Fast Food Calories - Delicious Food - Recipes | Ideas

Despite the many gimmicks, fad diets and seemingly infinite sources of bad information, the single biggest factor in weight control is calories. More specifically, the relationship between how many calories your body burns per day and how many calories you consume (as in eat or drink) per day. What I mean is…

Consuming more calories than you burn = weight gain
Burning more calories than you consume = weight loss
Consuming and burning the same number of calories = weight maintenance

So, if you currently have weight to lose or just want to prevent yourself from ever having weight to lose, the most important and all around useful thing you can do diet-wise is pay attention to your calorie intake.

The thing is, one of the most common food choices for the average person is fast food. That’s a fact. And, as if this is going to be a shock to anyone on the planet, fast food is one of the worst high calorie offenders. That’s another fact. The combination of these two facts is… well… not-so-good.

Now, while I can’t stop fast food restaurants from selling foods that are laughably high in calories, and I certainly can’t stop people from eating fast food (it’s convenient, cheap and yummy, I know), what I can attempt to do is assist in the making of better choices. Or, in this case, prevent the making of the worst ones.

To do this, I went through the nutrition facts of literally every single item from the menus of 25 popular fast food restaurants (full list of included restaurants can be found at the end of this) to put together a list of what ended up being the 272 Fast Food Items Highest In Calories. Here we go…

Fast Food Items With 1000+ Calories

White Castle Chocolate Shake – Large (Louisville region)

Calories: 1680
Nathan’s Fish N Chips

Calories: 1537
Carl’s Jr. Double Six Dollar Burger

Calories: 1520
Hardee’s Monster Thickburger

Calories: 1420
Dairy Queen Large Choc. Chip Cookie Dough Blizzard

Calories: 1320
Hardee’s Double Bacon Cheese Thickburger

Calories: 1300
Dairy Queen Large Chocolate Malt

Calories: 1300
Nathan’s Chicken Tender Platter

Calories: 1300
Jack In The Box OREO Cookie Ice Cream Shake (24oz)

Calories: 1290
Dairy Queen Chicken Strip Basket (6 piece)

Calories: 1270
Hardee’s Double Thickburger

Calories: 1250
Burger King TRIPLE WHOPPER Sandwich With Cheese

Calories: 1230
Jack In The Box Chocolate Ice Cream Shake (24oz)

Calories: 1230
White Castle Chocolate Shake – Large (New Jersey region)

Calories: 1230
Hardee’s Big Country Breakfast Platter – Breaded Pork Chop

Calories: 1220
Jack In The Box Strawberry Ice Cream Shake (24oz)

Calories: 1220
Jack In The Box Egg Nog Shake (24oz)

Calories: 1210
Nathan’s FRENCH FRIES (SUPER SIZE)

Calories: 1188
White Castle Vanilla Shake – Large (New Jersey region)

Calories: 1180
Del Taco Macho Beef Burrito

Calories: 1170
McDonald’s Chocolate Triple Thick Shake (32oz)

Calories: 1160
Hardee’s Big Country Breakfast Platter – Country Steak

Calories: 1150
McDonald’s Deluxe Breakfast (Large Size Biscuit) w/o Syrup & Margarine

Calories: 1140
Carl’s Jr. Guacamole Bacon Six Dollar Burger

Calories: 1140
Hardee’s Big Country Breakfast Platter – Chicken

Calories: 1140
White Castle Vanilla Shake – Large (Cincinnati region)

Calories: 1140
Burger King TRIPLE WHOPPER Sandwich

Calories: 1130
White Castle Chicken Rings (20)

Calories: 1130
White Castle Chocolate Shake – Large (Cincinnati region)

Calories: 1130
Carl’s Jr. Western Bacon Six Dollar Burger

Calories: 1130
Dairy Queen Large Chocolate Shake

Calories: 1130
Jack In The Box Bacon ‘n’ Cheese Ciabatta Burger

Calories: 1120
Jack In The Box Sirloin Bacon ‘n’ Cheese Burger

Calories: 1120
McDonald’s Vanilla Triple Thick Shake (32oz)

Calories: 1110
McDonald’s Strawberry Triple Thick Shake (32oz)

Calories: 1110
Del Taco Macho Nachos

Calories: 1100
Jack In The Box Bacon Ultimate Cheeseburger

Calories: 1090
White Castle Fish Nibblers – Sack

Calories: 1090
White Castle Strawberry Shake – Large (Minneapolis region)

Calories: 1090
White Castle Vanilla Shake – Large (Nashville region)

Calories: 1090
White Castle Chocolate Shake – Large (Nashville region)

Calories: 1090
McDonald’s Deluxe Breakfast (Reg. Size Biscuit) w/o Syrup & Margarine

Calories: 1070
Jack In The Box Sirloin Cheese Burger

Calories: 1070
Carl’s Jr. Bacon Cheese Six Dollar Burger

Calories: 1070
Hardee’s Six Dollar Burger

Calories: 1060
Hardee’s Big Country Breakfast Platter – Sausage

Calories: 1060
Del Taco Macho Combo Burrito

Calories: 1050
Jack In The Box Vanilla Ice Cream Shake (24oz)

Calories: 1050
Dairy Queen Large Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Blizzard

Calories: 1050
Del Taco Macho Bacon & Egg Burrito

Calories: 1030
Dairy Queen FlameThrower GrillBurger (1/2lb)

Calories: 1030
Dairy Queen Chicken Strip Basket (4 piece)

Calories: 1030
Dairy Queen Medium Choc. Chip Cookie Dough Blizzard

Calories: 1030
Hardee’s Grilled Sourdough Thickburger

Calories: 1030
White Castle Chocolate Shake – Large (New York region)

Calories: 1020
White Castle Strawberry Shake – Large (Columbus & Detroit regions)

Calories: 1010
Jack In The Box Ultimate Cheeseburger

Calories: 1010
Sonic Peanut Butter Shake – Large (20oz)

Calories: 1010
Carl’s Jr. Original Six Dollar Burger

Calories: 1010
Burger King BK Quad Stacker

Calories: 1000
Arby’s Meatball Toasted Sub

Calories: 1000
Dairy Queen Large Oreo Cookies Blizzard

Calories: 1000
Boston Market Boston Sirloin Dip Carver

Calories: 1000

Fast Food Items With 900-999 Calories

Burger King DOUBLE WHOPPER Sandwich with Cheese

Calories: 990
Sonic Chocolate Cream Pie Shake – Large (20 oz)

Calories: 990
Dairy Queen Large Strawberry CheeseQuake Blizzard

Calories: 990
White Castle Vanilla Shake – Large (New York region)

Calories: 990
Wendy’s Triple w/Everything and Cheese

Calories: 980
Sonic Super Sonic Cheeseburger (with mayo)

Calories: 980
Hardee’s Big Country Breakfast Platter – Bacon

Calories: 980
White Castle Onion Chips – Sack

Calories: 980
Carl’s Jr. Double Western Bacon Cheeseburger

Calories: 970
Hardee’s Big Country Breakfast Platter – Country Ham

Calories: 970
Arby’s Sausage Gravy Biscuit

Calories: 961
Burger King OREO Sundae Shake – Chocolate – Medium

Calories: 960
Burger King Chocolate Milk Shake – Large

Calories: 950
White Castle Chocolate Shake – Large (St Louis region)

Calories: 950
Jack In The Box Sourdough Ultimate Cheeseburger

Calories: 950
Nathan’s Chicken Breast Platter

Calories: 943
Boston Market Boston Meatloaf Carver

Calories: 940
Sonic FRITOS Chili Pie

Calories: 940
Sonic Peanut Butter Fudge Shake-Large (20oz)

Calories: 940
Burger King OREO Sundae Shake – Strawberry – Medium

Calories: 940
White Castle Vanilla Shake – Large (Minneapolis region)

Calories: 940
Carl’s Jr. Super Star (with cheese)

Calories: 930
Del Taco Macho Chicken Burrito

Calories: 930
Burger King Strawberry Milk Shake – Large

Calories: 930
Sonic Chicken Strip Dinner (4)

Calories: 930
Sonic Strawberry Cream Pie Shake – Large (20 oz)

Calories: 930
Hardee’s Thickburger

Calories: 910
Hardee’s Bacon Cheese Thickburger

Calories: 910
Jack In The Box OREO Cookie Ice Cream Shake – 16oz

Calories: 910
Burger King DOUBLE WHOPPER Sandwich

Calories: 900
Sonic Super Sonic Cheeseburger (with ketchup)

Calories: 900
Sonic M&M’s Sonic Blast – Large (20oz)

Calories: 900
Dairy Queen Medium Chocolate Malt

Calories: 900

Fast Food Items With 800-899 Calories

Sonic Super Sonic Cheeseburger (with mustard)

Calories: 890
Sonic Super Sonic Jalapeno Cheeseburger

Calories: 890
Pizza Hut Meat Lover’s 6″ Personal Pan Pizza (whole pizza)

Calories: 890
White Castle Chocolate Shake – Large (Columbus & Detroit regions)

Calories: 890
White Castle Chocolate Shake – Medium (New Jersey region)

Calories: 890
Jack In The Box Strawberry Ice Cream Shake (16oz)

Calories: 880
Jack In The Box Chocolate Ice Cream Shake (16oz)

Calories: 880
KFC Chicken and Biscuit Bowl

Calories: 870
Sonic Butterfinger Sonic Blast – Large (20oz)

Calories: 870
Sonic Hot Fudge Shake – Large (20oz)

Calories: 870
Jack In The Box Egg Nog Shake (16oz)

Calories: 870
Jack In The Box Single Bacon n’ Cheese Ciabatta Burger

Calories: 870
Nathan’s SUPER BURGER

Calories: 863
Subway Double Meatball Marinara

Calories: 860
White Castle Chocolate Shake – Medium (Nashville region)

Calories: 860
White Castle Vanilla Shake – Large (Columbus & Detroit regions)

Calories: 860
White Castle Vanilla Shake – Medium (New Jersey region)

Calories: 860
Sonic Banana Cream Pie Shake – Large (20oz)

Calories: 860
Nathan’s BURGER WITH CHEESE

Calories: 850
White Castle Chocolate Shake – Large (Indianapolis region)

Calories: 850
Sonic Coconut Cream Pie Shake – Large (20oz)

Calories: 850
Arby’s Mozzarella Sticks – Large (8)

Calories: 849
Arby’s Chicken Parmesan Toasted Sub

Calories: 843
Taco Bell Fiesta Taco Salad

Calories: 840
White Castle Mozzarella Cheese Sticks (10)

Calories: 840
White Castle Vanilla Shake – Medium (Cincinnati region)

Calories: 840
White Castle Strawberry Shake – Large (Cincinnati region)

Calories: 840
Dairy Queen Mocha MooLatte (24oz)

Calories: 840
Dairy Queen Caramel MooLatte (24oz)

Calories: 840
Sonic Chocolate Malt – Large (20oz)

Calories: 840
Sonic Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups Sonic Blast – Large (20oz)

Calories: 840
Arby’s Roast Turkey Ranch & Bacon Sandwich

Calories: 834
Wendy’s Baconator

Calories: 830
Carl’s Jr. Philly Cheesesteak Burger

Calories: 830
Carl’s Jr. Breakfast Burger

Calories: 830
Jack In The Box Fish & Chips (Large)

Calories: 830
Subway 8″ Pizza (Sausage)

Calories: 830
Burger King OREO Sundae Shake – Vanilla – Medium

Calories: 830
White Castle Strawberry Shake – Large (Chicago region)

Calories: 830
White Castle Chocolate Shake – Medium (Cincinnati region)

Calories: 830
Arby’s Classic Italian Toasted Sub

Calories: 828
Arby’s Onion Petals – Large

Calories: 828
Dairy Queen GrillBurger with Cheese (1/2lb)

Calories: 820
Carl’s Jr. Loaded Breakfast Burrito

Calories: 820
Burger King Vanilla Milk Shake – Large

Calories: 820
White Castle Chocolate Shake – Large (Chicago region)

Calories: 820
Del Taco Shredded Beef Combo Burrito

Calories: 815
Sonic Chocolate Shake – Large (20oz)

Calories: 810
White Castle Chocolate Shake – Medium (Louisville region)

Calories: 810
Dairy Queen Large Banana Split Blizzard

Calories: 810
Burger King BK Triple Stacker

Calories: 800
Dunkin Donuts Sausage Egg Cheese Biscuit Sandwich

Calories: 800
Hardee’s Big Chicken Fillet Sandwich

Calories: 800
A&W Original Bacon Double Cheeseburger

Calories: 800
Taco Bell Chicken Fiesta Taco Salad

Calories: 800

Fast Food Items With 700-799 Calories

Burger King TENDERCRISP Chicken Sandwich

Calories: 790
McDonald’s Big Breakfast (Large Size Biscuit)

Calories: 790
Subway 8″ Pizza (Pepperoni)

Calories: 790
Jack In The Box Vanilla Ice Cream Shake – 16oz

Calories: 790
Jack In The Box Sirloin Steak & Egg Burrito (no salsa)

Calories: 790
Jack In The Box Sirloin Steak & Egg Burrito with Fire Roasted Tomato Salsa

Calories: 790
White Castle Strawberry Shake – Medium (Minneapolis region)

Calories: 790
White Castle Vanilla Shake – Medium (Nashville region)

Calories: 790
White Castle Homestyle Onion Rings – Sack

Calories: 790
Sonic Oreo Sonic Blast – Large (20oz)

Calories: 790
Chick-Fil-A Hand-Spun Milkshake (Cookies & Cream)

Calories: 790
Dairy Queen Medium Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Blizzard

Calories: 790
Carl’s Jr. OREO Cookie Malt

Calories: 790
Nathan’s CHEESESTEAK (SUPREME)

Calories: 786
Del Taco Shredded Beef Breakfast Burrito

Calories: 785
Del Taco Deluxe Taco Salad

Calories: 780
Hardee’s Loaded Breakfast Burrito

Calories: 780
Hardee’s Chocolate Malt (Hand-Dipped)

Calories: 780
Sonic Strawberry Malt – Large (20oz)

Calories: 780
Sonic Bacon Cheeseburger

Calories: 780
Sonic Java Chiller, Chocolate/Caramel (20oz)

Calories: 780
Dairy Queen DQ Ultimate Burger

Calories: 780
Dairy Queen FlameThrower GrillBurger (1/4lb)

Calories: 780
Dairy Queen Medium Chocolate Shake

Calories: 780
Carl’s Jr. Vanilla Malt

Calories: 780
Carl’s Jr. Chocolate Malt

Calories: 780
Boston Market Pastry Top Chicken Pot Pie

Calories: 780
Arby’s Ultimate BLT Sandwich

Calories: 779
Arby’s Roast Beef & Swiss Sandwich

Calories: 777
Hardee’s Strawberry Malt (Hand-Dipped)

Calories: 775
KFC Chicken Pot Pie

Calories: 770
Hardee’s Loaded Biscuit ‘N’ Gravy Breakfast Bowl

Calories: 770
Hardee’s Vanilla Malt (Hand-Dipped)

Calories: 770
Jack In The Box Sirloin Steak ‘n’ Cheddar Ciabatta

Calories: 770
Taco Bell Nachos BellGrande

Calories: 770
Dairy Queen French Vanilla MooLatte (24oz)

Calories: 770
McDonald’s Chocolate Triple Thick Shake (21oz)

Calories: 770
Carl’s Jr. Strawberry Malt

Calories: 770
Boston Market Boston Turkey Carver

Calories: 770
Boston Market Boston Turkey Dip Carver

Calories: 770
Arby’s Chicken Salad w/ Pecans Sandwich

Calories: 769
Burger King WHOPPER Sandwich with Cheese

Calories: 760
Sonic Pineapple Malt – Large (20oz)

Calories: 760
Sonic Java Chiller, Caramel (20oz)

Calories: 760
Sonic Java Chiller, Chocolate (20oz)

Calories: 760
Chick-Fil-A Hand-Spun Milkshake (Chocolate)

Calories: 760
Dunkin Donuts Pastrami Supreme Sandwich

Calories: 760
Nathan’s FRENCH FRIES (LARGE)

Calories: 758
Jack In The Box Chipotle Chicken Ciabatta with Spicy Crispy Chicken

Calories: 750
Jack In The Box Sampler Trio

Calories: 750
Sonic Java Chiller, Caramel/Hazelnut (20oz)

Calories: 750
Sonic Java Chiller, Hazelnut (20oz)

Calories: 750
Sonic Strawberry Shake – Large (20oz)

Calories: 750
Sonic Java Chiller, Chocolate/Hazelnut (20oz)

Calories: 750
Subway Footlong Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki

Calories: 750
Nathan’s ONION RINGS (LARGE)

Calories: 744
Nathan’s CHEESESTEAK (ORIGINAL)

Calories: 740
KFC Famous Bowls (Mashed Potato with Gravy)

Calories: 740
McDonald’s Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese

Calories: 740
McDonald’s Strawberry Triple Thick Shake (21oz)

Calories: 740
McDonald’s Vanilla Triple Thick Shake (21oz)

Calories: 740
White Castle Chocolate Shake – Medium (New York region)

Calories: 740
Subway 8″ Pizza (Cheese & Veggies)

Calories: 740
Dairy Queen Brownie Earthquake

Calories: 740
A&W Reese’s Polar Swirl (medium)

Calories: 740
Jack In The Box Sausage, Egg & Cheese Biscuit

Calories: 740
Sonic Chicken Club Toaster Sandwich

Calories: 740
Del Taco Deluxe Chicken Salad

Calories: 740
Arby’s Philly Beef Toasted Sub

Calories: 739
Burger King Enormous Omelet Sandwich

Calories: 730
Chick-Fil-A Hand-Spun Milkshake (Strawberry)

Calories: 730
White Castle Strawberry Shake – Medium (Columbus & Detroit regions)

Calories: 730
Sonic Pineapple Shake – Large (20oz)

Calories: 730
Dairy Queen Large French Fries

Calories: 730
Dairy Queen DQ Homestyle Bacon Double Cheeseburger

Calories: 730
Dairy Queen Medium Strawberry CheeseQuake Blizzard

Calories: 730
Arby’s Roast Turkey & Swiss Sandwich

Calories: 725
Nathan’s Chicken Tender Sandwich

Calories: 724
McDonald’s Big Breakfast (Regular Size Biscuit)

Calories: 720
Hardee’s Mushroom ‘N’ Swiss Thickburger

Calories: 720
Dunkin Donuts Tropical Fruit Smoothie (Large)

Calories: 720
White Castle Vanilla Shake – Medium (New York region)

Calories: 720
Dairy Queen Small Choc. Chip Cookie Dough Blizzard

Calories: 720
A&W Papa Burger

Calories: 720
A&W Original Double Cheeseburger

Calories: 720
A&W Vanilla Milkshake (medium)

Calories: 720
Jack In The Box Bacon Cheddar Potato Wedges

Calories: 720
Sonic Cheeseburger (with mayo)

Calories: 720
Sonic Dixie cheeseburger

Calories: 720
Sonic Tater Tots w/chili & cheese (SONIC Size)

Calories: 720
Carl’s Jr. Jalapeno Burger

Calories: 720
Carl’s Jr. Bacon Swiss Crispy Chicken Sandwich

Calories: 720
Carl’s Jr. OREO Cookie Shake

Calories: 720
Subway Double Chicken Bacon Ranch

Calories: 710
Hardee’s Monster Biscuit

Calories: 710
Hardee’s Vanilla Shake (Hand-Dipped) (regular)

Calories: 710
A&W M&M Polar Swirl (medium)

Calories: 710
Jack In The Box Sourdough Jack

Calories: 710
Pizza Hut Supreme 6″ Personal Pan Pizza (whole pizza)

Calories: 710
Del Taco Deluxe Chili Cheese Fries

Calories: 710
Sonic Banana Malt – Large (20oz)

Calories: 710
Jack In The Box Ciabatta Breakfast Sandwich

Calories: 710
Dairy Queen Peanut Buster Parfait

Calories: 710
Dairy Queen Cappuccino MooLatte (24oz)

Calories: 710
Carl’s Jr. Western Bacon Cheeseburger

Calories: 710
Carl’s Jr. Chicken Breast Strips (5 pieces)

Calories: 710
Carl’s Jr. Vanilla Shake

Calories: 710
Carl’s Jr. Chocolate Shake

Calories: 710
Arby’s Loaded Potato Bites – Large (10)

Calories: 707
Nathan’s BACON CHEESEBURGER

Calories: 706
Arby’s Roast Ham & Swiss Sandwich

Calories: 705
Wendy’s Double w/Everything and Cheese

Calories: 700
Arby’s Roast Turkey Ranch & Bacon Wrap

Calories: 700
Hardee’s Chocolate Shake (Hand-Dipped) (regular)

Calories: 700
Hardee’s Strawberry Shake (Hand-Dipped) (regular)

Calories: 700
A&W Chocolate Milkshake (medium)

Calories: 700
Jack In The Box Jack’s Spicy Chicken with Cheese

Calories: 700
White Castle French Fries – Sack

Calories: 700
Sonic Vanilla Malt – Large (20oz)

Calories: 700
Carl’s Jr. Strawberry Shake

Calories: 700
Boston Market Boston Chicken Carver

Calories: 700

NOTE: The above list includes every single fast food item (from the 25 restaurants I looked at) that contained 700 or more calories per serving. I decided on using 700 as the calorie cut off point for this list for a few reasons, the main one being that in my opinion, 700+ calories per ITEM (not per entire meal, but just in one item of that meal) really represents the worst of the worst in terms of calories.

Obviously this doesn’t mean that a 699 calorie (or lower) item can’t negatively affect your weight, it just means that for the purpose of showing the worst fast food items based solely on calories, I ended it at 700.

Fast Food Restaurant Appearances On This List

Here is the full list of restaurants included in the above list along with the total number of times an item from that restaurant appeared:

White Castle: 36
Sonic: 36
Jack in the Box: 28
Dairy Queen: 27
Hardee’s: 24
Carl’s Jr.: 22
Burger King: 15
Arby’s: 15
McDonald’s: 11
Nathans: 12
Del Taco: 10
A&W: 7
Boston Market: 6
Subway: 6
KFC: 3
Wendy’s: 3
Taco Bell: 3
Chick-Fil-A: 3
Dunkin Donuts: 3
Pizza Hut: 2
Popeyes: 0
Little Caesars: 0
Papa John’s: 0
Domino’s Pizza: 0
In-N-Out Burger: 0

The “Real” Top 3 Highest Calorie Items

When putting this whole thing together, I came across 3 specific foods that I ended up omitting from the above list despite them being INSANELY high in calories. My reasoning behind this is that, to the best of my knowledge, these were not normal 1 serving items. I tried to find descriptions or pictures or really any information of any kind about them, but I didn’t come up with anything. So, rather than include them on a list they would unfairly be on (if my guess is indeed correct and they are not normal 1 serving items), I decided to leave them off.

The thing is though, these 3 foods would have been numbers 1, 2 and 3 on the list. For that reason, and for the pure hilarity that is their calorie content, here is the “real” top 3: (If you happen to know anything more about any of these foods, please let me know.)

Nathan’s Seafood Sampler

Calories: 3378
Arby’s Pecan Sticky Bun (4 Pack)

Calories: 2751
Nathan’s Shrimp N Chips

Calories: 2051

The FAQ

How many calories should we eat per day?

The answer to this question and most of your other calorie and weight control related questions are already answered in the appropriately named Guide To Calories And Weight Control. Check it out.

You do realize that you can eat a high calorie food at a non-fast food restaurant or even just at home cooking for yourself. Why single out fast food?

Because fast food is the easiest, most convenient and all around most common way the average person eats too many calories. No where else can you get a 3000 calorie meal for under $15 without even getting out of your car. This is just the reality of the typical diet and that’s why singling out fast food is not only justified, but it also means a list like this can serve as a useful resource for a larger number of people.

And, not to mention, I don’t have the menu or nutrition facts for every single food someone may or may not prepare for themselves at home or order in some restaurant I never heard of. If I did, I’d just as soon put together a similar list.

When was this list put together, and is all the information still current?

This list was compiled in November 2007. While I doubt any of this information will change significantly any time soon (seriously, a 1500 calorie food won’t suddenly become a 300 calorie food), there is always a possibility that something might have changed to some degree at some point after this was done. So, to be 100% sure that the nutritional information you see is still current, I’d recommend checking out the web site of each fast food restaurant.

Where did you get all of this nutrition information from?

All of the nutritional content (calories) used in creating the above list was taken directly from the official web site of each fast food restaurant.