How To Order

Request a Breakfast Burger but swap the ketchup and mayonnaise for the sweet and bold barbecue sauce. Ask to add an onion ring from the Western Bacon Cheeseburger (you can also just order a portion of onion rings if this isn’t possible or if you want more than one). Keep the bacon and egg as usual.

Components

• Breakfast Burger
• Onion Rings
• Barbecue Sauce
• Remove: Ketchup
• Remove: Mayonnaise

5. Onion Ring Supreme

Some of the regular menu Carl’s Jr. burgers, such as the Western Bacon Cheeseburger, already come with onion rings. But why stop there? You can add onion rings to any sandwich, or even double them up on the Western Burger, with this Carl’s Jr. secret menu hack. 

All you have to do is order a side of onion rings and add as many as you want (yes, it could be the whole side order) to your chicken sandwich or burger. 

How To Order

Get a side of onion rings and add them to your favorite chicken sandwich or burger. 

Components

• Chicken Sandwich or Burger of Your Choice
• Side of Onion Rings

6. Rodeo Cheese Fries

Not every Carl's Jr. secret menu hack needs to involve mashing two different sandwiches together, and Rodeo Chili Cheese Fries are a great example of this. While the secret menu at Carl's Jr. mainly covers burger swaps and additions, this item takes the otherwise plain standard fries and upgrades them to a whole new experience. 

Any of the regular menu fries work for this dish — natural-cut French fries, waffle fries or even Hash Rounds in the morning — but waffle fries are our favorite option. Once your fries are chosen, add melted cheese (ideally pepper jack cheese), barbecue sauce and jalapeños, although they can be left off if you don’t want the dish spicy. If you do enjoy the heat, you could also add some habanero ranch sauce. 

We loved this Carl's Jr. secret menu item so much because it nails all the key points of spot-on loaded fries. The fries pair perfectly with the cheese sauce, and the barbecue sauce drizzle ties everything together with a smoky depth that doesn’t compete with the heat from the jalapeños. It’s indulgent, messy and exactly what late-night cravings were made for.

How To Order

Get an order of fries and ask for barbecue sauce, melted pepper jack cheese, and jalapeños to be added on top. You can sub out the cheese or add habanero ranch sauce (or really any other toppings you want that are on the menu) if desired.

Components 

• Fries: French Fries, Waffle Fries or Hash Rounds
• Barbecue Sauce
• Pepper Jack Cheese
• Jalapeños
• Other toppings and sauces (optional)

7. Low-Carb It / Lettuce-Wrapped Burgers

If you’re looking for lunch food ideas and you want some low-carb fast food choices rather than just carb-overload swaps, then this Carl's Jr. secret menu hack is for you. The Low-Carb It option transforms any burger you choose into a lettuce-wrapped version, making it lower in calories and, in some cases, even making the burger keto-friendly (if there’s no fried components like zucchini or chicken). 

Instead of a bun, you get layers of crisp, refreshing lettuce that wrap around your charbroiled burger, keeping it lighter without sacrificing the main flavor. If you love In-N-Out Protein Style, then you will feel right at home here. 

You can follow this Carl's Jr. secret menu hack and lettuce wrap pretty much anything on the menu as well, including chicken sandwiches. However, note that the more fillings the burger has, the messier the lettuce wrap will be. 

Our top tip? Most chefs only use a couple of leaves to wrap the burger in this Carl's Jr. secret menu order, which can cause the burger to fall apart quickly (especially when a lot of sauce is involved). Requesting an extra leaf or two gives more grip, keeps sauces and toppings in, and stops the burger from falling apart. 

You can also ask for the burger to be wrapped in foil or paper, which will help hold everything together. 

How To Order

Request any burger or sandwich “low-carb” or “lettuce-wrapped” when ordering.

Components

• Burger or Sandwich of Your Choice (without the bread)
• Lettuce Leaves

8. Custom Grilled Cheese

Sometimes, the best order from the Carl's Jr. secret menu isn’t an elaborate snack or a triple protein hack; it’s actually just the simplest comfort food done right. The custom grilled cheese is exactly what it sounds like: a toasted bun, flipped inside out for a golden crust and layered with as much melted cheese as your heart desires. 

This grilled cheese is the perfect nostalgic treat when you don’t want to commit to a whole burger combo. You’re pretty much guaranteed to get that stretchy, gooey cheese pull every time, and it can either be a side order to your burger or a standalone meal if you’re after something a little lighter. 

You can also choose any cheese on the menu (or combine them), with options like pepper jack and standard American cheese on offer. Plus, if you’re feeling like something a little more substantial, you can also add extras to your Carl's Jr. secret menu grilled cheese, like fried zucchini, onion rings, chicken stars or even jalapeño poppers. 

How To Order

Ask for a bun toasted on both sides, inside and out, with slices of cheese in the middle on the second grilling. Add extra cheese if you want a gooier and stretchier melt.

Components

• Burger Bun (toasted on both sides)
• Cheese 

9. Trim It

Not all Carl's Jr. secret menu items are about adding more — sometimes they’re about taking away. The Trim It option is designed for anyone who’s craving a burger but wants a lighter, low-calorie fast food option that doesn’t detract from the core experience. 

Think “fresco-style” from the Taco Bell secret menu, but removing the Carl’s Jr. ingredients with high calories and saturated fat. In this case, this secret menu hack swaps in wheat buns, removes the mayonnaise and cheese, and in some cases, you can also replace the beef patty with a leaner chicken option. 

The result? You still get that classic Carl’s Jr. experience, while trimming down on the fat and calories in your meal. This Carl's Jr. secret menu choice is ideal if you want something filling without the post-burger meat sweats. Because it’s all about balance, right?

How To Order

Simply ask the cashier to “trim it” when ordering. That means mayonnaise and cheese are omitted and a wheat bun is added in place of the standard one. You will need to request a leaner protein if you want the beef patty switched out. 

Components

• Burger of Your Choice
• Add: Wheat Buns
• Remove: Cheese
• Remove: Mayonnaise
• Switch the Beef Patty With Chicken (optional)

10. Veg It

The Carl's Jr. secret menu doesn’t leave the vegetarians behind. With the Veg It option, you can take any sandwich and remove the meat entirely — or, in some locations, swap it for a veggie patty. If fried zucchini is available, that makes a fantastic substitute too, giving the sandwich both heft and crunch. 

Unfortunately, the main Carl’s Jr. vegetarian and vegan offerings have dwindled in recent years. Back in 2024, the burger joint stopped stocking Beyond Meat patties, and since then, the only mainstream vegetarian offering has been the fried zucchini star burger. But not all hope is lost; with Carl's Jr. secret menu options like this one, you can easily stay meat-free without feeling left out.

This Carl's Jr. secret menu hack is popular because it’s flexible. For some, it’s just about getting a lighter meal without the patty, but for others, it’s a chance to enjoy all their favorite burgers and sauce options while still having a meat-free meal. 

The combination of charbroiled toppings, sauces and add-ons still makes the sandwich feel indulgent, and with a veggie or zucchini base, you can get a totally different flavor each time. Carl’s Jr. isn’t typically known for being a vegetarian haven, but this Carl's Jr. secret menu order changes that.

How To Order

Ask to “veg it” when you order your burger. Specify whether you want the patty removed entirely or swapped for a veggie option like fried zucchini, Hash Rounds or even jalapeño poppers.

Components

• Burger or Sandwich of Your Choice
• Remove: Meat Fillings 
• Add: Vegetarian Filling (optional)

11. Cinnamon Roll Sandwich 

Another delightful breakfast option on the Carl’s Jr. secret menu, this item takes your favorite breakfast sandwich (including the breakfast burger) and replaces the buns with sweet and gooey cinnamon rolls.

Some people like to leave the regular burger bun on the bottom and add the cinnamon roll on top, while others go all out with a full bread replacement. Honestly? We think both work great!

How To Order

Ask for the bread (or biscuit) on your breakfast sandwich to be replaced with cinnamon rolls. If not possible, order a cinnamon roll separately and make the switch yourself. 

Components

• Breakfast Sandwich of Your Choice 
• Cinnamon Roll

How To Order From the Secret Menu at Carl's Jr.

Ordering from the Carl's Jr. secret menu takes a little finesse and a lot of patience. Since the items aren’t officially listed anywhere, there’s no guarantee that the staff at your local Carl’s Jr. will know what you’re referring to, so try to stay clear of TikTok nicknames like the “Zucchini Parm Smash” and stick to listing the ingredient swaps instead. 

The best way to get what you’d like is to describe the order in plain terms: which burger, which swap, which add-on, etc. It’s worth remembering that not every location has the same ingredients on hand, so some Carl's Jr. secret menu requests may be impossible in practice. 

Be ready to pull back your adaptations if they’re too complex for the staff to understand, and have a few back-up ideas ready to go if there are any out-of-stock ingredients. Above all, try visiting during off-peak hours if you’re chasing a Carl's Jr. secret menu order that’s more complicated than a simple lettuce wrap. 

If the restaurant is slammed, special requests are more likely to get lost in the shuffle, and getting frustrated won’t make the process more likely to succeed. Always say a sincere thank you and show appreciation for the extra time the staff have taken to fulfill your special request. 

Whether you’re craving a monster burger stacked with every protein on the menu or you just feel like a simple lettuce-wrapped sandwich for lunch, the Carl's Jr. secret menu shows that this classic chain has so much more to offer than the printed boards suggest. 

The Carl's Jr. secret menu isn’t official, but it’s absolutely real, and using it offers a great way to shake things up when you’re tired of the usual order on repeat. 

For even more ways to explore your favorite foods, check out other experiences happening on Cozymeal.