12 Unhealthiest McDonald's Burgers of All Time—Ranked from Bad to Worse
It's safe to say that most fast-food burgers can be considered "unhealthy," as these menu items are almost always full of excess calories, total fat, saturated fat, sodium, and sometimes trans fats. McDonald's has some of the worst culprits, and the chain has been serving up these unhealthy burgers for decades.
When it comes to determining the unhealthiest fast-food burgers, there certain factors to look for. For one, you'll want to keep in mind how much sodium you're consuming. The daily recommended limit is 2,300 milligrams, and many burgers provide more than half of this limit. You'll also find higher levels of saturated fat, with most McDonald's burgers exceeding the recommended daily limit of 13 grams. And lastly looking at overall calories can help you stay on track, but how many calories you consume per day depends on your personal health needs.
We ranked the unhealthiest McDonald's burgers from bad to worst, focusing specifically on calories, sodium, and fat. These burgers are either currently on the menu or have been discontinued. Read on, and for more healthy eating tips, check out 10 Unhealthiest Wendy's Orders, According to Dietitians.
Double Cheeseburger
Compared to the worst contenders on our list, the Double Cheeseburger is on the "lower end" when it comes to calories. However, with almost half of your daily recommended sodium limit and close to your entire day's worth of saturated fat, this burger still isn't the healthiest choice.
Big N' Tasty
If you were a McDonald's customer in the late 1990s or early 2000s, you may remember a sandwich called the Big N' Tasty. Some McDonald's fans say that the Big N' Tasty was an iteration of the McDLT—also known as the McDeluxe—that was around in the 1980s. It was discontinued in 2011 in the United States, but it is still sold in some countries.
Before it was discontinued, this burger was serving up almost 800 milligrams of sodium and eight grams of saturated fat, numbers that may be a bit too high for just one menu item.
Bacon Double Cheeseburger
If you take the original Double Cheeseburger and just add bacon, you'll have the McDonald's Bacon Double Cheeseburger—a more calorie, fat, and sodium-heavy menu item than the original.
Big Mac
It wouldn't be a list of McDonald's food without the classic Big Mac, but surprisingly this menu item isn't one of the worst when compared to the fast-food chain's other burgers. Still, this sandwich provides almost an entire day's worth of saturated fat and half of your recommended sodium intake, so it's better consumed in moderation.
Triple Cheeseburger
What's worse than a Double Cheeseburger? Well, a McDonald's Triple Cheeseburger. Three beef patties and two slices of cheese yield more than your daily limit of saturated fat, over half of the recommended sodium intake, and two grams of trans fat.
Quarter Pounder With Cheese Deluxe
The Quarter Pounder with Cheese Deluxe from McDonald's is exactly what it sounds like—a quarter-pound beef patty with two slices of cheese, sandwiched between two toasted buns. You're not only getting hefty amounts of sodium, saturated fat, and trans fat with this McDonald's burger, but you're also consuming 11 grams of sugar—eight of which are added sugar from the ketchup and buns.
Quarter Pounder with Cheese Bacon
It's safe to say that anytime you add bacon, you're going to up your fat and sodium content. The McDonald's Quarter Pounder with Cheese Bacon burger contains more saturated fat than what is recommended in your entire day, meaning you may easily double your limit before the day is done.
Sweet BBQ Bacon Burger on Texas Toast
With two beef patties, caramelized onions, bacon, and delicious barbecue sauce sandwiched in between two slices of Texas toast, this discontinued Sweet BBQ Bacon Burger has some of the worst nutrition facts in McDonald's history! The burger was released in 2016 and was also called the Lone Star Stack to represent the state of Texas. Although it's no longer sold, its 740 calories, 1,430 milligrams of sodium, and 14 grams of saturated fat deserve a spot on our list.
Double Quarter Pounder With Cheese
If the regular Quarter Pounder with Cheese made the list of unhealthiest McDonald's burgers, then of course the Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese has to as well. A half pound of beef patties and two slices of cheese significantly bring up the fat and sodium levels in this sandwich, so you'd at least be better off sticking to the single.
Double Big Mac (Canada Only)
Here in the U.S., you can order a Big Mac from any McDonald's store, but if you're in Canada, you'll also be able to find a Double Big Mac. The four beef patties and three slices of toasted bun make this one of the unhealthiest burgers at McDonald's, but it's surprisingly still not the worst on the list.
Smoky BLT Quarter Pounder with Cheese
At almost 800 calories, 51 grams of fat, 18 grams of saturated fat, and two grams of trans fat, there's nothing great about the nutritional value of the limited-time offered Smoky BLT Quarter Pounder with Cheese. Not only that, but this has over half of your daily sodium limit, and all of these factors put it in second place for the unhealthiest McDonald's burger of all time.
The #1 Unhealthiest McDonald's Burger: the Grand Mac
You have the Big Mac and the Double Big Mac, but the unhealthiest McDonald's burger of all time is the Grand Mac—a limited-time offer menu item from 2017. You can't currently find this sandwich on any menu, but when it was around, it provided 860 calories, over 50 grams of fat, almost 1,500 milligrams of sodium, and 18 grams of saturated fat. Let's just say there's not much to be missed about this discontinued fast-food menu item.
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