Not The Big Mac Or Filet-O-Fish: This McDonald's Sandwich Has The Most Protein At 54 Grams

Protein is still having its moment and McDonald's has plenty of options when you're looking to get a quick, tasty protein boost. Everything from Chicken McNuggets to an Egg McMuffin is going to give you at least some protein, but if you're looking for the highest protein sandwich on the McDonald's menu, look no further than the Double Bacon Quarter Pounder with Cheese. This one sandwich packs an impressive 54 grams of protein.

The Double Bacon Quarter Pounder with Cheese was one of McDonald's higest ranked burgers on our list, and it provides substantially more protein than any other sandwich on the menu. A Filet-O-Fish only provides 16 grams, and even the Big Mac only provides 25 grams, less than half as much protein as the Double Bacon Quarter Pounder with Cheese.

The bulk of the protein comes from the quarter-pound beef patties. According to McDonald's nutrition calculator, a single Quarter Pounder patty has about 18 grams of protein alone. That means the two patties in a Double Quarter Pounder provide about 36 grams of protein. The two slices of cheese on the burger add an additional 5 grams, and the bacon provides 6 grams. If you're checking the math as we go along, you'll see that the beef, cheese, and bacon account for 47 grams in total. That still leaves a mysterious seven grams of protein, about six of which come from the bun. 

McDonald's Quarter Pounder buns are made with wheat flour, which is at least 10% protein. The buns also contain sesame seeds and vegetable proteins which all contribute to the total. The remaining gram appears to come from fractions of grams that McDonald's rounds when displaying the individual nutritional values.

The Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese has the second highest protein total on McDonald's menu at 48 grams. A Steak, Egg, and Cheese Bagel has 34 grams. Nothing else on the menu gets close to the Double Bacon Quarter Pounder with Cheese unless you start to customize your order. But of course, you could do that to the Double Bacon Quarter Pounder with Cheese, too.

There are plenty of ways to upgrade a Double Bacon Quarter Pounder with Cheese to increase flavor and protein. We've shared tips on making a single Bacon Quarter Pounder more like a 1955 original by adding BBQ sauce and extra onions for a classic flavor. But if you want to max out protein as well, you can order extra cheese and extra bacon. That will add around nine grams of protein, bringing the sandwich up to 63 grams in total. You could also make more elaborate changes, such as adding extra beef patties or even a chicken patty. Those aren't typically available as standard customizations, however, so you'd need to assemble a sandwich like that on your own.

If you're wondering how much protein is too much or not enough, the basic calculation for daily recommended protein intake is 0.36 grams per pound of body weight. That means the recommended daily allowance for someone who weighs 200 pounds would be roughly 72 grams of protein. A Double Bacon Quarter Pounder with extra cheese and extra bacon would provide nearly all of that person's recommended daily protein. Just keep in mind that experts recommend getting most of your protein from sources that are lower in saturated fats and sodium than most fast food.