Burger King Vs Whataburger: Which Serves A Healthier Cheeseburger

A classic fast food cheeseburger is simple. It's designed to be that way. Patty, cheese, bun — sometimes toasted, sometimes not — and done. But simple doesn't mean identical. Order a cheeseburger at Burger King, then pick up the same thing at Whataburger, and you'll find them tasting very different. But, guess what, for those who are on their cheat day: the nutritional facts for the two burgers are two separate stories, too.

Let's look at the constructions of the two. For a Burger King's cheeseburger, you get a beef patty off the flame grill, a single slice of American cheese, and the standard mustard-ketchup-pickle trio, stacked on a sesame bun. Whataburger doesn't sell anything called a cheeseburger — cheese is an add-on across most of the menu, not a default. So for this comparison, we're using the number seven Whataburger Jr. with cheese added — one beef patty on a 4-inch toasted bun, topped with lettuce, tomato, pickles, diced onions, and mustard, with no cheese standard. Compared to the regular Whataburger with a supersized 4-ounce patty, the Jr. version has a more lithe 2-ounce patty, which is closer to the BK's cheeseburger. That makes it the fairest stand-in even though it's not an official menu item.

Per Burger King's official nutrition page for the cheeseburger, one serving runs 300 calories, with 14 grams of fat and 16 grams of protein. At Whataburger, the nutritional information sheet for the cheese-less Whataburger Jr. already has 310 calories, 11 grams fat, 14 grams protein. Throw in the cheese (Whataburger offers two sizes, small and large) and the final calorie count lands at either 355 calories (45 for a small slice) or 400 calories (90 for a large slice). Fat climbs to 14.5 grams with the small slice — barely more than Burger King's 14 grams — but a not-insignificant 18 grams when you go with the large.

Sodium tells a similar story, though size matters here too: the Whataburger small-cheese build runs 970 milligrams, 160 more than Burger King's 810; go large, and it jumps to 1,180. Carbs land closer together — 30 grams for BK versus 37 grams for Whataburger — and since cheese adds zero carbs on either side, that 7-gram gap comes down to the bread. Both chains will hold the bun for you on request. At Whataburger, you can even request that your burger be lettuce-wrapped (Burger King typically can't, because its lettuce is finely-chopped). Either option will cut that number further if carbs are the thing you're watching or you're looking for a keto-friendly fast food feast.

So between these two specifically, Burger King's Cheeseburger is the lighter pick. It's not your best option (Wendy's beats both if you're optimizing purely for the number) – but say you're on the sidewalk with the family and having to decide between Burger King or the Whataburger next door... Burger King it is.