Special Report
You Won’t Believe the Calories in Your Favorite Fast Food Cheeseburgers
Published:
Let’s face it: if you’re craving a cheeseburger, caloric intake probably isn’t at the top of your mind. Cheeseburgers are unhealthy almost by default; you won’t encounter too many people who are on a diet downing something called a Baconzilla – or if they do, they’ll hate themselves in the morning. But just as with most popular fast foods, there can be a considerable gap between the highest-calorie and lowest-calorie examples.
To identify the cheeseburgers with the most and fewest calories at 19 of the biggest fast food chains in the U.S., 24/7 Tempo reviewed nutritional information – including calories, fats, and sodium – on each chain’s official website. We selected the cheeseburgers with the highest and lowest amount of calories offered by each chain. Only food items intended for consumption by one person were included, and computations cover only the burger and its garnishes, not a complete meal (for instance, with fries and a drink). Cheeseburgers on kids’ menus were excluded. In a few cases we included two high-calorie burgers for a chain because the one with the most calories is offered only regionally.
Before we go any further, it’s worth mentioning that when it comes to nutrition, calorie count isn’t the be-all-and-end-all. One slice of Kraft American cheese, for example, contains about 60 calories, while a cup of chopped spinach contains about 90. Spinach is obviously a healthier product than pasteurized process cheese food, though. So even if a plain Burger King cheeseburger has fewer calories than a Triple Whopper with Cheese, that doesn’t mean that it’s healthy – though if you have to choose between the two, it’s certainly healthier. (Considering burgers and other menu items, these popular fast foods are the biggest calorie bombs.)
There are some pretty simple ways to tell if a cheeseburger is going to be absolutely loaded with calories. The first and most obvious one is the sheer size of the burger. Is it one small patty, topped with a single slice of cheese? Then it’s probably not going to set you back too many calories. Is it three patties topped with cheese, bacon, and fried onions? Then it should probably be a (very) occasional indulgence.
Click here to see cheeseburgers with the most and fewest calories
The cheeseburger is one of the most delicious foods on earth, and one bite seems to trigger all of the brain’s pleasure sensors. You might be surprised to learn that a straightforward fast-food cheeseburger isn’t actually all that caloric; a basic McDonald’s cheeseburger only contains 300 calories, about the same amount as a small sweetened yogurt with some granola. But once you start adding on extra patties, more cheese, bacon, and other toppings, the calorie count can really go through the roof. Some burgers on this list pack in more than half of the 2,000 daily calories recommended by the FDA.
A&W Restaurants: Original Bacon Cheeseburger – Double
> Calories: 650
> Total fat: 36 g
> Saturated fat: 13 g
> Trans fat: 1 g
> Sodium: 1,160 mg
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A&W Restaurants: Cheeseburger
> Calories: 400
> Total fat: 16 g
> Saturated fat: 6 g
> Trans fat: 1.5 g
> Sodium: 890 mg
A&W Restaurants: Mushroom Onion Melt – Burger – Single
> Calories: 400
> Total fat: 17 g
> Saturated fat: 6 g
> Trans fat: 0 g
> Sodium: 960 mg
Burger King: Triple Whopper With Cheese
> Calories: 1,299
> Total fat: 88 g
> Saturated fat: 35 g
> Trans fat: 0.8 g
> Sodium: 1,829 mg
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Burger King: Texas Double Whopper
> Calories: 1,150
> Total fat: 76 g
> Saturated fat: 30 g
> Trans fat: 1.8 g
> Sodium: 2,380 mg
Burger King: Cheeseburger
> Calories: 295
> Total fat: 13 g
> Saturated fat: 5.9 g
> Trans fat: 0.2 g
> Sodium: 770 mg
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Carl Jr.’s: Double Western Bacon Cheeseburger
> Calories: 1,020
> Total fat: 54 g
> Saturated fat: 23 g
> Trans fat: 2 g
> Sodium: 2,020 mg
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Carl Jr.’s: The Really Big Carl
> Calories: 1,180
> Total fat: N/A
> Saturated fat: N/A
> Trans fat: N/A
> Sodium: N/A
Carl Jr.’s: Famous Star With Cheese
> Calories: 670
> Total fat: 37 g
> Saturated fat: 13 g
> Trans fat: 1 g
> Sodium: 1,270 mg
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Checkers & Rally’s: Baconzilla!
> Calories: 910
> Total fat: 62 g
> Saturated fat: 24 g
> Trans fat: 3 g
> Sodium: 1,670 mg
Checkers & Rally’s: Cheese Champ
> Calories: 430
> Total fat: 21 g
> Saturated fat: 9 g
> Trans fat: 1 g
> Sodium: 1,430 mg
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Culver’s: The Culver’s Bacon Deluxe, Triple
> Calories: 1,090
> Total fat: 76 g
> Saturated fat: 31 g
> Trans fat: 2.1 g
> Sodium: 1,430 mg
Culver’s: ButterBurger “The Original”, Single
> Calories: 390
> Total fat: 17 g
> Saturated fat: 7 g
> Trans fat: 0.5 g
> Sodium: 480 mg
Dairy Queen: Loaded A1 Steakhouse Burger (double)
> Calories: 850
> Total fat: 52 g
> Saturated fat: 20 g
> Trans fat: 1.5 g
> Sodium: 1,750 mg
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Dairy Queen: Cheese Grillburger
> Calories: 540
> Total fat: 29 g
> Saturated fat: 11 g
> Trans fat: 1 g
> Sodium: 960 mg
Del Taco: Bacon Double Del Cheeseburger
> Calories: 760
> Total fat: 51 g
> Saturated fat: 20 g
> Trans fat: 2 g
> Sodium: 1,840 mg
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Del Taco: Del Cheeseburger
> Calories: 470
> Total fat: 28 g
> Saturated fat: 10 g
> Trans fat: 1 g
> Sodium: 1,000 mg
Five Guys: Bacon Cheeseburger
> Calories: 1,060
> Total fat: 62 g
> Saturated fat: N/A
> Trans fat: N/A
> Sodium: 1,310 mg
Five Guys: Little Cheeseburger
> Calories: 610
> Total fat: 32 g
> Saturated fat: N/A
> Trans fat: N/A
> Sodium: 690 mg
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Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers: Triple Jalapeno Pepper Jack Steakburger
> Calories: 1,070
> Total fat: 70 g
> Saturated fat: 31 g
> Trans fat: 1.5 g
> Sodium: 1,660 mg
Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers: California Style Steakburger w/o cheese or sauce
> Calories: 410
> Total fat: 19 g
> Saturated fat: 7 g
> Trans fat: 0.5 g
> Sodium: 430 mg
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Hardee’s: The Really Big Hardee
> Calories: 1,170
> Total fat: N/A
> Saturated fat: N/A
> Trans fat: N/A
> Sodium: N/A
Hardee’s: Small Cheeseburger
> Calories: 300
> Total fat: 11 g
> Saturated fat: 4 g
> Trans fat: 0 g
> Sodium: 790 mg
In-N-Out Burger: Double-Double w/Onion
> Calories: 670
> Total fat: 41 g
> Saturated fat: 18 g
> Trans fat: 1 g
> Sodium: 1,440 mg
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In-N-Out Burger: Cheeseburger w/ Onion Protein Style (Bun replaced with Lettuce)
> Calories: 330
> Total fat: 25 g
> Saturated fat: 9 g
> Trans fat: 0 g
> Sodium: 720 mg
Jack in the Box: Bacon Ultimate Cheeseburger
> Calories: 930
> Total fat: 65 g
> Saturated fat: 25 g
> Trans fat: 3 g
> Sodium: 1,590 mg
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Jack in the Box: Cheeseburger
> Calories: 380
> Total fat: 21 g
> Saturated fat: 8 g
> Trans fat: 1 g
> Sodium: 780 mg
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McDonalds: Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese
> Calories: 740
> Total fat: 42 g
> Saturated fat: 20 g
> Trans fat: 2.5 g
> Sodium: 1,360 mg
McDonalds: Cheeseburger
> Calories: 300
> Total fat: 13 g
> Saturated fat: 6 g
> Trans fat: 0.5 g
> Sodium: 720 mg
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Shake Shack: Shack Stack
> Calories: 770
> Total fat: 45 g
> Saturated fat: 18 g
> Trans fat: 1.5 g
> Sodium: 1,700 mg
Shake Shack: Cheeseburger
> Calories: 440
> Total fat: 24 g
> Saturated fat: 11 g
> Trans fat: 1 g
> Sodium: 1,200 mg
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Sonic Drive-In: SuperSONIC Bacon Double Cheeseburger
> Calories: 1,030
> Total fat: 65 g
> Saturated fat: 23 g
> Trans fat: 2 g
> Sodium: 1,880 mg
Sonic Drive-In: Quarter Pound Double Cheeseburger
> Calories: 560
> Total fat: 35 g
> Saturated fat: 12 g
> Trans fat: 0 g
> Sodium: 1,290 mg
Steak ‘n Shake: 7 X 7
> Calories: 1,660
> Total fat: 128 g
> Saturated fat: 62 g
> Trans fat: 6 g
> Sodium: 3,800 mg
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Steak ‘n Shake: Bacon ‘n Cheese Triple
> Calories: 1,030
> Total fat: 74 g
> Saturated fat: 30 g
> Trans fat: 2.5 g
> Sodium: 1,920 mg
Steak ‘n Shake: Bacon ‘n Cheese Single
> Calories: 460
> Total fat: 26 g
> Saturated fat: 11 g
> Trans fat: 1 g
> Sodium: 1,060 mg
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Wendy’s: Big Bacon Cheddar Cheeseburger Triple
> Calories: 1,420
> Total fat: 102 g
> Saturated fat: 42 g
> Trans fat: 5 g
> Sodium: 2,110 mg
Wendy’s: Bourbon Bacon Cheeseburger Triple
> Calories: 1,280
> Total fat: 86 g
> Saturated fat: 36 g
> Trans fat: 4.5 g
> Sodium: 1,940 mg
Wendy’s: Bacon Double Stack
> Calories: 440
> Total fat: 26 g
> Saturated fat: 11 g
> Trans fat: 1.5 g
> Sodium: 820 mg
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Whataburger: Mushroom Swiss Burger
> Calories: 1,110
> Total fat: 70 g
> Saturated fat: 23 g
> Trans fat: 1.5 g
> Sodium: 1,890 mg
Whataburger: Sweet & Spicy Bacon Burger
> Calories: 1,080
> Total fat: 62 g
> Saturated fat: 23 g
> Trans fat: 1.5 g
> Sodium: 2,310 mg
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Whataburger: Whataburger
> Calories: 590
> Total fat: 25 g
> Saturated fat: 8 g
> Trans fat: 1 g
> Sodium: 1,220 mg
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White Castle: Panko Surf & Turf w/Jalapeno Cheese
> Calories: 560
> Total fat: 37 g
> Saturated fat: 12 g
> Trans fat: 1 g
> Sodium: 1,110 mg
White Castle: The Original Slider
> Calories: 140
> Total fat: 7 g
> Saturated fat: 3.5 g
> Trans fat: 0 g
> Sodium: 380 mg
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