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McDonald's Menu

Updated 26 July 2026

McDonald's Quarter Pounder with Cheese
Burgers

McDonald's Quarter Pounder with Cheese

$7.89 520 Cal 30g protein

Each Quarter Pounder with Cheese burger features a ¼ lb. of 100% fresh beef that's hot, deliciously juicy and cooked when you order. It's seasoned with just a pinch of salt and pepper, sizzled on a flat iron grill, then topped with slivered onions, tangy pickles and two slices of melty American cheese on a sesame seed bun.

Checked across 12 restaurants, $6.89 to $8.89.

4.8 · 4 ratings

Nutrition Calculator Full McDonald's Restaurant Menu Prices

Nutritional Facts

Per serving · Based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Total520kcal
Protein30g60%
Carbs42g14%
Fat26g40%
NutrientAmount% DV
Calories520kcal26%
Total Fat26g40%
Saturated Fat12g60%
Trans Fat1.5g—
Cholesterol95mg32%
Sodium1140mg50%
Total Carbohydrates42g14%
Dietary Fiber2g7%
Total Sugars10g20%
Added Sugars8g16%
Protein30g60%
Calcium190mg15%
Iron4mg22%
Potassium420mg9%
Caffeine0mg—
Nutritional values come from McDonald's published data and may vary by location or customisation. Updated 26 July 2026. Compare this item against the rest of the menu with the nutrition calculator.

McDonald's Quarter Pounder with Cheese Complete Information

A McDonald's Quarter Pounder with Cheese costs $7.89 and carries 520 calories with 30g of protein. A quarter pound of 100% fresh beef, never frozen, cooked when you order it, with two slices of American cheese, slivered onions and pickles on a sesame seed bun.

The fresh beef is the entire argument for this burger. McDonald's moved the Quarter Pounder line to fresh patties in 2018, and it is the only part of the menu that works this way: the patty is cooked to order rather than held, which is why it arrives hotter and juicier than anything else on the board. At 30g of protein it beats the Big Mac by five grams while carrying fewer calories, and the price sits close enough to the Big Mac that the choice comes down to beef against build. Pair it with Small French Fries, or look at the Big Mac if the sauce and the middle bun are what you are actually after.

Health Insight

At 520 calories and 1140mg of sodium, this one is best treated as an occasional order rather than an everyday one.

Lighter alternative: McDouble on the same menu comes in at 390 calories. See McDouble

What Is in a McDonald's Quarter Pounder with Cheese?

3 components, 30 ingredients in total, exactly as McDonald's lists them.

  1. Main Ingredients3
    • 100% Pure USDA Inspected Beef
    • No Fillers
    • No Extenders.prepared With Grill Seasoning (Salt, Black Pepper).*weight Before Cooking 4 Oz
  2. Sesame Seed Bun17
    • Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid)
    • Water
    • Sugar
    • Yeast
    • Soybean Oil
    • Contains 2% Or Less: Sesame Seeds
    • Salt
    • Wheat Gluten
    • Dextrose
    • Guar Gum
    • Vinegar
    • Vegetable Proteins (Pea, Potato, Rice)
    • Sunflower And/or Canola Oil
    • Maltodextrin
    • Natural Flavors
    • May Contain One Or More Dough Conditioners (DATEM, Ascorbic Acid, Mono And Diglycerides, Enzymes)
    • Modified Food Starch

    Contains: Wheat, Sesame

  3. Pasteurized Process American Cheese10
    • Milk
    • Cream
    • Water
    • Sodium Citrate
    • Salt
    • Cheese Cultures
    • Citric Acid
    • Enzymes
    • Soy Lecithin
    • Color Added
Ingredient statements are published by McDonald's and can change without notice. Regional suppliers mean a restaurant near you may use a slightly different formulation.

How to Make a Quarter Pounder with Cheese at Home?

The Quarter Pounder is the one McDonald's burger where technique matters more than ingredients. A quarter pound of fresh beef, a screaming hot pan, and a hard sear that never gets pressed. Do that and the $7.89 original has real competition.

18 min10 prep, 8 cookEasydifficulty2 burgersyield
Servings2

Ingredients0 of 8

Beef and cheese

To assemble

Method0 of 6 steps

Tips

  • Fresh beef, never frozen. This is the one recipe here where that changes the result rather than the label.
  • One flip. Every extra turn costs you crust.
  • Rest the patty for two minutes before building, or the first bite empties it.

Variations

  • Add lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise for the Deluxe build, $7.99 on the real menu.
  • Add thick cut applewood bacon for the Bacon Quarter Pounder at $9.04.
  • Double the patty for the Double Quarter Pounder, $9.49 in restaurant and 740 calories.

Serve with fries while the patty is still resting hot. A restaurant Quarter Pounder with Cheese runs $7.89, and this version rewards good beef more than the price gap suggests.

Pairs Well Together

Perfect Combination

Small French Fries is the side a Quarter Pounder with Cheese is built around, and the pair is what a meal bundles anyway.

Quarter Pounder with Cheese $7.89 Quarter Pounder with Cheese Small French Fries $4.49 Small French Fries

Allergen Information

This item may contain the following allergens

  • Milk / Dairy
  • Wheat
  • Gluten
  • Soy
  • Sesame

Allergen information for the Quarter Pounder with Cheese is based on McDonald's standard recipe. Cross contamination is possible in restaurant kitchens, so tell staff about any allergy before you order.

Compare Items

Pick an item above to see it against the Quarter Pounder with Cheese on price, calories and macros.

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Every item priced side by side, so you can see exactly where Quarter Pounder with Cheese sits against the rest of the menu before you decide.

Full McDonald's Restaurant Menu Prices

Quarter Pounder with Cheese Questions

How much is a Quarter Pounder with Cheese at McDonald's?

A Quarter Pounder with Cheese is $7.89 at a typical US restaurant. That is a median from the real listings we checked, with the range under the price above. Franchises price independently, so an airport location charges more.

Is the Quarter Pounder made with fresh beef?

Yes. McDonald’s moved the Quarter Pounder line to fresh beef, never frozen, cooked when you order, in 2018. It is the only part of the menu that works this way, and it is why the patty arrives hotter than the rest of the board.

How many calories are in a Quarter Pounder with Cheese?

520 calories with 30g of protein, which is more protein and fewer calories than a Big Mac at 580. The full nutrition table sits on this page.

Quarter Pounder or Big Mac?

Beef against build. The Quarter Pounder carries more beef, and fresh beef at that, with 30g of protein for $7.89. The Big Mac at $7.59 carries the sauce, the lettuce and the third piece of bun. Prices sit close enough that taste should decide it.

How much does a Quarter Pounder actually weigh?

A quarter pound, four ounces, before cooking. That is the named weight and it is measured raw, as it is across the industry; the cooked patty comes out lighter once the fat renders.

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