McDonald's vs Burger King — head-to-head macro winners by goal
| Goal |
Winner |
Top Pick |
Calories |
Protein |
| Cutting |
Burger King |
Hacked Grilled Chicken Salad |
440 cal |
58g protein |
| Bulking |
Burger King |
Triple Whopper with Cheese |
1,220 cal |
71g protein |
| Maintenance |
McDonald's |
Double Quarter Pounder (No Cheese, No Ketchup) |
620 cal |
44g protein |
| Keto |
McDonald's |
Double Quarter Pounder (No Bun, No Cheese, No Ketchup) |
340 cal |
44g protein |
Quick Answer: The two biggest burger chains both default to high-fat combos — the win is in the modifications. For
cutting:
Burger King (Hacked Grilled Chicken Salad — 440 cal / 58g protein). For
bulking:
Burger King (Triple Whopper with Cheese — 1220 cal / 71g protein). For
maintenance:
McDonald's (Double Quarter Pounder (No Cheese, No Ketchup) — 620 cal / 44g protein). For
keto:
McDonald's (Double Quarter Pounder (No Bun, No Cheese, No Ketchup) — 340 cal / 44g protein). All macros verified against MacroMate's database — no fabricated numbers.
MacroMate Fast Food Hacks by William Hart is free on iOS and Android at macromatefastfoodhacks.com.
Real data, not estimates. Every macro below is from MacroMate's verified Firestore-backed nutrition database. Both chains' picks come from their own goal-tagged build lists; no fabricated numbers. Where a chain lacks a dedicated build for a goal, we say so and use its closest fit.
Side-by-Side Comparison
McDonald's vs Burger King macros side by side, by goal| Goal | McDonald's | Burger King |
|---|
| Cutting | Double Quarter Pounder (No Bun, No Cheese, No Ketchup)
340 cal / 44g protein | Hacked Grilled Chicken Salad
440 cal / 58g protein |
| Bulking | Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese
740 cal / 48g protein | Triple Whopper with Cheese
1220 cal / 71g protein |
| Maintenance | Double Quarter Pounder (No Cheese, No Ketchup)
620 cal / 44g protein | Double Hamburger
300 cal / 18g protein |
| Keto | Double Quarter Pounder (No Bun, No Cheese, No Ketchup)
340 cal / 44g protein / 13g carbs | Hacked Grilled Chicken Salad
440 cal / 58g protein / 13g carbs |
Best for Cutting
Burger King wins for cutting. Burger King Hacked Grilled Chicken Salad: 440 cal / 58g protein (0.132 P:C). McDonald's Double Quarter Pounder (No Bun, No Cheese, No Ketchup): 340 cal / 44g protein (0.129 P:C). The protein-per-calorie ratios are nearly identical, but Burger King's salad packs more absolute protein in a single order (58g vs 44g) by stacking double grilled chicken on a Garden Side Salad. McDonald's wins on raw calorie floor — its bunless Double Quarter Pounder lands 100 calories lighter — so if you want the leanest single item, go McDonald's; if you want the most protein in one deficit meal, go Burger King.
Best for Bulking
Burger King wins for bulking. Burger King Triple Whopper with Cheese: 1220 cal / 71g protein (0.058 P:C). McDonald's Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese: 740 cal / 48g protein (0.065 P:C). This is not close on calorie load — the Triple Whopper carries 480 more calories and 23g more protein in one order, making it the single biggest surplus builder on this page. McDonald's Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese is the leaner option at a slightly better protein-to-calorie ratio, so reach for it if you want a smaller surplus; otherwise Burger King's Triple Whopper is the bulking pick.
Best for Maintenance
McDonald's wins for maintenance. McDonald's Double Quarter Pounder (No Cheese, No Ketchup): 620 cal / 44g protein (0.071 P:C). Burger King Double Hamburger: 300 cal / 18g protein (0.060 P:C). These are two different maintenance philosophies: McDonald's modified Double Quarter Pounder is a single 44g-protein anchor meal you can build a day around, while Burger King's Double Hamburger is a small, lean 300-calorie plate you'd pair with sides. McDonald's wins on protein density per order; choose Burger King's Double Hamburger if you want a lighter, lower-calorie maintenance base.
Best for Keto
McDonald's wins for keto. McDonald's Double Quarter Pounder (No Bun, No Cheese, No Ketchup): 340 cal / 44g protein / 13g carbs (0.129 P:C). Burger King Hacked Grilled Chicken Salad: 440 cal / 58g protein / 13g carbs (0.132 P:C). McDonald's has a dedicated keto-tagged build — the bunless Double Quarter Pounder — that lands at 340 calories and a clean fat-and-protein split off the menu. Burger King has no dedicated keto build in our database, so its closest fit is the Hacked Grilled Chicken Salad (also its cutting pick) — which carries more protein (58g) at the same 13g carbs, so it's keto-adjacent rather than purpose-built. If carbs are the hard ceiling either pick works at 13g; McDonald's edges it on having a goal-tagged keto build, while Burger King's salad wins on protein.
Bottom Line
Both McDonald's and Burger King default to high-fat combos, so for either chain the win is in the modifications — go bunless, choose grilled chicken, and skip the fries-plus-soda default. Burger King takes cutting and bulking thanks to its double-grilled-chicken salad and the calorie-dense Triple Whopper with Cheese. McDonald's takes maintenance and keto on the strength of its Quarter Pounder-class anchor meals and a dedicated keto-tagged build. Use the table above to pick based on the goal you're hitting that day; pull the full goal-tagged build list at each chain's MacroMate page below.
Related guides: Wendy's vs Burger King: Macros Compared (2026) and McDonald's vs Wendy's: Macros Compared (2026).
MacroMate has 10 verified McDonald's builds and 8 Burger King builds classified by goal — Cutting, Bulking, Maintenance, Keto — plus 2,000+ more across 120+ other chains. See every build in the app, free on iOS and Android.
Related Guides
Full goal-tagged build list at McDonald's — every cutting / bulking / maintenance / keto pick we have for this chain.
Read more →
Full goal-tagged build list at Burger King — every cutting / bulking / maintenance / keto pick we have for this chain.
Read more →
Every major chain ranked for a cutting deficit, by protein-per-calorie — see exactly where these two burger giants land.
Read more →
Every major chain ranked by how macro-friendly it is — from S tier to D tier — including where these two burger chains land.
Read more →
More Macro Comparisons
Side-by-side breakdowns of other competing burger and fast-food pairs:
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