How many calories are in a burger?
A plain single beef burger in a bun is about 300 kcal. Built up to a double with cheese, bacon and mayonnaise it is 750–900. The only honest way to price one is layer by layer.
Per portion
| Portion | Calories | Protein | Carbs | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 g (3.5 oz) cooked beef patty, 20% fat | ~250 kcal | 25 g | 0 g | 17 g |
| Plain single beef burger in a bun, ~110 g | ~300 kcal | 16 g | 30 g | 13 g |
| Fast-food cheeseburger, ~120 g | ~310 kcal | 17 g | 32 g | 14 g |
| Quarter-pounder style with cheese, ~200 g | ~520 kcal | 30 g | 40 g | 26 g |
| Double with cheese, bacon and mayo, ~280 g | ~750–900 kcal | 45 g | 42 g | 52 g |
| Grilled chicken burger, plain, ~180 g | ~380 kcal | 32 g | 36 g | 11 g |
What changes the number
Build one from the parts:
| Layer | Amount | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| Standard seeded bun | 50–60 g | ~140–160 kcal |
| Brioche bun | 70–80 g | ~210–250 kcal |
| Beef patty, 15% fat | 100 g raw | ~215 kcal |
| Beef patty, quarter pound | 113 g raw | ~250 kcal |
| Grilled chicken breast | 100 g | ~165 kcal |
| Breaded fried chicken fillet | 100 g | ~290 kcal |
| Bean or vegetable patty | 100 g | ~150–220 kcal |
| Cheese slice | 20 g | ~70–80 kcal |
| Bacon, two rashers | 20 g | ~90–110 kcal |
| Mayonnaise or burger sauce | 1 tbsp, 15 g | ~70–100 kcal |
| Ketchup | 1 tbsp | ~20 kcal |
| Lettuce, tomato, onion, gherkin | — | ~5–15 kcal |
The sauce is the surprise. Most places use two tablespoons, not one, so the sauce alone is 150–200 kcal — close to what the patty costs, and twice the cheese slice people worry about instead. Asking for it on the side is the biggest change available without altering the burger.
Then the bun. Brioche is roughly 100 kcal more than a standard bun, for no change in the thing you came for.
Patty fat, then count. Dropping from 25 to 15 per cent fat saves about 75 kcal per 100 g of raw mince; adding a second patty costs 200–250. The number of patties beats their leanness every time. Pack figures are for raw mince, which loses roughly a quarter of its weight cooking — check what weight a label quotes.
Where it fits in a deficit
Burgers are protein-dense for the calories: about 30 g in a quarter-pounder with cheese, about 32 g in a plain grilled chicken burger for 380 kcal. That is useful protein in a calorie deficit, and one burger as a meal is rarely the problem.
The meal around it is. A large portion of fries adds about 450 kcal and a cola about 210, turning a 520 kcal burger into a 1,200 kcal meal with almost no protein added. Menu boards price the burger alone, not what you ordered. Three large slices of pizza land in similar territory.
Chicken and veggie burgers are not automatically lighter
A breaded, fried chicken burger with mayonnaise is typically 550–700 kcal, above a plain beef cheeseburger, because the coating is flour and oil out of a fryer. Grilled chicken is genuinely lighter; fried chicken usually is not.
Vegetable and bean patties run 150–220 kcal per 100 g, and the ones built to taste like beef sit near the top of that band on added oil and coconut fat. As a calorie move the swap is close to a wash — the bun, the cheese and the sauce do the arithmetic either way.
Figures are typical values and vary by variety, size and preparation. General information, not medical advice.