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13 Best McDonald’s Burgers to Order

The McDonald’s burger was the original menu item that put the fast-food giant on the map. All McDonald’s burgers are made with 100% beef patties, onions, and pickles, and most of them can be ordered as a meal with a drink and side.

Regular hamburgers and cheeseburgers on the McDonald’s menu use the original beef patty, while the Quarter Pounder burgers use a hearty quarter-pound beef patty instead.

McDonald’s also allows you to customize your burger so you can have it your way.

In this article, we’ve taken a closer look at all Mcdonald’s burgers and ranked them from our least favorite to the absolute best.

We based our ranking on taste, ingredients, and nutritional values. Read on to find out the winner on our list and how your favorite McDonald’s burger stacks up!

13. Hamburger

While McDonald’s has many tasty burger variations, sometimes the classic is all you need.

The simple yet delicious McDonald’s Hamburger is made with a single 100% beef patty, chopped onions, pickles, ketchup, and mustard and served in a traditional bun.

There’s nothing too special about the Hamburger, which is why we’ve put it last on our list of the best McDonald’s burgers.

However, it is offered on the McDonald’s Value Menu, which makes it a great choice for a quick snack.

McDonald’s Hamburger contains 250 calories with 9g of fat, 31g of carbs, and 12g of protein.

The beef patty is pure USDA Inspected Beef with no fillers, and while the pickles use artificial preservatives, you can request to leave them off when ordering.

The McDonald’s Hamburger can only be purchased ala carte, but several customization options are available.

You can choose to leave any of the ingredients out or add any of the following toppings:

  • 2 Half Strips Bacon
  • Shredded Lettuce
  • 2 Slices Roma Tomato
  • Mayonnaise

12. Triple Cheeseburger

The McDonald’s Triple Cheeseburger stacks multiple layers of protein for a hearty and savory meal.

It includes three 100% beef patties layered with two slices of melted American cheese.

It is then topped with onions, pickles, ketchup, and mustard and served on a hamburger bun.

This is a great way to get a boost of protein equal to the larger quarter-pound patty at a cheaper cost.

However, the burger tastes a bit dry, and you may be better off paying extra for a higher-quality burger.

McDonald’s Triple Cheeseburger has 540 calories as well as 31g fat, 34g carbs, and 32g protein.

The Triple Cheeseburger can only be purchased a la carte, but there are several ways to customize your burger.

You can leave out any of the ingredients or add any of the following toppings:

  • 2 Half Strips Bacon
  • Shredded Lettuce
  • 2 Slices Roma Tomato
  • Mayonnaise

11. Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese

Whether you have a big appetite or want a big protein boost, the Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese has you covered.

It features two large quarter-pound beef patties as well as two slices of melty American cheese, sliced onions, pickles, mustard, ketchup, and a sesame seed bun.

While we love the added protein and the juicy quarter-pound patty, the flavor balance is overwhelmingly biased toward the meat.

The pickles add some contrast; however, this heavy burger needs more variety in flavors. 

The Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese has 740 calories and 42g fat, 43g carbs, and 48g protein.

Just like the original, the patty is made from 100% beef with no fillers or additives.

You can order a Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese ala carte or as a meal.

Meals can be ordered in medium or large sizes and come with a side of famous McDonald’s fries and a drink.

A medium meal ranges between 1060-1290 calories, while a large meal ranges from 1230 to 1560 calories.

10. McDouble

A McDouble gives you two of the McDonald’s classic 100% beef patties seasoned with just a pinch of salt and pepper.

It’s then topped with a slice of American cheese, chopped white onions, pickles, mustard, and ketchup and served in a regular burger bun.

Although this burger tastes delicious, we’d prefer the second slice of cheese to balance the additional patty.

Thus, we’ve placed McDouble lower on our list than the Double Cheeseburger.

McDouble has 400 calories with 20g fat, 33g carbs, and 22g protein.

Aside from the pickles, it doesn’t contain any added colors from artificial sources (you can request to hold the pickles when ordering.)

The McDouble can only be purchased a la carte when ordering online; however, there are several customization options available.

You can choose to leave any of the ingredients out or add any of the following toppings:

  • 2 Half Strips Bacon
  • Shredded Lettuce
  • 2 Slices Roma Tomato
  • Mayonnaise

9. Cheeseburger

The McDonald’s Cheeseburger is a classic go-to snack or meal. It’s simple yet tasty and comes with classic McDonald’s burger fixings.

It’s also part of the McDonald’s Value Menu, making it an easy go-to for a quick bite.

McDonald’s Cheeseburger is made with a single 100% beef patty seasoned with salt and pepper.

This patty is topped with a slice of melted American cheese, chopped white onions, pickles, ketchup, and mustard and served on a traditional burger bun.

McDonald’s Cheeseburger has 300 calories, 13g fat, 32g carbs, and 15g protein.

You can order a Cheeseburger at McDonald’s ala carte or as a meal.

Meals can be ordered in medium or large sizes and come with TWO Cheeseburgers, a side of French fries, and a drink.

A medium meal ranges from 920 to 1150 calories, while a large meal ranges from 1090 to 1420 calories.

You can choose to leave any of the ingredients out or add any of the following toppings:

  • 2 Half Strips Bacon
  • Shredded Lettuce
  • 2 Slices Roma Tomato
  • Mayonnaise

8. Double Bacon Quarter Pounder with Cheese

The Double Bacon Quarter Pounder with Cheese is the ultimate burger for carnivores.

It features three types of proteins and has the most amount of protein of all McDonald’s burgers.

With two whopping quarter-pound beef patties, thick-cut applewood smoked bacon, and American cheese, this burger is not for small appetites.

These savory proteins are balanced with sliced white onions, pickles, ketchup, and mustard and served on a sesame seed bun.

Double Bacon Quarter Pounder with Cheese has 850 calories and 51g fat, 44g carbs, and 54g protein.

You can order the Double Bacon Quarter Pounder with Cheese ala carte or as a meal.

Meals can be ordered in medium or large sizes and come with a side of French fries and a drink.

A medium meal ranges from 1140 to 1370 calories, while a large meal ranges from 1310 to 1640 calories.

You can also add shredded lettuce to your burger for some crunch with no additional calories.

7. Double Cheeseburger

The Double Cheeseburger beefs up the original Hamburger with a second piece of the 100% beef patty.

It also comes with a second slice of melted American cheese that sets it apart from the McDouble.

Everything is then topped with chopped white onions, tangy pickles, ketchup, and mustard and served in a traditional burger bun.

The McDonald’s Double Cheeseburger has 450 calories, 24g fat, 34g carbs, and 25g protein.

The Double Cheeseburger can only be purchased a la carte.

You can customize your burger by leaving any of the ingredients out or adding any of the following toppings:

  • 2 Half Strips Bacon
  • Shredded Lettuce
  • 2 Slices Roma Tomato
  • Mayonnaise

6. Bacon McDouble

The Bacon McDouble includes meat, meat, and more meat! It stacks two McDonald’s 100% beef patties with thick-cut bacon and melted American cheese.

This is then topped with white onions, tangy pickles, ketchup, and mustard and served on a regular burger bun.

This burger is packed with protein and has a variety of savory flavors, making it a favorite go-to after a long day.

Bacon McDouble has 460 calories and 26g fat, 33g carbs, and 26g protein.

Bacon McDouble can only be purchased a la carte when ordering online; however, several customization options are available.

You can leave out any of the ingredients or add any of the following toppings:

  • Shredded Lettuce
  • Mayonnaise
  • Spicy Pepper Sauce

5. Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese Deluxe

This massive burger is filling and has a nice balance of fresh veggies and savory meat.

Two quarter-pound beef patties are layered with two slices of melted American cheese to make the Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese Deluxe burger.

It is topped with onions, pickles, tomatoes, lettuce, ketchup, and mustard and served on a sesame seed bun.

It’s like two burgers in one, but without the added calories of a second bun.

The Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese Deluxe has 880 calories, 56g fat, 44g carbs, and 51g protein.

You can order the Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese Deluxe ala carte or as a meal.

Meals can be ordered in medium or large sizes and come with a side of French fries and a drink.

A medium meal ranges from 1150 to 1380 calories, while a large meal ranges between 1320 and 1650 calories.

Since The Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese Deluxe has nearly everything you could want on a burger, the only customization option is to leave out any of the included ingredients.  

4. Bacon Quarter Pounder with Cheese

Bacon can make any burger tastier, but it would have to be better bacon than what McDonald’s uses for this burger to rank it higher than the original Quarter Pounder with Cheese.

Although the salty flavor is there, the bacon is small, limp, and gets lost among other ingredients.

Paired with bacon is a quarter-pound 100% beef patty, two slices of American cheese, onions, pickles, ketchup, and mustard, all served on a sesame seed bun.

It’s savory and filling, and although we wish the bacon was heartier, the overall flavor of this burger makes it a good option when you need comfort food.

The Bacon Quarter Pounder with Cheese has 630 calories and 35g fat, 43g carbs, and 36g protein.

You can order the Bacon Quarter Pounder with Cheese ala carte or as a meal.

Meals can be ordered in medium or large sizes and come with a side of French fries and a drink.

A medium meal ranges from 950 to 1180 calories, while a large meal ranges from 1120 to 1450 calories.

You can also choose to add any of the following ingredients to your burger:

  • Shredded Lettuce
  • 2 Slices Roma Tomato
  • Mayonnaise

3. Quarter Pounder with Cheese

The Quarter Pounder with Cheese is a McDonald’s fan favorite. Although it may appear like a regular Cheeseburger to the novice eye, the quarter-pound 100% beef patty takes this burger up a notch.

This hearty patty is nestled between two slices of melted American cheese and topped with white onions and pickles, all served on a sesame seed bun.

The Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese Deluxe is a fan favorite around the world, but did you know that it has a different name in some countries?

In France, Belgium, and Cyprus, you’ll find this burger called the Royal Cheese, while Germany and other German-speaking countries refer to it as the Hamburger Royal instead.

The Quarter Pounder with Cheese alone has 520 calories and 26g fat, 42g carbs, and 30g protein.

The quarter-pound patty is made from 100% USDA Inspected Beef that doesn’t contain any fillers or extenders.

You can order the Quarter Pounder with Cheese ala carte or as a meal.

Meals can be ordered in medium or large sizes and come with a side of French fries and a drink.

A medium meal ranges from 840 to 1070 calories, while a large meal ranges from 1010 to 1340 calories.

2. Big Mac

The Big Mac got its name for a reason. This burger is filling and delicious, with two beef patties topped with a special Big Mac sauce and sandwiched between three sesame seed buns.

It’s finished with the perfect fixings, including pickle slices, crisp shredded iceberg lettuce, chopped white onion, and a slice of melted American cheese.

The Big Mac is the only McDonald’s burger with the famous Big Mac sauce, which automatically raises its ranking on our list.

Although the extra bun may be an unnecessary calorie addition, it makes the Big Mac unique in the lineup.

If you think the extra bun is too much, you could also opt for a “poor man’s Big Mac,” which is a McDouble ordered with the addition of Big Mac sauce (a.k.a. special sauce), extra lettuce and no ketchup.

This gets you the same burger at a discounted price without the additional bun.

The Big Mac burger has 550 calories and 30g fat, 45g carbs, and 25g protein.

You can order the Big Mac a la carte or as a meal.

Big Mac meals can be ordered in medium or large sizes, with a side of French fries and a drink.

A medium meal ranges from 870 to 1100 calories, while a large meal ranges from 1040 to 1370 calories.

1. Quarter Pounder with Cheese Deluxe

The Quarter Pounder with Cheese Deluxe takes the original version to a new level, and it’s the best McDonald’s burger on our list!  

It starts with the classic quarter-pound 100% beef patty, two slices of American cheese, pickles, onions, mayo, ketchup, and mustard.

It then adds fresh lettuce and juicy red tomatoes and serves it all on a fluffy sesame seed bun.

This burger has the right balance of crunchy veggies and savory goodness, and that’s why we’ve ranked the Quarter Pounder with Cheese Deluxe as the best McDonald’s burger.

Quarter Pounder with Cheese Deluxe has 630 calories and 37g fat, 44g carbs, and 30g protein.

The quarter-pound beef patty is made with USDA-inspected beef with no fillers or extenders.

You can order the Quarter Pounder with Cheese Deluxe ala carte or as a meal.

Meals can be ordered in medium or large sizes and come with a side of French fries and a drink.

A medium meal ranges from 950 to 1180 calories, and a large meal ranges from 1120 to 1450 calories.

Conclusion

McDonald’s has a wide variety of burgers to suit any sized appetite or topping preference.

From the small and simple Hamburger to the massive Double Bacon Quarter Pounder with Cheese, where your favorite burger ranks for you depends on personal preference.

However, because of its hearty patty and perfect flavor balance, we think the Quarter Pounder with Cheese Deluxe is the best McDonald’s burger currently available to order.

For more information about McDonald’s, check out the articles below.

Last Updated: November 29, 2022

About the Author

Lana Kisner is a writer on the Shopfood.com team with more than 15 years of experience in the food service industry.

In her free time, she enjoys traveling, exploring new restaurants, listening to live music, and hiking with her dog.