Quarter Pounder calories come to 417 for one plain burger (171 g) and 244 per 100 g, using USDA's fast-food values for the sandwich without cheese. The thing to notice is how fast upgrades move it: cheese takes it to 513, the double with cheese to 734, and sodium climbs from 730 mg to 1,333 mg.
417kcal
1 Quarter Pounder · 171 g, fast food, no cheese
23%protein
24 gProtein
38 gCarbs
19.8 gFat
How to burn off 417 kcal
—Walking, brisk
—Jogging
—Cycling, moderate
—Swimming
Skip the math. BodyPal counts these calories from your steps and workouts automatically.
Nutrition facts
Fast food, no cheese · per 171 g
Calories
417 kcal
Protein
24 g
Carbohydrate
38 g
Fat
19.8 g
Saturated fat
6.9 g
Cholesterol
67 mg
Sodium
730 mg
Potassium
388 mg
Iron
4.1 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 →
Quarter Pounder: 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
1 burger (171 g)
417
24.1 g
37.9 g
19.8 g
730 mg
21%
With cheese (199 g)
513
29 g
39.7 g
28.3 g
1,152 mg
26%
Double with cheese (280 g)
734
47.5 g
40.4 g
45.4 g
1,333 mg
37%
100 g
244
14.1 g
22.2 g
11.6 g
427 mg
12%
3 × 1 burger (171 g)
1,252
72.3 g
2,191 mg
5 × 1 burger (171 g)
2,086
120.6 g
3,651 mg
Cheese and a second patty push it to 734
The plain Quarter Pounder weighs 171 g and comes to 417 calories, which is 21% of the daily value for energy. That figure is the sandwich without cheese, taken from USDA's McDonald's fast-food row. Add cheese and the burger grows to 199 g and 513 calories, or 26% of the daily value. The double with cheese weighs 280 g and lands at 734 calories, 37% of the day's reference in a single sandwich.
Order size is where the total really moves. Two plain burgers come to 342 g and 834 calories. Three reach 1,252 calories, and five add up to 2,086, more than the full daily reference on burgers alone. Most people stop at one, but the second sandwich is the step that turns a lunch into a large share of the day.
If you eat only part of one, the per-100 g figure does the work: 244 calories for every 100 g. Weigh what is left on the wrapper and you can log the rest without guessing. That beats eyeballing a half, since buns and patties rarely split evenly.
Fat supplies 42% of the calories
The calorie split is 42% fat, 36% carbs and 23% protein. Per 100 g that works out to 11.6 g of fat, 22.2 g of carbs and 14.1 g of protein, with 4 g of saturated fat. The bun carries most of the carbs, while the beef carries the protein and much of the fat.
One plain burger gives 24.1 g of protein, 48% of the daily value, alongside 37.9 g of carbs and 19.8 g of fat. That is a solid protein serving for a fast-food sandwich. Fiber is low at 2.7 g, and sugars sit at 8.8 g.
The upgrades change fat far more than carbs. Carbs only move from 37.9 g to 39.7 g with cheese and 40.4 g in the double, because the bun stays the same. Fat jumps from 19.8 g to 28.3 g and then to 45.4 g. The double does deliver 47.5 g of protein, 95% of the daily value, but it brings more than twice the fat of the plain burger. If protein is the goal, the single gets you a good part of the way for far less fat.
Sodium is the row to watch
A plain Quarter Pounder carries 730 mg of sodium, 32% of the daily value, in one sandwich. Per 100 g that is 427 mg. Sodium stands out against the daily value more than calories do here: 32% of the day's sodium versus 21% of its calories.
Cheese is the big jump. The cheese version reaches 1,152 mg, 50% of the daily value, so half a day's sodium arrives before any sides. The double with cheese climbs to 1,333 mg, or 58%. Calories rise by a modest step with cheese; sodium rises by a much bigger one.
More burgers stack the salt quickly. Two plain burgers bring 1,460 mg and three reach 2,191 mg, close to the full daily value. If you watch sodium, the plain single is the version to order, and the rest of the day's food has to stay low in salt to balance it. Cholesterol is moderate by comparison at 39 mg per 100 g.
Build the rest of the meal around the burger
Because the burger already covers 21% of the day's calories and 32% of its sodium, the sides decide whether the meal stays moderate. A salty side on top of the sandwich stacks sodium fast. Water or an unsweetened drink keeps the total close to where the burger left it.
The sandwich is light on fiber at 2.7 g, and potassium is 227 mg per 100 g, so fruit, a side salad or vegetables later in the day fill the gaps it leaves. Its 24.1 g of protein already gives the meal a solid anchor, so there is little reason to add a second patty for protein alone.
If you track intake, log the version you actually ate, since cheese and the double change the totals sharply. BodyPal can log a Quarter Pounder from a photo, and you can then switch the serving to plain, with cheese or double.
How does Quarter Pounder compare?
Here is how the Quarter Pounder stacks up against a plain beef patty, a cheesesteak and extra-lean ground beef, per 100 g and per usual serving.
Verdict: For the fewest calories and the most protein per bite, pick the extra-lean ground beef at 192 calories and 27 g of protein per 100 g, against 244 calories and 14.1 g for the Quarter Pounder. If you want a full sandwich, the cheesesteak is close on calories at 392 per regular, but it carries 527 mg of sodium per 100 g versus 427 mg here, so the plain Quarter Pounder is the better pick if you watch salt.
Most popular Quarter Pounder brands in the United States
These are raw quarter-pound beef patties, so their numbers cover the meat alone, without the bun, cheese and toppings counted above. Source: manufacturer labels / USDA FoodData Central.
Quarter Pounder FAQs
How many calories are in a Quarter Pounder?
A McDonald's Quarter Pounder is 417 calories for the 171 g sandwich, which works out to 244 calories per 100 g.
How many calories are in a Quarter Pounder with Cheese?
The Quarter Pounder with Cheese is 513 calories for 199 g. The Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese is 734 calories for 280 g.
How much protein is in a Quarter Pounder?
One Quarter Pounder has 24.1 g protein, or 14.1 g per 100 g. With cheese it has 29 g protein in the 199 g sandwich.
Quarter Pounder or Big Mac: which has more calories?
Per 100 g a Big Mac is 261 calories against 244 for a Quarter Pounder, but the 171 g Quarter Pounder totals 417 calories.
How many grams does a Quarter Pounder weigh?
A plain Quarter Pounder weighs 171 g in USDA's fast-food data. The version with cheese is 199 g, and the double with cheese is 280 g. Those weights carry 417, 513 and 734 calories.
How many kcal are in 100 g of Quarter Pounder?
There are 244 kcal in 100 g of Quarter Pounder. The same 100 g holds 14.1 g of protein, 22.2 g of carbs, 11.6 g of fat and 427 mg of sodium, which is 19% of the daily value.
Is a homemade quarter pound burger the same as a Quarter Pounder?
Not exactly: the 417 calories here come from USDA's row for the McDonald's Quarter Pounder at 171 g. A homemade burger depends on your beef, bun and toppings, so weigh it and log the closest match.
How many calories are in a Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese?
A Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese has 734 calories in 280 g, 37% of the daily value. It also brings 47.5 g of protein, 45.4 g of fat and 1,333 mg of sodium, which is 58% of the daily value.
