Eating at Dunkin Donuts When Bulking (6 Bodybuilding Meals)

There are many great meal options at Dunkin Donuts for bodybuilders and anyone looking to bulk, including options for your pre or post-workout meal. 

So what should you eat at Dunkin Donuts when bulking? If you are looking for a bulking meal between 600 – 850 calories at Dunkin Donuts, I recommend a “power breakfast sandwich” and a “wake-up wrap” as the best choice.

For a meal higher than 1,000 calories, add a turkey sausage sandwich to your order.  

In this article, I will provide:

• 6 meal options for what to eat at Dunkin Donuts when bulking

• My top 4 tips for eating at Dunkin Donuts both before and after your workout

Check Out Our Complete Guide On High Protein Fast Food For Bodybuilding

What To Eat at Dunkin Donuts If You’re A Bodybuilder: 6 Meal Options  

Six meal options to order at Dunkin Donuts when bodybuilding or bulking are:

1. 600 Calorie Dunkin Donuts Bulking Meal Plan 

• Order a power breakfast sandwich
• Add a veggie egg white and ham wake-up wrap
• Do not add hash browns

This meal has 607 calories, 39g protein (26%), 43g carbohydrates (28%) and 31g fat (46%).

The power breakfast sandwich is a high protein, moderate fat meal option. When bulking, ensuring you eat enough protein at each meal allows your body to recover and repair muscles after your workout.

This is what results in increased muscle mass and strength, a primary goal of bulking. Adding the wake-up wrap helps to further boost the protein by 14g. 

When bulking, including fat in your meal is beneficial as a method to increase the calories without increasing the physical volume of food eaten significantly.

Think of how a spoonful of peanut butter can be hundreds of calories. This will keep you from feeling physically uncomfortable from the higher calorie diet you are consuming. 

Options For Pre & Post Workout

This meal is an adequate option to eat pre or post-workout, however, it is lower in carbs and higher in fat than what is optimal. I will discuss better menu options for your pre-workout meal in a little bit.  

If you are planning to eat this before a workout, I recommend ordering the items without cheese. This will help to reduce the fat, giving your body a bit bigger of a boost of energy after your meal from the carbohydrates. 

This is a better option after a workout, but I recommend ordering the meal without cheese. 

2. 750 Calorie Dunkin Donuts Bulking Meal Plan 

• Order a ham, egg and cheese sandwich on a bagel
• Add a bacon, egg and cheese wake up wrap
• Do not add hash browns

This meal has 720 calories, 34g protein (19%), 83g carbohydrates (46%) and 28g fat (35%).

Ordering the ham, egg and cheese on a bagel increases the calories and carbohydrates in your meal. Carbohydrates will help to keep you energized throughout your day, this is especially helpful if you are working out or doing anything else active during your day. 

Adding the wake-up wrap boosts the protein in the meal by 10g and the fat by 13g. Since the sandwich is a higher carb option, this will create a meal with a relatively even mix of carbs, fat and protein.

This even mix is optimal when bulking so you can get the benefits that each macronutrient has to offer.

While adding hash browns would increase the meal’s calories, it is primarily from carbs and fat. A 6 piece serving is 130 calories, 12g of carbs and 6g of fat.

When bulking, I recommend opting for meals that have 25 – 35% of their calories coming from protein. This will help you get enough protein in your diet for muscle and strength growth. 

Options For Pre & Post Workout

If you are eating this before or after a workout, order both the sandwich and the wrap without the cheese. This will help to reduce the fat in the meal, making it easier for your body to use the carbs to provide you with lots of energy throughout your workout. 

3. 850 Calorie Dunkin Donuts Bulking Meal Plan 

• Order a power breakfast sandwich
• Add a turkey sausage sandwich to an English muffin
• Do not add hash browns

This meal has 871 calories, 51g protein (23%), 67g carbohydrates (31%) and 45g fat (46%).

Both breakfast sandwiches include a relatively even mix of carbs, fat and protein, which is an optimal ratio to aim for your meals when bulking.

You can get the benefits of each macronutrient without risking some of the downsides that come with consuming a meal too high in one. 

With this ratio, make sure you’re getting enough protein within your day to recover and build muscle, feel energized throughout the day from the carbs and add lower volume calories from the fat so you aren’t feeling quite as physically full.  

Options For Pre & Post Workout

This meal is higher in fat than I would recommend eating both before and after a workout. There are more optimal meals from Dunkin Donuts to eat around a workout, I will discuss some of those in a little bit.  

If you are in a pinch and need to eat this meal around a workout, I recommend ordering the sandwiches without the cheese to decrease the fat and leave you with more energy during your workout.

4. 1,000 Calorie Dunkin Donuts Bulking Meal Plan 

• Order a ham, cheese and egg on an English muffin
• Add a turkey sausage sandwich to an English muffin
• Add a veggie egg white and ham wake up wrap
• Do not add hash browns

This meal has 1,013 calories, 59g protein (23%), 93g carbohydrates (37%) and 45g fat (40%).

Opting for two breakfast sandwiches is the best method to increase your meal’s calories while also keeping the protein high. Other items like muffins, bagels or donuts on the Dunkin Donuts menu are primarily carbs and fat and quite low in protein. 

Protein is what your body will use to recover and build muscle mass after your workout, so ensuring you get enough is crucial when bulking. Add the wake-up wrap will further boost the meal’s protein, increasing it by another 14g.

Options For Pre & Post Workout

This meal is too high in calories and fat to make for an optimal meal pre or post-workout. I recommend opting for a lower calorie meal plan instead.

A meal this high in calories is likely to give you a lethargic feeling as well as cause digestive discomfort, neither of which will result in you having a strong workout.

5. 1,150 Calorie Dunkin Donuts Bulking Meal Plan 

• Order a turkey sausage sandwich on an English muffin
• Add a power breakfast sandwich
• Add a veggie eggwhite sandwich on multigrain 

This meal has 1,170 calories, 68g protein (23%), 94g carbohydrates (32%) and 58g fat (45%).

All three of these breakfast sandwiches provide 23% of the calories from protein. At Dunkin Donuts, those are the highest protein options.

When bulking, the primary goal is to increase strength and build muscle mass. To do this, your body needs enough protein to repair your muscles after a workout.

Generally speaking, when bulking I recommend opting for meals with 25 – 35% protein. While this meal is slightly less, it’s insignificant if you are within that range for the rest of your meals in your day.

This meal is also high in fat, which is beneficial to keep the volume of food you are eating low. Less food volume means you won’t feel as physically full and eating enough calories during the remainder of your day will be more comfortable. 

Options For Pre & Post Workout

I do not recommend eating this meal before or after a workout as it is too high in calories and fat.

A meal this high in calories will likely leave you with that sleepy ‘food coma’ feeling many experiences after a large meal like Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. I recommend opting for a lower calorie meal plan as a better option.

6. 1,450 Calorie Dunkin Donuts Bulking Meal Plan 

• Order a power breakfast sandwich
• Add a bacon, egg and cheese bagel
• Add a grilled cheese sandwich with ham

This meal has 1,450 calories, 73g protein (20%), 150g carbohydrates (41%) and 62g fat (38%).

Both the bacon, egg and cheese bagel and the grilled cheese sandwich are higher carb options compared to other breakfast sandwiches.

Adding in some additional carbs, when calories are this high, can provide energy without increasing the fat to the point where it is digestively uncomfortable.

This meal has sufficient protein, giving your body the tools it needs to build muscle. The carbs will provide plenty of energy throughout your day. The fat will help to keep the physical volume of food down, while still keeping the calories high.

Options For Pre & Post Workout

If you are eating this meal pre or post-workout, I recommend choosing one of the lower-calorie meal plans.

Eating a meal this high in calories is likely to make you feel lethargic as well as cause digestive discomfort. Neither of these will leave you ready to perform at your best during a workout or recover after a workout. 

Tips for Eating at Dunkin Donuts Before a Workout

What you are eating before a workout can significantly improve, or hinder, your ability to perform during your workout.

By consuming a meal that is high in carbs and low in fat, you can ensure you have the energy you need to perform at your best throughout your entire workout.

Should you eat at Dunkin Donuts before a workout? Yes, you should eat at Dunkin Donuts before a workout.

A ham or bacon breakfast sandwich on a bagel with no cheese and a small lemonade refresher provides a high carb, low-fat option that is optimal. For more calories, add a bagel or opt for a medium or large refresher.

• Read more in my article Can You Eat Fried Food Before And After Workouts?

4 Tips for How to Eat at Dunkin Donuts Before a Workout

My top 4 tips for how to eat at Dunkin Donuts before a workout are:

1. Opt for a breakfast sandwich on a bagel

Before a workout, the focus is to eat a meal that is high in carbs as carbs will provide the quickest source of energy for our bodies.

By consuming more carbs during this meal, you are likely to find yourself feeling energized and able to perform better and for longer even during intense workouts. 

This meal should have two servings of carbs at the minimum, with a serving size being about the size of a closed fist. At Dunkin Donuts, chicken tenders provide one serving of carbs so adding a second serving with corn or mashed potatoes is the best option.

I recommend ensuring that you are eating this meal within 1 – 2 hours of your workout. 

• To learn more about the pros and cons of eating bagels for bodybuilding, check out my article: Are Bagels Good or Bad For Bodybuilding?

2. Choose bacon or ham as your meat

The other focus of your pre-workout meal should be to limit the fat you are consuming.

Fat slows down our digestion, making it more difficult to break down and use the carbs we just ate, which is likely to leave us with much less energy during our workout. 

At Dunkin Donuts, while all meat options are higher fat than what is optimal, chicken tenders are the lowest fat protein option compared to dark meat chicken and therefore the best option to consume before a workout. 

3. Skip the cheese

At Dunkin Donuts, both the meat and the egg have some fat in them so excluding the cheese from your order will keep the fat from getting too high. 

Fat will reduce the energy that is immediately available for your workout leaving you feeling less energized so we want to limit it in our pre-workout meal.

4. Add a small lemonade refresher to your order

While eating a meal high in carbs before a workout is great, to take it to the next level, we also want to try and include a combination of slow and fast-digesting carbs to further boost the energy we have available.

Slow digesting carbs provide energy over a few hours while quick digesting carbs provide energy within a half-hour.

By including both, you give you a quick burst of energy to begin your workout, as well as sustained energy to keep you energized through the remainder.

If you find yourself feeling lower energy midway through, you sip on your refresher throughout your workout.

A lemonade refresher is a quick digesting carb, and therefore beneficial to include in your pre-workout meal along with the breakfast sandwich. For the best results, I recommend waiting until 30 minutes before your workout to consume the refresher. 

Tips for Eating at Dunkin Donuts After a Workout

Your post-workout meal plays a key role in maximizing your gym performance when bulking. It is responsible for kicking off the process of repairing the muscle damaged during your workout, which is what will ultimately result in increased strength and muscular growth. 

Should you eat at Dunkin Donuts after a workout? Yes, you should eat at Dunkin Donuts after a workout.

A ham or bacon breakfast sandwich with no cheese provides a high carb and protein and moderate fat meal that is ideal post-workout. Consider bringing a scoop of whey protein to consume with your meal for more protein.

4 Tips for How to Eat at Dunkin Donuts After a Workout

My top 4 tips for how to eat at Dunkin Donuts after a workout are:

1. Get your breakfast sandwich on a bagel

During your workout, your body is using up its stored fuel to provide you with energy. By the end of your workout, you’ve likely used up most of these stores.

To kick start the process of repairing, and in turn growing, our muscles, replenishing these stores should be a priority once your workout is complete.

To replenish these stores, you need to eat a meal that is high in carbs. What does high in carbs look like though? I recommend at least two servings of carbs, with a serving being approximately the size of a closed fist. At Dunkin Donuts, a bagel is the best option.

For the best results, I recommend eating this meal within 1 – 1.5 hours after finishing your workout. 

2. Order ham or bacon as your meat 

Protein is just as important as carbs to include in your post-workout meal as it is the building block that our body uses to repair muscle.

The process of damaging muscles throughout a workout and repairing them after is what will result in the increased strength and muscle growth that is desired when bulking. 

For our body to quickly digest and absorb the carbs and protein we are eating, reducing the amount of fat we are eating after a workout is also important. If we eat fat with our meal, it will slow down the digestion process, and in turn, delay the muscle repair process. 

At Dunkin Donuts, ham and bacon are the lowest fat options and best choices for post-workout.

3. Opt for no cheese 

At Dunkin Donuts, both the meat and egg contain some fat. Limiting the fat consumed is important so digestion can continue to quickly break down and absorb the carbs and protein it needs to repair and grow our muscles.

Skipping the cheese will help to reduce the total fat without drastically decreasing the protein in your meal.

I like to use the analogy that carbs and protein are cars on a highway, heading towards their end destination of our muscles. Fat is the drivers on the road that are travelling below the speed limit, slowing down how quickly they can get to their destination. 

4. Consider bringing a scoop of whey with your meal

Breakfast sandwiches at Dunkin Donuts are the highest protein option, however, they only have between 20 – 23% of the calories coming from protein.

To get enough protein to repair and grow muscle, I recommend a meal with 30 – 35% of its calories from protein. 

At Dunkin Donuts, there is not an option to order that will increase the protein to this threshold without increasing the fat too significantly.

An easy and portable option that you can bring at home is a scoop of whey protein. I recommend adding this into a black ice coffee to create a delicious protein coffee!

If you are not able to bring a scoop of protein, I still recommend eating at Dunkin Donuts. Simply focus on getting a little extra protein during your other meals to make up for the lower amount.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some frequently asked questions for eating at Dunkin Donuts if you work out. 

Will Eating at Dunkin Donuts Ruin My Gains?

No, eating at Dunkin Donuts will not ruin your gains. To maintain muscle mass, the most important factor is eating sufficient protein during the day.

Dunkin Donuts’s menu has lots of high protein options, such as a power breakfast sandwich, ham, egg and cheese or a turkey sausage sandwich, which make it possible to maintain your gains.

Can I Eat at Dunkin Donuts and Still Gain Muscle?

Yes, you can eat at Dunkin Donuts and still gain muscle. To gain muscle, you need to be eating enough protein after your workout so your muscles have what they need to repair and grow.

Dunkin Donuts ham, egg and cheese, power breakfast sandwiches and turkey sausage sandwiches are all high in protein ensuring you have enough protein to make it possible to gain muscle.

What Meal at Dunkin Donuts has the Most Protein?

The meal at Dunkin Donuts with the most protein is the sourdough breakfast sandwich with a side of hash browns. This meal has 766 calories, 36g of protein, 70g of carbohydrates and 38g of fat. 

What Meal at Dunkin Donuts has the Most Calories?

The meal at Dunkin Donuts with the most calories is the sausage, egg and cheese on a croissant. This meal has 842 calories, 26g of protein, 54g of carbohydrates and 58g of fat. 

Which Meal at Dunkin Donuts has the Least Calories

The meal at Dunkin Donuts that has the least calories is the veggie, egg white and ham wake up the wrap. This meal has 188 calories, 14g of protein, 15g of carbohydrates and 8g of fat.

More Fast Food Meal Plans

Check out our other bulking and cutting meal plans from popular fast-food restaurants:

• Eating At Chick-Fil-A When Bulking (6 Bodybuilding Meals)
• Eating At Panera Bread When Bulking (6 Bodybuilding Meals)
• Eating At Subway When Bulking or Cutting (6 Meals)
• Eating At Arby’s When Bulking (6 Bodybuilding Meals)
• Eating at Jimmy John’s When Bodybuilding (6 Meals)