441 meals from 13 chains ranked two ways, because “most protein” means two different things: the most grams on the tray, and the most protein for the calories that come with it. Prices included, so you can see what protein costs.
89 g of protein, the most in any single fast food item we hold nutrition for. It costs $10.79.
Total grams in one item. This is what most people mean, and it rewards size — the biggest numbers come with the calories to match, which the next table corrects for.
| # | Item | Chain | Protein | Cal | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pretzel Bacon Pub Triple Cheeseburger | Wendy's | 89 g | 1430 | $10.79 |
| 2 | Triple Whopper® with Bacon | Burger King | 83 g | 1310 | $9.49 |
| 3 | Triple Whopper® with Cheese | Burger King | 82 g | 1330 | $9.49 |
| 4 | Triple Whopper® | Burger King | 78 g | 1250 | $9.49 |
| 5 | Big Bacon Classic® Triple | Wendy's | 77 g | 1140 | $9.79 |
| 6 | Dave's Triple® | Wendy's | 72 g | 1100 | $8.79 |
| 7 | Bacon King | Burger King | 69 g | 1260 | $8.99 |
| 8 | Pretzel Bacon Pub Double Cheeseburger | Wendy's | 65 g | 1110 | $9.39 |
| 9 | Texas Double Whopper® | Burger King | 64 g | 1120 | $9.39 |
| 10 | 10 Inch Bacon Cheesesticks | Papa John's | 64 g | 1760 | $9.99 |
| 11 | 12 Inch Original Cheesesticks | Papa John's | 64 g | 1760 | $10.99 |
| 12 | Double Whopper with Cheese | Burger King | 60 g | 1060 | $7.99 |
| 13 | Double Whopper with Bacon | Burger King | 60 g | 1040 | $7.99 |
| 14 | Baconator® | Wendy's | 59 g | 890 | $8.59 |
| 15 | Double Bacon BBQ Burger | McDonald's | 57 g | 950 | — |
| 16 | Double Whopper | Burger King | 56 g | 980 | $7.99 |
| 17 | Big Bacon Classic® Double | Wendy's | 55 g | 860 | $8.49 |
| 18 | Double Bacon Quarter Pounder® with Cheese | McDonald's | 54 g | 850 | $8.49 |
| 19 | Chicken Tacos (3) | Chipotle | 53 g | 930 | $9.80 |
| 20 | Chicken Burrito | Chipotle | 52 g | 840 | $9.80 |
| 21 | Double Whopper, no cheese | Burger King | 52 g | 942 | — |
| 22 | Pollo Asado Tacos (3) | Chipotle | 50 g | 930 | $10.40 |
| 23 | Dave's Double® | Wendy's | 50 g | 810 | $7.49 |
| 24 | Pollo Asado Burrito | Chipotle | 49 g | 840 | $10.40 |
| 25 | Double Quarter Pounder® with Cheese | McDonald's | 48 g | 740 | $7.59 |
The same food judged on efficiency: grams of protein for every 100 calories. This is the ranking to use if the calories matter to you as much as the protein does.
| # | Item | Chain | Protein/100 cal | Total | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 Ct Chick-fil-A® Nuggets | Chick-fil-A | 10.8 g | 27 g | $5.35 |
| 2 | Chick-fil-A Nuggets | Chick-fil-A | 10.8 g | 27 g | — |
| 3 | 12 Ct Chick-fil-A® Nuggets | Chick-fil-A | 10.5 g | 40 g | $7.29 |
| 4 | Chick-fil-A® Filet | Chick-fil-A | 9.6 g | 24 g | $5.00 |
| 5 | 4 Ct Chick-fil-A Chick-n-Strips® | Chick-fil-A | 9.5 g | 39 g | $7.09 |
| 6 | Chick-n-Strips | Chick-fil-A | 9.4 g | 43 g | — |
| 7 | 3 Ct Chick-fil-A Chick-n-Strips® | Chick-fil-A | 9.4 g | 29 g | $5.59 |
| 8 | Chick-fil-A Chick-n-Strips™ | Chick-fil-A | 9.4 g | 29 g | — |
| 9 | Egg White Grill | Chick-fil-A | 9.0 g | 27 g | $5.25 |
| 10 | Chicken Tortilla Soup | Chick-fil-A | 8.6 g | 24 g | — |
| 11 | Chicken Bowl | Chipotle | 8.5 g | 44 g | $9.80 |
| 12 | Ultimate Chicken Grill Sandwich | Wendy's | 8.2 g | 33 g | — |
| 13 | Spicy Filet | Chick-fil-A | 8.2 g | 23 g | $5.40 |
| 14 | Double Homestyle Burger | McDonald's | 8.0 g | 40 g | — |
| 15 | Grilled Chicken Bundle | Chick-fil-A | 8.0 g | 37 g | — |
| 16 | Roast Beef Sub on White Bread with Lettuce and Tomato | Subway | 7.9 g | 23 g | — |
| 17 | Pollo Asado Bowl | Chipotle | 7.9 g | 41 g | $10.40 |
| 18 | Chicken Quesadilla | Chipotle | 7.5 g | 46 g | $10.35 |
| 19 | Subway Club Sub on White Bread with Lettuce and Tomato | Subway | 7.3 g | 22 g | — |
| 20 | Bacon Ranch Salad with Crispy Chicken | McDonald's | 7.2 g | 28 g | — |
| 21 | Grilled Chicken Sandwich | Chick-fil-A | 7.2 g | 28 g | $6.79 |
| 22 | Chilled Grilled Chicken Sub Sandwich | Chick-fil-A | 7.2 g | 36 g | — |
| 23 | Grilled Chicken Club W/ Colby Jack | Chick-fil-A | 7.1 g | 37 g | $8.69 |
| 24 | Grilled Chicken Club W/ Pepper Jack | Chick-fil-A | 7.1 g | 37 g | $8.69 |
| 25 | Beef Barbacoa Bowl | Chipotle | 7.1 g | 36 g | $11.80 |
Protein is the expensive part of a meal, and this is the ranking nobody else can publish, because it needs the prices as well as the labels. Grams of protein for every dollar, at what a typical restaurant charges.
| # | Item | Chain | Protein per $ | Protein | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Triple Whopper® with Bacon | Burger King | 8.7 g | 83 g | $9.49 |
| 2 | Triple Whopper® with Cheese | Burger King | 8.6 g | 82 g | $9.49 |
| 3 | Pretzel Bacon Pub Triple Cheeseburger | Wendy's | 8.2 g | 89 g | $10.79 |
| 4 | Triple Whopper® | Burger King | 8.2 g | 78 g | $9.49 |
| 5 | Dave's Triple® | Wendy's | 8.2 g | 72 g | $8.79 |
| 6 | 3 Cheese Chicken Flatbread Melt | Taco Bell | 8.0 g | 20 g | $2.49 |
| 7 | McDouble® | McDonald's | 7.9 g | 22 g | $2.79 |
| 8 | Big Bacon Classic® Triple | Wendy's | 7.9 g | 77 g | $9.79 |
| 9 | Bacon King | Burger King | 7.7 g | 69 g | $8.99 |
| 10 | Double Cheeseburger | McDonald's | 7.6 g | 25 g | $3.29 |
| 11 | Double Whopper with Cheese | Burger King | 7.5 g | 60 g | $7.99 |
| 12 | Double Whopper with Bacon | Burger King | 7.5 g | 60 g | $7.99 |
| 13 | Sausage McMuffin® | McDonald's | 7.4 g | 14 g | $1.89 |
| 14 | Double Cheeseburger | Burger King | 7.1 g | 27 g | $3.79 |
| 15 | Caramel Crunch Vanilla Frosty Fusion™ | Wendy's | 7.1 g | 12 g | $1.69 |
| 16 | Caramel Crunch Chocolate Frosty Fusion™ | Wendy's | 7.1 g | 12 g | $1.69 |
| 17 | Caramel Vanilla Frosty Swirl™ | Wendy's | 7.1 g | 12 g | $1.69 |
| 18 | Caramel Chocolate Frosty Swirl™ | Wendy's | 7.1 g | 12 g | $1.69 |
| 19 | Kid's Hamburger | Burger King | 7.0 g | 14 g | $1.99 |
| 20 | Rodeo Double Cheeseburger | Burger King | 7.0 g | 28 g | $3.99 |
| Chain | Item | Protein | Cal | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wendy's | Pretzel Bacon Pub Triple Cheeseburger | 89 g | 1430 | $10.79 |
| Burger King | Triple Whopper® with Bacon | 83 g | 1310 | $9.49 |
| Papa John's | 10 Inch Bacon Cheesesticks | 64 g | 1760 | $9.99 |
| McDonald's | Double Bacon BBQ Burger | 57 g | 950 | — |
| Chipotle | Chicken Tacos (3) | 53 g | 930 | $9.80 |
| Chick-fil-A | Chick-n-Strips | 43 g | 458 | — |
| Popeyes | Classic Bacon & Cheese Chicken Sandwich | 36 g | 830 | $7.19 |
| Taco Bell | Taco Salad | 36 g | 906 | — |
| Subway | Tuna Sub on White Bread with Lettuce and Tomato | 29 g | 525 | — |
| Arby's | Roast Beef Sandwich, Classic | 23 g | 360 | — |
| Pizza Hut | 14" Cheese Pizza, Stuffed Crust | 14 g | 321 | — |
| Domino's | 14" Sausage Pizza, Ultimate Deep Dish Crust | 14 g | 358 | — |
| Little Caesars | S 14" Original Round Meat and Vegetable Pizza, Regular Crust | 14 g | 280 | — |
Protein figures are USDA’s where it holds the item and the chain’s own published label otherwise. Prices are the median across every restaurant we price, from the chains’ own ordering systems. Everything listed is a single serving you could order and eat by itself — no family packs, no components.