Calories in a Burger: a Typical Serving, Broken Down by Ingredient
Quick answer: A homemade hamburger (a quarter-pound 80/20 beef patty cooked to 85 g, a plain bun, ketchup, mustard, lettuce, tomato, onion and pickles) is about 365 kcal, with 26 g of protein and 16 g of fat. The patty is 58 % of the calories and the bun is 34 %; everything else adds about 30 kcal. A slice of American cheese makes it about 440 kcal, and a double cheeseburger is about 730.
A typical serving, ingredient by ingredient
There is no single standard burger, so here is the one we counted: a home or diner-style hamburger. Each ingredient comes from one USDA record (SR Legacy). The record number is in the first column, so you can repeat the calculation.
| Ingredient (USDA NDB No.) | Amount | kcal | Protein | Fat | Carbs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hamburger bun, plain (18350) | 44 g (1 bun) | 125 | 4.3 g | 1.7 g | 22 g |
| Ground beef 80/20 patty, pan-broiled (23574) | 85 g (3 oz cooked) | 210 | 20 g | 14 g | 0 g |
| Ketchup (11935) | 17 g (1 tbsp) | 17 | 0.2 g | 0.0 g | 4.7 g |
| Yellow mustard (02046) | 5 g (1 tsp) | 3 | 0.2 g | 0.2 g | 0.3 g |
| Iceberg lettuce (11252) | 15 g | 2 | 0.1 g | 0.0 g | 0.5 g |
| Tomato (11529) | 20 g (2 thin slices) | 4 | 0.2 g | 0.0 g | 0.8 g |
| Onion, raw (11282) | 10 g | 4 | 0.1 g | 0.0 g | 0.9 g |
| Dill pickles (11937) | 14 g (2 slices) | 2 | 0.1 g | 0.0 g | 0.3 g |
| Total | 210 g | 365 | 26 g | 16 g | 30 g |
How it is calculated: value per 100 g × grams ÷ 100, summed across ingredients, and only the total is rounded. The rows are rounded for display, so they do not add up exactly. The bun, ketchup, mustard and pickle weights are the household measures in the USDA records. The 85 g patty is the "3 oz" cooked portion in the 80/20 record; USDA's 85/15 record gives 83 g as the cooked yield of a quarter pound of raw beef, so 85 g is close to a quarter-pounder. Lettuce, tomato and onion are weighed amounts we chose.
The burger also has about 610 mg of sodium, about a third of it from the bun and a quarter from the ketchup.
Variations
Each variation is the same base burger with one change, calculated the same way.
| Version | What changes | kcal | Protein | Fat | Carbs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hamburger | Base recipe above | 365 | 26 g | 16 g | 30 g |
| Cheeseburger | + 1 slice American cheese, 21 g (01253) | 440 | 29 g | 22 g | 30 g |
| Double cheeseburger | + a second 85 g patty and a second cheese slice | 730 | 54 g | 42 g | 31 g |
| Bacon cheeseburger | Cheeseburger + 2 slices pan-fried bacon, 23 g (10862) | 550 | 37 g | 30 g | 31 g |
| Cheeseburger with mayo | Cheeseburger + 1 tbsp mayonnaise, 13.8 g (04025) | 535 | 30 g | 33 g | 30 g |
| Lean burger | 90/10 beef patty, 85 g (23564), instead of 80/20 | 330 | 27 g | 11 g | 30 g |
| Lettuce wrap | No bun, 45 g of iceberg leaves instead | 245 | 22 g | 14 g | 8.3 g |
The double cheeseburger is where the number jumps: one extra patty and one extra slice add almost 290 kcal. Going from 80/20 to 90/10 beef saves only about 36 kcal, but it also cuts about 4.5 g of fat.
As served: fast-food burgers in USDA data
USDA also has whole-sandwich records for generic fast-food hamburgers. They are averages, not any one chain, and USDA does not split them by ingredient.
| USDA record (NDB No.) | Sandwich weight | kcal | Protein | Fat | Carbs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single regular patty, plain (21107) | 78 g | 230 | 13 g | 9.4 g | 25 g |
| Single regular patty, with condiments and vegetables (21109) | 110 g | 280 | 13 g | 13 g | 27 g |
| Single large patty, with condiments and vegetables (21113) | 218 g | 510 | 26 g | 27 g | 40 g |
Our homemade hamburger (210 g, 365 kcal) sits between the regular fast-food burger and the large one. If you want a specific chain's burger, use that chain's own nutrition page: the numbers above are not a substitute for it.
What moves the number
- The patty. It is most of the calories. A second 85 g patty of 80/20 beef adds about 210 kcal. A 90/10 patty of the same weight is about 175 kcal instead of 210.
- Cheese. One 21 g slice of American cheese is about 78 kcal and 350 mg of sodium. Two slices on a double add about 155 kcal.
- Sauces. Ketchup is about 17 kcal per tablespoon and mustard about 3 per teaspoon, so they barely matter. Mayonnaise is different: one tablespoon (13.8 g) is about 94 kcal, as much as the cheese slice.
- Bacon. Two pan-fried slices (23 g) add about 110 kcal and 8 g of protein, and almost 390 mg of sodium.
- The bun. A plain 44 g bun is about 125 kcal. Dropping it for a lettuce wrap takes the burger from 365 to about 245 kcal and cuts carbs from 30 g to about 8 g.
The vegetables don't change the number: lettuce, tomato, onion and pickles together are about 11 kcal.
How to log it
Photo recognises a burger and can estimate the bun, the number of patties and whether there is cheese. It cannot see the sauce under the bun or know whether the beef was 80/20 or 90/10. Add a voice note: "cheeseburger, one quarter-pound patty, mayo and ketchup", or "double, no mayo".
Voice works on its own if you name the parts: "homemade burger, 80/20 beef, a quarter pound raw, one slice of cheese, ketchup."
At a restaurant, the patty weight is often on the menu ("¼ lb", "6 oz"). Say it in the voice note; the patty is most of the calories.
FAQ
How many calories are in a hamburger? About 365 kcal for a homemade hamburger with a quarter-pound 80/20 beef patty, a plain bun, ketchup, mustard and vegetables. A generic fast-food hamburger with a regular patty is about 280 kcal in USDA data.
How many calories are in a cheeseburger? About 440 kcal: the hamburger above plus one 21 g slice of American cheese, which adds about 78 kcal.
How many calories are in a double cheeseburger? About 730 kcal with two 85 g patties of 80/20 beef and two slices of American cheese, with 54 g of protein and 42 g of fat.
How many calories are in a burger without the bun? About 245 kcal for the same burger wrapped in lettuce instead of a bun, with 22 g of protein and about 8 g of carbs.
Is a burger good for weight loss? It can fit a calorie deficit. A homemade hamburger at about 365 kcal has 26 g of protein, which is a decent amount for the calories. The numbers climb with extra patties, cheese, bacon and mayonnaise: a bacon cheeseburger is about 550 kcal and a double cheeseburger about 730. Calorie deficit for weight loss →
Data: recipe calculation from USDA SR Legacy (NDB numbers): hamburger bun, plain (18350); ground beef 80 % lean / 20 % fat, patty, pan-broiled (23574); ground beef 90 % / 10 %, patty, pan-broiled (23564); ground beef 85 % / 15 %, patty, pan-broiled (23569, cooked-yield weight only); catsup (11935); mustard, prepared, yellow (02046); lettuce, iceberg (11252); tomatoes, red, ripe, raw (11529); onions, raw (11282); pickles, dill (11937); American cheese, pasteurized process (01253); bacon, pre-sliced, pan-fried (10862); mayonnaise, regular (04025); fast-food hamburgers (21107, 21109, 21113). Values checked October 2026.
Related: Calories in bread · How much protein per day · How much salt per day
CalMePlease logs a burger from a photo plus a quick voice note about the patty and the sauce, with protein and fat per burger. Free on the App Store.
