McDonald's UK publishes a calorie figure for every item, but not what that figure means for the person eating it. A 1,103 calorie burger is a quarter of the day for one person and more than half for another, and the Happy Meal that suits a teenager is a quarter of a seven year old's entire day. Below is every one of the 151 items on the UK menu, ranked by calories and split by menu section. Set the age and sex and each figure recalculates as a share of that person's day.
The full McDonald's UK breakfast menu ranked by calories, so you can see where every item sits before you order. This section has the widest spread on the menu. The Breakfast Wrap with Brown Sauce tops it at 666, roughly a third of an adult's day before nine in the morning, while a Hash Brown on its own is 127. Porridge is the one worth knowing about: 154 plain, but 326 once golden syrup is added. Across breakfast, the toppings move the total more than the base does.
All McDonald's UK fries, sides and dips ranked by calories, including every portion size, so you can see exactly what each option adds to a meal. Fries scale almost evenly: 237 small, 337 medium, 444 large. That 207 gap between small and large is more than a whole Apple Pie. The nine piece Mozzarella Dippers sharebox tops the section at 744, higher than most main items. Dips run from 2 to 118 each and are the easiest thing on the menu to leave out when you add up a meal.
Every McDonald's UK dessert ranked by calories, from McFlurries to pies, so you can compare them side by side rather than guessing. The Galaxy Caramel McFlurry leads at 356. The spread here is narrower than most people expect, with regular McFlurries clustered between 260 and 323, which means the size you choose matters more than the flavour. The Apple Pie is 243 and the Oreo Mini McFlurry is lowest at 130, less than half a regular one.
All McDonald's UK cold drinks and milkshakes ranked by calories, in every size, so you can see what the drink adds on top of the food. This is the section people most often leave out of the total. A large Vanilla Milkshake is 469, more than a Big Mac. All four large milkshakes sit between 458 and 469. A large Coca-Cola Classic is 212, the zero sugar versions are between 1 and 12, and still water is zero, so this is where the biggest reduction is available for the least compromise.
Every McCafé and hot drink ranked by calories, so you can see how much a daily coffee actually adds. This is the lightest section on the menu. A Toffee Latte tops it at 187 and a plain Latte is 145, against 6 for an Americano and 1 for an Espresso. Almost the entire difference is milk and syrup rather than the coffee itself, which matters far more if you order one every morning than if you order one occasionally.
The full Happy Meal and kids range ranked by calories, shown against a child's daily energy rather than an adult's. The Cheeseburger Happy Meal is highest at 440, which is a quarter of the day for a seven to ten year old and closer to a third for a four to six year old. The Chicken McNuggets Happy Meal is lowest of the five mains at 311. The side and drink choices move the total more than the main does: Melon Chunks are 17 and Cucumber Sticks are 12, against 237 for a small Fries.
