McDonald's Sugar Stick: calories and sugar by portion and age

McDonald's Sugar Stick, a paper sugar stick opened with white sugar spilling out

Boone’s analysis puts McDonald's Sugar Stick at 1% of an adult’s daily calories and 0.8 teaspoons of free sugar.

How many calories are in a McDonald's Sugar Stick? It contains 12 kcal, 0g of fat (0g saturated), 3g of sugar and 0g of salt, one of the lower-calorie items on the menu.

Build a full meal with our nutrition calculator

A Sugar Stick is added to something else, and its figures are almost never counted in the item it is served with. Use the Boone meal calculator to build a full meal rather than view this item on its own, then choose your age and sex for a more accurate view of what the whole order adds up to.

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Nutrition information

Nutrition information: McDonald's Sugar Stick

Energy	12 kcal
Fat	0g
of which saturates	0g
Carbohydrate	3g
of which sugars	3g
Fibre	0g
Salt	0g
Protein	0g

Nutrition figures are McDonald’s UK published data, per item as sold and before any optional sauces or extras. Boone converts them to the portion and age comparisons on this page.

A McDonald's Sugar Stick contains 12 kcal, which is 1% of the 2,000 kcal adult daily reference intake. It provides 0g of total fat, of which 0g is saturated, 3g of sugar, 0g of salt, 0g of protein and 0g of fibre.

McDonald's Sugar Stick is made from a single ingredient with no emulsifiers, stabilisers, colours or flavourings. On this menu that is rare enough to be worth stating.

McDonald's Sugar Stick sits at the lighter end of the menu

At 12 kcal, 3g of free sugar and very little salt, McDonald's Sugar Stick stays well inside every daily guideline Boone checks. Few items on this menu do.

Adult daily reference intakes (Reference Intake, RI)

Calories2,000 kcal

Total fat70g

Saturated fat20g

Carbohydrate260g

Sugars90g

Fibre30g

Salt6g

Protein50g

Sugar in McDonald's Sugar Stick

McDonald's Sugar Stick contains 3g of free sugar per standard serving (0.8 teaspoons). Low sugar

The NHS free sugar limit is 30g per day for adults, 24g for children aged 7 to 10, and 19g for children aged 4 to 6. Free sugar excludes the sugars naturally present in milk and whole fruit. The table below shows how this compares across all age groups.

Free sugar by portion: McDonald's Sugar Stick

Portion	Adult (female) 30g	Adult (male) 30g	Age 11 to 17 30g	Age 7 to 10 24g	Age 4 to 6 19g
Per portion	3g 10%	3g 10%	3g 10%	3g 12%	3g 16%
Teaspoons	0.8 tsp

Boone calculates these percentages from McDonald's UK published nutrition data against UK Dietary Reference Values and NHS free sugar and salt limits. Free sugar, salt, calories and saturated fat are limits to stay under; fibre is a target to reach, so a high percentage there is a good thing. For guidance only.

Salt in McDonald's Sugar Stick

McDonald's Sugar Stick contains 0g of salt per standard serving. Low salt

Children have lower salt limits: 3g per day for ages 4 to 6, 5g for ages 7 to 10. The table below shows how this serving compares to daily limits for adults and children.

Salt by portion: McDonald's Sugar Stick

Portion	Adult (female) 6g	Adult (male) 6g	Age 11 to 17 6g	Age 7 to 10 5g	Age 4 to 6 3g
Per portion	0g 0%	0g 0%	0g 0%	0g 0%	0g 0%

Calories in McDonald's Sugar Stick

McDonald's Sugar Stick contains 12 kcal per standard serving. Low calorie share

Daily calorie needs vary by age and sex. The table below shows how this serving compares to typical daily reference intakes.

Calories by portion: McDonald's Sugar Stick

Portion	Adult (female) 2000 kcal	Adult (male) 2500 kcal	Age 11 to 17 1936 kcal	Age 7 to 10 1553 kcal	Age 4 to 6 1291 kcal
Per portion	12 kcal 1%	12 kcal 0%	12 kcal 1%	12 kcal 1%	12 kcal 1%

Saturated fat in McDonald's Sugar Stick

McDonald's Sugar Stick contains 0g of saturated fat per standard serving. Low saturated fat

The saturated fat guideline is 20g a day for women and 30g for men, and lower again for children. The table below shows how this serving compares.

Saturated fat by portion: McDonald's Sugar Stick

Portion	Adult (female) 20g	Adult (male) 30g	Age 11 to 17 20g	Age 7 to 10 18g	Age 4 to 6 16g
Per portion	0g 0%	0g 0%	0g 0%	0g 0%	0g 0%

Fibre in McDonald's Sugar Stick

McDonald's Sugar Stick contains 0g of fibre per standard serving. Very little fibre

Fibre is the one figure here that is a target to reach rather than a limit to stay under. UK guidance is 30g a day for adults, 25g for ages 11 to 17, 20g for ages 7 to 10 and 15g for ages 4 to 6. Most people in the UK fall well short. The table below shows how much of a day’s fibre this serving provides.

Fibre by portion: McDonald's Sugar Stick

Portion	Adult (female) 30g	Adult (male) 30g	Age 11 to 17 25g	Age 7 to 10 20g	Age 4 to 6 15g
Per portion	0g 0%	0g 0%	0g 0%	0g 0%	0g 0%

Free sugar vs total sugar

Where the sugar comes from: McDonald's Sugar Stick

All 3g counts as free sugar. There is no dairy or whole fruit in McDonald's Sugar Stick to hold any of it back, so the whole figure counts against the daily limit, or about 0.8 teaspoons.

NHS daily free sugar limits: 30g for adults and children 11+, 24g age 7 to 10, 19g age 4 to 6. Sources are read from the published ingredient list for each component.

Ultra-processed food: what is really in it

Processing: McDonald's Sugar Stick

McDonald's Sugar Stick is a NOVA group 2 item, a processed culinary ingredient. It carries no emulsifiers, preservatives, colours, flavourings or other cosmetic additives. NOVA places refined sugars, syrups and fats in group 2. These are things used to sweeten or cook with, rather than eaten as foods in themselves.

A McDonald's Sugar Stick contains a single ingredient.

Ingredient count by order: McDonald's Sugar Stick

What you order	Raw	Manufactured	Total	% manufactured
McDonald's Sugar Stick on its own	1	0	1	0%

Every ingredient here is a whole food or a basic kitchen staple: sugar.

What those ingredients are, by type

Sugars and syrups1

Boone counts every distinct named ingredient on McDonald’s published component lists, including sub-ingredients, and removes duplicates, so salt appearing in four components counts once. Additive class names are dropped and the named substance kept, so “stabiliser (guar gum)” counts guar gum once. Raw covers whole foods and basic kitchen staples such as flour, sugar, salt and oil. Manufactured covers substances that only exist as an output of industrial processing. Where McDonald’s lists more than one approved supplier recipe only the primary one is counted, so every figure here is a minimum. The build uses a Sweet and Sour dip.

Ingredients

Ingredients by component: McDonald's Sugar Stick

White sugar

100% sugar.

Ingredients taken from the McDonald’s UK product pages, retrieved 17-18 August 2026. Recipes change - always check in restaurant before ordering if you have an allergy.

Allergens at a glance

McDonald's Sugar Stick does not contain any of the 14 major allergens as a declared ingredient.

Allergen information: McDonald's Sugar Stick

Allergen	Status
Wheat	Not present
Rye	Not present
Barley	Not present
Oats	Not present
Sesame	Not present
Soya	Not present
Milk	Not present
Eggs	Not present
Fish	Not present
Crustaceans	Not present
Celery	Not present
Mustard	Not present
Molluscs	Not present
Lupin	Not present

Contains = declared as an ingredient. May contain traces = McDonald's states the allergen cannot be excluded. McDonald's prepares food in kitchens where all 14 major allergens are present and equipment is shared, so no item can be guaranteed allergen free, even when ingredients are removed on request. Buns, rolls and tortilla wraps are toasted in the same toaster as sesame-topped buns. Retrieved 17-18 August 2026.

Frequently asked questions

How many calories are in a McDonald's Sugar Stick?+

Boone calculates that a McDonald's Sugar Stick contains 12 kcal, which is 1% of an adult’s 2,000 kcal daily reference intake and 1% of the daily intake for a child aged 4 to 6.

How much sugar is in a McDonald's Sugar Stick?+

Boone calculates that all 3g of the sugar in a McDonald's Sugar Stick is free sugar, or about 0.8 teaspoons. There is no dairy or whole fruit in it to hold any of it back.

How much of a child’s daily sugar limit is a McDonald's Sugar Stick?+

Boone measures the 3g of free sugar in a McDonald's Sugar Stick against NHS limits: 16% of the daily allowance for a child aged 4 to 6, 12% for ages 7 to 10, and 10% for an adult.

Is a McDonald's Sugar Stick ultra-processed?+

Boone classifies a McDonald's Sugar Stick as NOVA group 2. Reading the published ingredient list, it carries no emulsifiers, stabilisers, colours or flavourings, which is unusual on this menu.

How much fibre is in a McDonald's Sugar Stick?+

A McDonald's Sugar Stick contains 0g of fibre. Boone calculates that as 0% of an adult’s 30g daily target and 0% of the 15g target for a child aged 4 to 6. Fibre is a target to reach rather than a limit to stay under.

Is a McDonald's Sugar Stick suitable for children?+

Boone’s analysis puts a McDonald's Sugar Stick within every daily guideline it checks for a child aged 4 to 6, on free sugar, salt and saturated fat. On this menu that is uncommon.