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

Nutrition facts are based on standard formulations and recipe for a chocolate-flavored milkshake from McDonald’s

Nutritional values vary by size. The shake is available in three sizes: small, medium, and large.

Calories in McDonald’s Shake

Here are the total calories in McDonald’s chocolate shake, by order size.

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)

Most of the calories in McD’s chocolate milkshake are derived from carbohydrates, which includes natural sugars and added sweeteners.

McDonald’s small chocolate shake has 220 calories from added sugars.
McDonald’s medium chocolate shake has 270 calories from added sugars.
McDonald’s large chocolate shake has 345 calories from added sugars.

Calories by Macronutrient

Review the data table below, which shows the estimated amount of calories that are derived from total fats, added sugars, other carbohydrates, and protein for each size McDonald’s chocolate milkshake.

Calories in mcdonald’s chocolate shake

	Small	Medium	Large
Calories from Fat	130	160	190
Calories from Added Sugars	220	270	345
Calories from Other Carbs	120	160	185
Calories from Protein	50	60	80
Total Calories	520	650	800

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

% Calories by Nutrient

Over 60% of the calories are derived from carbohydrates, which includes added sugars. Dietary fats make up one quarter of the total calories. and the remaining 9% is from protein.

mcdonald’s chocolate shake

% calories from fat, carbs and protein

Calories

160 calories from fat

25% FAT

270 calories from added sugars

42% ADDED SUGARS

160 calories from OTHER carbS

24% OTHER CARBS

60 calories from Protein

9% PROTEIN

Based on a size medium shake

Calories by macronutrient are rounded estimates based on the nutrition facts information provided by McDonald’s fast food restaurant. Actual calories may vary as a result of how the shake is prepared at time of order.

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

Check nutrition facts in McDonald’s sweet treats

Total Fat

A medium-sized chocolate shake has 17 grams total fat, including 11 grams saturated fat. That is high for a single serving of food.

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).

15% of total calories derived from saturated fat

Total Sugars

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

A Small McDonald’s chocolate shake has 67 grams total sugars
A Medium McDonald’s chocolate shake has 85 grams total sugars
A Large McDonald’s chocolate shake has 106 grams total sugars

Added Sugars

Unlike natural sugars, which are found naturally in raw foods such as dairy milk, added sugars refer to extra sweeteners added to a recipe. Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting calories from added sugars to 10% or less of total calories.

McDonald’s chocolate shake is made with ice cream, chocolate syrup, and whipped cream. The amount of added sugars per serving is high.

A medium shake, for example, contains 68 grams of added sugars, which has a 137% daily value.

Calculate Daily Value of Added Sugars

To calculate %DV, divide the amount of a nutrient in one serving by the FDA-recommended daily limit.

An example is shown in the data table below. McD’s chocolate shake contains 68 grams of added sugars, which is 37% more than the recommended daily limit of 50 grams.

	per Shake	Daily Limit*	Daily Value
Added Sugars	68g	50g	137%

*Based on FDA general nutrition advice for an adult following 2,000 calorie daily diet.

Sugar is a dominant ingredient in McDonald’s chocolate shake recipe.

Sugar is listed second in the reduced fat vanilla ice cream
Ice cream is also made with corn syrup
Sugar and corn syrup are listed first and second, respectively, in the chocolate shake syrup
Liquid Sugar is listed fourth in the whipped cream

Nutrition Facts

Here is a summary of the nutrition facts in McDonald’s chocolate flavored milkshake topped with whipped light cream.

mcdonald’s chocolate shake

Amount (%DV) per order

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%)
Carbs	85g (31%)	107g (39%)	134g (49%)
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.

YOU SHOULD KNOW

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

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

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

McDonald’s Chocolate Shake Ingredients

Ingredients in Vanilla Reduced Fat Ice Cream

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

Ingredients in Chocolate Syrup

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

Ingredients in Whipped Light Cream

Cream, Nonfat Milk, Milk, Liquid Sugar, Mono And Diglycerides, Natural Flavors, 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 recipes or formulations without notice. Check package labels and ask the product manufacturer or restaurant for the most up-to-date information. Unless otherwise stated, %DV is based on a 2,000 calorie diet. All reports and reviews published on this site are for informational purposes only. NutritionandIngredients.com does not provide healthcare advice or dietary recommendations. Always consult your licensed 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.