The Healthiest Five Guys Order: A Calorie-Smart Guide

The healthiest Five Guys order is a Little Hamburger topped with free veggies and skipping the supersized fries — that combo runs about 480 calories, versus the 1,400+ you'd hit with a regular cheeseburger and a regular fries. Five Guys uses fresh ingredients and big portions, so the real game is portion control, not avoiding the place entirely.

Why Five Guys Sneaks Up on You

Five Guys doesn't post calories on the menu board, which is exactly why people get blindsided. A "regular" hamburger is actually two patties — that's the first trap. The fries are cooked in peanut oil and the "regular" size easily clears 950 calories on its own, often spilling over the cup into the bag.

Here's a rough breakdown of the big offenders:

• Regular Cheeseburger: ~840 calories (two patties, two slices of cheese)
• Regular Fries: ~950 calories
• Little Hamburger: ~480 calories (single patty)
• Bacon Cheeseburger: ~920 calories before toppings

Order a regular cheeseburger, regular fries, and a milkshake and you're north of 2,000 calories in one sitting — a full day's worth for many people.

How to Build a Smarter Order

You don't have to give up Five Guys. A few swaps cut the damage dramatically:

1. Order the "Little" size. It's a single patty and tastes identical. This one change saves around 350 calories.
2. Go bunless or lettuce-wrapped if you're watching carbs. The "Little Hamburger" lettuce wrap drops to roughly 280 calories.
3. Load up the free toppings. Grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, lettuce, tomato, pickles, jalapeños, and green peppers are all free and add zero meaningful calories while making the burger feel bigger.
4. Split the fries. A regular fries feeds two or three people. If you're solo, get the "Little" fries (~525 calories) or skip them.
5. Watch the sauces. Mayo and Five Guys sauce add up fast. Mustard, hot sauce, ketchup, and BBQ are lighter picks.

A Little Cheeseburger with grilled mushrooms, onions, lettuce, and tomato plus a Little fries lands around 1,000 calories — reasonable for a treat meal and a far cry from 2,000+.

Because Five Guys hides its nutrition info, scanning the menu with the MenuScore app gives you instant calorie estimates and macro breakdowns right at the counter, so you can see exactly what your "Little" burger and toppings add up to before you order.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the lowest calorie item at Five Guys?

A Little Hamburger with free veggies is the lowest-calorie real meal at about 480 calories, and a bunless or lettuce-wrapped version drops to roughly 280. Skipping fries and ordering water keeps the total down.

Are Five Guys fries unhealthy?

The fries are made fresh and cooked in peanut oil, but the portions are enormous — a regular size runs about 950 calories. They're not "bad," they're just oversized, so splitting an order or getting the Little size is the smart move.

Is Five Guys healthier than McDonald's?

The ingredients are fresher and not frozen, but the portions are much larger, so a typical Five Guys meal often has more calories than a McDonald's one. Choosing the Little size makes Five Guys competitive calorie-wise while keeping the better-quality ingredients.