Calories and protein at Saudi fast-food chains: McDonald's, KFC and Herfy

By the Voltra team · Updated 6 October 2026

Where these figures come from

We used only figures each chain publishes for Saudi Arabia, on its own website or in its own nutrition file, and opened each source ourselves on 6 October 2026. McDonald's has a nutrition calculator on the Riyadh section of its Saudi site [1], KFC a nutrition sheet headed KSA market [2], and Herfy a nutrition calculator on herfy.com [3]. Protein per 100 kcal is the grams of protein divided by the calories, times 100 (calculated). It lets you compare a 148.0 kcal drumstick with a 920.0 kcal Mighty Zinger. Chains change recipes and menus, so check their current figures.

McDonald's (Riyadh)

McDonald's nutrition calculator for Riyadh gives the calories, protein, carbs and fat of each item, and its serving weight [1]. It says the values are averages for the standard recipe and don't apply to changed orders. It also gives the minutes of walking it takes to burn each item off: 157 for a Big Mac [1]. We used the Riyadh figures because they differ by region: McDonald's older Jeddah nutrition PDF, from December 2018 and with calories only, lists a Big Mac at 198 g and 524 kcal, against 225 g and 603 kcal in the Riyadh calculator [1] [4].

McDonald's Riyadh nutrition calculator [1], sorted by protein per 100 kcal (calculated). It lists one size of fries, regular. McDonald's describes the salad with a Caesar dressing, but the calculator doesn't say whether its figure includes the dressing.

The Big Tasty has the most protein, 45 g, and the most calories, 870. The Quarter Pounder has more protein than the Big Mac (31.8 g against 22.6 g) for fewer calories (523 against 603) [1]. The chicken strips and nuggets give more protein per calorie than any of the sandwiches (calculated).

KFC Saudi Arabia

KFC publishes a nutrition sheet headed Nutritional values, KSA market, with the calories, protein, carbs and fat of each piece, sandwich, side and meal [2]. The file was created in July 2024. It gives each meal's total, not what's in it, and says the figures no longer hold if you change the order.

Chicken pieces and fries

KFC Saudi nutrition sheet [2], sorted by protein per 100 kcal (calculated). The pieces are the sheet's OR versions; it also lists HS versions.

Sandwiches and meals

KFC Saudi nutrition sheet [2]. Meal sizes as the sheet lists them.

The single pieces give the most protein for their calories: Keel OR, Drumstick OR and Strip OR are all above 10 g of protein per 100 kcal (calculated). The Mighty Zinger has the most protein of the sandwiches, 56.2 g, and the most calories, 920.0. A medium Zinger Combo, 1,143.7 kcal, is exactly a Zinger Sandwich, medium fries and a regular Pepsi from the same sheet added up: the fries and the drink add 530.7 kcal and 5.3 g of protein (calculated) [2].

Herfy

Herfy's website has a nutrition calculator with the calories, protein, carbs and fat of each item, and its serving weight [3]. It gives calories to two decimals; we show them rounded to whole calories, as the calculator's total does. We left out rows whose figures don't add up: those whose calories are more than about 10% away from their protein, carbs and fat added up (4 kcal per gram of protein or carbs, 9 per gram of fat), and the chicken wings, listed with almost no protein (0.2 g for 3 pieces). That removed the Chicken Tortilla, the Fish Fillet, the Chicken Caesar Salad, the chocolate shake, the kids' tortilla meal and three sauces. We also left out the Green Salad, whose Arabic name is swapped with the Caesar's [3].

Herfy nutrition calculator [3], sorted by protein per 100 kcal (calculated from the calculator's unrounded figures).

The 10-piece Strips & Chips box gives the most protein per calorie at Herfy, 6.8 g per 100 kcal, and the Double Herfy the most of the burgers, 6.0 g, with 51.4 g of protein (calculated) [3]. The Grilled Chicken sandwich has 23.0 g of protein for 433 kcal; the regular Double Max has a little more protein, 23.7 g, for 671 kcal. Fries differ a lot between the chains: Herfy lists its regular fries at 139 kcal for 84.5 g, KFC its regular fries at 249.0 kcal, and McDonald's its regular fries at 382 kcal for 126 g [1] [2] [3].

Most protein per calorie, all three chains

Every item in the tables above with 6.0 g of protein or more per 100 kcal (calculated) [1] [2] [3]:

McDonald's doesn't say whether the salad's figure includes its Caesar dressing.

The sandwich with the most protein at each chain: KFC's Mighty Zinger, 56.2 g for 920.0 kcal; Herfy's Double Herfy, 51.4 g for 860 kcal; and McDonald's Big Tasty, 45 g for 870 kcal [1] [2] [3].

Fitting a fast-food meal into your day

How much of your day a meal takes depends on your targets; our guides to calories per day and protein per day work them out. As an example, take a day of 2,000 kcal and 120 g of protein:

• A medium Zinger Combo (1,143.7 kcal, 36.8 g of protein) takes 57% of the calories and 31% of the protein (calculated) [2].
• The same Zinger Sandwich with regular fries and a regular Diet Pepsi comes to 863.4 kcal and 35.5 g of protein: 280.3 kcal less for 1.3 g less protein (calculated) [2].
• Two Keel OR pieces and a Drumstick OR come to 612.0 kcal and 68.7 g of protein: about the calories of one Zinger Sandwich (613.0 kcal) with more than twice its protein (calculated) [2].
• At McDonald's, a Big Mac, regular fries and a 12 oz Coca-Cola come to 1,098 kcal and 29.1 g of protein; a Quarter Pounder with a Coca-Cola Zero is 523 kcal and 31.8 g (calculated) [1].
• Sauces and drinks count: KFC's sheet lists its Garlic Sauce at 432.0 kcal a serving and a regular Pepsi at 198.7 kcal [2].

So order the sandwich rather than the meal, or swap the drink for a zero-calorie one; take the smallest fries; and if protein is the point, pick chicken pieces, strips or nuggets, or the burger with the most protein per calorie in the tables above. Then make up the rest of the day's protein at home.

AlBaik and Kudu

• AlBaik. AlBaik's website lists its menu in English and Arabic without calories or protein, and we found no nutrition file from AlBaik itself [5]. Sites that quote AlBaik figures aren't AlBaik's, so we don't repeat them.
• Kudu. Kudu's FAQ says nutrition information for all its items is on its website and app, and that you can ask for it in its restaurants [6]. The website sends you to the app for the menu, and we found no figures on the website itself.

In Saudi Arabia, calories have been compulsory on restaurant menus since 1 January 2019 [7]. Since 1 July 2025, paper and electronic menus, delivery apps included, must also mark meals high in salt, give the caffeine in drinks, and show how long it takes to burn off a meal's calories [8]. So the menu board and the chain's app should show the calories when you order. For the protein, take a photo of the meal in Voltra for an estimate.

In Voltra

In the Eat tab, take a photo of your meal with the photo scan, or tap Describe and type what you ordered, for example an AlBaik 4-piece chicken meal or a Double Herfy and regular fries. Voltra estimates the calories, protein, carbs and fat, and you can adjust them; it's an estimate, not the chain's figure. To log a chain's own figures from this page, tap + on a meal, choose Add macros, enter the protein, carbs and fat, then type the calories. Voltra sets a daily calorie target and a protein target for you, and each meal you log counts toward both. The Coach answers questions using what you've logged.

Frequently asked

Sources

1. McDonald's Saudi Arabia. Nutrition calculator, Riyadh. Also in Arabic. Its note says the values are averages for standard recipes and the information is current as of 2017.
2. KFC Saudi Arabia (2024). Nutritional values: KSA market (PDF). Created July 2024.
3. Herfy (2025). Herfy Nutrition Calculator. The calculator on the page loads its items from Herfy's nutrition-calculator service; the items are dated November 2025.
4. McDonald's Saudi Arabia (2018). Nutrition information, Jeddah (PDF). Calories and serving sizes only. Created December 2018; the Riyadh calculator page links it as its download.
5. ALBAIK. Our Menu. Menu items listed without calories, in English and Arabic.
6. Kudu. FAQ. Answer to “Are nutritional information available for KUDU menu items?”
7. وكالة الأنباء السعودية (٢٠١٨). بدء إلزام المنشآت الغذائية بوضع السعرات الحرارية ضمن قائمة الوجبات غداً. In Arabic. 31 December 2018.
8. وكالة الأنباء السعودية (٢٠٢٥). الغذاء والدواء: اقتراب تطبيق اللوائح الغذائية الجديدة لتعزيز الشفافية وخيارات المستهلك الصحية. In Arabic. 18 June 2025.

Sources checked on 6 October 2026.

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