The McDonald's Big Mac might be the nation's favourite burger. But how many calories does one of these favourite burgers have?
The famous Big Mac is made up from two beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles and onion - all wrapped in a sesame seed bun. Fries are often added to make a meal, but the burger has always been a staple on the McDonald's menu. Invented in 1967, the Big Mac has barely changed since the day it was first sold. But how many calories in a Big Mac?
MORE: How many calories are there in a McDonald's breakfast?
Of course, we all know fast food is not the healthiest. A trip to McDonald’s is more of a treat than a weekly occurrence for most people.
There are some lower-calorie alternatives if you’re looking for a healthier switch. A hamburger, cheeseburger, the McChicken or the Filet-O-Fish all have a lower calorie count than the Big Mac. And since other major fast-food chains like KFC have offered competitive vegan alternatives, there might even be a vegan menu at McDonald’s soon.
But we’re not quite there yet so we'll stick with our favourite Big Mac, despite the calories.
Interestingly, the calorie content for the Big Mac changes depending on where you buy one. Japan has the most calorific burger as their Big Mac comes in at 557 calories, followed by the USA. While Chile and Turkey make their Big Macs with almost 100 fewer calories. This difference in calories can easily happen, as the Big Mac is a geographically localized product. This means that the specific ingredients in the burger will vary from place to place and so will be different in calories too.
In the UK, the classic Big Mac burger comes in at 508 calories – with 25g of fat, 43g of carbohydrates and 26g of protein.
Combine that with a medium fries (337kcal) and a regular Coca Cola (170kcal) to make a Big Mac Meal and you consume a fine total of 1015 calories. That's over half your recommended calorie intake for the day!
How many calories in the Grand Big Mac?
While the Big Mac is one of the highest calorie options on the menu, there’s one that beats it.
In January, McDonald’s brought back the Grand Big Mac for a limited time only (you’ve probably seen the TV adverts!). This whopper of a burger is the Big Mac – but bigger in size. It contains 233 more calories than the classic at 731 calories per burger, jumping up to 781 if you add bacon.
