Cook Out High Protein Guide: Best Items, Trays and Macros (2026)

What Has the Most Protein at Cook Out?

The highest-protein single item at Cook Out is the half-pound Huge Hamburger, with 40 g of protein in 516 calories; add Cheddar Style or Out West Style and it reaches 48 g. For protein per calorie, the BBQ sandwich (29 g in 368 calories, 7.9 g per 100 calories) narrowly beats the Huge Hamburger (7.8 g).

Cook Out is a drive-thru chain founded in Greensboro, North Carolina, in 1989 and now based in Thomasville, North Carolina, with about 370 open stores in 11 states as of October 2026. It is known for cheap trays, char-grilled burgers and milkshakes rather than health food, but its published nutrition sheet makes it easy to order for protein if you know which items to pick.

• Most protein, one item: Huge Hamburger, 40 g (plain); 48 g with Cheddar Style (749 calories).
• Most protein, chicken: Chicken Strip Club, 39 g, and three chicken strips, 36 g.
• Best protein per calorie: BBQ sandwich, 7.9 g per 100 calories, then the Huge Hamburger (7.8) and a nuggets tray side (6.9).
• Best high-protein tray: BBQ sandwich with two nugget sides, 49 g of protein in 656 calories.
• Most protein on any tray: three chicken strips with two bacon ranch wrap sides, 76 g in 1,498 calories.
• Lowest-carb protein: a full order of nuggets, 16 g of protein with 12 g of carbs.

Every number on this page comes from Cook Out’s published nutrition facts sheet unless it is marked as approximate (*) or calculated (†). For calories alone, see the Cook Out calories guide; for every nutrient on every item, see the Cook Out nutrition page. This page is about protein, macros and lower-carb ordering.

Which Cook Out Items Have the Most Protein?

The top five Cook Out entrees for protein are the Huge Hamburger (40 g), the Chicken Strip Club (39 g), three chicken strips (36 g), the Club Style and BBQ Plate (35 g each). The table ranks the 15 highest-protein entrees on Cook Out’s sheet, with protein per 100 calories so you can see which ones are efficient.

* Approximate. † Calculated: Cook Out’s sheet lists official calories for Club Style chicken (565) but repeats the plain breast’s macros on that line, so its protein is the plain breast plus the bacon-and-cheese add-on. Burgers are plain, without a style. Ties are listed lightest first.

What stands out:

• Size beats everything. The Huge Hamburger’s half-pound of beef gives it 40 g, nearly double the Regular Hamburger’s 22 g, while carbs stay the same at 27 g because the bun is the same.
• The big chicken items cost calories. The Chicken Strip Club has 39 g but 846 calories and 2,539 mg of sodium, only 4.6 g of protein per 100 calories.
• All the plain char-grilled chicken sandwiches tie at 25 g. Plain, BBQ Style, Cajun Style and Original Style all share the same breast; the style changes calories and sodium, not protein.
• The Big Double numbers look odd. Cook Out lists the Big Double at 311 calories and 20 g of protein, lower than the single-patty Regular Hamburger (328 calories, 22 g). We use the published figures, but treat the Big Double line with some caution.

At the bottom of the list are the hot dog items. A plain hot dog has 8 g, a corn dog 5 g, and the Cheese Dog just 3 g, because Cook Out describes the Cheese Dog as a bun with cheese and no hot dog. Guides for each entree: Big Double, chicken strips, BBQ, wraps, quesadillas and hot dogs.

Which Cook Out Items Give the Most Protein per Calorie?

Per calorie, the BBQ sandwich is Cook Out’s best protein source at 7.9 g per 100 calories, followed by the Huge Hamburger (7.8 g) and the nuggets tray side (6.9 g). If you are counting calories and want protein, these are the items to build around.

Ranked by exact protein-to-calorie ratio, entrees and sides together, using official and calculated values only (approximate items are left out). † Calculated values.

How to use protein per 100 calories: anything above about 6 g is a lean choice by fast-food standards, 4 to 6 g is middling, and under 3 g means most of the calories come from carbs and fat. A few takeaways:

• The BBQ sandwich is the sleeper pick. Chopped pork with slaw, 29 g of protein for 368 calories. Its weak spot is sodium, 1,103 mg.
• Nugget tray sides beat a full order on paper. The tray side has 6.9 g per 100 calories against 6.7 g for the full order. See the nuggets guide.
• Grilled beats crispy. The char-grilled chicken sandwiches sit at 6.4 to 6.6 g per 100 calories; the spicy chicken sandwich is 4.7 and three crispy strips 5.5.
• Some sides are nearly protein-free. Cook Out’s sheet lists the side of slaw at 0 g of protein for 405 calories, and a hushpuppies tray side at 2 g for 300.

Which Cook Out Sides Have the Most Protein?

Chicken nuggets, cheese bites, the bacon ranch wrap and the quesadillas are Cook Out’s protein sides: a nuggets tray side has 10 g, a cheese bites tray side 8 g, and a bacon ranch wrap 20 g. Fries, onion rings, hushpuppies and slaw add almost none.

* Approximate: the chicken wrap tray side is not on Cook Out’s official sheet, so it comes from our older nutrition table. The side of chili is used as published, but its listed macros add up to far fewer calories than its 164, so treat that row with caution. Fries are the regular order (Cook Out lists no tray-side fry portion). Fried okra is not offered at every store.

On a tray, your two sides can add anywhere from 0 to 40 g of protein. Two nugget sides add 20 g, two bacon ranch wraps add 40 g, and two onion ring sides add 6 g. That is why the best high-protein trays below all use nuggets, cheese bites or a wrap in at least one side slot. For portions and prices, see the sides menu and the cheese bites guide; for fries and rings, the fries and onion rings guides.

Do Cook Out Burger Styles Add Protein?

Only two burger styles add meaningful protein: Cheddar Style and Out West Style each add 8 g, from bacon and cheese, along with 233 and 202 calories. Steak Style and Everything Style add 1 g of protein and 91 calories each, and Cook Out Style adds 3 g and 123 calories.

Style values are Cook Out’s published add-on rows; totals are the plain Huge Hamburger plus the style. A plain Huge Hamburger is 516 calories with 40 g of protein, or 7.8 g per 100 calories.

So which burger should a protein-focused eater order?

• Leanest: the Huge Hamburger plain or Steak Style (7.8 and 6.8 g per 100 calories). Steak Style adds A1, grilled onions, lettuce, tomato and mayo.
• Most protein: Huge Hamburger Cheddar Style, 48 g in 749 calories, or Out West Style, 48 g in 718 calories.
• Classic flavor: Cook Out Style (chili, slaw, onions, mustard) adds 3 g of protein but 518 mg of sodium.

Every style and what is on it is in the Cook Out burger styles guide; burger sizes are in the burger menu.

What Are the Best High-Protein Cook Out Trays?

The best high-protein Cook Out tray is a BBQ sandwich with two nugget sides and unsweet tea: 49 g of protein in 656 calories, the best ratio of any tray we checked. If you only care about total protein, three chicken strips with two bacon ranch wrap sides reach 76 g.

Each tray is one entree, two tray sides and a regular 16 oz unsweet tea (0 calories). Totals are added item by item from Cook Out’s sheet; Big Double sodium uses 334 mg because the official 126 mg looks like a typo.

We checked every combination of 12 common tray entrees and 13 tray sides. Using only official and calculated values, 24 combinations deliver at least 40 g of protein for under 700 calories, and every one of them uses at least one nuggets or cheese bites side. Tips for building your own:

• Put nuggets in a side slot. It is the most protein-dense side, and two of them add 20 g.
• Pick a lean entree. The BBQ sandwich, the Regular Hamburger and the plain, BBQ Style and Cajun Style char-grilled chicken sandwiches all beat 6.5 g of protein per 100 calories.
• Use a zero-calorie drink. Unsweet tea, Diet Coke or Coke Zero Sugar keep the ratio high.

Off the tray, the Huge Hamburger is the protein king, but it is not usually listed as a tray entree. Ordered on its own with a full order of nuggets, it gives 56 g of protein in 756 calories; with two nugget sides instead, 60 g in 804. For what can go on a tray, see the Cook Out tray menu, and total any build in the calorie calculator.

How Do You Order Low-Carb at Cook Out?

For lower-carb Cook Out orders, choose nuggets (12 g of carbs in a full order), cheese bites, a plain burger or char-grilled chicken, and a diet drink, and skip fries, hushpuppies, onion rings and sweet tea. Cook Out does not offer a low-carb or keto menu, and every sandwich comes on a bun, so truly low-carb ordering depends on what your store will do.

† Calculated macros (Cajun and Club Style chicken). All other values as published.

Can you get a Cook Out burger without the bun? Cook Out’s menu does not list bunless or lettuce-wrapped burgers, and we could not confirm a chain-wide policy. Some stores may make a burger or chicken sandwich without the bun if you ask, and others may not, so ask at the speaker and be ready for a no. Cook Out does not publish the bun’s nutrition separately either. All four burgers, from the 1/8 lb Small to the half-pound Huge, list exactly 27 g of carbs, which suggests most of those carbs come from the bun, but a bunless burger’s exact numbers are not published.

Lowest-carb full trays, using official values and a Diet Coke:

The side of chili lists only 4 g of carbs, and two chili sides would make a tray as low as 35 g, but its published macros do not add up to its calories, so we left it out of this table. Off the tray, a full order of nuggets plus a full order of cheese bites is 26 g of carbs with 32 g of protein (539 calories), and a Huge Hamburger with a full order of nuggets is 39 g of carbs, most of it from the bun.

• Drinks: unsweet tea, Diet Coke and Coke Zero Sugar have 0 g of carbs. A regular sweet tea has 74 g; a regular Coca-Cola 39 g.
• Sauces: BBQ sauce adds about 14 g of carbs per cup and honey mustard about 6 g, while ranch adds about 2 g (approximate values; sauces are not on the official sheet).
• Avoid: hushpuppies (47 g in a tray side), fries (45 g regular), onion rings (28 g tray side) and every milkshake (86 g or more).
• Allergies and gluten: breaded items like nuggets and cheese bites contain wheat; see the Cook Out allergen menu before ordering.

What Are the Macros for Every Cook Out Entree?

Cook Out’s 32 entrees range from 3 g to 40 g of protein, 12 g to 105 g of carbs and 146 to 976 calories. The table lists calories, protein, carbs, fat, saturated fat, sugar and sodium for every entree on the nutrition sheet, grouped by menu section.

Values are Cook Out’s published figures. † Calculated: Cajun Style and Club Style chicken macros (see notes above). Big Double sodium is 334 mg from our nutrition table because the official sheet’s 126 mg looks like a typo. Burgers are plain; add a style from the styles table above. The BBQ Plate includes slaw, fries and hushpuppies, which is why it has 105 g of carbs.

Reading the macros for common goals:

• Cutting: look for high protein and low calories: BBQ sandwich, Regular Hamburger, Huge Hamburger, char-grilled chicken.
• Bulking: the Chicken Strip Club (846 calories, 39 g protein) and BBQ Plate (976, 35 g) pack the most energy.
• Watching sodium: plain burgers are among the lowest-sodium entrees (309 to 410 mg), along with the Cheese Dog (410 mg) and corn dog (440 mg); three strips, the Strip Club and the BBQ Plate each run over 2,000 mg.

For sides, drinks and milkshakes, the Cook Out nutrition page has the complete list.

Do Cook Out Milkshakes Have Much Protein?

Cook Out’s highest-protein milkshakes are the Fresh Peanut Butter and Peanut Butter Banana shakes at 27 g each, but they cost 847 and 864 calories, so they are dessert, not a protein shake. A plain vanilla shake has 16 g of protein in 555 calories.

Values from Cook Out’s nutrition sheet for its one milkshake size (served by weight, roughly 31 to 35 oz). Only shakes with official figures are ranked.

Every Cook Out shake with official figures has less than 3.5 g of protein per 100 calories, about half the ratio of a nugget side or a plain burger, and every one has 86 g or more of carbs. The Coke and Cheerwine floats have 10 g of protein in about 400 calories (399 and 401). If protein is the goal, put the calories into the entree and sides and treat a shake as a split dessert. Every flavor is listed on the Cook Out milkshake menu.

How Do You Order High-Protein at Cook Out Without Overdoing Sodium?

To eat high-protein at Cook Out without a huge sodium bill, build around a plain burger, the BBQ sandwich or char-grilled chicken, use nuggets as your sides, drink unsweet tea or a diet soda, and go easy on sauces and heavy styles. Protein and sodium tend to climb together on fried chicken items.

Trays include a regular unsweet tea. Sodium Daily Value is 2,300 mg.

• Beef is lower in sodium than fried chicken here. The plain Huge Hamburger has 410 mg of sodium for 40 g of protein; three strips have 2,130 mg for 36 g.
• Styles add sodium fast. Cheddar Style adds 729 mg and Out West Style 682 mg; Steak Style adds only 141 mg.
• Count your sauces. A cup of ranch is about 140 calories and honey mustard or BBQ about 60 each (approximate values). See the sauces guide.
• Grilled over crispy. A char-grilled chicken sandwich has 575 mg of sodium plain, against 1,158 mg for the spicy chicken sandwich.
• Kids and smaller appetites: a small hamburger has 14 g of protein for 245 calories, and a nuggets tray side adds 10 g. More picks are in the kids menu guide.

Cook Out has no protein-bowl or salad section, so these are the levers you have. Build an order and check the totals first in the Cook Out calorie calculator, or browse the nuggets and hush puppies guides for side portions.

Cook Out High Protein FAQs

Answers to the questions people ask most.