This Is How Much Protein Is Actually In A McDonald's Cheeseburger
If you're keeping track of your macronutrient intake –that's carbohydrates, fat, and protein — it's also a good idea to keep tabs on the specs of your fast food mainstays, especially if you're trying to hit certain nutritional goals. When it comes to protein, McDonald's basic cheeseburger contains 15 grams of the stuff. It also contains 300 calories in total, 13 grams of fat, and 31 grams of carbohydrates.
The only burger on the menu with fewer calories is the slightly simpler hamburger, which has 12 grams of protein, with 250 total calories, 9 grams of fat, and 30 grams of carbohydrates. For your reference, each burger patty weighs in at 1.6 ounces each (⅒ of a pound) and has around 7 grams of protein, in case you choose to eat it on its own to lower your carb intake. McDonald's seasons its iconic beef patties with a basic mix of salt and pepper. There's no magic seasoning combination involved — for better or for worse, it's just a plain old thin beef patty.
The McDonald's burger with the most protein
If you're looking for a straightforward McDonald's burger with a monster amount of protein in it, the Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese is the one to get. It has a total of 48 grams of protein, but it's not exactly the lightest burger on the menu either. It has 740 calories, 42 grams of fat, and 43 grams of carbohydrates. In fact, it's the burger with the most calories on McDonald's menu overall. To put this into perspective, a Big Mac has 580 calories and 25 grams of protein.
To be fair, the Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese Deluxe did come in first place when we ranked every burger on the McDonald's menu. It just happened to be quite a big and messy sandwich. While the regular old cheeseburger happened to be our least favorite McDonald's burger, it is comfortably handheld. It's a quick bite to eat and definitely manageable with one hand. If you want a slightly bigger protein boost, the McDouble is the next logical step up — it has one extra beef patty than a cheeseburger, which brings its protein total to 22 grams.