What this guide covers: Seed oil usage in McDonald's menu items, based on their published ingredient documentation. This guide does not evaluate overall nutrition, calories, sodium, or other health factors. For a complete nutritional picture, see McDonald's nutrition calculator.
McDonald's French fries were cooked in beef tallow until 1990. The switch to vegetable oil came under pressure from anti-saturated-fat lobbying. Today, the frying oil is a blend of canola, corn, and soybean oils with TBHQ added as a preservative.
What oil McDonald's uses now
McDonald's fries in the US are cooked in a canola oil blend. Per McDonald's published ingredient documentation, the current US formulation is a canola-corn-soybean oil blend with TBHQ (a petroleum-derived preservative) and citric acid added. The blend varies by market and can change over time.
Canola oil, corn oil, and soybean oil are industrially extracted using heat and chemical solvents. All three are high in omega-6 linoleic acid. Per USDA FoodData Central: soybean oil is approximately 55% linoleic acid, corn oil 54%, canola oil 19%.
McDonald's chicken products (McNuggets, McChicken, crispy chicken sandwiches) are also fried in the same canola oil blend.
Contains seed oil -- per McDonald's published ingredient list
✗ = cooked in or containing seed oil per the published ingredient documentation.
- ✗French fries Cooked in canola-corn-soybean oil blend. Also contain 'natural beef flavor' (wheat and milk derivatives, a reference to the tallow era).
- ✗McNuggets Fried in canola oil blend. Breading also contains soybean oil.
- ✗McChicken and crispy chicken sandwiches Fried in canola oil blend.
- ✗Hash browns Fried in canola oil blend.
- ✗Buns (all sandwiches) Soybean oil is listed in the dough ingredients.
- ✗Most sauces and dressings Soybean oil is a primary ingredient in most McDonald's dressings and dipping sauces.
The tallow history
From McDonald's founding through 1990, French fries were cooked in a blend of 7% cottonseed oil and 93% beef tallow. In 1986, Phil Sokolof, a Nebraska businessman who had a heart attack, began running national ads targeting McDonald's saturated fat content. In 1990, McDonald's switched to vegetable oil. The American Heart Association praised the change.
The vegetable oil blend that replaced tallow contains significantly more omega-6 linoleic acid than tallow. The trans fats used in some hydrogenated vegetable shortenings during the transition period have since been shown to be more harmful than the saturated fats they replaced. The Lipid Hypothesis that drove the change has been substantially challenged in the research literature since.
McDonald's French fries still list "natural beef flavor" as an ingredient. The flavor is derived from wheat and milk derivatives, not beef fat.
No seed oil contact -- per McDonald's published ingredient list
✓ = not cooked in or containing seed oil per the published list. These items may still have other nutritional factors to consider.
- ✓Beef patties (no bun, no sauce) Per McDonald's ingredient list, the beef patty is 100% beef with no added oil. The bun contains soybean oil; sauces are soybean oil based.
- ✓Side salad (no dressing) Plain greens with no oil contact. All bottled dressings at McDonald's contain soybean oil.
- ✓Apple slices Sliced apple. No oil contact.
- ✓Black coffee and unsweetened iced tea No oil contact.
Reading McDonald's ingredient data
McDonald's publishes full ingredient and allergen information at their ingredients page. Formulations can change. The oil data on this page reflects their published documentation at the time of research. Verify directly before making decisions based on this guide.
Frequently asked questions
Does McDonald's use seed oils?
Yes. McDonald's fries in a canola-corn-soybean oil blend, per their published ingredient documentation. This blend has been in use since 1990, when McDonald's switched from beef tallow following lobbying from anti-saturated-fat groups.
What oil does McDonald's fry in?
McDonald's uses a canola oil, corn oil, and soybean oil blend for frying, plus TBHQ (a synthetic antioxidant) to extend shelf life. This is documented in their published 'Meet Our Ingredients' page.
Did McDonald's used to cook in beef tallow?
Yes. Prior to 1990, McDonald's used beef tallow for frying. The switch to vegetable oil was made in response to pressure from the Center for Science in the Public Interest, which targeted saturated fat. Per their published history, the current blend has been in use since that transition.
Which McDonald's items don't list seed oil in the ingredients?
Per McDonald's published ingredient documentation, plain beef patties contain only beef with no added oil. However, the buns list soybean oil, most sauces list soybean oil, and all fried items use the canola-corn-soybean blend.
Where can I find McDonald's full ingredient list?
McDonald's publishes their full ingredient documentation at mcdonalds.com under 'Meet Our Ingredients.' Their nutrition calculator is available at mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/about-our-food/nutrition-calculator.html.
Sources
- McDonald's US -- Meet Our Ingredients -- Primary source for frying oil composition, bun ingredients, and sauce ingredients
- McDonald's US -- Nutrition Calculator -- Full per-item nutrition data
- USDA FoodData Central -- Canola, Corn, and Soybean oil nutrient profiles -- Source for omega-6 linoleic acid percentages cited above
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