Guide · Grill'd · Updated 11 September 2026
Is Grill'd actually healthier than Maccas?
Mostly yes, and not for the reason people think. A Grill'd burger isn't much lighter than a Maccas burger on calories. The Simply Grill'd is 605 calories. A Big Mac is 621. Where Grill'd wins is protein. The Simply Grill'd has 28.1 grams, and the chicken burgers go much higher than that. So you're eating a similar number of calories and getting a lot more out of them.
Every burger figure on this page is Grill'd's own number for the Panini, which is the bun you get unless you ask for another one. Grill'd publishes a separate table for every bun, and the app has all of them. Skip the bun and most of these burgers drop by about 170 calories. Swap to the SuperBun and they go up, sometimes by a lot.
Where the reputation falls over is chips. Grill'd chips are among the most calorie dense things on any menu I track, and a burger with chips at Grill'd is a bigger meal than a Big Mac and fries.
The chicken burgers are the real story
Grill'd grills its chicken and the numbers show it. The HotBird is 402 calories with 42.3 grams of protein, which is 10.5 grams per 100 calories. Caesar's Palace is 595 calories with 55.0 grams. Nothing at McDonald's or Hungry Jack's gets near those numbers. A Quarter Pounder, the best protein burger at Maccas, is 5.7 per 100.
Here's the Grill'd menu ranked by protein per 100 calories, for anything with at least 25 grams.
| Item | kcal | Protein g | Per 100 kcal | Fat g | Carbs g | Sugars g | Sodium mg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Cluck Norris (Panini) | 698 | 79.9 | S11.4 | 24.1 | 35.6 | 10.5 | 647 |
| 2Protein Pro (Panini) | 719 | 81.0 | S11.3 | 27.4 | 32.8 | 8.9 | 691 |
| 3HotBird (Panini) | 402 | 42.3 | S10.5 | 11.8 | 27.2 | 4.8 | 658 |
| 4Caesar's Palace (Panini) | 595 | 55.0 | S9.2 | 29.0 | 24.6 | 3.0 | 576 |
| 5The Honey'd Hen Salad | 447 | 41.2 | S9.2 | 20.6 | 23.3 | 18.2 | 605 |
| 6Superpower Salad | 459 | 42.3 | S9.2 | 22.4 | 21.6 | 9.9 | 529 |
| 7Chicken Caesar Salad | 576 | 51.1 | S8.9 | 33.9 | 14.9 | 3.0 | 688 |
| 8Oscar Piastri Chicken Burger (Charcoal Bun) | 490 | 43.4 | S8.9 | 22.2 | 29.7 | 2.9 | 640 |
| 9Sweet Chilli Chicken (Panini) | 492 | 43.1 | S8.8 | 16.9 | 38.3 | 13.7 | 545 |
| 10Cali Green Goddess | 490 | 42.5 | S8.7 | 17.3 | 39.6 | 6.8 | 519 |
| 11Zen Hen (Panini) | 497 | 43.1 | S8.7 | 19.9 | 32.5 | 8.3 | 575 |
| 12Simon Says (Panini) | 511 | 43.7 | S8.6 | 21.3 | 32.4 | 8.4 | 585 |
Across the whole menu, the typical Grill'd main sits at about 5.7 grams of protein per 100 calories. McDonald's sits at 4.6. That's the honest version of "Grill'd is healthier". It's not lighter, it's better value per calorie.
Two orders that work
The HotBird on its own. 402 calories, 42.3 grams, and it's a big burger.
Or the Superpower Salad with a 6 pack of HFC Bites. It's 720 calories with 66.2 grams of protein, and the salad is only 529 mg of sodium, which is one of the lowest sodium mains with real protein in the whole app.
Where Grill'd is not healthier
Chips. Regular Famous Chips are 588 calories with 4.1 grams of protein. That's more than most of the burgers you'd order them with. The snack size is 335, which is more than medium fries at McDonald's at 315. The sweet potato chips are the light option at 220 for one, and even those add up.
The Big Dill Energy is 915 calories. It has 55.7 grams of protein, so it's not junk, but that's more than a Double Quarter Pounder. The state Mighty burgers, the Mighty Melbourne, Mighty Crow Eater and the rest, are 715 calories each. The Garden Goodness is the surprise. 497 calories for 16.9 grams. It's the veggie burger, it sounds like the light choice, and it's more calories than the HotBird for less than half the protein.
Grill'd versus Maccas, honestly
If you're going to eat a burger and nothing else, Grill'd is the better place. The chicken burgers give you 40 to 55 grams of protein for 400 to 600 calories and nothing at Maccas does that. If you're going to eat a burger and chips, the gap closes fast, because Grill'd chips are worse than Maccas fries and the burgers were never that light to begin with.
The other thing Grill'd has going for it is sodium. The Superpower Salad at 529 mg and the HFC Bites at 373 mg for six are the kind of numbers you don't see at a drive through, and the grilled chicken burgers all sit under 600 mg on a Panini. The Bird & Brie is 528 mg. A Big Mac is 1,119 mg.
FAQ
What's the healthiest burger at Grill'd?
The HotBird at 402 calories and 42.3 grams of protein. If you want beef, the Simply Grill'd at 605 calories and 28.1 grams.
How many calories in Grill'd chips?
588 for the regular Famous Chips and 335 for the snack size. Sweet potato chips for one are 220.
Is Grill'd good for weight loss?
The chicken burgers and the salads are, because they're high in protein for the calories and they keep you full. Add chips and it stops being a diet meal. Order the burger, skip the chips, and it's one of the better fast food options in the country.