← All articles

Fast-food protein picks, ranked

The best (and worst) high-protein orders at Chick-fil-A, Starbucks and McDonald’s, by protein per calorie.

Disclosure: This article contains no affiliate links. Some other links on this site may be affiliate links; we may earn a commission at no cost to you. Rankings are never affected. How we make money.

Fast food has a reputation for being a protein trap: lots of calories, not much protein for them. That's partly true, but the spread is huge. On our list, the best fast-food pick gets more than four times as much protein out of every calorie as the worst. Picking the right item matters more than picking the right restaurant.

We track 38 items from Chick-fil-A, Starbucks and McDonald's, using each chain's published nutrition info. Here's the top 10 by grams of protein per 100 calories, the same metric used on our leaderboard.

Top 10 fast-food items by protein per 100 calories

Best pick at each chain

Chick-fil-A: Grilled Nuggets (8 ct). 25 g of protein for 130 calories, or 19.2 g per 100 calories. This is the clear winner, and it's competitive with protein shakes and Greek yogurt on the full leaderboard. The breaded 8-count nuggets are fine too (27 g, 250 calories, 10.8), but the grilled version gets you nearly the same protein for about half the calories.

Starbucks: Iced Sugar-Free Vanilla Protein Latte (Grande). 29 g of protein for 200 calories (14.5). The regular Iced Vanilla Protein Latte has the same 29 g but 270 calories (10.7), so going sugar-free is an easy win. The Iced Protein Matcha is another strong option at 31 g for 260 calories (11.9). One to watch: the Vanilla Protein Cream Cold Brew is 17 g for 300 calories (5.7), so "protein" in the name doesn't always mean a high score.

McDonald's: McCrispy Strips (3 pc). 31 g of protein for 400 calories (7.8). McDonald's doesn't have a grilled chicken option on our list, so it doesn't reach the top of the table, but the strips are the best of what we track there. The Egg McMuffin (17 g, 310 calories, 5.5) is a reasonable breakfast pick.

Most protein vs best ratio

If you want the biggest number, look at the Protein column instead. The McDonald's Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese has 48 g of protein, the most of any fast-food item we track, and the Chick-fil-A Cool Wrap has 43 g. But they cost 740 and 660 calories, so both land around 6.5 g per 100 calories. That's not bad. It's just that you pay for the extra protein with a lot of extra calories.

At the bottom of our list are the breakfast biscuits and the Big Mac. The Chick-fil-A Chicken Biscuit is 19 g for 460 calories (4.1), and the Big Mac is 25 g for 580 calories (4.3). Those are fine as meals, but they're not where to look if protein is the goal.

Quick rules of thumb

• Grilled beats breaded when the chain offers both.
• Sugar-free syrups make a big difference on protein coffee drinks.
• Bread and biscuits add calories fast, which is why the nuggets and strips beat the sandwiches made from the same chicken. Chick-fil-A's Grilled Chicken Sandwich is 28 g for 390 calories (7.2), versus 19.2 for the grilled nuggets.

Caveats

These numbers are for each item as the chain lists it. Dipping sauces, dressings, sides and drink customizations (milk type, extra syrup, size) aren't included and can change things a lot. Starbucks numbers are for a Grande with the standard recipe. Menus and recipes vary by location and change often, so check the chain's own nutrition page before you rely on a number. We don't have prices for fast-food items yet, so this ranking says nothing about value for money.

See every item side by side, plus bars, shakes and snacks, on the full leaderboard.

Disclaimer: All numbers come from manufacturer labels, brand websites and restaurant nutrition pages on the dates shown on the leaderboard. They can change without notice, vary by location, flavor or customization, or differ from the product in your hand. Always check the current label. This article is general information only and is not medical, dietary or health advice.