How To Hack Your McDonald's Burger For Even More Protein

For all the good things there are to say about McDonald's — whether it's about the chain's delicious smoothies or its remarkably high-quality french fries — the restaurant typically isn't seen as a purveyor of a balanced diet. However, that isn't to say you can't get some great benefits from eating at McDonald's, as the juggernaut fast food chain has several burger options that are fairly packed with protein. To showcase this, high-protein menu items at McDonald's now have badges beside them on official McDonald's menus that note how much protein they contain. However, many of the restaurant's burgers can be made even more protein-centric through key customizations that you should be implementing when using the kiosk, the McDonald's app, or as you order from a cashier.

We spoke to Gina Hardy — the vice president of marketing and menu strategy for McDonald's in the United States — who gave us some incredibly useful tips about how to hack the menu for more protein. While McDonald's doesn't have an official "secret menu" or anything like that, each McDonald's order is highly customizable and can be made to increase the protein. For example, many of the McDonald's burgers on the menu allow bacon to be added, which results in an increase of 6 grams of protein. Alternatively, if you'd prefer to stick to beef for your burger, the McDouble and the Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese can have another two beef patties added for a total of four patties. Each standard McDonald's beef patty is 7 grams of protein and each Quarter Pounder beef patty has an impressive 18 grams of the macronutrient. Needless to say, these additions can really add up to give you a protein-packed McDonald's meal when you need one.

To really get the most protein-packed burgers possible, it's important to first look at the base menu items themselves before you make any customizations. For starters, contrary to popular belief, keeping the bun on your burgers will give you a boost in protein. "It has 5 grams of protein," Gina Hardy revealed, "many people trying to hit goals remove it believing there is only carbs and sugar." That's right, despite the fact that "protein-style" means bunless at In-N-Out, leaving the bun on at McDonald's can actually increase your protein intake nearly as much as adding bacon does. While we've discussed the 15 grams of protein included on the standard McDonald's cheeseburger in the past, Hardy noted that the Quarter Pounder with no cheese is a great high-protein option with 25 grams in total when including toppings, the burger patty, and the bun.

Hardy also suggested a way you can more than double the amount of protein on your McDonald's burger of choice, although it includes purchasing an entirely different entree from the restaurant. By buying an order of McCrispy strips and adding them atop your burger, you're adding a total of 30 grams of protein in one go. This calls back to beloved "hacked" menu items like the Crunchy Double, which brought chicken and beef together onto one delicious burger. With each McCrispy strip having 10 grams of protein, the combination brings plenty of this important macronutrient along for the ride.