If you want the most protein for your calories at McDonald’s, get McCrispy Strips. If you want the most protein, period, get a Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese. Everything else on the menu lands somewhere between the two, and the table below ranks all of it.
I haven’t eaten at McDonald’s in years, so I can’t tell you what tastes best. I can tell you what the numbers say. They all come from McDonald’s own nutrition pages, and every item links to a page with its full nutrition facts.
How I ranked the menu
I ranked everything by protein per 100 calories, which tells you how much protein you get for the calories you spend. A Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese has more than twice the protein of a McDouble, but nearly twice the calories too. It still comes out ahead per 100 calories—6.5 g to 5.6 g. If you’re trying to hit a protein goal without going over your calories, that’s the number to watch.
What has the most protein per calorie at McDonald’s?
McCrispy Strips. Three strips have 31 g of protein in 400 calories, or 7.8 g for every 100 calories. That’s more than any burger, sandwich, or McNuggets size on the menu.
McDonald's
McCrispy Strips
3 pieces
400 kcal
- Protein per 100 calories
- 7.8 g
- Net carbs
- 22 g
Photo by Ser Amantio di Nicolao, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped.
A fourth strip keeps nearly the same ratio, so a 4-piece gets you 41 g. Count the dip, though. Each one adds calories of its own.
What’s the highest-protein item at McDonald’s?
The Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese, with 48 g of protein. It’s also second on protein per calorie, at 6.5 g for every 100 calories.
McDonald's
Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese
1 sandwich
740 kcal
- Protein per 100 calories
- 6.5 g
- Net carbs
- 41 g
Here are the items with the most protein on the menu.
- Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese, 48 g
- 20 Chicken McNuggets, 46 g
- 4 McCrispy Strips, 41 g
- Bacon Quarter Pounder with Cheese, 36 g, tied with the Big Breakfast with Hotcakes
Twenty McNuggets come with 830 calories before you open a sauce, so that protein comes in a big meal. At breakfast, the Steak, Egg & Cheese Bagel has the most protein of any sandwich, with 34 g.
High protein, low calorie: the best McDonald’s orders
If you want protein without spending many calories, four orders stand out.
- An Egg McMuffin, with 17 g of protein in 310 calories, the best ratio on the breakfast menu
- A McDouble, with 22 g in 390
- Six Chicken McNuggets, with 14 g in 250
- Three McCrispy Strips, with 31 g in 400, the most protein of the four
McDonald's
Egg McMuffin
1 sandwich
310 kcal
- Protein
- 17 g
- Protein per 100 calories
- 5.5 g
McDonald's
McDouble
1 sandwich
390 kcal
- Protein
- 22 g
- Protein per 100 calories
- 5.6 g
The full ranking
Here’s every item on our McDonald’s page, ranked by protein per 100 calories. Click any column to rank by it instead, or use the filters to narrow it down. On a phone, use Sort.
26 itemsMost protein per 100 calories first
| Item | Calories | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Net carbs | Protein per 100 cal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breakfast 7 | |||||||
| Burgers 8 | |||||||
| Chicken & Fish Sandwiches 3 | |||||||
| McNuggets & McCrispy Strips 2 | |||||||
| Snack Wrap 1 | |||||||
| Fries & Sides 1 | |||||||
| Sweets & Treats 4 | |||||||
| McCrispy Strips3 pieces · 2 sizes | 400 | 31 g | 20 g | 24 g | 2 g | 22 g | 7.8 g |
| Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese1 sandwich | 740 | 48 g | 42 g | 43 g | 2 g | 41 g | 6.5 g |
| Quarter Pounder with Cheese1 sandwich | 520 | 30 g | 26 g | 42 g | 2 g | 40 g | 5.8 g |
| Double Cheeseburger1 sandwich | 440 | 25 g | 24 g | 34 g | 2 g | 32 g | 5.7 g |
| Bacon Quarter Pounder with Cheese1 sandwich | 630 | 36 g | 35 g | 43 g | 3 g | 40 g | 5.7 g |
| McDouble1 sandwich | 390 | 22 g | 20 g | 32 g | 2 g | 30 g | 5.6 g |
| Chicken McNuggets10 pieces · 4 sizes | 410 | 23 g | 24 g | 26 g | 1 g | 25 g | 5.6 g |
| Egg McMuffin1 sandwich | 310 | 17 g | 13 g | 30 g | 2 g | 28 g | 5.5 g |
| McCrispyMcCrispy · 4 versions | 470 | 26 g | 20 g | 46 g | 1 g | 45 g | 5.5 g |
| Steak, Egg & Cheese Bagel1 sandwich | 680 | 34 g | 35 g | 57 g | 3 g | 54 g | 5 g |
| Cheeseburger1 sandwich | 300 | 15 g | 13 g | 31 g | 2 g | 29 g | 5 g |
| Hamburger1 sandwich | 250 | 12 g | 9 g | 30 g | 1 g | 29 g | 4.8 g |
| Big Mac1 sandwich | 580 | 25 g | 34 g | 45 g | 3 g | 42 g | 4.3 g |
| Snack WrapRanch · 2 flavors | 400 | 17 g | 23 g | 32 g | 1 g | 31 g | 4.3 g |
| Sausage McMuffin with Egg1 sandwich | 480 | 20 g | 31 g | 30 g | 2 g | 28 g | 4.2 g |
| Filet-O-Fish1 sandwich | 380 | 16 g | 19 g | 38 g | 1 g | 37 g | 4.2 g |
| McChicken1 sandwich | 390 | 14 g | 21 g | 38 g | 1 g | 37 g | 3.6 g |
| Sausage McMuffin1 sandwich | 400 | 14 g | 26 g | 29 g | 2 g | 27 g | 3.5 g |
| Sausage McGriddles1 sandwich | 430 | 11 g | 24 g | 41 g | 2 g | 39 g | 2.6 g |
| Vanilla Cone1 cone | 200 | 5 g | 5 g | 33 g | 0 g | 33 g | 2.5 g |
| Sausage Biscuit1 sandwich | 460 | 11 g | 30 g | 37 g | 2 g | 35 g | 2.4 g |
| Oreo McFlurryRegular · 2 sizes | 410 | 10 g | 13 g | 64 g | 1 g | 63 g | 2.4 g |
| M&M'S McFlurryRegular · 2 sizes | 570 | 11 g | 19 g | 85 g | 2 g | 83 g | 1.9 g |
| FriesMedium · 3 sizes | 320 | 5 g | 15 g | 43 g | 4 g | 39 g | 1.6 g |
| Hash Browns1 hash brown | 140 | 2 g | 8 g | 18 g | 2 g | 16 g | 1.4 g |
| Baked Apple Pie1 pie | 230 | 2 g | 11 g | 33 g | 1 g | 32 g | 0.9 g |
No item matches every filter.
Each row is one serving, the size its page opens on. High protein is 5 g of protein or more per 100 calories, the line on those bars. Click a column to rank every item by it.Use Sort to rank every item.
A few things stand out. The Big Mac ranks below the McDouble, which has nearly as much protein for far fewer calories. The breakfast sandwiches with sausage fall well behind the Egg McMuffin. And the chicken sandwiches are far apart—a McCrispy has nearly twice the protein of a McChicken.
What’s the lowest-calorie item at McDonald’s?
Apple Slices, though they’re a side more than a meal. Beyond those, here are the low-calorie picks.
- Hash Browns, 140 calories, the lowest after Apple Slices
- A Vanilla Cone, 200 calories, one of the lowest-calorie sweets
- A Hamburger, 250 calories, or six Chicken McNuggets, also 250, with more protein
- An Egg McMuffin, 310 calories, at breakfast
Low calorie and low protein usually go together, though. Hash Browns have 2 g of protein. If you want protein as well as few calories, start with the four orders in the high-protein, low-calorie section.
How to get more protein from a McDonald’s order
A few swaps change the numbers more than you’d think.
- Pick strips over McNuggets. Three McCrispy Strips have about the same calories as ten Chicken McNuggets and 31 g of protein to their 23 g.
- Pick an Egg McMuffin over a Sausage McMuffin. It has fewer calories and more protein, 17 g against 14 g.
- Pick a McCrispy over a McChicken. You get 26 g of protein instead of 14 g, for 470 calories instead of 390.
- Skip the sauce or the mayo. A Big Mac without its sauce has 440 calories and loses only 1 g of protein. A McChicken without mayonnaise has 290 calories, with the same protein.
None of this makes one order right and another wrong. It’s just easier to hit your numbers when you know them before you order.
Sources
1 source
- McDonald's. Nutrition Calculator, US menu. Read October 19, 2026. mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/about-our-food/nutrition-calculator.html