Global Food Field Guide

What's in a Fast-Food Burger?

Nine iconic American burgers broken down by what's actually in them - buns, patties, cheese, toppings and additives - then ranked on the numbers that matter for your health.

Verified June 2026 • Read the wrapper for the final word — recipes change

● Listed explicitly on the label ● Present but grouped under a generic term × Not listed ? Not documented in reviewed sources

Swipe the table sideways to see every column →

Ingredient	🇺🇸 Big Mac McDonald's · US	🇺🇸 Whopper Burger King · US	🇺🇸 Quarter Pounder McDonald's · US	🇺🇸 Dave's Single Wendy's · US	🇺🇸 Cheeseburger Five Guys · US	🇺🇸 Double-Double In-N-Out · US	🇺🇸 Baconator Wendy's · US	🇺🇸 Hamburger McDonald's · US	🇺🇸 Bacon King Burger King · US
Build — buns, patties & cheese
Sesame seed bun	●	●	●	×	●	×	×	×	●
Plain (non-sesame) bun	×	×	×	●	×	●	●	●	×
Three-part "club" middle bun	●	×	×	×	×	×	×	×	×
Single beef patty	×	●	●	●	×	×	×	●	×
Two beef patties	●	×	×	×	●	●	●	×	●
American cheese	●	×	●	●	●	●	●	×	●
Toppings & sauces
Lettuce	●	●	×	●	●	●	×	×	×
Tomato	×	●	×	●	●	●	×	×	×
Pickles	●	●	●	●	●	×	×	●	×
Onions	●	●	●	●	●	●	×	●	×
Bacon	×	×	×	×	×	×	●	×	●
Ketchup	×	●	●	●	●	×	●	●	●
Mustard	×	×	●	×	●	×	×	●	×
Mayo / special sauce	●	●	×	●	●	●	●	×	●
Notable additives
Cheese emulsifier salts (sodium citrate/phosphate)	●	×	●	●	●	●	●	×	●
Calcium propionate (bun preservative)	●	●	●	●	×	×	●	●	●
High-fructose corn syrup (sauce/ketchup)	●	●	●	●	×	×	●	●	●
Beef never frozen, no added preservatives (chain claim)	×	×	×	×	×	●	×	×	×

So which is the least healthy?

All figures are per burger, as sold in the US. The headline is simple: the bacon-stacked double burgers run away with it. Burger King's Bacon King tops 1,150 calories and 79g of fat in a single sandwich, while a plain McDonald's Hamburger is less than a quarter of that.

Calories per burger

Bacon King

1,150 Most calories

Baconator

950

Five Guys Cheeseburger

840

Whopper

670

Double-Double

610

Dave's Single

590

Big Mac

580

Quarter Pounder w/ Cheese

520

Hamburger

250 Lightest

Salt per burger (grams)

Bacon King

4.2 g Most salt

Double-Double

4.2 g

Baconator

3.8 g

Dave's Single

3.0 g

Quarter Pounder w/ Cheese

2.9 g

Five Guys Cheeseburger

2.6 g

Big Mac

2.5 g

Whopper

2.5 g

Hamburger

1.3 g Least salt

A single Bacon King carries roughly 33g of saturated fat — well over a full day's recommended limit (~20g) in one sandwich.Both the Bacon King and In-N-Out Double-Double exceed 1,650mg sodium — about 4.2g of salt, or ~70% of an adult's entire daily limit, in one burger.

On nearly every measure the Burger King Bacon King is the least healthy of the bunch: the most calories (1,150), the most total fat (~79g) and roughly a day's worth of saturated fat and salt in a single sandwich. Wendy's Baconator is a close runner-up. At the other end, the humble McDonald's Hamburger is by far the lightest — proof that going single-patty and skipping bacon and cheese cuts calories and salt dramatically.

Values are for the burger only, as sold in the US — no fries, drink, or extra toppings.

Salt is converted from sodium where needed: salt (g) = sodium (mg) × 2.5 ÷ 1000.

Five Guys burgers are made to order; lettuce, tomato, onion and pickle are free toppings, shown here as optional rather than standard.

Figures taken from official chain nutrition and ingredient pages, accurate as of June 2026; recipes, additives and values vary by region and change over time.

Sources

Ingredient formulations, allergen statements and product sizes change over time and between manufacturing facilities. This infographic reflects published lists reviewed in June 2026 and is for general interest only. For allergy, dietary or regulatory decisions, always read the wrapper of the specific product in your hand.