The 12 Healthiest Fast-Food Burgers, According to a Dietitian
Fast food may not be an ideal choice, but sometimes hitting the drive-through is unavoidable. In that case, it might come in handy to know how to choose the healthiest fast-food burger.
Burgers might have a bad reputation as an “unhealthy” food, but the nutritional value of your burger really depends on what’s in it.
Beef itself is actually a rich sourceTrusted Source of protein and nutrients.
The health effects of red meat are controversial, particularly the question of whether red meat consumption is related to heart disease, so consider moderating your intake.
The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommendsTrusted Source choosing lean over full fat meat when you can.
Nevertheless, the least healthyTrusted Source part of most fast-food hamburgers may be the highly processedTrusted Source, refined-flour bun.
To help you make a more informed decision at the drive-through, we’ve assembled this list of the healthiest fast-food hamburgers.
The burgers we’ve chosen meet the following criteria:
- Available nationwide: Although we included some burgers from smaller, more regional chains, most of the burgers on this list are from restaurants you can find in large cities and small towns across the United States.
- Protein content: With the exception of the low calorie burger and plant-based slider on the list, we included fast-food burgers that have at least 20 grams of protein. Protein helps keep you full, giving your burger some staying power.
- Calorie content: All of the burgers on this list contain fewer than 700 calories. The calorie content isn’t the only metric to determine how healthy a food is, but excessive calorie intake can lead toTrusted Source unwanted weight gain and its associated health risks.
- Suitability for different diets: We included some plant-based and keto-friendly options on this list, too. However, if you are a strict vegan, be aware that there will likely be cross contamination with animal products from a shared grill at most of these restaurants.
Overall healthiest burger: Freddy’s Single Steakburger
The Single Steakburger from Freddy’s contains a hand-formed patty, mustard, onion, and pickle on a toasted bun. It provides:
- Calories: 380
- Fat: 12 grams
- Protein: 24 grams
- Carbs: 30 grams
- Fiber: 0 grams
This single-patty Steakburger provides 24 grams of protein and only 380 calories, so it’s filling without containing excessive calories.
Freddy’s also makes all its patties by hand at each location, and according to online reviews, many people are impressed by the taste and freshness of the restaurant’s burgers.
Overall healthiest cheeseburger: Five Guys Little Cheeseburger
The Little Cheeseburger from Five Guys is hardly “little” — it just has a single patty compared with the restaurant’s standard cheeseburger, which has two patties. It comes plain, unless you choose to add toppings, and provides:
- Calories: 542
- Fat: 26 grams
- Protein: 23 grams
- Carbs: 39 grams
- Fiber: 2 grams
While the nutritional information on this burger is not specifically listed on the Five Guys website, you can add up the content based on its individual listed ingredients.
Five Guys is another burger joint that makes its own patties, so the meat may be fresher than that of other fast-food restaurants that purchase meat patties preprepared. The meat is also free of additives.
This generous portion also provides nearly 30 grams of protein. What’s more, opting for a lettuce wrap will shave off 240 calories from the calorie count and eliminate all the carbs.
Highest quality meat: BurgerFi Burger
The BurgerFi burger is made with two Angus beef patties, lettuce, tomato, and BurgerFi sauce. It provides:
- Calories: 655
- Fat: 34 grams
- Protein: 41 grams
- Carbs: 44 grams
- Fiber: 1 gram
You can find BurgerFi locations around the country, but they’re not as ubiquitous as some of the other restaurants on this list.
However, the restaurant uses grass-fed beef that’s finished with corn, which is higher quality (and more expensive) beef than most fast-food restaurants use.
At BurgerFi, you can also ask for any burger or sandwich “Green Style,” which trades in standard hamburger bun for a lettuce wrap.
As with the Five Guys lettuce wrap option, this version reduces a substantial number of calories and carbs from the counts above.
Best plant-based burger: Burger King Impossible Whopper
The Impossible Whopper features a plant-based patty with tomato, lettuce, mayo, ketchup, pickles, and onions on a sesame seed bun. It provides:
- Calories: 630
- Fat: 34 grams
- Protein: 25 grams
- Carbs: 58 grams
- Fiber: 4 grams
Burger King is one of few fast-food restaurants that offers a dedicated vegetarian burger option, and many people — even meat eaters — report that it tastes great.
You can also make it fully vegan by requesting for Burger King to cook it off of the broiler and skip the mayo.
Best keto-friendly burger: In-N-Out Double-Double Protein Style
In-N-Out’s Double-Double Protein Style comprises two beef patties, two slices of cheese, onions, lettuce, tomato, and In-N-Out spread on a lettuce bun. It contains:
- Calories: 450
- Fat: 32 grams
- Protein: 30 grams
- Carbs: 12 grams
- Fiber: 2 grams
Protein Style burgers — which have a lettuce wrap instead of a bun — have long been part of In-N-Out’s “secret menu,” and they’re an easy shortcut to make any burger keto-friendly.
In-N-Out also makes all of its own patties, and only opens stores that are within a short distance of the company’s warehouses to maintain quality. As of 2025, the company has locations in California, Oregon, Nevada, Idaho, Arizona, Utah, Texas, and Colorado. The company will soon be expanding to Washington state and Tennessee.
Best low calorie burger: Wendy’s Jr. Cheeseburger
- Calories: 280
- Fat: 14 grams
- Protein: 14 grams
- Carbs: 25 grams
- Fiber: 1 gram
Containing fewer than 300 calories, the Jr. Cheeseburger from Wendy’s is a great option if you’re counting calories. Wendy’s also offers side salads and baked potatoes, so you can create a complete fast-food meal while adding fiber to your meal by choosing them over French fries.
Healthiest McDonald’s burger: McDouble
The McDouble has two beef patties, a slice of cheese, pickles, onions, ketchup, and mustard. It provides:
- Calories: 390
- Fat: 20 grams
- Protein: 22 grams
- Carbs: 32 grams
- Fiber: 2 grams
The McDouble is a comparatively inexpensive burger that provides a decent amount of protein for 390 calories. You can pair it with a side of apple slices to keep your meal well under 500 calories.
Healthiest Wendy’s burger: Double Stack
The Double Stack is made with two beef patties, one slice of cheese, pickles, ketchup, mustard, and onion. It contains:
- Calories: 400
- Fat: 23 grams
- Protein: 23 grams
- Carbs: 25 grams
- Fiber: 1 gram
The Wendy’s Double Stack is another comparatively inexpensive option that packs plenty of protein. Wendy’s also offers several nutrient-rich side options, including baked potatoes, chili, apple slices, strawberries, and side salads.
Healthiest Burger King burger: Double Cheeseburger
The Double Cheeseburger features two beef patties, one slice of cheese, pickles, mustard, and ketchup. It provides:
- Calories: 433
- Fat: 22 grams
- Protein: 26 grams
- Carbs: 33 grams
- Fiber: 1 gram
The burger doesn’t contain excessive calories, but it still provides a decent amount of protein. Burger King also offers an applesauce side if you’re trying to keep your calorie intake low.
Healthiest Jack in the Box burger: Jumbo Jack
The Jumbo Jack is made with a beef patty, lettuce, tomato, pickles, onions, and mayonnaise. It provides:
- Calories: 490
- Fat: 23 grams
- Protein: 26 grams
- Carbs: 44 grams
- Fiber: 3 grams
It’s a simple option that’s rich enough in calories and protein to be a meal all on its own, but Jack in the Box also offers side salads to complete your meal. You can find Jack in the Box restaurants in major metro areas across the country.
Healthiest Whataburger burger: Double Meat Whataburger Jr.
The Double Meat Whataburger Jr. comes with two beef patties, lettuce, tomato, pickles, onions, and mustard. It contains:
- Calories: 420
- Fat: 20 grams
- Protein: 23 grams
- Carbs: 37 grams
- Fiber: 2 grams
It’s a good choice for a standalone meal if you’re counting calories, as it offers 23 grams of protein. You can pair it with an apple slices side to keep your meal under 600 calories.
Whataburger restaurants are located in the Southeast and Midwest, with most locations in Texas.
Healthiest White Castle burger: Veggie Slider
The Veggie Slider at White Castle contains a vegetable-based patty on a slider bun. It provides:
- Calories: 190
- Fat: 10 grams
- Protein: 5 grams
- Carbs: 22 grams
- Fiber: 3 grams
Although they’ve grown in popularity, plant-based burgers still aren’t available in most major fast-food restaurants.
This option highlights the vegetables themselves. However, if you want a plant-based option that tastes more like a real hamburger, White Castle also offers an Impossible Slider.
Most White Castle locations are in the Midwest, although there are also some in New York, New Jersey, Nevada, Arizona, and Florida.
