McDonald's Seed Oil Report Card
Based on our menu research, McDonald's cooks with: canola-corn-soybean oil blend with natural beef flavoring (fries); no US beef tallow switch as of 2026 despite 2025 speculation. Across the 81 menu items we analyzed, it averages 6.0g estimated PUFA per item, earning a seed-oil grade of C (High Risk).
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Safest Orders at McDonald's
Learn this once: a salad with grilled protein and the dressing left off is nearly always the lowest seed oil order anywhere. So the list below sticks to real meals, salads included, never just a water.
Cleanest full order: Burger Patty Only (No Bun) + Apple Slices + Premium Roast Coffee, 0.4g total
| Item | PUFA |
|---|---|
| Honey | 0.0g |
| Burger Patty Only (No Bun) | 0.4g |
| Fruit & Maple Oatmeal | 1.0g |
| Cheeseburger | 1.6g |
| Hamburger | 2.1g |
What to Avoid at McDonald's
| Item | PUFA |
|---|---|
| Chicken McNuggets 40-Piece | 54.1g |
| Chicken McNuggets 20-Piece | 27.0g |
| McCrispy Strips (4 Piece) | 15.1g |
| Spicy Crispy Chicken Sandwich | 14.9g |
| Deluxe McCrispy | 14.9g |
Every McDonald's item, ranked
All 81 items we have for McDonald's, safest first. Values are estimated grams of seed-oil PUFA per item.
| Item | PUFA |
|---|---|
| Smoothie - Mango Pineapple | 0.0g |
| Smoothie - Strawberry Banana | 0.0g |
| Apple Slices | 0.0g |
| Fountain Drink | 0.0g |
| Tangy Barbeque Sauce | 0.0g |
| Sweet 'N Sour Sauce | 0.0g |
| Honey | 0.0g |
| Vanilla Cone | 0.3g |
| Premium Roast Iced Coffee | 0.3g |
| Caramel Sundae | 0.4g |
| Caramel Latte | 0.4g |
| Burger Patty Only (No Bun) | 0.4g |
| Hot Fudge Sundae | 0.5g |
| Mocha Latte | 0.5g |
| Hot Chocolate | 0.6g |
| Chocolate Chip Cookie | 0.9g |
| Caramel Frappe | 0.9g |
| Mocha Frappe | 0.9g |
| Hot Mustard Sauce | 0.9g |
| Fruit & Maple Oatmeal | 1.0g |
| McFlurry with M&M's | 1.0g |
| Apple Pie | 1.2g |
| Baked Apple Pie | 1.2g |
| Blueberry & Crème Pie | 1.4g |
| Cheeseburger | 1.6g |
| Spicy Buffalo Sauce | 1.8g |
| Side Salad | 2.0g |
| French Vanilla Frappe | 2.0g |
| Honey Mustard Sauce | 2.0g |
| Hamburger | 2.1g |
| McFlurry with OREO Cookies | 2.1g |
| Egg McMuffin | 2.4g |
| McDouble | 2.7g |
| Bacon Egg & Cheese Biscuit | 2.9g |
| Double Cheeseburger | 3.0g |
| Quarter Pounder with Cheese | 3.1g |
| Sausage Burrito | 3.3g |
| Bacon, Egg & Cheese McGriddles | 3.8g |
| Big Mac Sauce | 4.0g |
| Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese | 4.1g |
| Hash Browns | 4.6g |
| Hotcakes | 4.7g |
| Sausage Biscuit | 5.0g |
| Sausage McGriddle | 5.0g |
| Ranch Snack Wrap (Grilled) | 5.0g |
| Sausage McMuffin | 5.5g |
| Mayonnaise | 5.5g |
| Chicken McNuggets 4-Piece | 5.8g |
| Sausage Biscuit with Egg | 6.0g |
| Bacon Quarter Pounder with Cheese | 6.0g |
| Small Fries | 6.4g |
| World Famous Fries (Small) | 6.4g |
| Sausage McMuffin with Egg | 6.5g |
| Double Bacon Quarter Pounder with Cheese | 6.5g |
| Sausage, Egg & Cheese McGriddles | 6.8g |
| Creamy Ranch Sauce | 7.0g |
| Crispy Chicken Sandwich | 7.3g |
| McCrispy | 7.3g |
| Caesar Dipping Sauce | 7.8g |
| Ranch Snack Wrap (Crispy) | 7.9g |
| Chicken McNuggets 6-Piece | 8.2g |
| Medium Fries | 8.7g |
| World Famous Fries (Medium) | 8.7g |
| Big Breakfast | 9.0g |
| Filet-O-Fish | 9.8g |
| Big Breakfast with Hotcakes | 11.0g |
| Big Mac | 11.3g |
| McChicken | 11.4g |
| McCrispy Strips (3 Piece) | 11.6g |
| Big Arch | 12.0g |
| Double Big Mac | 13.0g |
| Chicken McNuggets 10-Piece | 13.1g |
| Large Fries | 13.3g |
| World Famous Fries (Large) | 13.3g |
| Spicy Crispy Chicken Sandwich | 14.9g |
| Deluxe McCrispy | 14.9g |
| Spicy Deluxe McCrispy | 14.9g |
| Spicy McCrispy | 14.9g |
| McCrispy Strips (4 Piece) | 15.1g |
| Chicken McNuggets 20-Piece | 27.0g |
| Chicken McNuggets 40-Piece | 54.1g |
Fry Oil History at McDonald's
Cooking in canola, corn and soy oil blend since May 2008.
By May 2008 every McDonald's in the US and Canada was frying in the new canola, corn and soy blend, covering fries, hash browns, chicken, fish and biscuits. Baked goods, pies and cookies were set to follow by the end of the year. Source
On January 30, 2007 McDonald's confirmed it had finally picked a trans fat free oil, a canola based blend that also has corn and soy oil in it. The oil was already in more than 1,200 US restaurants and was being phased in everywhere else. Source
McDonald's said in September 2002 it would move to a fry oil with much less trans fat by early 2003. The switch did not happen on that timeline, and in February 2005 the company paid 8.5 million dollars to settle lawsuits over how it handled the delay. Source
After eight years of study and a loud public campaign over saturated fat, McDonald's said on July 23, 1990 that it would cook fries in vegetable oil instead of beef tallow. The change was phased in across US stores by the end of that year. Source
Every documented oil switch across the industry lives on the Oil History timeline.
Frequently asked
Does McDonald's use seed oils?
Based on our menu research, McDonald's cooks with: canola-corn-soybean oil blend with natural beef flavoring (fries); no US beef tallow switch as of 2026 despite 2025 speculation. Across the 81 menu items we analyzed, it averages 6.0g estimated PUFA per item, earning a seed-oil grade of C (High Risk).
What oil does McDonald's cook with?
Our research indicates: canola-corn-soybean oil blend with natural beef flavoring (fries); no US beef tallow switch as of 2026 despite 2025 speculation. Preparation can vary by location, so treat PUFA numbers as estimates.
Does McDonald's use beef tallow?
Yes, at least for some items. Our research indicates: canola-corn-soybean oil blend with natural beef flavoring (fries); no US beef tallow switch as of 2026 despite 2025 speculation. Beef tallow is far lower in PUFA than seed oils.
Is McDonald's seed oil free?
No. Our research indicates McDonald's cooks with canola-corn-soybean oil blend with natural beef flavoring (fries); no US beef tallow switch as of 2026 despite 2025 speculation, which includes seed oils. See the lower-PUFA orders above for the cleanest picks.
What is the safest thing to order at McDonald's?
Honey is the lowest-PUFA item we analyzed at McDonald's, at an estimated 0.0g PUFA. See the Safest Orders list on this page for more options.
What should I avoid at McDonald's?
Chicken McNuggets 40-Piece is the highest-PUFA item we analyzed at McDonald's, at an estimated 54.1g PUFA. Fried items and creamy, mayo-based sauces are usually the heaviest.
What are seed oils?
Seed oils — canola, soybean, sunflower, corn, and similar vegetable oils — are extracted from seeds using high heat and chemical solvents. They are very high in polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs), which are unstable at cooking temperatures and can oxidize easily. Many health-conscious eaters choose to minimize seed oils and prefer foods cooked in beef tallow, butter, coconut oil, or olive oil instead. This page shows estimated PUFA grams per menu item to help you make more informed choices. These are estimates — actual values vary by preparation and location. New to the topic? Start with what seed oils are and the complete list, or read the evidence on why people avoid them.
Compare other chains
Burger King · Wendy's · Five Guys · Whataburger · Culver's · Shake Shack
See where McDonald's lands on the full Seed Oil Index, or check which chains cook in real fats on Tallow Watch. Wondering about a specific dish instead? The Is It Seed Oil food guide answers it for 200+ everyday foods, and the distributor oils page covers what independent restaurants fry in.