Best Cook Out Tray Combos: 19 Trays for Every Goal (2026)

What Are the Best Cook Out Tray Combos?

The best Cook Out tray combo depends on your goal: a BBQ sandwich with two nugget sides is the best protein deal (656 calories, 49 g protein), a plain Big Double with two onion ring sides is the lightest tray possible (567 calories), and a Chicken Strip Sandwich with two chicken quesadilla sides is the most food (1,808 calories). Below are 19 named tray combos sorted by goal, each with one entree, two sides and a drink, and every calorie and protein total added up item by item.

Cook Out is the drive-thru burger chain Morris Reaves founded in Greensboro, North Carolina, in 1989. It is now headquartered in Thomasville, North Carolina, with about 370 open stores in 11 states as of October 2026, and the Cookout Tray is the order most people come for: one entree, two sides and a drink for about $7.39 to $7.99 at typical stores. Because the price stays the same whichever sides you choose, the combo you build decides how much food, protein and calories you get for your money.

• Most food: A1, Max-Out Tray, 1,808 calories with a regular sweet tea.
• Most protein: P1, chicken strips with two bacon ranch wrap sides, 76 g.
• Best protein for the calories: P2, BBQ sandwich with two nugget sides, 7.5 g of protein per 100 calories.
• Lightest: L1, plain Big Double with two onion ring sides and a Diet Coke, 567 calories.
• Best for kids: K1, a Jr. Tray with a small hamburger, nuggets and onion rings, 517 calories of food.
• Best for late night: N1, two hot dogs with a side of chili and cheese bites.

To find the extremes we did not guess. We added up every combination of 12 common tray entrees and 13 tray sides, 1,092 food combinations in all (936 of them using only Cook Out’s official or calculated figures), and the most-food, most-protein and lightest combos above are the true top and bottom of that list. For the full list of what can go on a tray and how ordering works, see the Cook Out tray menu; this page is about which combinations are worth ordering.

How Are These Cook Out Tray Combos Counted?

Every combo here is one tray entree, two tray sides and one regular 16 oz fountain drink, with calories and protein taken from Cook Out’s published nutrition facts sheet and added item by item. Where a value is approximate or calculated, the table marks it.

A few counting rules matter, because they change the totals:

• Tray entrees: we used the entrees commonly listed for the regular tray: Big Double, Regular Hamburger, two hot dogs, chicken or beef quesadilla, BBQ sandwich, three chicken strips, the Chicken Strip Sandwich and the char-grilled chicken sandwiches (plain, BBQ Style and Cajun Style) plus the spicy chicken sandwich. Entree lists can differ a little by store.
• Burger styles: a style is toppings, published by Cook Out as an add-on. Cook Out Style adds 123 calories, Out West Style 202, Steak Style 91 and Cheddar Style 233. The burger styles guide explains each one.
• Fries: Cook Out publishes no tray-side fry portion, so fries on a tray are counted as a regular order, 347 calories, the same convention we use across this site.
• Smaller sides: nuggets, onion rings, hushpuppies, Cook Out Rounds and cheese bites have their own smaller tray-side portions on the sheet (144, 128, 300, 149 and 150 calories), and those are what we used.
• Drinks: every combo uses a regular 16 oz fountain drink. Many stores pour a larger cup with a tray, and that only matters for sugared drinks; the drink section below shows the difference.
• Sauces: not included. Dipping sauce for nuggets or strips adds calories on top.

Data notes you will see in the tables: the Big Double’s 311 calories are as published, even though that is lower than the single-patty Regular Hamburger (328); the 2-hot-dog tray entree is calculated as two plain hot dogs (520 calories); Cajun Style chicken macros are calculated from the plain breast plus the Cajun add-on; and the chicken wrap tray side is not on the official sheet, so it appears only as an approximate value. The bacon ranch wrap side is listed at 419 calories and 20 g of protein; its printed serving weight (41 g) looks like a misprint, but the calorie and protein figures are used as published.

If you want to try a combination we did not list, the Cook Out calorie calculator adds up any entree, sides and drink for you, and the Cook Out calories guide lists every item.

Which Cook Out Tray Combo Gives You the Most Food?

The most food you can get on one Cook Out tray is a Chicken Strip Sandwich with two chicken quesadilla sides: 1,572 calories of food, or 1,808 with a regular sweet tea. Since the tray costs the same whatever sides you pick, choosing the two biggest sides is how you get the most for your money.

* Approximate (not on Cook Out’s official nutrition sheet). † Calculated from official values: the 2-hot-dog tray entree is two plain hot dogs (2 × 260), and Cajun Style chicken macros are the plain breast plus the Cajun add-on. Fries on a tray are counted as a regular order (347 calories) because Cook Out publishes no separate tray-side fry portion. Drinks are counted as a regular 16 oz fountain drink. Sauces are not included.

Why these three work:

• A1, Max-Out Tray. The heaviest tray we found: two chicken quesadilla sides turn the strip sandwich into a two-meal haul. The strip sandwich is 674 calories on its own, and each chicken quesadilla side is 449. It also brings 66 g of protein, but sodium reaches 3,381 mg.
• A2, Strips + Wrap + Quesadilla. Three different chicken items in one bag, and 75 g of protein along with the bulk. At 1,764 calories it is the second-heaviest combo on this page.
• A3, Big Double Out West Feast. A loaded burger with BBQ sauce and bacon, a full fry order and a cheese quesadilla on the side. 1,359 calories and 45 g of protein. Swap the cheese quesadilla for hushpuppies and you trade protein for a sweeter side.

The pattern behind “most food” is simple: the quesadilla and wrap sides are really small entrees. A cheese quesadilla side is 355 calories and a chicken quesadilla 449, while a bacon ranch wrap is 419, so any of them beats fries (347) or hushpuppies (300) for sheer size. If you are feeding one very hungry person on a budget, put the biggest entree in the entree slot and two of those sides next to it.

One caution: these are big meals. A1 has more calories than most adults eat at two meals, and all three pass 2,300 mg of sodium. Split one with a friend or save half, and see the sides breakdown on the Cook Out sides menu and the full strip numbers in the chicken strips guide.

What Is the Highest-Protein Cook Out Tray Combo?

The highest-protein Cook Out tray is three chicken strips with two bacon ranch wrap sides: 76 g of protein in 1,498 calories with a Diet Coke. For protein per calorie, a BBQ sandwich with two nugget sides wins at 49 g in 656 calories.

* Approximate (not on Cook Out’s official nutrition sheet). † Calculated from official values: the 2-hot-dog tray entree is two plain hot dogs (2 × 260), and Cajun Style chicken macros are the plain breast plus the Cajun add-on. Fries on a tray are counted as a regular order (347 calories) because Cook Out publishes no separate tray-side fry portion. Drinks are counted as a regular 16 oz fountain drink. Sauces are not included.

• P1, Strips + Double Bacon Wrap. The most protein of any tray in our check of every entree and side combination. No other tray reached 76 g; the next best was 75 g (combo A2). The cost is sodium, 4,234 mg.
• P2, BBQ + Double Nuggets. The best protein for the calories of any tray we checked. It delivers 7.5 g of protein per 100 calories. The BBQ sandwich is chopped pork with slaw, 29 g of protein in 368 calories.
• P3, Strips + Double Nuggets. All chicken, no fries, and no sugar in the drink. 56 g of protein for 948 calories, with zero grams of sugar across the whole tray.

Why nuggets keep showing up: a nugget tray side has 10 g of protein in 144 calories, the best ratio of any side. Fries, by comparison, give 4 g for 347 calories, and hushpuppies 2 g for 300. The chicken nuggets guide has the full breakdown, and the Cook Out nutrition page lists protein for every item.

Not on a tray: the half-pound Huge Hamburger (40 g of protein) is the most protein-dense burger on the menu, but it is not usually listed as a tray entree, so it is not in these combos. Ordered with sides separately, it beats most trays on protein.

What Is the Lowest-Calorie Cook Out Tray?

The lowest-calorie Cook Out tray is a plain Big Double with two onion ring tray sides and a Diet Coke: 567 calories with 26 g of protein. Swapping one onion ring side for nuggets adds just 16 calories and raises protein to 33 g.

* Approximate (not on Cook Out’s official nutrition sheet). † Calculated from official values: the 2-hot-dog tray entree is two plain hot dogs (2 × 260), and Cajun Style chicken macros are the plain breast plus the Cajun add-on. Fries on a tray are counted as a regular order (347 calories) because Cook Out publishes no separate tray-side fry portion. Drinks are counted as a regular 16 oz fountain drink. Sauces are not included.

In our full check, 6 tray combinations came in under 600 calories of food and 96 under 700, using only official or calculated values and a zero-calorie drink. All of the sub-600 trays use the Big Double or the Regular Hamburger served plain with the lightest sides. The rules for a light tray are:

• Use the two lightest sides. Onion rings (128) and nuggets (144) are the lightest tray sides on the sheet, followed by Cook Out Rounds (149) and cheese bites (150).
• Order the burger plain or with a light style. Steak Style and Everything Style add 91 calories each; Cheddar Style adds 233.
• Pick a zero-calorie drink. Unsweet tea, Diet Coke and Coke Zero Sugar add no calories. A regular sweet tea adds 236.
• Skip slaw as a side. Cook Out’s sheet lists a side of slaw at 405 calories, more than fries.

L3 is the pick if you want chicken: the BBQ Style char-grilled sandwich is 376 calories, and with onion rings and nuggets the tray stays at 648. The onion rings guide explains the tray portion versus the full order.

Which Cook Out Tray Should You Get Late at Night?

For a late-night tray, the best combos are two hot dogs with a side of chili and cheese bites, a beef quesadilla with cheese bites and fries, or a spicy chicken sandwich with Rounds and onion rings. They are salty, cheesy and crunchy, and all three are full trays at the standard tray price.

* Approximate (not on Cook Out’s official nutrition sheet). † Calculated from official values: the 2-hot-dog tray entree is two plain hot dogs (2 × 260), and Cajun Style chicken macros are the plain breast plus the Cajun add-on. Fries on a tray are counted as a regular order (347 calories) because Cook Out publishes no separate tray-side fry portion. Drinks are counted as a regular 16 oz fountain drink. Sauces are not included.

• N1, Chili Dog Night. Two dogs, a cup of chili to spoon on top and cheese bites: build-your-own chili-cheese dogs. 978 calories. The side of chili is used as published (164 calories), though its listed macros add up to far fewer calories, so treat that line as approximate.
• N2, Beef Quesadilla Munchies. Cheesy, salty and hot, the kind of tray that hits after midnight. 1,151 calories and 34 g of protein; the beef quesadilla alone is 514.
• N3, Spicy Chicken Crunch. All crunch, a little heat and a lemon-lime soda to cool it down. 862 calories.

Most Cook Out stores serve the full menu until close, which is usually about 3 AM Sunday through Thursday and 4 AM on Friday and Saturday, though hours vary by store. For more after-dark orders, milkshakes and drive-thru tips, see the Cook Out late-night food guide, and check store times on the Cook Out hours page.

Want the hot dog styles instead of DIY chili? The hot dogs guide lists Cook Out Style, Mexi and Bacon Cheddar dogs with their numbers. One oddity worth knowing: the Cheese Dog on Cook Out’s sheet is a bun with cheese and no hot dog at all, at 146 calories.

Which Cook Out Tray Combos Are Best for Sharing?

For two people, order two trays with four different sides, such as the Carolina Share Tray (S1) and the Cajun Chicken Share Tray (S2): together they total 1,677 calories and 71 g of protein, or 838.5 calories each if split evenly. Picking sides that do not overlap turns two trays into a small spread.

* Approximate (not on Cook Out’s official nutrition sheet). † Calculated from official values: the 2-hot-dog tray entree is two plain hot dogs (2 × 260), and Cajun Style chicken macros are the plain breast plus the Cajun add-on. Fries on a tray are counted as a regular order (347 calories) because Cook Out publishes no separate tray-side fry portion. Drinks are counted as a regular 16 oz fountain drink. Sauces are not included.

Why these two trays work together:

• No repeated sides. Hushpuppies, onion rings, nuggets and cheese bites are all finger foods that are easy to pass around.
• One beef, one chicken. The Cook Out Style Big Double brings chili, slaw, onions and mustard; the Cajun chicken is grilled and lighter.
• Balanced drinks. One Cheerwine and one unsweet tea; S1 is 1,006 calories and S2 is 671.

For bigger groups, the same idea scales: give every tray a different pair of sides, and add a full-size order of hushpuppies (600 calories, about a dozen) or a large fries (694) if the table is hungry. Full orders of onion rings, nuggets, cheese bites and Rounds are each roughly two tray sides’ worth. The hush puppies guide and cheese bites guide cover portion sizes, and the sauces guide helps you pick dips for the middle of the table.

What Is the Best Cook Out Jr. Tray Combo for Kids?

The best kid combo is a Jr. Tray with a small hamburger, a nuggets side and an onion rings side: 517 calories of food, 675 with a regular Hi-C Fruit Punch. The Jr. Tray is Cook Out’s smaller tray, typically starting around $5.29, and it is the closest thing the chain has to a kids meal.

* Approximate (not on Cook Out’s official nutrition sheet). † Calculated from official values: the 2-hot-dog tray entree is two plain hot dogs (2 × 260), and Cajun Style chicken macros are the plain breast plus the Cajun add-on. Fries on a tray are counted as a regular order (347 calories) because Cook Out publishes no separate tray-side fry portion. Drinks are counted as a regular 16 oz fountain drink. Sauces are not included.

Which entrees count for a Jr. Tray varies by store; the small hamburger is the one most commonly listed, and some store menus also show two chicken strips. Ask your store which entrees qualify. Notes on the two builds:

• K1, Jr. Classic. Small hamburger, nuggets and rings: three familiar foods for a picky eater. 27 g of protein; the drink adds 158 calories, so a water or unsweet drink keeps it at 517.
• K2, Jr. Corn Dog Combo. A corn dog as a side makes this feel like two entrees. 615 calories of food and 754 with a regular Sprite.

Smaller children often cannot finish two sides plus an entree. Two sides alone, such as a corn dog and a nuggets side (364 calories together), can be a full meal for a young child. For every kid-friendly item, drink advice and allergen notes, see the Cook Out kids menu guide.

What Are the Best Side Pairings on a Cook Out Tray?

The best side pairing for most trays is nuggets and onion rings (272 calories, 13 g protein); the classic pairing is fries and onion rings (475); and the heaviest common pairing is fries and hushpuppies (647). Your two sides can swing a tray by more than 600 calories.

* Approximate. Sodium for the side of chili is as published. Fries are counted as a regular order.

How to pick:

• For protein, pair nuggets with cheese bites or a bacon ranch wrap.
• For the lightest tray, double onion rings or pair onion rings with nuggets or Rounds.
• For a classic Carolina tray, fries and hushpuppies, though at 647 calories that pairing outweighs most entrees.
• For a DIY topping, order a side of chili with fries and pour it on top for homemade chili fries.

More detail on each side: fries, onion rings, hush puppies, cheese bites, quesadillas and wraps.

Can You Double Up Sides on a Cook Out Tray?

Yes. Many stores let you pick the same side twice, and on Cook Out’s own nutrition sheet two tray sides of onion rings, hushpuppies or Rounds match a full order’s calories and weight exactly, while two nugget sides come to more than a full order. Some store menus also describe the tray as “two sides or double up on main dishes,” so ask if you would rather have a second entree than two sides.

Figures are from Cook Out’s nutrition sheet; serving weights are the published grams. On paper, two nugget tray sides (98 g, 288 calories, 20 g protein) are bigger than a full order of nuggets (81.7 g, 240 calories, 16 g). Actual portions vary by store and by who is working the fryer.

* Approximate (not on Cook Out’s official nutrition sheet). † Calculated from official values: the 2-hot-dog tray entree is two plain hot dogs (2 × 260), and Cajun Style chicken macros are the plain breast plus the Cajun add-on. Fries on a tray are counted as a regular order (347 calories) because Cook Out publishes no separate tray-side fry portion. Drinks are counted as a regular 16 oz fountain drink. Sauces are not included.

• D1, Double Cheese Bites Quesadilla Tray. Two cheese bite sides equal a full order on Cook Out’s sheet. 749 calories and 35 g of protein with a Coke Zero Sugar.
• D2, Double Hushpuppy Burger Tray. A full order’s worth of hushpuppies with a Cook Out Style burger. 1,287 calories, and the regular sweet tea alone is 236 of them.
• D3, Steak Style Double Rounds. Hash-brown Rounds twice with an A1 and grilled onion Big Double. 840 calories.

Several of the best combos on this page are double-ups already: the lightest tray (L1, double onion rings), the most protein (P1, double bacon ranch wrap) and the best protein ratio (P2, double nuggets). Doubling is how you push a tray to an extreme. See the Big Double burger guide for every Big Double style.

How Much Does the Drink Change a Cook Out Tray?

The drink can add anywhere from 0 to 236 calories to a tray at the regular 16 oz size: unsweet tea, Diet Coke and Coke Zero Sugar add none, while a regular sweet tea adds 236. The table shows the same food (a plain Big Double with nuggets and onion rings) with each drink.

All drink values are from Cook Out’s nutrition sheet. Cook Out’s sheet lists the large sweet tea at only 12 calories more than the regular even though its sugar is half again as much, so the sweet tea calorie figures look inconsistent; we use them as published.

Why we count regular drinks: it keeps every combo comparable with our other guides. If your store pours a large cup with a tray, add the difference between the two columns for sugared drinks; for zero-calorie drinks nothing changes. You can also ask for a milkshake or a float in place of the fountain drink for an extra charge; a Coke Float is 399 calories and a Cheerwine Float 401. The full list of sizes is on the Cook Out drinks menu, and every shake flavor is on the milkshake menu.

How Do All 19 Cook Out Tray Combos Compare?

Sorted by calories, the 19 tray combos on this page run from 567 calories (L1) to 1,808 (A1), and protein runs from 26 g to 76 g. The last column shows protein per 100 calories, a quick way to see which trays are the most efficient.

All totals include a regular 16 oz drink. Big Double sodium uses 334 mg from our nutrition table because the official sheet’s 126 mg looks like a typo. Sodium is the number to watch: the 2,300 mg Daily Value is passed by several trays in a single meal.

Prices are set by each store. The regular Cookout Tray typically runs about $7.39 to $7.99 and the Jr. Tray starts around $5.29; check your store’s board for its exact price and whether a premium entree or a milkshake swap costs extra. Find your nearest store with the Cook Out locations finder.

Cook Out Tray Combo FAQs

Answers to the questions people ask most.