Starbucks Vs McDonald's: Which Fast Food Oatmeal Is Actually Healthier?

Eating breakfast on the go and trying to keep it healthy can be hard, but one saving grace can be the oatmeal at Starbucks or McDonald's. If you're looking for the healthier option between the two, Starbucks oatmeal is probably the better choice if you order it without toppings and are looking to limit your sugar intake.

Notably, comparing the chains' oatmeal offerings is difficult because their published nutritional information covers different preparations. Starbucks only lists the nutrition for its plain oatmeal base. The chain hasn't made nutritional stats for add-ins like berries, brown sugar, or dried fruit publicly available. By contrast, McDonald's includes brown sugar in its oatmeal base, and its nutritional information factors in additional ingredients like raisins, cranberries, cream, and diced apples. McDonald's does allow you to forgo the mix-ins, but the base oatmeal still contains brown sugar.

While both oatmeal options can be a part of a healthy diet, Starbucks' plain oatmeal base gives customers a chance to potentially avoid sugar altogether with 0 grams of sugar in the oatmeal itself. The Golden Arches' oatmeal has 31 grams of total sugar, including 18 grams of added sugar (which is different than natural sugar). Even with the mix-ins removed, McDonald's plain oatmeal still has 15 grams of total sugar.

While sugar is the main distinction between the two chains' oatmeal offerings, there are other nutritional factors to consider. Saturated and trans fat, along with sodium, are nutrients people are usually looking to limit in their diet. Luckily, both McDonald's plain oatmeal without toppings and Starbucks plain oatmeal contain relatively small amounts. Both have only 0.5 grams of saturated fat and no trans fat. However, by default, McDonald's adds a little cream to the oatmeal, while Starbucks just uses water, meaning McDonald's standard order has a little more saturated fat at 1.5 grams.

McDonald's plain oatmeal also has a little more sodium, with 140 milligrams versus Starbucks' 125 milligrams. Still, both are no more than 6% of the Daily Value, and adding the standard toppings at McDonald's only adds 10 milligrams of sodium.

On the positive side, Starbucks' and McDonald's plain options have the same amounts of fiber and protein. Both offerings have 4 grams of fiber and 5 grams of protein, making it a decent alternative to eggs for a protein-rich breakfast. Adding the McDonald's mix-ins also adds one more gram of protein.

Since Starbucks' hasn't made the nutritional information of its add-ins publicly available, the calorie counts are harder to compare. Calories also aren't the best measure of health by themselves. But if you are watching your intake, McDonald's standard oatmeal has 320 calories, while Starbucks plain oatmeal has 160 — though McDonald's can drop down to 210 if you remove the mix-ins. Of course, adding toppings to Starbucks' oatmeal would increase its calorie count. Both can be a part of a healthy diet depending on your dietary needs and how you customize your order.