I ranked 13 fast-food double cheeseburgers. The best was a regional favorite.
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- We ranked double cheeseburgers from 13 fast-food chains to see which one reigns supreme.
- 7th Street Burger, the smallest chain, blew me away with its saucy smash burger.
- I thought In-N-Out’s famous Double-Double was great value and delicious.
Double the patties can mean double the deliciousness, but not all fast-food double cheeseburgers are created equal.
For a definitive ranking, I tried practically every double cheeseburger on the market to determine which was best in terms of taste and value.
I tried double cheeseburgers from McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King, Shake Shack, White Castle, Whataburger, P. Terry’s, Five Guys, Cook Out, Checkers, Sonic, 7th Street Burger, and In-N-Out.
Here’s every fast-food double cheeseburger ranked from worst to best.
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The burger was under $5, but I’m not sure it was worth the price.
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It comes with one slice of cheese.
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Right away, I tasted the thick beef patties. The burger had traveled about 15 minutes from my local Burger King to my apartment, but the meat was still juicy, and the cheese was nicely melted.
The pickle slices were thick and crunchy, and I enjoyed the sesame-seed bun, which added a satisfying textural element. However, I thought there was just a little too much ketchup, which will likely vary depending on who’s making your burger that day.
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It was about the same price as McDonald’s and Burger King burgers, though it landed squarely in the middle in terms of value.
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The toppings looked a little stingy, and they were clustered in the middle of the sandwich. I would have liked to see them more spread out.
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But I had to get a few bites in to reach the toppings in the center.
The toppings themselves were amazing. I thought the pickles were the most flavorful among the burgers I tried, and I liked the use of an onion ring rather than diced onion, though I would’ve liked more.
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It was slightly more expensive than Wendy’s version but had more toppings. It came with an extra slice of American cheese plus chopped onions, and I thought it was still relatively affordable.
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I was interested to see if the added toppings would amp up the flavor.
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The bun held everything together and was a good size, but it was a little too soft and didn’t have a lot of flavor on its own. But I enjoyed the amount of condiments and didn’t find them overpowering.
The chopped onions added a lot of flavor, and the burger patties were juicy despite being thinner than the Burger King ones. I liked the added cheese, but didn’t think it was necessary.
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It costs $6.99 at a Whataburger in Austin, excluding tax and fees.
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The burger was a decent size, and I could see the gooey cheese peeking out from underneath the soft potato bun.Â
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The ingredients definitely set this burger apart from the others.
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The bun was light and fluffy, but I did think the burger patties could have been a little thicker and juicier.
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The burger cost $5.25, making it one of the cheaper burgers I tried.
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I ordered it with pickles, onions, ketchup, mustard, and American cheese.
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One of the benefits of ordering from P. Terry’s is that you can easily customize your burger and add a number of toppings, including grilled onions, the chain’s special sauce, tomato, lettuce, and more.
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The bun was slightly underwhelming, but I thought it was an excellent, large burger with tons of flavor, especially for the low price. I also thought the mustard really came through and added a lot to the burger.
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I paid $13.89 for a double cheeseburger. I could customize my toppings, but I went with pickles, onions, and Shack sauce.
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The patties had a perfectly crisp sear and were blanketed in gooey melted cheese. Thick, house-made-looking pickles and the burger’s hefty weight made it feel especially substantial.
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The cheese was thick and perfectly melted.
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The burger was huge, which was both an asset and a hindrance. I struggled to get through more than a few bites.
Although it was the second-most-expensive burger, I thought it justified the price. The patties were noticeably thicker than the others I tried, and the toppings elevated every bite.
Overall, I was impressed … but stuffed.
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The burger has since been replaced with the Big Buford, which has all the same ingredients but a bakery-style bun instead of a sesame-seed bun.
The burger costs $9.39 at my local Checkers in Brooklyn.
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It was smaller than my hand, though it did include a variety of toppings like tomato, lettuce, and red onion.
The burger also comes with American cheese, dill pickles, ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise on a toasted bun.
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I also thought the American cheese was very tangy and flavorful. Overall, I enjoyed the combination of flavors. However, the price prevented this burger from ranking higher.Â
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White Castle sliders are usually eaten in pairs, so I ordered two. Each burger cost me $3.73, so I ended up paying $7.46.
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The burgers smelled strongly of onions and condiments the second I removed them from the bag.
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The pickles were crunchy and flavorful. Though the burgers each had a bun sandwiched in the middle, it wasn’t too bready — it allowed the flavors to really come together while still being filling.
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Despite being the smallest and among the cheapest burgers, they exceeded my expectations. The flavorful toppings complemented the beef, which was the real standout.
The small-but-mighty burger was one of the most flavorful I tried, easy to eat, and perfectly priced.Â
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Five Guys doesn’t technically have a “double cheeseburger” — its regular cheeseburgers already come with two slices of cheese and two beef patties.
My burger cost $17.75, excluding taxes and fees, making it the most expensive burger I tried.
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Right away, I noticed that the toppings were generous. The pickle slices were large, and none of the toppings cost extra.
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I thought the burger was the perfect size — substantial enough to require two hands, but not as heavy as Shake Shack’s.
Melted American cheese blanketed each patty, and the sauce was well-balanced, adding flavor without spilling out of the sesame-seed bun.
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The thick, crunchy pickles, sesame-seed bun, and soft, almost caramelized grilled onions added texture and flavor that set this burger apart from the rest.
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The SuperSonic double cheeseburger was one of the few burgers I tried that came with lettuce and tomato. Since this was the default option, I decided to try it with these toppings rather than remove them.
The burger cost me $9.75, excluding taxes and fees.
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Unlike Sonic’s quarter-pound double cheeseburger, which comes with two junior patties, the full-size burger has a combined half-pound of meat.Â
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The ingredients tasted fresh and vibrant. The tomato wasn’t too watery, the lettuce was crisp, and the burgers tasted well-seasoned and juicy. Plus, the burger was a very generous size.Â
However, despite all these accolades, I thought the price was a little steep compared to what I got from Cook Out and In-N-Out.
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You can order a “big double” from Cook Out any way you wish, but I ordered mine with cheese, ketchup, mustard, onions, and pickles. It cost me $4.99, not including tax.
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It also had thick slices of fresh onion and large pickle spears layered on top of the burger.
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The thick, tangy cheese and perfectly medium-rare patty made this burger a standout. It was so large I couldn’t finish it after dinner, but at such a low price, it easily earned the third-highest spot in my ranking.
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7th Street Burger is a small chain of quick-service burger restaurants with dozens of locations across New York, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Washington, DC.
Since opening in 2021, the chain has quickly built a reputation for its no-frills approach to smash burgers, featuring crispy patties, gooey cheese, and the chain’s signature sauce.
I ordered a double cheeseburger, which comes with two beef patties, American cheese, onions, pickles, and house sauce on a Martin’s potato bun. It cost $11.59, excluding tax and fees.
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However, this burger was perfect exactly as the chain designed it. The burger patties were delightfully crispy on the outside yet remained juicy.
Melted slices of cheese oozed between the two thin, expertly griddled, and charred beef patties, all smothered in the chain’s signature sauce, a creamy, tangy take on classic burger sauce.
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There were no lettuce or tomato slices to lighten the rich, savory burger, but I didn’t miss them.
With pickles and onions rounding out the flavor, it was nostalgic, perfectly balanced, and probably the best smash burger I’ve ever had.
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It cost me $5.90, which I thought was an excellent deal for the large burger sitting in front of me.
One of the first things I noticed was how thick the burger patties were. They were much thicker than other burgers I tried at a similar price point.
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To keep my burger similar to the other burgers I tried, I ordered it with onions, pickles, and spread, which I thought tasted similar to Thousand Island dressing.
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The cheese slices were perfectly melted and coated each part of the burger, something I couldn’t say about any other burger I tried.
The bun was perfectly soft and held everything together perfectly, while the special spread had my mouth watering for another bite.
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When it came to a double cheeseburger, the West Coast chain really nailed it. The burger was beyond flavorful, the perfect size, and, in my opinion, very good value for money.
The next time I’m in a state with an In-N-Out, I know where I’ll be filling my burger craving.
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