McDonald's small fry calories come to 229 for a small order (71 g), which works out to 323 per 100 g. These are USDA fast-food values for McDonald's french fries. The figure to notice is fat: it supplies 43% of the calories, and the size you order swings the total from 100 to 497.
229kcal
1 small fry · 71 g, fast food
4%protein
2.4 gProtein
30 gCarbs
11 gFat
How to burn off 229 kcal
—Walking, brisk
—Jogging
—Cycling, moderate
—Swimming
Skip the math. BodyPal counts these calories from your steps and workouts automatically.
Nutrition facts
Fast food · per 71 g
Calories
229 kcal
Protein
2.4 g
Carbohydrate
30 g
Fat
11 g
Saturated fat
1.6 g
Sodium
134 mg
Potassium
423 mg
Iron
0.6 mg
Source: USDA FoodData Central
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Verified nutrition data
Numbers on this page come from USDA FoodData Central, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s food composition database, and from manufacturer labels where a branded product is named. Last verified September 2026. How we verify our data →
McDonald's small fry: calories, protein and sodium by serving
Percent of daily value uses the FDA reference of 2,000 kcal a day.
Serving
kcal
Protein
Carbs
Fat
Sodium
% DV kcal
Small (71 g)
229
2.4 g
30.2 g
11 g
134 mg
11%
Medium (117 g)
378
4 g
49.8 g
18.1 g
221 mg
19%
Large (154 g)
497
5.3 g
65.6 g
23.8 g
291 mg
25%
Kids size (31 g)
100
1.1 g
13.2 g
4.8 g
59 mg
5%
3 × Small (71 g)
688
7.3 g
403 mg
5 × Small (71 g)
1,147
12.1 g
671 mg
A large is more than double a small
The fries are the same at every size, so the calorie count tracks weight almost exactly. A kids size (31 g) is 100 calories, a small (71 g) is 229, a medium (117 g) is 378 and a large (154 g) is 497. The large is more than double the small on both counts, grams and calories alike.
Daily value puts those numbers in context. The small covers 11% of the daily value for calories, the medium 19% and the large 25%. That last one is a quarter of a reference day from a side dish. The kids size, at 5%, is the only order that stays a true side.
Doubling up is where totals get away from you. Two smalls (142 g) come to 459 calories, more than a single medium and only a little under a large. Three smalls reach 688, and five reach 1,147. If fries get passed around the table, the count adds up the same way, bag by bag, whether or not anyone orders a large.
Carbs and fat split almost every calorie
Of the calories in these fries, 53% come from carbohydrate, 43% from fat and only 4% from protein. Per 100 g that is 42.6 g of carbs, 15.5 g of fat and 3.4 g of protein. The potato brings the starch; the frying brings the fat.
In a small order that means 30.2 g of carbs, 11 g of fat and 2.4 g of protein. Saturated fat is modest at 2.3 g per 100 g, and sugars barely register at 0.2 g per 100 g. The carbs are starch and fiber, not sugar.
Protein is the weak spot. A small gives 5% of the protein daily value and a large only 11%, so the fries add energy without adding much else that builds a meal. Fiber is better than you might expect: 2.8 g in a small, 4.6 g in a medium and 6 g in a large. That is one quiet point in favor of the potato underneath the oil.
Sodium is lower than the salty taste suggests
A small fry carries 134 mg of sodium, 6% of the daily value. A medium has 221 mg (10%) and a large 291 mg (13%). Per 100 g the figure is 189 mg, which reads modest next to the 323 calories in the same weight.
The sodium gap matters most when you stack orders. Two smalls bring 268 mg, three bring 403 mg and five reach 671 mg. If you watch sodium, the fries alone stay well short of the daily value; calories are the bigger lever here, not salt.
Potassium is the surprise row. The USDA values list 596 mg per 100 g, well above the 189 mg of sodium in the same weight, set against a daily value of 4700 mg. That is one line on the label where the fries look better than their reputation, even if it does not change the calorie math.
A small fry works as a side, not a meal
At 229 calories and 11% of the daily value, a small fry fits into most days as a side. The trouble starts when fries become the main event. A small brings only 2.4 g of protein, so a tray built around fries is mostly starch and fat.
If you want fries without the large-order total, choose the small or the kids size at 100 calories and let something else on the tray carry the protein. Water or an unsweetened drink keeps the fries as the only big carb source in the meal. Decide the size before you reach the counter, because that one choice moves the total more than anything else about the fries.
Sharing works too. A large split between two people lands close to a small each. BodyPal can log the fries from a photo, which helps when a shared bag makes your own portion hard to judge.
How does McDonald's small fry compare?
This table sets the McDonald's small fry against McDonald's fries at the default medium and against Wendy's small and medium fry, per 100 g and per usual serving.
Verdict: Wendy's fries are a touch lighter per 100 g, 301 calories against 323, but its small weighs 113 g and lands at 340, so it is the bigger order. For the lowest total pick the McDonald's small; if sodium is your row, McDonald's also edges it at 189 mg per 100 g versus 219.
McDonald's small fry FAQs
How many calories are in a McDonald's small fry?
A small fry (71 g) is 229 calories. The medium size is 378 calories and the large is 497.
Are McDonald's small fries good for weight loss?
A small fry is 229 calories with 30.2 g of carbs and 11 g of fat, so it costs less than half of the 497 calories in a large.
McDonald's small fry vs Wendy's small fry: which has more calories?
Wendy's small fry is larger at 113 g and comes to 340 calories, against 229 calories for the 71 g McDonald's small fry.
How many carbs are in a McDonald's small fry?
About 30.2 g of carbs per small fry, including 2.8 g of fiber, plus 2.4 g of protein and 134 mg of sodium.
How many calories are in a small fry compared with a medium?
A McDonald's small fry has 229 calories and a medium has 378. The medium weighs 117 g against 71 g for the small, so stepping up adds more than half again in calories.
How many calories are in a small French fry per 100 grams?
McDonald's fries come to 323 calories per 100 g, based on USDA fast-food values. A small order weighs 71 g, which is why it lands at 229 calories rather than the full 323.
How many calories are in two McDonald's small fries?
Two small fries (142 g) come to 459 calories, more than a single medium at 378. They also bring 268 mg of sodium and 4.8 g of protein, so one medium is the lighter way to get more fries.
What share of the calories in a small fry comes from carbs?
About 53% of the calories in McDonald's fries come from carbohydrate, with 43% from fat and 4% from protein. A small holds 30.2 g of carbs and only 0.1 g of sugars.
How much of a day's calories is a McDonald's small fry?
A small fry is 11% of the daily value for calories, at 229 calories. A medium is 19% and a large 25%, so the size you pick matters more than any other choice at the counter.
