McDonald’s food items containing 5g of sugar or less. In this post, I am going to be sharing the 18 lowest sugar food items (containing 5g of sugar or less from McDonald’s). That’s right, it is time to talk about the “Golden Arches”. Possibly the most popular fast-food chain in the world, but what exactly are the lower sugar options available from McDonald’s?
What Are The Lowest Sugar Items At McDonald’s?
As a general rule, these are the best tricks to ordering lower-sugar food at McDonald’s:
- Order simple burgers such as the hamburger without ketchup instead of the quarter-pounders.
- Order biscuits and McMuffins instead of McGriddles.
- Order a McChicken over a crispy chicken sandwich.
- Fries, hash browns, and chicken nuggets contain 0g of sugar.
Summary Table – Lowest Sugar McDonald’s Foods
Below is a summary table of the lowest sugar McDonald’s food items together with each item’s sugar content.
| Lowest Sugar McDonald’s Sides | Sugar Content (g) |
|---|---|
| Fries | 0g |
| Apple slices | 3g |
| Lowest Sugar McDonald’s Entrees | Sugar Content (g) |
|---|---|
| Chicken nuggets | 0g |
| Fillet-o-fish | 5g |
| McChicken | 5g |
| Hamburger without ketchup | 5g |
| Cheeseburger without ketchup | 5g |
| Double cheeseburger without ketchup | 5g |
| McDouble without ketchup | 5g |
| Lowest Sugar McDonald’s Breakfasts | Sugar Content (g) |
|---|---|
| Hash browns | 0g |
| Sausage burrito | 2g |
| Sausage biscuit | 2g |
| Sausage McMuffin | 2g |
| Sausage McMuffin with egg | 2g |
| Big breakfast with no hotcake syrup | 3g |
| Sausage biscuit with egg | 3g |
| Bacon, egg & cheese biscuit | 3g |
| Egg McMuffin | 3g |
This post is focusing on the lowest-sugar food at McDonald’s. If you want to find out more about lower sugar drinks at McDonald’s, then make sure to read the post I wrote on it – 10 Low Sugar Drinks at McDonald’s.
What Is Low Sugar At McDonald’s?
In this section, I will go through each of my picks for the low-sugar items available at McDonald’s.
1. Fries – 0g of Sugar
All sizes of McDonald’s fries contain 0g of sugar – that is if they are eaten without any dipping sauces such as ketchup.
2. Hash Browns – 0g of Sugar
If you want a zero-sugar breakfast at McDonald’s, then you have found it in hash browns. The classic McDonald’s hashbrown contains 0g of sugar.
3. Chicken Nuggets – 0g of Sugar
If you are looking for a zero-sugar meat option at McDonald’s, then your best option are the chicken nuggets – coming in at 0g of sugar.
4. Sausage Burrito – 2g of Sugar
If you are looking for a substantial low-sugar breakfast at McDonald’s then the sausage burrito is loaded with scrambled egg, sausage, cheese, green chiles, and onion – all wrapped in a tortilla wrap. This is the best low-sugar to-go breakfast option at McDonald’s.
5. Sausage Biscuit – 2g of Sugar
If you prefer your breakfast sausage in a biscuit rather than a burrito, then the sausage biscuit at McDonald’s also contains 2g of sugar. This consists of sausage on a warm buttermilk biscuit – topped with butter and baked.
6. Sausage McMuffin – 2g of Sugar
If a toasted English muffin is your preference over a biscuit, then it’s good to know that the sausage McMuffin also contains 2g of sugar. The sausage McMuffin also contains a slice of cheddar cheese.
7. Sausage McMuffin With Egg – 2g of Sugar
If you like the sound of the sausage McMuffin but would like yours with egg too then good news – the sausage McMuffin also contains 2g of sugar.
8. Big Breakfast with No Hotcake Syrup – 3g of Sugar
If you order a big breakfast at McDonald’s without the hotcake syrup, what do you end up with? A warm biscuit, scrambled eggs, sausage, and hash browns.
All for just 3g of sugar.
Just make sure to order your big breakfast without the hotcake syrup. Ordering it with the hotcake syrup will take your breakfast up to 36g of sugar!
9. Sausage Biscuit with Egg – 3g of Sugar
If you liked the sound of the above sausage biscuit but would love some egg with yours then rest assured ordering your sausage biscuit with egg will only increase the sugar content by 1g of sugar.
10. Apple Slices – 3g of Sugar
If you want to get some of your 5-a-day to your five-a-day at McDonald’s, without going crazy in the sugar department, then a packet of apple slices is the answer, coming in at 3g of sugar.
11. Bacon, Egg & Cheese Biscuit – 3g of Sugar
This 3g of sugar biscuit option at McDonald’s consists of thick-cut applewood smoked bacon, folded egg, and melted cheese in a buttermilk biscuit.
12. Egg McMuffin – 3g of Sugar
The famed egg McMuffin at McDonald’s is also a lower-sugar breakfast option at 3g of sugar.
13. Fillet-O-Fish – 5g of Sugar
The Fillet-O-Fish from McDonald’s is one of two (2) “ordered as is” sandwiches at McDonald’s that contain just 5g of sugar. This option consists of fish, cheese, and tartar sauce in a bun.
14. McChicken – 5g of Sugar
The other 5g of sugar “ordered as-is” sandwich option at McDonald’s is the McChicken. The McChicken is a lower sugar chicken option than the crispy chicken sandwiches which contain 9g-10g of sugar each.
15. Hamburger Without Ketchup – 5g of Sugar
If you order a hamburger at McDonald’s without ketchup then you still end up with a patty with pickle, onion, and mustard in a bun. This all comes in at 5g of sugar. If you order the hamburger with the ketchup, it will contain 6g of sugar.
16. Cheeseburger Without Ketchup – 5g of Sugar
The cheeseburger ordered without ketchup will also contain 5g of sugar. The cheeseburger ordered as-is with the ketchup will contain 7g of sugar.
17. Double Cheeseburger Without Ketchup – 5g of Sugar
Doubling down on the patty and cheese won’t impact the sugar content. A double cheeseburger also contains 5g of sugar without ketchup and 7g of sugar with ketchup.
18. McDouble Without Ketchup – 5g of Sugar
The difference between the double cheeseburger and McDouble is that the McDouble only contains one piece of cheese whereas the double cheeseburger contains two (2) pieces of cheese.
The extra piece of cheese clearly doesn’t impact the sugar content as both burgers contain 5g of sugar without ketchup and 7g of sugar with ketchup.
Some General Rules on the Sugar Content of McDonald’s
- All McDonald’s crispy chicken sandwiches contain 9g-10g of sugar. 6g of this sugar comes from the potato roll. If You want a lower-sugar chicken burger option, the McChicken is your best bet coming in at 5g of sugar.
- The quarter-pounder burgers at McDonald’s contain 10g-11g of sugar. The Big Mac contains 9g of sugar. The Fillet-O-Fish, McChicken, and simple burgers like the hamburger, cheeseburger, double cheeseburger, and McDouble are lower in sugar, particularly if ordered without ketchup. If ordered without ketchup all these burgers contain 5g of sugar.
- The McGriddles are a higher-sugar breakfast option coming in at 14-15g of sugar. It is the griddle cake itself that is high in sugar as it contains 14g of sugar. The biscuits and McMuffins are much lower-sugar breakfast options at McDonald’s.
- The fruit & maple oatmeal is a higher-sugar breakfast at 31g of sugar. However, if you order the oatmeal without the cranberry raisin blend this will bring the sugar content down to 17g of sugar. The oatmeal will still contain apples and cream.
- The hotcakes are another higher-sugar McDonald’s breakfast at 45g of sugar. If you order the hotcakes without the hotcake syrup, they will contain 12g of sugar.
- The McRib is a higher-sugar sandwich with 13g of sugar. However, 9g of this comes from the McRib sauce – so you could order it without the McRib sauce, however, it may be a bit dry.
- The desserts at McDonald’s are high in sugar, with an M&M McFlurry containing 83g of sugar. If you really want a dessert at McDonald’s but are watching your sugar content then the baked apple pie is a lower-sugar dessert option at 14g of sugar, as-is the chocolate chip cookie contains 15g of sugar.
F&Q McDonald’s Sugar
What Does Not Have Sugar At McDonald’s?
The following 3 McDonald’s food menu items do not contain sugar:
- fries
- hash browns
- chicken nuggets
The following McDonald’s drinks do not contain sugar:
- Unsweetened iced tea
- Water
- Americano
- Premium roasted coffee
- Diet Coke
- Hot tea
You can read more about lower-sugar McDonald’s drinks here – 10 Low Sugar Drinks at McDonald’s.
Are McDonald’s Fries Sugar-Free?
McDonald’s fries are sugar-free – all sizes of McDonald’s fries contain 0g of sugar.
How Much Sugar Is In A McDonald’s Ice Cream Cone?
There are 23g of sugar in a McDonald’s vanilla cone.
How Much Sugar Is In A McDonald’s Ice Cream Sundae?
There are 44g of sugar in a McDonald’s hot fudge sundae, and there are 41g of sugar in a McDonald’s hot caramel sundae.
What McDonald’s Item Has The Most Sugar?
The highest sugar food item at McDonald’s is a regular-size M&M McFlurry which contains 83g of sugar.
The highest sugar drinks item at McDonald’s is a large strawberry milkshake coming in at 107g of sugar.
How Much Added Sugar Is In A McFlurry?
A regular-size McFlurry with Oreo cookies contains 60g of sugar. A snack-size McFlurry with Oreo cookies contains 40g of sugar.
A regular-size McFlurry with M&M’s contains 83g of sugar. A snack-size McFlurry with M&M’s contains 55g of sugar.
Is There Sugar In A McDonald’s Burger?
There is sugar in a McDonald’s burger – most of this sugar comes from the bap and ketchup.
How Much Sugar Is In A McDonald’s Patty?
There is 0g of sugar in a McDonald’s patty.
18 McDonald’s Food Items Containing 5g of Sugar or Less – The Final Bite
McDonald’s food items containing 5g of sugar or less. What have we learned from the above? Well, when it comes to McDonald’s if you want to watch your sugar content you will want to avoid any of the desserts, sweet treats, ice creams, and shakes. These all contain the highest amounts of sugar. As for their main items, ordering a simple burger without ketchup will give you an order with around 5g of sugar. Adding the ketchup adds an additional gram of sugar. Plus, the extra good news is that the fries are sugar-free – you just have to watch what you dip them in as a lot of sauces contain added sugar.
And Remember…
Ingredients and/or manufacturing processes may change. Always double-check ingredient lists and nutritional information before purchasing any food items.
WANT TO FIND MORE LOW SUGAR OPTIONS?
Do you want to learn about some other low-sugar options at your favorite coffee chains, fast food, or restaurant joints, or just while you are shopping for groceries? If you do, then check out some of my other articles below: