Carl's Jr. — Best Bang for Your Buck
Every Carl's Jr. menu item we track, ranked by value: protein per dollar, calories per dollar, and nutrition quality. Prices are real, collected straight from the Carl's Jr. ordering system.
What's actually worth ordering at Carl's Jr.
If you're at Carl's Jr. for value, Big Cheeseburger is the standout on our rankings: at $4.54 it carries 28g of protein — about 6.2g of protein for every dollar, on 540 calories, for an overall value score of 84/100.
Across the 71 Carl's Jr. items we've priced, the typical order returns about 4.3g of protein per dollar — better than the typical fast-food chain we track (around 3.3g). The median price here is $6.49, and the cheapest thing on the menu is 1% Milk at $2.49.
The cheapest way to clear 20g of protein is Big Cheeseburger at $4.54. Eating with nutrition balance in mind, Big Cheeseburger scores highest here at 74/100. And if raw quantity is the goal, Spicy Chicken Maxx packs the most calories per dollar (175 cal/$). The full menu — every item with its real price and nutrition — is ranked below.
Full menu, ranked by value
| Item | Value | Price | Cal | Protein | Protein/$ | Cal/$ | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Cheeseburger · Other | 84 | $4.54 | 540 | 28g | 6.2g | 119 | 74 |
| Double Western Bacon Cheeseburger® · Other | 78 | $9.49 | 1,020 | 58g | 6.1g | 107 | 62 |
| Double El Diablo · Other | 77 | $10.14 | 1,180 | 60g | 5.9g | 116 | 59 |
| Single Western Bacon Cheeseburger® · Other | 77 | $7.59 | 770 | 38g | 5.0g | 101 | 70 |
| The Breakfast Burger · Other | 76 | $7.99 | 780 | 42g | 5.3g | 98 | 67 |
| Charbroiled Chicken Club™ Sandwich · Other | 75 | $8.49 | 690 | 44g | 5.2g | 81 | 71 |
| Double Big Carl® · Other | 74 | $8.89 | 920 | 47g | 5.3g | 103 | 59 |
| Double Famous Star® · Other | 74 | $8.89 | 920 | 48g | 5.4g | 103 | 59 |
| Single El Diablo · Other | 73 | $8.64 | 940 | 41g | 4.7g | 109 | 63 |
| Charbroiled Santa Fe Chicken™ Sandwich · Other | 71 | $8.09 | 690 | 36g | 4.4g | 85 | 68 |
| Double Cheeseburger · Other | 71 | $3.99 | 370 | 19g | 4.8g | 93 | 62 |
| California Classic Double Cheeseburger · Other | 70 | $4.28 | 520 | 19g | 4.4g | 121 | 57 |
| Hand-Breaded Bacon Swiss Chicken Sandwich · Other | 70 | $8.99 | 790 | 41g | 4.6g | 88 | 65 |
| Single Big Carl® · Other | 70 | $6.69 | 670 | 28g | 4.2g | 100 | 66 |
| Hand-Breaded Chicken Sandwich · Other | 67 | $7.59 | 660 | 30g | 4.0g | 87 | 68 |
| Single Famous Star® · Other | 67 | $6.89 | 670 | 28g | 4.1g | 97 | 63 |
| Spicy Chicken Sandwich · Other | 66 | $3.79 | 490 | 14g | 3.7g | 129 | 61 |
| Charbroiled BBQ Chicken™ Sandwich · Other | 65 | $8.04 | 440 | 33g | 4.1g | 55 | 72 |
| 6 Piece - Chicken Stars™ · Other | 63 | $3.99 | 270 | 14g | 3.5g | 68 | 74 |
| 5 Piece - Hand-Breaded Chicken Tenders™ · Other | 59 | $9.19 | 440 | 41g | 4.5g | 48 | 52 |
| Onion Rings · Other | 56 | $4.39 | 560 | 9g | 2.1g | 128 | 69 |
| 3 Piece - Hand-Breaded Chicken Tenders™ · Other | 55 | $6.79 | 260 | 25g | 3.7g | 38 | 61 |
| 9 piece - Jalapeno POPPERS® Bites · Other | 49 | $6.29 | 550 | 13g | 2.1g | 87 | 60 |
| 6 piece - Jalapeno POPPERS® Bites · Other | 47 | $4.54 | 370 | 9g | 2.0g | 81 | 60 |
| Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake · Other | 47 | $3.49 | 320 | 7g | 2.0g | 92 | 54 |
| Waffle Fries · Other | 37 | $4.39 | 380 | 5g | 1.1g | 87 | 45 |
| Chocolate Cake · Other | 34 | $3.69 | 290 | 3g | 0.8g | 79 | 45 |
| Fried Zucchini · Other | 34 | $4.69 | 310 | 4g | 0.9g | 66 | 48 |
| 1% Milk · Other | — | $2.49 | 100 | — | — | 40 | — |
| 10 Piece - Hand-Breaded Chicken Tenders™ · Other | — | $14.49 | 880 | — | — | 61 | — |
| 15 Piece - Hand-Breaded Chicken Tenders™ · Other | — | $17.44 | 1,320 | — | — | 76 | — |
| 2-piece Chicken Tender Kid's Meal · Other | — | $6.04 | 420 | — | — | 70 | — |
| 20 Piece - Hand-Breaded Chicken Tenders™ · Other | — | $24.99 | 1,760 | — | — | 70 | — |
| 4 piece - Jalapeno POPPERS® Bites · Other | — | $3.99 | 240 | — | — | 60 | — |
| 4-Piece Jalapeño Poppers · Other | — | $3.99 | 240 | — | — | 60 | — |
| 9 Piece - Chicken Stars™ · Other | — | $5.99 | 410 | — | — | 68 | — |
| Angus Maximus · Other | — | $5.99 | 710 | — | — | 119 | — |
| Big Carl Chicken Sandwich · Other | — | $6.39 | 740 | — | — | 116 | — |
| Build Your Own Bag · Other | — | $5.99 | 900 | — | — | 150 | — |
| Cheeseburger · Other | — | $3.08 | 290 | — | — | 94 | — |
| Cheeseburger Kid's Meal · Other | — | $5.69 | 660 | — | — | 116 | — |
| Chicken Stars™ Kid's Meal · Other | — | $5.54 | 550 | — | — | 99 | — |
| Chocolate Milk · Other | — | $2.49 | 150 | — | — | 60 | — |
| Double Bacon Cheeseburger · Other | — | $4.79 | 430 | — | — | 90 | — |
| Double Carl's Jr. El Diablo · Other | — | $10.39 | 1,180 | — | — | 114 | — |
| Double Guacamole Bacon Burger · Other | — | $9.89 | 1,100 | — | — | 111 | — |
| El Diablo Chicken Sandwich · Other | — | $8.39 | 1,010 | — | — | 120 | — |
| Exor-Sip · Other | — | $5.99 | 300 | — | — | 50 | — |
| Famous Star Chicken Sandwich · Other | — | $6.89 | 750 | — | — | 109 | — |
| Famous for Four · Other | — | $24.99 | 3,580 | — | — | 143 | — |
| Feast for Four · Other | — | $19.99 | 2,600 | — | — | 130 | — |
| Fiery Chicken Maxx · Other | — | $6.49 | 980 | — | — | 151 | — |
| Fried Zucchini Star · Other | — | $6.29 | 600 | — | — | 95 | — |
| Guacamole Bacon Burrito · Other | — | $4.89 | 470 | — | — | 96 | — |
| Guacamole Bacon Chicken Sandwich · Other | — | $8.09 | 920 | — | — | 114 | — |
| Hamburger · Other | — | $2.59 | 250 | — | — | 97 | — |
| Hamburger Kid's Meal · Other | — | $5.64 | 610 | — | — | 108 | — |
| Jalapeño Double Cheeseburger · Other | — | $4.18 | 510 | — | — | 122 | — |
| Simply Orange® · Other | — | $2.94 | 130 | — | — | 44 | — |
| Simply Orange® Orange Juice · Other | — | $3.49 | 160 | — | — | 46 | — |
| Single Carl's Jr. El Diablo · Other | — | $8.39 | 940 | — | — | 112 | — |
| Single Cheeseburger · Other | — | $2.79 | 320 | — | — | 115 | — |
| Single Guacamole Bacon Burger · Other | — | $7.99 | 850 | — | — | 106 | — |
| Spicy Chicken Maxx · Other | — | $5.99 | 1,050 | — | — | 175 | — |
| Triple Big Carl® · Other | — | $10.09 | 1,180 | — | — | 117 | — |
| Triple Carl's Jr. El Diablo · Other | — | $11.99 | 1,430 | — | — | 119 | — |
| Triple El Diablo · Other | — | $11.79 | 1,430 | — | — | 121 | — |
| Triple Famous Star® · Other | — | $10.49 | 1,190 | — | — | 113 | — |
| Triple Guacamole Bacon Burger · Other | — | $11.69 | 1,350 | — | — | 115 | — |
| Triple Western Bacon Cheeseburger® · Other | — | $11.09 | 1,280 | — | — | 115 | — |
| Western Bacon Chicken Sandwich · Other | — | $8.24 | 840 | — | — | 102 | — |
Best Carl's Jr. picks by goal
The top Carl's Jr. items for how you actually eat — then compare against every other chain.
Across every chain: most protein per dollar · cheapest high-protein items · best overall value · the Fast Food Value Report.
Compare Carl's Jr. against every other chain →
Carl's Jr. vs other chains
Which gives you more for your money? Head-to-head on real prices and nutrition.