We test five of Australia's favourite fast food fixes for nutrition: KFC, Domino's, McDonald's, Zambrero and Subway. The results might surprise you.

Nutrition showdown: which fast food is the healthiest?

There’s was a time when there was no such thing as “healthy” at McDonald’s.

Back in 2011, former McDonald’s CEO Don Thompson told investors there wasn’t a demand for veggie burgers at their restaurants, which is why they didn’t stick around on the menu.

But the moment McDonald’s in Singapore rolled out the veggie burger in 2016, health-conscious Aussies hoped for it to land on menus across the country.

And Australia did have it on the menu for sometime, but there wasn’t enough love to keep it on.

It was trialled in five restaurants across the country.

“We have had a vegetarian burger on the menu before but unfortunately they don’t stay on the menu when demand falls away,” a spokesperson for McDonald’s told news.com.au back in 2016

But the landscape and demand has changed, and a vegetarian’s place is no longer on the backburner.

THE ALL-NEW 2019 MCVEGGIE BURGER

2019 is a new year, with new health trends and demands — and because of that, the McVeggie burger has made a comeback.

South Australia will be the first state to trial it — and this time Macca’s will wait on feedback before officially rolling it out across the country.

However, a McDonald’s spokesperson confirmed it was a new type of veggie burger.

The crumb-coated patty is made up of a mixed vegetable blend (potato, peas, corn, carrot, onion), with cheese, lettuce, mayonnaise and McDonald’s iconic pickles.

Jo Feeney, marketing director at McDonald’s Australia, said: “We understand there’s a rising demand for vegetarian options, and we always look to give our customers more of what they want.

“We’re excited to be trialling the McVeggie burger in South Australia so our customers can give us feedback on it before we look to serve it up across the country.”

While they may have given veggie lovers what they want, vegans are still waiting for their meat-free options.

In March, the fast-food giant officially introduced vegan “chicken” nuggets to its menu in Norway, and Aussies want in too.

Taking to Twitter, fans begged Macca’s to roll out the creation to everyone.

“Those look SO good,” one person posted.

“Bring us the vegan nuggets,” another said.

The nuggets too are from chickpeas, onions, carrots and corn and coated in breadcrumbs, then fried until crispy.

Currently, Macca’s vegan options are limited to french fries and hash browns.

While it’s not lobbying for nuggets, a petition has been circulating online to “Tell McDonald’s to bring a meat-free burger to Australia”.

Market research firm Euromonitor International predicts that by 2020, Australia’s packaged vegan food market would be worth $215 million.

It also found Australia was the third fastest growing vegan market in the world after the United Arab Emirates and China.