McDonald's Chocolate Shake Nutrition and Ingredients

McDonald’s Chocolate Shake is made with soft serve vanilla reduced fat ice cream, chocolate shake syrup, and topped with whipped cream.

A medium milkshake has 650 calories, 17 grams fat, 107 grams carbohydrates, and 15 grams protein.

Read this guide for a complete overview of the nutritional information, ingredients, and allergens in McDonald’s chocolate shake. Don’t miss the section below on total sugars.

Chocolate Shake Nutritional Information

Daily values (% DV) illustrates how much a nutrient in the chocolate milkshake contributes to a 2,000 calorie daily diet (the standard measure used by the FDA).

Use the %DV to compare menu items and balance food choices throughout the day.

As shown in the chart below, McDonald’s chocolate shake is high in saturated fat and added sugars.

% Daily Value

Use the %DV to determine if the food contains a low (5% or less) or high (20% or more) level of specific nutrients.

Red indicates %DV is high

	SMALL	MEDIUM	LARGE
Saturated Fat	46%	55%	65%
Sodium	11%	13%	17%
Added Sugars	109%	137%	172%

%DV based on 2,000 calories

11g saturated fat in a medium shake is 55% of the recommended daily limit
Medium shake also has 68g added sugars, more than suggested max for an entire day

Calories

Here is a summary of the number of calories derived from fat, carbs, and protein in each size McDonald’s chocolate milkshake.

Chocolate Shake

Total Calories from Fat, Carbs and Protein

	Small	Medium	Large
Calories from Fat	130	160	190
Calories from Carbohydrates	340	430	530
Calories from Protein	50	60	80
Total Calories	520	650	800

McDonald's chocolate shake and chart of calories by macronutrient.

A small shake has 215 calories from added sugars

Over 60% of the calories are derived from carbohydrates, which is largely comprised of sugars. Dietary fats make up one quarter of the total calories and the remaining 10% is from protein.

McDonald’s Chocolate Milkshake

% calories from fat, carbs and protein

calories from fat

25%

calories from carbS

65%

calories from Protein

10%

The summary of calories by macronutrient is rounded and based on the nutrition facts provided by McDonald’s fast food restaurant. Actual calories may vary as a result of how the shake is prepared.

15% of total calories derived from saturated fat

Total Calories by Size

Here are the total calories in McDonald’s chocolate shake for each size available: Small, Medium, and Large.

A small chocolate milkshake has 520 calories (20% fewer calories than a medium)
A medium chocolate milkshake has 650 calories
A large chocolate milkshake has 800 calories (23% more calories than a medium)

Check Prices for McDonald’s Shakes and Sweet Treats

McDonald's chocolate shake with list of total calories by size.

Total Fat

A medium-sized chocolate shake has 17 grams total fat, including 11 grams saturated fat. That is high. The amount of saturated fat is over half the recommended limit for an entire day.

Even the small milkshake has a high amount of saturated fat (9 grams).

Here is the amount of dietary fats and daily value in each size McDonald’s chocolate milkshake.

Amount of Fat and % Daily Value

	Small	Medium	Large
Total Fat	14g	17g	20g
Daily Limit	78g	78g	78g
Daily Value	18%	22%	26%

Saturated Fat	9g	11g	13g
Daily Limit	20g	20g	20g
Daily Value	46%	55%	65%

Daily Limit and Daily Value per U.S. FDA general adult nutrition guidance based on 2,000 calories.

You can compare the nutrition facts to the Vanilla Shake on Shake Shack’s menu.

Sugars

Let’s review the amount of sugars in one milkshake.

A medium-sized McDonald’s chocolate shake contains 85 grams of total sugars, including 68 grams of added sugars. That is high for a single menu item.

Total Sugars

Sugar is a dominant ingredient in the chocolate shake recipe. It’s listed as a top four ingredient in the ice cream, the chocolate syrup, and the whipped cream.

Here is a summary of the total sugars in a McDonald’s chocolate milkshake, by size.

Small chocolate shake has 67 grams total sugars
Medium chocolate shake has 85 grams total sugars
Large chocolate shake has 106 grams total sugars

Added Sugars

Moreover, the amount of added sugars is high. Added sugars are not found naturally in a raw food, but rather added to the recipe. Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting calories from added sugars to 10% of total calories.

YOU SHOULD KNOW

The amount of added sugars in a Small Milkshake (54g) exceeds the recommended limit for an entire day (50g).

Here is a summary of the nutrition facts in each size chocolate shake from McDonald’s.

Nutrition Facts

Amount per serving in 1 Shake (%DV)

Red indicates %DV is high.

	SMALL	MEDIUM	LARGE
Calories	520	650	800
Total Fat	14g (18%)	17g (22%)	20g (26%)
Saturated Fat	9g (46%)	11g (55%)	13g (65%)
Trans Fat	0.5g	1g	1g
Cholesterol	55mg (19%)	65mg (22%)	80mg (26%)
Sodium	250mg (11%)	310mg (13%)	390mg (17%)
Carbohydrates	85g (31%)	107g (39%)	134g (49%)
Dietary Fiber	n/a	1g (3%)	1g (4%)
Total Sugars	67g	85g	106g
Added Sugars	54g (109%)	68g (137%)	86g (172%)
Protein	12g	15g	18g

%DV based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Calorie needs vary and your %DV may be higher or lower. Provided for informational purposes only. Consult with your physician for dietary or healthcare advice.

Compare nutritional value in a Butterfinger Blizzard from Dairy Queen and Breyers ice cream. Check the amount of saturated fat and total sugars before deciding if one of these sweet treats is the best option for your diet plan.

Chocolate milkshake with list of ingredients. — Sugar is a dominant ingredient in the milkshake.

Chocolate Shake Ingredients and Allergens

Added sugars include sugar, corn syrup, and liquid sugar

Ingredients

Here is the complete list of ingredients in McDonald’s chocolate milkshake.

McDonald’s Chocolate Shake Ingredients

Vanilla Reduced Fat Ice Cream

Milk, Sugar, Cream, Corn Syrup, Natural Flavor, Mono And Diglycerides, Cellulose Gum, Guar Gum, Carrageenan, and Vitamin A Palmitate

Chocolate Syrup

Sugar, Corn Syrup, Water, Glycerin, Cocoa (processed with alkali), Fruit And Vegetable Juice (color), Salt, Natural Flavors, and Potassium Sorbate.

Whipped Light Cream

Cream, Nonfat Milk, Milk, Liquid Sugar, Mono And Diglycerides, Natural Flavors, and Carrageenan. Whipping Propellant (nitrous oxide).

Potassium sorbate (used in the chocolate syrup) is a synthetically produced salt used as a preservative to inhibit the growth of molds and increase shelf life of processed foods.

Allergens

The chocolate shake is made with milk.

If you have a food allergy, check the full allergen guide for McDonald’s menu and consult with your physician before deciding which food is right for you.

McDonald's large chocolate shake with text '800 calories.' — A large chocolate shake has 800 total calories.

Nutrition facts, prices, and ingredients are based on available information as of the date of publication. Restaurants and food manufacturers may change their recipes without notice. Check directly with the food provider for the most up-to-date information. NutritionandIngredients.com does not provide health or wellness advice or dietary recommendations. All reports and reviews published on this site are for informational purposes only. Unless otherwise stated, %DV is based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Always consult your physician for any healthcare or dietary advice.

Nutrition facts and ingredients source: McDonald’s.

Milkshake image courtesy of McDonald’s.
Original designs by Nutrition & Ingredients for purposes of research and commentary related to fast food nutrition.