This site offers the latest McDonald's menu and pricing info, but isn't officially affiliated with them.
A medium is 320 calories and a large 480. McDonald's fries are not gluten free in the United States, and the reason is an ingredient rather than cross-contamination.
McDonald's fries come in four sizes: kids at 110 calories, small at 230, medium at 320 and large at 480. A medium costs around $3.79. They are not gluten free, not vegan and not vegetarian in the United States.
Two things about McDonald's French fries surprise almost everyone. The first is that American McDonald's fries contain wheat and milk as ingredients, which rules them out for coeliacs and vegans alike. The second is that despite their reputation, they carry less sodium than the fries at most competing chains. This page covers every McDonald's fries size with its full nutrition, the gluten question in detail, how the fries are actually made, and whether ordering them without salt works. The full board is on our McDonald's menu with prices, and every item's figures are on the McDonald's calorie list.
McDonald's French fries come in four sizes on the US menu. The jump from small to large more than doubles the calories while adding a little over a dollar, which makes it the least efficient upgrade on the board if you are counting.
McDonald's has run free medium fries with a minimum app purchase on Fridays, on and off, for several years. Offers change and are region-specific, so check the deals section of the app rather than assuming. Current offers are on our McDonald's meal deals page.
McDonald's fries are not gluten free in the United States. This is the part most people get wrong: it is not a cross-contamination issue that careful ordering can work around. Wheat is present as an ingredient.
British and European restaurants never added the beef flavouring, so their fries are potato, oil and salt. Several markets certify them gluten free. If you have eaten McDonald's fries safely abroad and assumed the American ones matched, they do not. Formulations by market are on our McDonald's international menu page.
Medium fries are 320 calories with 15g of fat, 43g of carbohydrate and 260mg of sodium. Carbohydrate is the dominant macro at roughly half the calories, which is what you would expect from a fried potato.
McDonald's French fries are blanched, par-fried, frozen and then fried again at the restaurant. That double-fry is what produces the crisp exterior and soft centre, and it is why reheated McDonald's fries never taste the same.
On calories McDonald's fries sit mid-table. On sodium they are the lowest of the major chains, which runs against their reputation and is worth knowing if salt is what you watch.
Medium fries add 320 calories to any combo, which is often more than people account for. A Big Mac meal comes to 1,120 with medium fries and a medium drink, where the sandwich alone is 590. Swapping to a small brings the meal down by 90 and to kids fries by 210.
Prices are a national midpoint recorded from restaurant menu boards in August 2026 and vary widely by location; McDonald's does not publish a national fries price. Nutrition figures are McDonald's published US data. Competitor figures are approximate and from their own published information. Contains wheat and milk. The full board is on our McDonald's menu with prices and allergen detail on our allergen menu.
McDonald's fries are not gluten free in the US. The natural beef flavouring added to the oil lists hydrolyzed wheat as a starting ingredient, so wheat is present as an ingredient rather than only through cross-contact. No modification changes that. UK and European fries carry no beef flavouring and are certified gluten free in several markets.
Medium fries are 320 calories, with 15g of fat, 43g of carbohydrate and 260mg of sodium. A small is 230, a large 480 and the kids size 110.
480, with 23g of fat and 400mg of sodium. Ordering a small instead saves 250 calories — the single most effective swap available at McDonald's.
Around $2.79 small, $3.79 medium and $3.99 large at our national midpoint. McDonald's sets no national price and franchisees vary widely, so check the app for your restaurant.
McDonald's fries are neither, in the US. The beef flavouring contains hydrolyzed milk, which rules out both. It is an ingredient rather than a trace, so there is no way to order around it.
Yes, and you get a fresh batch because the standing fries are already salted. Ask at the counter or drive-thru before paying. It is a reduction rather than a sodium-free guarantee, since salt transfers from shared bins and the coating already contains some.
190mg small, 260mg medium, 400mg large. That is lower than most competing chains — Wendy's large runs around 530mg and Burger King's around 640mg — and far below most McDonald's sandwiches.
Four: kids, small, medium and large. Weights run roughly 40g, 71g, 117g and 154g. The kids size can usually be ordered on its own without buying a Happy Meal.
Because they are a different product. American fries carry a beef-derived flavouring added in 1990 when the company stopped using beef tallow. UK and European fries are potato, oil and salt. Menus by market are on our international menu page.
Yes. They are blanched and par-fried at the factory, then frozen, then fried again at the restaurant. That double-fry is what gives the crisp exterior and soft centre, and why reheating them at home never quite works.
Prices shown are based on typical U.S. McDonald’s menu prices as of August 2026 and may vary by location. Check your local restaurant or McDonald’s app for the latest prices.