Thanksgiving with less seed oil: the easy swaps and what to order out. See the guide
Report Cards · Nando's South Africa

Nando's South Africa Seed Oil Report Card

GradeB
Avg PUFA/item4.7g
Items analyzed130
Cooking oilSunflower oil (estimate)
From the chain37%

Based on our menu research, Nando's South Africa cooks with: sunflower oil (estimated). Across the 130 menu items we analyzed, it averages 4.7g estimated PUFA per item, earning a seed-oil grade of B (Medium Risk).

Eating at Nando's South Africa soon? Build your order in the app and see its seed oil total before you pay.

Build my order

Ask Nando's South Africa to drop seed oils

7 people have asked so far.

One tap, anonymous, no signup. We keep each chain's total public so the demand is impossible to ignore.

Safest Orders at Nando's South Africa

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: 1/4 Chicken (on its own) + Bottomless Soda, 5.3g total

ItemPUFA
Pulled Chicken (on its own)3.0g
Chicken Strips (on their own)3.0g
Roasted Corn & Red Pepper Boujee Bowl with Halloumi3.3g
Roasted Corn & Red Pepper Boujee Bowl with Chicken Strips3.3g
Chicken Fillet (on its own)3.5g

Build your Nando's South Africa order

Pick your meal, sides, sauces and drink in the app and see your seed oil total before you order. It logs to your day in one tap. Free on iPhone and Android.

Build my order

What to Avoid at Nando's South Africa

ItemPUFA
Full Chicken (on its own)22.1g
10 Winglets (on their own)19.5g
Hotpot with Casa Pap16.8g
Hotpot with Spicy Rice16.8g
Starter Livers & Casa Pap15.2g

Around the world: Nando's

We have Nando's in 8 countries. Here is what it cooks with in each one, and how the same menu items compare.

CountryCooks withPERi-PERi Chips (Sharing)Chicken Strips & Spicy RiceFull Chicken (on its own)Hotpot with Spicy RicePERi-tato Salad (Sharing)Coleslaw (Sharing)
South Africa (this page)Not disclosed11.5g11.0g22.1g16.8g12.0g11.9g
Australiacottonseed oiln/an/an/an/an/an/a
BotswanaNot disclosed11.5g11.0g21.6g16.8g12.0g11.9g
Canadasunflower oiln/an/an/an/an/an/a
Irelandrapeseed oiln/an/an/an/an/an/a
UKrapeseed oiln/an/an/an/an/an/a
ZambiaNot disclosedn/a11.0g22.1g16.8g12.0g11.9g
ZimbabweNot disclosedn/a11.0gn/an/an/an/a

Items are matched by name, so portions and recipes can differ between countries. Values are estimated grams of seed-oil PUFA per item. Oil notes are as each country's chain discloses them.

Every Nando's South Africa item, ranked

All 130 items we have for Nando's South Africa, safest first. Values are estimated grams of seed-oil PUFA per item.

ItemPUFA
Pineapple0.0g
Berry Bloom0.0g
Tropical Sunset0.0g
Bottomless Soda0.0g
Appletiser (can)0.0g
Red Grapetiser (can)0.0g
Coke (Buddy)0.0g
Coke No Sugar (Buddy)0.0g
Creme Soda (Buddy)0.0g
Fanta Orange (Buddy)0.0g
Sprite (Buddy)0.0g
Sprite No Sugar (Buddy)0.0g
1.5L Coke0.0g
1.5L Coke NSNC0.0g
1.5L Stoney0.0g
1.5L Fanta Orange0.0g
1.5L Coke No Sugar0.0g
Cappy Juice Orange0.0g
1.5L Creme Soda0.0g
Cappy Juice Breakfast Blend0.0g
Cappy Juice Apple0.0g
1.5L Sprite0.0g
1.5L Stoney No Sugar0.0g
Cappy Juice Orange Mango0.0g
Rubro Iced Tea Lemon0.0g
Valpre Still0.0g
Valpre Sparkling0.0g
Rubro Iced Tea Peach0.0g
Feta0.1g
Cheese Slice0.1g
Strawberries & Cream Shake0.3g
Nando's Roll0.3g
Halloumi0.3g
Soft Serve Cone0.3g
Soft Serve0.3g
Soft Serve Strawberries & Cream Shake0.3g
XHot PERi-PERi Sauce0.5g
Mild PERi-PERi Sauce0.5g
Hot PERi-PERi Sauce0.5g
Soft Serve Bottomless0.5g
Soft Serve Peppermint Sundae0.5g
Avo0.6g
Medium PERi-PERi Sauce0.7g
4 Nando's Rolls0.8g
Bar.One Shake0.8g
Soft Serve Bar.One Shake0.8g
Casa Pap (Single)1.0g
Nando's Salad (Single)1.0g
Roasted Veg (Single)1.0g
Nando's Salad (Sharing)1.2g
Casa Pap (Sharing)1.5g
Garlic Roll1.5g
Da Malva Pudding1.5g
Lemon & Herb PERi-PERi Sauce1.8g
Corn Medley (Single)1.9g
Garlic Roll with Cheese2.0g
Flame-grilled Mielie (Corn) Single2.0g
Roasted Veg (Sharing)2.0g
PERinaise Hot2.4g
PERinaise Original2.4g
Nandinos Chicken Burger & Chips2.6g
Spicy Rice (Single)2.7g
Pulled Chicken (on its own)3.0g
Chicken Strips (on their own)3.0g
Churros & Chocolate Sauce3.0g
Roasted Corn & Red Pepper Boujee Bowl with Halloumi3.3g
Roasted Corn & Red Pepper Boujee Bowl with Chicken Strips3.3g
Spicy Rice with Nando's Relish (Single)3.5g
Chicken Fillet (on its own)3.5g
Flame-grilled Mielie (Corn) Sharing4.0g
Nandinos Veg Burger & Chips4.0g
Corn Medley (Sharing)4.2g
Nandinos Winglet & Chips4.8g
Veggie Patty (on its own)5.0g
1/4 Chicken (on its own)5.3g
Pulled Chicken Burger with cheese (on its own)5.4g
Veg Caesar Salad6.0g
The Grande Salad (Veg)6.0g
Halloumi Veg & Rice6.0g
Spicy Rice (Sharing)6.1g
Starter Livers and a Nando's Roll6.2g
PERi-PERi Wedges (Single)6.2g
Plain Wedges (Single)6.2g
Casa Pap & Nando's Relish (Single)6.4g
Chicken Caesar Salad6.5g
Chicken Burger (on its own)6.9g
The Grande Salad (Chicken)7.0g
Halloumi & Veg Wrap (on its own)7.0g
Veg Burger (on its own)7.1g
PERinaise Dip7.2g
Plain Chips (Single)7.3g
PERi-PERi Chips (Single)7.3g
Coleslaw (Single)7.5g
Spicy Rice with Nando's Relish (Sharing)7.5g
Veg Wrap (on its own)8.0g
PERi-tato Salad (Single)8.0g
Chicken Caesar Wrap (on its own)8.0g
Veg Caesar Wrap (on its own)8.0g
Cabo Sosatie Flatbread (on its own)8.0g
Chicken Wrap (on its own)8.1g
Pulled Chicken and Cheese Wrap (on its own)8.1g
Creamy Dip8.4g
Grande Cheese Burger (on its own)8.5g
Avo & Halloumi Boujee Bowl with Pulled Chicken8.6g
PERi-Spinach (Single)8.6g
Nandinos Strips & Chips8.7g
Avo & Halloumi Boujee Bowl with Veg Patty9.0g
Grande Veg Cheese Burger (on its own)9.0g
Halloumi & Veg Pita (on its own)9.0g
Livers and a Nando's Roll (Full portion)9.4g
Casa Pap & Nando's Relish (Sharing)9.6g
Cheesy Rissoles10.0g
Chicken Strips & Spicy Rice11.0g
1/2 Chicken (on its own)11.1g
PERi-PERi Chips (Sharing)11.5g
Plain Chips (Sharing)11.5g
Veg Pita (on its own)11.6g
6 Winglets (on their own)11.7g
Coleslaw (Sharing)11.9g
PERi-Spinach (Sharing)12.0g
PERi-tato Salad (Sharing)12.0g
PERi-PERi Wedges (Sharing)12.2g
Plain Wedges (Sharing)12.2g
Chicken Pita (on its own)13.0g
Pulled Chicken and Cheese Pita (on its own)13.0g
Starter Livers & Casa Pap15.2g
Hotpot with Casa Pap16.8g
Hotpot with Spicy Rice16.8g
10 Winglets (on their own)19.5g
Full Chicken (on its own)22.1g

Frequently asked

Does Nando's South Africa use seed oils?

Based on our menu research, Nando's South Africa cooks with: sunflower oil (estimated). Across the 130 menu items we analyzed, it averages 4.7g estimated PUFA per item, earning a seed-oil grade of B (Medium Risk).

What oil does Nando's South Africa cook with?

Our research indicates: not stated by Nando's SA; its own fatty-acid panels print poly-unsaturated fat at about half of the fat in the chips and wedges (10 g fat, 2 sat, 3 mono, 5 poly per 100 g) and 60-64% in the PERinaise and Creamy dips, a sunflower-oil profile (South Africa's default frying oil); chicken is flame-grilled, not fried, and basted with PERi-PERi sauce. Preparation can vary by location, so treat PUFA numbers as estimates.

Does Nando's South Africa use beef tallow?

No. Our research indicates Nando's South Africa cooks with sunflower oil (estimated), not beef tallow. For chains that fry in tallow or other real fats, see Tallow Watch.

Is Nando's South Africa seed oil free?

No. Our research indicates Nando's South Africa cooks with sunflower oil (estimated), which includes seed oils. See the lower-PUFA orders above for the cleanest picks.

What is the safest thing to order at Nando's South Africa?

Chicken Strips (on their own) is the lowest-PUFA item we analyzed at Nando's South Africa, at an estimated 3.0g PUFA. See the Safest Orders list on this page for more options.

What should I avoid at Nando's South Africa?

Full Chicken (on its own) is the highest-PUFA item we analyzed at Nando's South Africa, at an estimated 22.1g 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

Milky Lane · Mochachos · Mugg & Bean · Ocean Basket · Panarottis · Pedros

See where Nando's South Africa 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.

Track your seed oil intake — get the app
Join the movement. 2,600+ chains graded. Build my order in the app