What is the most unhealthy food at Burger King?

November 11, 2025 •

4 min read

According to recent nutrition analyses, some fast-food items contain more than a full day's worth of calories and saturated fat in a single meal. If you're following a nutrition diet, knowing what is the most unhealthy food at Burger King is crucial for making informed choices and avoiding potential health pitfalls associated with excessive calories, sodium, and fat.

Quick Summary

The most unhealthy Burger King items are often loaded with excess calories, saturated fat, and sodium. These typically include large, multi-patty burgers and rich, sugary shakes. Choosing lighter alternatives or modifying orders can significantly reduce their nutritional impact.

Key Points

The Bacon King is exceptionally unhealthy: This burger often leads the list of unhealthiest items due to its high calorie, saturated fat, and sodium content from multiple patties, bacon, and cheese.
Breakfast platters are calorie bombs: The BK Ultimate Breakfast Platter can contain a significant portion of an adult's daily recommended calories and sodium in a single meal.
Large shakes and sodas are sugar traps: Don't overlook the hidden calories and sugar in large milkshakes and sugary soft drinks, which can be worse than some burgers.
Saturated fat and sodium are the primary concerns: Excess saturated fat and sodium in the unhealthiest items pose risks for heart health and are the main reasons to limit consumption.
Customizing orders is the best strategy: By removing high-fat condiments like mayo and cheese and choosing smaller sizes, you can significantly reduce the unhealthiness of your meal.
Healthier alternatives exist: Options like the Whopper Jr., a simple Hamburger, or a Garden Side Salad are available for those seeking lower-calorie choices.
Portion size plays a major role: Opting for a smaller portion, like a value side instead of a large, can make a huge difference in overall nutritional impact.

Navigating the menu at a fast-food restaurant like Burger King requires an understanding of nutrition, especially when trying to maintain a balanced diet. While many items might seem appealing, some stand out as significantly unhealthier than others due to their composition of high calories, excessive saturated and trans fats, and high sodium content.

The Unhealthiest Culprits on the Burger King Menu

Identifying the unhealthiest options often comes down to looking at the nutritional extremes—the highest calories, highest fat, and highest sodium. Based on recent nutrition data, some consistent offenders emerge across different categories.

Multi-Patty Burgers: The Bacon King and Triple Whopper with Cheese

Large, multi-patty sandwiches are consistently among the most calorie-dense items. The Bacon King and the Triple Whopper with Cheese are prominent examples. The Bacon King, featuring two flame-grilled beef patties, thick-cut bacon, cheese, mayonnaise, and ketchup, can pack upwards of 1,200 to 1,700 calories, with one source reporting up to 1,710 calories and 48g of saturated fat. Similarly, the Triple Whopper with Cheese can contain over 1,300 calories, 90g of fat, and nearly 2,000mg of sodium. These figures represent a significant portion of, and in some cases exceed, the recommended daily limits for these nutrients for many individuals. The combination of multiple beef patties, layers of cheese, and high-fat sauces creates a recipe for a nutritional overload.

Sugary Beverages and Shakes

While the burgers get a lot of attention, large, high-sugar beverages are often overlooked health hazards. A large milkshake, such as the OREO Cookie Shake, can contain a massive amount of calories and sugar. Older reports highlight how shakes can exceed even the most fattening burgers in terms of concentrated fat and sugar. Even some sodas, like a large Mello Yello, can provide a staggering 138 grams of sugar, which can contribute to weight gain and blood sugar issues. The calories from these drinks are often 'empty calories' that provide little to no nutritional value.

High-Calorie Breakfast Items

Breakfast at Burger King also has its nutritional extremes. The BK Ultimate Breakfast Platter, featuring eggs, sausage, hash browns, pancakes, and a biscuit, is one of the highest-calorie breakfast options, potentially exceeding 1,190 calories and a high amount of sodium. Another high-sodium and high-fat choice is the Double Sausage, Egg, & Cheese Biscuit, which delivers over 850 calories and 2,500mg of sodium, pushing it well beyond half of the daily sodium recommendation for many people.

Making Healthier Choices at Burger King

For those who still want to enjoy a meal at Burger King while adhering to a more balanced nutrition diet, several strategies can help mitigate the risks of the unhealthiest options. Portion control, thoughtful substitutions, and modifications are key.

Comparison of Unhealthy vs. Healthier Burger King Options


Item Category	Unhealthiest Option	Key Nutritional Concerns	Healthier Alternative	Notes for Healthier Choice
Burgers	Bacon King (approx. 1200-1700 calories)	Very high calories, saturated fat, sodium, and cholesterol.	Hamburger or Whopper Jr. (approx. 250-310 calories)	Choose a single patty. Request no mayonnaise or cheese to reduce fat and sodium.
Chicken Sandwiches	Spicy Ch'King Deluxe (approx. 1498 calories)	Highest calorie and carb chicken option due to sauces and bun.	Honey Mustard Royal Crispy Wrap (approx. 290 calories)	Lighter chicken option; for lower sodium, ask for light or no sauce.
Breakfast	Ultimate Breakfast Platter (approx. 1190-1310 calories)	Combination of eggs, sausage, biscuits, and pancakes creates a massive calorie and sodium load.	Egg and Cheese Croissan'wich (approx. 370 calories)	A more moderate option. Still high in sodium, so it's a 'treat' food rather than a daily staple.
Sides	Large Onion Rings (approx. 524 calories)	High carbs, sodium, and fried fat content.	Value Onion Rings (approx. 200 calories) or Garden Side Salad	Choosing a smaller side or a salad reduces total calories significantly.
Beverages	OREO Cookie Shake (calories vary) or large Mello Yello (approx. 544 calories)	Excessively high in sugar and calories, contributes to 'empty calories'.	Unsweetened Iced Tea or Water	Hydrating with a calorie-free drink is the healthiest option for weight management and overall health.

How to Modify Your Order for Better Nutrition

Portion Control: Opt for smaller, single-patty versions of burgers like the Whopper Jr. instead of their multi-patty counterparts.
Customize Toppings: Eliminate or reduce high-fat condiments. For example, asking for no mayo or cheese on your burger can save hundreds of calories and grams of saturated fat.
Choose Healthier Sides: Instead of fries or onion rings, consider a garden side salad. Be mindful of dressings, as they can add hidden calories and sugar.
Prioritize Protein: For breakfast, while the platters are heavy, some items offer a decent protein boost. Opting for a sausage patty or egg without the heavy carbs can be a better choice.
Beverage Swaps: Stick to water, unsweetened iced tea, or diet soda instead of high-sugar soft drinks and shakes.

Conclusion: Making Smarter Fast-Food Decisions

While the allure of a multi-patty, bacon-and-cheese-loaded burger or a decadent milkshake is strong, understanding the nutritional impact is the first step toward making healthier choices. For those wondering what is the most unhealthy food at Burger King, the answer often lies in the items boasting the highest calorie counts from excess saturated fat and sodium, such as the Bacon King or Ultimate Breakfast Platter. Making informed decisions by choosing smaller portions, customizing toppings, and selecting healthier sides and drinks is the best strategy for a more balanced nutrition diet, even when indulging in fast food.

For more detailed nutritional information and a complete breakdown of every menu item, the official Burger King website's nutrition section is an excellent resource to consult.

Frequently Asked Questions

While the exact highest-calorie item can vary by region and promotions, the Bacon King is consistently identified as one of the highest, sometimes containing over 1,700 calories in certain nutritional reports. The Ultimate Breakfast Platter is also very high in calories.

Yes, the Bacon King is considered very unhealthy due to its extremely high levels of saturated fat, calories, and sodium, which can exceed daily recommended limits in a single serving.

Not necessarily. Large or deluxe chicken sandwiches, like the Spicy Ch'King Deluxe, can be just as or even more unhealthy than some of the beef burgers, sometimes with higher calorie and carbohydrate counts.

The BK Ultimate Breakfast Platter and the Double Sausage, Egg & Cheese Biscuit are among the worst breakfast choices due to their high calorie, fat, and sodium content.

You can reduce calories by opting for smaller versions of menu items (e.g., Whopper Jr.), skipping high-fat condiments like mayonnaise and cheese, and choosing water or unsweetened tea instead of sugary sodas and shakes.

A Garden Side Salad is a much healthier option than fried sides like fries or onion rings. However, some entree salads, especially with high-fat dressings or fried chicken, can be surprisingly high in calories and sodium.

Multi-patty burgers are unhealthy because they contain more meat, cheese, and toppings, which drastically increases the calories, saturated fat, and sodium, pushing them far beyond recommended daily intake limits.