Special Report

50 McDonald's Menu Items With the Most Calories

Thomas C. Frohlich, Douglas A. McIntyre

Published: June 15, 2016 6:55 am

Last Updated: January 13, 2020 6:48 am

The 40 piece Chicken McNugget is the most substantial meal available at McDonald’s, according to calorie counts published by the fast food chain. At 1,880 calories, enough energy is packed into 40 chicken nuggets to provide lunch for a family or group of friends, and close to the daily average recommended caloric intake for an individual. The Big Breakfast with Hotcakes and a large biscuit is second on the menu, with 1,310 calories.

24/7 Wall St. reviewed roughly 500 McDonald’s menu items, including burgers, sandwiches, salads, beverages, and sides, to determine the most calorie heavy options available at the fast food giant. Most of the highest calorie foods from McDonald’s are larger sandwiches such as the chicken club or large portion items such as the 40 piece Chicken McNugget.

The size of the item is not the only factor in its calorie count. The 16 ounce McFlurry with M&M’s contains 930 calories, and the Large Oreo Frappe contains 810. While each of these drinks is equal to roughly half the recommended daily intake of 2,000 to 2,800 calories, as beverages they might be only part of a much larger meal. One chicken sandwich, medium french fries, and a McFlurry — an entirely plausible lunch order at McDonald’s and likely one of three meals in a day — has well over 2,000 calories.

Click here to see the 50 McDonald’s menu items with the most calories.

McDonald’s meals have more calories than home-cooked meals and also food served at most non-fast food chains. But while the obesity epidemic in the United States is widely linked to high calorie consumption, no studies demonstrate a direct link between McDonald’s specifically and adverse health outcomes. Academic research does, however, show high concentrations of obesity and other negative health outcomes in areas where there are high concentrations of fast food restaurants of any type.

Calories represent the amount of energy a body can generate from a given portion of food. Carbohydrates, fats, and proteins are all processed by the body to generate energy, or calories. Therefore, since energy can come from different food sources with varying nutritional benefits, calories alone do not tell the full story. An item with relatively few calories, for example, may have more sodium than a higher-calorie alternative. With 630 calories, the Premium Grilled Chicken Bacon Clubhouse Sandwich provides what would constitute an ordinary meal in calorie count. With 1,740 milligrams of sodium, however, the sandwich has nearly the most sodium on the menu.

To identify the 50 McDonald’s menu items with the most calories, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed nutritional information for 500 menu items as listed on McDonald’s Corp. (NYSE: MCD) website. For similarly branded items of equal caloric value — the Quarter Pounder with Cheese and the Quarter Pounder Deluxe, for example — only one item was considered. Fat and carbohydrates measured in grams and sodium measured in milligrams also came from McDonald’s.

These are the 50 most substantial McDonald’s menu items.

50. Bacon, Egg & Cheese Bagel
> Calories: 570
> Fat: 27 g
> Carbohydrates: 55 g
> Sodium: 1,290 mg

49. Frappe Chocolate Chip (Medium)
> Calories: 580
> Fat: 25 g
> Carbohydrates: 84 g
> Sodium: 150 mg

48. Bacon, Egg & Cheese Biscuit (Large Size Biscuit)
> Calories: 580
> Fat: 31 g
> Carbohydrates: 55 g
> Sodium: 1,630 mg

47. Shamrock McCafe Shake (Medium)
> Calories: 580
> Fat: 17 g
> Carbohydrates: 95 g
> Sodium: 170 mg

24/7 Wall St.
Easiest States to Buy a Gun

46. Oreo Frappe (Medium)
> Calories: 580
> Fat: 21 g
> Carbohydrates: 91 g
> Sodium: 180 mg

45. Southern Style Frozen Strawberry Lemonade (Extra Large)
> Calories: 580
> Fat: 0 g
> Carbohydrates: 155 g
> Sodium: 390 mg

44. Premium McWrap Chicken Sweet Chili (Buttermilk Crispy)
> Calories: 580
> Fat: 25 g
> Carbohydrates: 63 g
> Sodium: 1,160 mg

43. Premium Buttermilk Crispy Chicken Sandwich
> Calories: 580
> Fat: 24 g
> Carbohydrates: 62 g
> Sodium: 900 mg

42. Sausage Biscuit with Egg Whites (Large Size Biscuit)
> Calories: 600
> Fat: 36 g
> Carbohydrates: 52 g
> Sodium: 1,420 mg

41. Quarter Pounder Bacon & Cheese +
> Calories: 600
> Fat: 29 g
> Carbohydrates: 47 g
> Sodium: 1,370 mg

40. Vanilla McCafe Shake (Medium)
> Calories: 610
> Fat: 18 g
> Carbohydrates: 100 g
> Sodium: 190 mg

39. Premium McWrap Chicken & Ranch (Crispy)
> Calories: 610
> Fat: 31 g
> Carbohydrates: 56 g
> Sodium: 1,350 mg

24/7 Wall St.
Cities Where Hurricanes Would Cause the Most Damage

38. Premium Crispy Chicken Ranch BLT Sandwich
> Calories: 610
> Fat: 28 g
> Carbohydrates: 57 g
> Sodium: 1,400 mg

37. Quarter Pounder Bacon Habanero Ranch +
> Calories: 610
> Fat: 31 g
> Carbohydrates: 46 g
> Sodium: 1,180 mg

36. Strawberry McCafe Shake (Medium)
> Calories: 630
> Fat: 18 g
> Carbohydrates: 103 g
> Sodium: 190 mg

35. Premium Grilled Chicken Bacon Clubhouse Sandwich
> Calories: 630
> Fat: 26 g
> Carbohydrates: 50 g
> Sodium: 1,740 mg

34. Chocolate McCafe Shake (Medium)
> Calories: 640
> Fat: 18 g
> Carbohydrates: 104 g
> Sodium: 280 mg

33. Steak, Egg & Cheese Bagel
> Calories: 640
> Fat: 31 g
> Carbohydrates: 56 g
> Sodium: 1,480 mg

32. Premium McWrap Chicken & Bacon (Crispy)
> Calories: 640
> Fat: 32 g
> Carbohydrates: 56 g
> Sodium: 1,550 mg

31. McFlurry with M&M’s Chocolate Candies (12 fl oz cup)
> Calories: 650
> Fat: 23 g
> Carbohydrates: 96 g
> Sodium: 180 mg

30. Premium McWrap Chicken & Ranch (Buttermilk Crispy)
> Calories: 650
> Fat: 33 g
> Carbohydrates: 58 g
> Sodium: 1,240 mg

29. Big Breakfast with Egg Whites (Regular Size Biscuit)
> Calories: 660
> Fat: 40 g
> Carbohydrates: 49 g
> Sodium: 1,470 mg

28. Frappe Mocha (Large)
> Calories: 670
> Fat: 26 g
> Carbohydrates: 97 g
> Sodium: 190 mg

27. Premium McWrap Southwest Chicken (Crispy)
> Calories: 670
> Fat: 32 g
> Carbohydrates: 68 g
> Sodium: 1,470 mg

24/7 Wall St.
The Worst Companies to Work For

26. Premium McWrap Chicken & Bacon (Buttermilk Crispy)
> Calories: 680
> Fat: 34 g
> Carbohydrates: 58 g
> Sodium: 1,440 mg

25. McFlurry with OREO Cookies (16 fl oz cup)
> Calories: 690
> Fat: 23 g
> Carbohydrates: 106 g
> Sodium: 350 mg

24. Big Breakfast (Regular Size Biscuit)
> Calories: 730
> Fat: 48 g
> Carbohydrates: 49 g
> Sodium: 1,420 mg

23. Steakhouse Sirloin Third Pound Burger
> Calories: 730
> Fat: 36 g
> Carbohydrates: 62 g
> Sodium: 1,550 mg

22. Bacon Clubhouse Burger
> Calories: 740
> Fat: 42 g
> Carbohydrates: 51 g
> Sodium: 1,470 mg

21. Frappe Chocolate Chip (Large)
> Calories: 750
> Fat: 31 g
> Carbohydrates: 110 g
> Sodium: 200 mg

20. Big Breakfast (Large Size Biscuit)
> Calories: 750
> Fat: 49 g
> Carbohydrates: 52 g
> Sodium: 1,490 mg

19. Bacon Clubhouse Crispy Chicken Sandwich
> Calories: 750
> Fat: 39 g
> Carbohydrates: 64 g
> Sodium: 1,710 mg

18. Lettuce & Tomato Sirloin Third Pound Burger
> Calories: 750
> Fat: 39 g
> Carbohydrates: 62 g
> Sodium: 1,600 mg

17. Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese
> Calories: 780
> Fat: 45 g
> Carbohydrates: 43 g
> Sodium: 1,310 mg

16. Big Breakfast with Egg Whites (Large Size Biscuit)
> Calories: 800
> Fat: 47 g
> Carbohydrates: 67 g
> Sodium: 1,830 mg

15. Premium Buttermilk Crispy Chicken Bacon Clubhouse Sandwich
> Calories: 800
> Fat: 41 g
> Carbohydrates: 67 g
> Sodium: 1,610 mg

14. Oreo Frappe (Large)
> Calories: 810
> Fat: 28 g
> Carbohydrates: 128 g
> Sodium: 240 mg

13. Bacon & Cheese Sirloin Third Pound Burger
> Calories: 810
> Fat: 41 g
> Carbohydrates: 65 g
> Sodium: 2,070 mg

12. Shamrock McCafe Shake (Large)
> Calories: 820
> Fat: 23 g
> Carbohydrates: 135 g
> Sodium: 260 mg

11. Vanilla McCafe Shake (Large)
> Calories: 820
> Fat: 23 g
> Carbohydrates: 135 g
> Sodium: 260 mg

10. Premium Grilled Chicken Club Sandwich
> Calories: 830
> Fat: 43 g
> Carbohydrates: 48 g
> Sodium: 1,360 mg

9. Chocolate McCafe Shake (Large)
> Calories: 850
> Fat: 23 g
> Carbohydrates: 141 g
> Sodium: 380 mg

8. McFlurry with M&M’s Candies (16 fl oz cup)
> Calories: 930
> Fat: 33 g
> Carbohydrates: 138 g
> Sodium: 260 mg

7. Chicken McNuggets (20 piece)
> Calories: 940
> Fat: 59 g
> Carbohydrates: 59 g
> Sodium: 1,800 mg

6. Big Breakfast with Hotcakes and Egg Whites (Regular Biscuit)
> Calories: 970
> Fat: 48 g
> Carbohydrates: 103 g
> Sodium: 2,000 mg

5. Big Breakfast with Hotcakes and Egg Whites (Large Biscuit)
> Calories: 990
> Fat: 48 g
> Carbohydrates: 106 g
> Sodium: 2,060 mg

4. Premium Crispy Chicken Club Sandwich
> Calories: 990
> Fat: 56 g
> Carbohydrates: 62 g
> Sodium: 1,530 mg

3. Big Breakfast with Hotcakes (Regular Size Biscuit)
> Calories: 1,050
> Fat: 56 g
> Carbohydrates: 104 g
> Sodium: 1,960 mg

2. Big Breakfast with Hotcakes (Large Size Biscuit)
> Calories: 1,310
> Fat: 64 g
> Carbohydrates: 147 g
> Sodium: 2,040 mg

1. Chicken McNuggets (40 piece)
> Calories: 1,880
> Fat: 118 g
> Carbohydrates: 118 g
> Sodium: 3600 mg