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Fast Food Protein Per Dollar 2026

Which fast food items deliver the most protein for your money, computed from 1,398 menu items with protein data across 94 chains. Free to cite with attribution to GetFoodMenus.com.

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Best Protein Per Dollar. All Menu Items (Top 25)

Every ranked item, including family meals, party packs, and combos. For single items only, see the next table.

Classic Wings (100-piece)Wingstop$59.991000g16.7g/$
Detroit-Style Deep Dish Pepperoni PizzaLittle Caesars$7.99129g16.1g/$
Detroit-Style Deep Dish Cheese PizzaLittle Caesars$7.49118g15.8g/$
Classic Pepperoni Pizza (Large)Little Caesars$6.99109g15.6g/$
Classic Cheese Pizza (Large)Little Caesars$6.4995g14.6g/$
ExtraMostBestest Cheese Pizza (Large)Little Caesars$8.49117g13.8g/$
ExtraMostBestest Pepperoni Pizza (Large)Little Caesars$8.99122g13.6g/$
Value Bean & Cheese BurritoDel Taco$1.0013g13.0g/$
Jack's Tacos (2 for $0.99)Jack in the Box$0.9912g12.1g/$
Italian Cheese BreadLittle Caesars$4.9959g11.8g/$
NachosGlory Days Grill$10.49109g10.4g/$
Jack's Tacos (5 for $2.99)Jack in the Box$2.9930g10.0g/$
Classic Wings (50-piece)Wingstop$49.99500g10.0g/$
QuesadillaDrakes$10.49100g9.5g/$
Classic Wings (30-piece)Wingstop$31.99300g9.4g/$
Whole Rotisserie ChickenBoston Market$14.99140g9.3g/$
Soft TacoTaco Time$2.4923g9.2g/$
Pepperoni Lover's MeltPizza Hut$5.9953g8.8g/$
Chicken Tenders Only (6)Captain D's$7.4966g8.8g/$
Classic Wings (20-piece)Wingstop$22.99200g8.7g/$
Loaded Breakfast BurritoCarl's Jr.$4.4939g8.7g/$
Triple WhopperBurger King$8.9978g8.7g/$
Sweet & Spicy Bacon BurgerWhataburger$6.9960g8.6g/$
Del TacoDel Taco$1.9917g8.5g/$
Flying DutchmanIn-N-Out$3.0526g8.5g/$

Best Protein Per Dollar. Individual Items

Excludes family meals, party packs, buckets, feasts, baskets, bundles, and multi-item deals.

Detroit-Style Deep Dish Pepperoni PizzaLittle Caesars$7.99129g16.1g/$
Detroit-Style Deep Dish Cheese PizzaLittle Caesars$7.49118g15.8g/$
Classic Pepperoni Pizza (Large)Little Caesars$6.99109g15.6g/$
Classic Cheese Pizza (Large)Little Caesars$6.4995g14.6g/$
ExtraMostBestest Cheese Pizza (Large)Little Caesars$8.49117g13.8g/$
ExtraMostBestest Pepperoni Pizza (Large)Little Caesars$8.99122g13.6g/$
Value Bean & Cheese BurritoDel Taco$1.0013g13.0g/$
Italian Cheese BreadLittle Caesars$4.9959g11.8g/$
NachosGlory Days Grill$10.49109g10.4g/$
QuesadillaDrakes$10.49100g9.5g/$

Best Protein Per Dollar: Meals & Family Packs

Family meals, party packs, buckets, feasts, baskets, multi-item deals ranked separately.

Classic Wings (100-piece)Wingstop$59.991000g16.7g/$
Jack's Tacos (2 for $0.99)Jack in the Box$0.9912g12.1g/$
Jack's Tacos (5 for $2.99)Jack in the Box$2.9930g10.0g/$
Classic Wings (50-piece)Wingstop$49.99500g10.0g/$
Classic Wings (30-piece)Wingstop$31.99300g9.4g/$
Classic Wings (20-piece)Wingstop$22.99200g8.7g/$
Chicken Tenders (5-piece)Jack in the Box$6.4954g8.3g/$
Chicken Wings (12-piece)Church's Chicken$12.99108g8.3g/$
5-piece Chicken TendersPopeyes$6.9958g8.3g/$
Chicken Tenders (6-piece)KFC$7.9966g8.3g/$

Highest Protein Under $5

Italian Cheese BreadLittle Caesars$4.9959g1340
Sourdough Breakfast MeltJack in the Box$4.9940g810
2-piece Dark ChickenPopeyes$4.9940g690
Loaded Breakfast BurritoCarl's Jr.$4.4939g830
Loaded Breakfast BurritoHardee's$4.9936g810
3-piece Chicken TendersPopeyes$4.4935g390
Hash Brown Scramble BurritoChick-fil-A$4.7934g700
Double-DoubleIn-N-Out$4.4534g610
Chicken Tenders (3-piece)KFC$4.9933g510
Egg & Cheese WrapSubway$4.9932g740

Highest Protein Under $10

Detroit-Style Deep Dish Pepperoni PizzaLittle Caesars$7.99129g2770
ExtraMostBestest Pepperoni Pizza (Large)Little Caesars$8.99122g2500
Detroit-Style Deep Dish Cheese PizzaLittle Caesars$7.49118g2500
ExtraMostBestest Cheese Pizza (Large)Little Caesars$8.49117g2220
Classic Pepperoni Pizza (Large)Little Caesars$6.99109g2300
Classic Cheese Pizza (Large)Little Caesars$6.4995g1950
Triple WhopperBurger King$8.9978g1250
#1 Gargantuan (Full)Jimmy John's$9.9978g1080
Double Chicken Pollo BowlEl Pollo Loco$9.4974g930
Dave's TripleWendy's$8.7972g1100

Average Protein Per Dollar by Chain

Mean protein-per-dollar across every ranked item at each chain.

Little Caesars1011.5g/$
Chicken Express17.7g/$
Wingstop156.2g/$
Drakes36.2g/$
Taco Bueno36.0g/$
Taco Time55.8g/$
Del Taco125.7g/$
Rosa's Café25.3g/$
Glory Days Grill65.2g/$
In-N-Out115.1g/$
Jack in the Box205.0g/$
Freddy's74.6g/$
Krystal144.4g/$
Carl's Jr.104.3g/$
Wendy's314.2g/$
Dave's Hot Chicken104.2g/$
Popeyes134.2g/$
Whataburger304.1g/$
Buffalo Wild Wings144.1g/$
El Pollo Loco134.1g/$
Zaxby's334.1g/$
Firehouse Subs134.0g/$
Biscuitville44.0g/$
Burger King384.0g/$
Arby's154.0g/$
Chuy's84.0g/$
Sonic203.9g/$
Jimmy John's223.9g/$
Fazoli's63.8g/$
Checkers123.8g/$
KFC153.8g/$
Chick-fil-A343.7g/$
Raising Cane's83.7g/$
Steak 'n Shake113.7g/$
A&W Restaurants93.7g/$
Mission BBQ73.7g/$
Jersey Mike's163.7g/$
Cheddar's Kitchen173.6g/$
Hardee's123.6g/$
Cook Out113.6g/$
Subway173.6g/$
Taco Bell603.6g/$
Bojangles93.5g/$
Applebee's243.5g/$
Chili's113.4g/$
California Pizza Kitchen53.4g/$
Denny's73.3g/$
Farmer Boys43.3g/$
Long John Silver's53.3g/$
Panda Express203.2g/$
Church's Chicken153.2g/$
Papa John's183.2g/$
Bahama Breeze53.1g/$
Texas Roadhouse233.1g/$
McDonald's593.1g/$
Dairy Queen363.1g/$
Culver's253.0g/$
Boston Market123.0g/$
City Barbeque83.0g/$
Shake Shack192.9g/$
Pizza Hut172.9g/$
Chipotle242.8g/$
Firebirds Wood Fired Grill72.8g/$
TGI Fridays132.8g/$
Captain D's92.6g/$
LongHorn Steakhouse222.5g/$
First Watch232.4g/$
Five Guys42.4g/$
Outback Steakhouse362.4g/$
Domino's182.4g/$
The Cheesecake Factory232.4g/$
IHOP162.4g/$
Krispy Kreme192.3g/$
Carrabba's Italian Grill82.3g/$
Waffle House92.2g/$
Panera Bread232.1g/$
Caribou Coffee72.1g/$
Olive Garden202.1g/$
Red Robin92.0g/$
Dunkin'232.0g/$
Andy's Frozen Custard21.9g/$
7 Brew111.9g/$
Cracker Barrel161.9g/$
99 Restaurant11.8g/$
Auntie Anne's121.8g/$
Crumbl Cookies41.7g/$
Better Buzz Coffee41.6g/$
Starbucks401.6g/$
Baskin-Robbins61.6g/$
Red Lobster181.6g/$
Tim Hortons101.6g/$
Smoothie King71.5g/$
Golden Chick41.4g/$
Dutch Bros100.9g/$

Methodology

  • • Protein per dollar = grams of protein ÷ menu price, computed for every item with both values in our database (1,398 items).
  • • Chain averages = mean of item-level ratios; chains with more ranked items have proportionally more influence.
  • • Protein values come from official restaurant nutrition information; prices are national-average menu prices, before tax and delivery.
  • • All statistics are computed from the structured database. See the data methodology and freshness report.

Protein Per Dollar FAQ

How is protein per dollar calculated?
We calculate the ratio for every menu item in our database that has both a price and protein value. The current report includes 1,398 eligible items across 94 chains.
How are combo meals and individual items handled?
The report separates individual items from meals, family packs, party packs, buckets, feasts, baskets, bundles, and multi-item deals. The All Menu Items table includes every eligible menu entry, while the Individual Items table excludes multi-item formats, and Meals & Family Packs ranks them separately.
Do protein values come from official sources?
Yes, protein values come from official restaurant nutrition information. Prices are approximate national averages and vary by location.

Cite This Data

Journalists and researchers may freely cite this data with attribution to GetFoodMenus.com. For custom data requests, contact us.

Suggested citation:
“GetFoodMenus. (2026). Fast Food Protein Per Dollar 2026. Retrieved from https://getfoodmenus.com/protein-per-dollar”

Explore our research

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Price & Menu Data

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