McDonald’s Small Chocolate Shake Calories & Ingredients

McDonald's Chocolate milkshake with text '67 grams total sugars'.

McDonald’s chocolate shake includes vanilla soft serve with chocolate syrup. It’s topped with whipped light cream.

One small chocolate shake from McDonald’s has 520 calories, 14 grams fat, 85 grams carbohydrates, and 12 grams protein.

In this post we provide a complete overview of the calories, nutrition facts, ingredients, and allergens in McDonald’s chocolate milkshake. Don’t miss the section below on added sugars.

McDonald's chocolate shake and summary list of macronutrient and calories.
216 calories from added sugars (42% of total 520 calories)

Nutrition Facts and Calories


Serving Size

Nutritional information is based on a single serving measured as one milkshake.

The percentage daily value (%DV) illustrates how much a specific nutrient in the chocolate shake contributes to a daily diet of 2,000 calories (the standard measure used by the FDA for general nutrition guidance).

Nutrition information in this guide is based on a Small Chocolate Shake.


Here is a summary of the nutrition facts in one small sized chocolate shake from McDonald’s fast food restaurant.

Nutrition Summary

Serving Size 1 Small Chocolate Shake

CALORIES

520

TOTAL FAT

14g

(18%DV)

CARBOHYDRATES

85g

(31%DV)

PROTEIN

12g
Saturated Fat9g (46%DV)
Trans Fat0.5g
Cholesterol55mg (19%DV)
Sodium250mg (11%DV)
Dietary Fiber0g (0%DV)
Total Sugars67g
Added Sugars54g (109%DV)

%DV (Percent Daily Values) are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Calories

There are 520 calories in a small McDonald’s Chocolate Milkshake.

Most of the calories are derived from carbohydrates. Specifically, there are 340 calories from carbs, which is 65% of the total. Another 25% of calories is from fat. Protein makes up the remaining 10%.

  • Fat: 130 calories
  • Carbs: 340 calories
  • Protein: 50 calories
  • Total: 520 calories in a small chocolate shake
Calories
fat
25%
carbohydrates
65%
Protein
10%

The summary of calories by nutrient is a rounded estimate based on the nutrition facts provided by McDonald’s. Calories may vary as a result of how the shake is prepared.

Medium and Large Chocolate Shake Calories

A medium chocolate shake has 650 calories (130 more calories than a small), and a size large shake has 800 calories (280 more calories than a small).

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

Total Fat

One small chocolate shake has 14 grams total fat, including 9 grams saturated fat.

SUMMARY OF DIETARY FAT PER SERVING

  • 130 calories from total fat
  • 25% of total calories per serving
  • 81 calories from saturated fat
  • Less than 1 gram trans fat

According to the FDA, a DV of 20% or greater of a nutrient per serving is considered high. The amount of total fat in one small shake falls just below that threshold with an 18% daily value.

However, the 9g of saturated fat has a 46% daily value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet).

  • 81 calories (16% of 520 total calories) from 9g saturated fat (46%DV).

Compare Nutrition Facts: Shake Shack Vanilla Shake

Sugars

What is worth noting is the amount of sugars in the milkshake. Let’s review.

A small chocolate milkshake has 67 grams of total sugars. Of that total, 13 grams are natural sugars derived from the milk. Note that the majority of total sugars are added sugars.

Added Sugars

There are 54 grams of added sugars (80% of the total sugars). Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting calories from added sugars to 10% of total calories.

The added sugars in one serving of this chocolate shake exceeds the recommended limit for an entire day (based on a 2,000 calorie diet).

  • 216 calories from added sugars (109% daily value)

Amount of Sugar in Chocolate Milkshake

When you review the ingredients listed below, you can see that sugar is a dominant ingredient.

It’s listed as a top two ingredient in both the ice cream and the chocolate syrup. It’s also one of the top four ingredients in the whipped cream.

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

TOTAL SUGARS BY MILKSHAKE SIZE

  • Small milkshake has 67 grams total sugars (54 grams added sugars)
  • Medium milkshake has 85 grams total sugars (68 grams added sugars)
  • Large milkshake has 106 grams total sugars (86 grams added sugars)

Compare Nutrition Facts: Tillamook Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

McDonald's Chocolate milkshake with text '67 grams total sugars'.
A small chocolate shake has 67g total sugars.

Compare Nutrition Facts: Dairy Queen M&M Blizzard

Chocolate Shake Ingredients and Allergens


Ingredients

Here is the list of ingredients used to make the chocolate shake served at McDonald’s.

Vanilla Reduced Fat Ice Cream

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

Chocolate Shake Syrup

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

Whipped Light Cream

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

Compare Ingredients: Chick-fil-A Banana Pudding Milkshake

What is Carrageenan?

Historically, the Irish extracted carrageenan from Irish moss as a remedy for respiratory diseases.

It’s now commonly derived from multiple varieties of red algae (marine seaweeds) and used in various industries.

Food processors use the jellying properties of carrageenan as a thickening or stabilizing agent.

Carrageenan is commonly found in cheese and dairy products such as cottage cheese, chocolate milk, ice cream, almond milk, and creamers.

Other fast food menu items and packaged foods that contain carrageenan include:

Allergens

The chocolate shake is made with milk.

Check the Ingredients: Wendy’s Chocolate Frosty

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

Ingredients, allergens, and nutrition facts are based on available information as of the date this article was published and/or updated. Restaurants and food manufacturers may change their recipes without notice. Check directly with the food provider for the most accurate and up-to-date information. NutritionandIngredients.com does not provide health or wellness advice or dietary recommendations. Our aim is to research commercially processed food and publish articles for informational purposes only. Unless otherwise stated, % Daily Value is based on 2,000 calories per day, but calorie needs vary by individual. Always consult your physician for any healthcare or dietary advice.

Nutrition facts and ingredients source: McDonald’s.

  • Milkshake product image: McDonald’s. Original design by Nutrition & Ingredients.

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