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McDonald's vs Wendy's: Macros Compared (2026)

Updated 2026-05-15
Head-to-head
Quick Answer: America's top two burger chains. For cutting: McDonald's (Double Quarter Pounder (No Bun, No Cheese, No Ketchup) — 340 cal / 44g protein). For bulking: Wendy's (Dave's Triple — 1195 cal / 77g protein). For keto: Wendy's (only chain with a tagged keto pick) — Avocado Chicken Salad at 485 cal / 32g protein. All macros verified against MacroMate's database — no fabricated numbers.
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 modifications or approximations.

Side-by-Side Comparison

GoalMcDonald'sWendy's
CuttingDouble Quarter Pounder (No Bun, No Cheese, No Ketchup)
340 cal / 44g protein		20 Pc Spicy Chicken Nuggets
499 cal / 62g protein
BulkingDouble Quarter Pounder with Cheese
740 cal / 48g protein		Dave's Triple
1195 cal / 77g protein
MaintenanceDouble Hamburger (No Cheese, No Ketchup)
340 cal / 21g protein		20 Pc Chicken Nuggets
572 cal / 55g protein
Keto—
? cal / ?g protein		Avocado Chicken Salad
485 cal / 32g protein

Best for Cutting

Effective tie — both McDonald's (Double Quarter Pounder (No Bun, No Cheese, No Ketchup): 340/44p) and Wendy's (20 Pc Spicy Chicken Nuggets: 499/62p) score equally on P:C ratio.

Best for Bulking

Wendy's wins for bulking. Wendy's Dave's Triple: 1195 cal / 77g protein (0.064 P:C). McDonald's Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese: 740 cal / 48g protein (0.065 P:C).

Best for Maintenance

Wendy's wins for maintenance. Wendy's 20 Pc Chicken Nuggets: 572 cal / 55g protein (0.096 P:C). McDonald's Double Hamburger (No Cheese, No Ketchup): 340 cal / 21g protein (0.062 P:C).

Best for Keto

Wendy's wins by default — McDonald's has no tagged keto item in our DB. Avocado Chicken Salad: 485 cal / 32g protein.

Bottom Line

Both McDonald's and Wendy's have macro-friendly orders that fit most goals — the right pick depends on what you're optimizing for on a given meal. Use the table above to decide based on the goal you're hitting; pull the full goal-tagged build list at each chain's MacroMate page below.

MacroMate has 7+ verified macro-friendly builds across McDonald's and Wendy's alone — plus 1,500+ across 110+ other chains. Free on iOS and Android.

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