Katie Mach / Tasting Table
What’s better than a fast-food cheeseburger? A double cheeseburger — and it’s not just because two is always better than one. After all, stacking two thick, restaurant-style burger patties on top of one another would result in an overwhelming colossus of beef. A single patty would be the way to go. Fast-food-style burgers, on the other hand, are traditionally thinner, cooked on a piping-hot flat-top grill for efficient, speedy cooking. A fast-food cheeseburger with a single patty is more topping than substance, with bread, cheese, and other extras overwhelming what is meant to be the star of the show: the beef.
Enter the double cheeseburger. Two patties mean double the surface area, which makes the burger’s beef layer doubly seasoned and doubly affected by the Maillard reaction. The adjusted meat-to-toppings-to-bun ratio is much improved, with cheese acting as a glue between the patties and providing rich moisture to counteract any dryness from the beef.
Well, that’s what a fast-food double cheeseburger should be. But in practice, what do fast food joints really have on offer? I tried seven double cheeseburgers from national chains to find out. With each double cheeseburger, I asked myself: Is the ratio of burger and cheese on point? Are the flavors of each ingredient balanced, too? And, well, is it good? Seven burgers later, here’s what I found out.
7. McDonald’s Double Cheeseburger
Katie Mach / Tasting Table
“A McDonald’s Double Cheeseburger? Isn’t that what a McDouble is?” you might ask. And you would be wrong. The difference between a McDonald’s double cheeseburger and the McDouble is small but mighty, in my opinion: a slice of cheese. A McDonald’s double cheeseburger has two slices of cheese, while a McDouble has only one. No small difference when it comes to the simple yet high-stakes construction of a burger. But otherwise, the two McDonald’s burgers are the same: two beef patties, pickles, onions, ketchup, mustard, and a bun.
A double cheeseburger it may be, but this was a very sad one. Even with condiments and that extra slice of cheese, it was surprisingly dry. The patties themselves had very little flavor — just a vague salty meat taste — and certainly weren’t juicy. Two stacked together still didn’t amount to much. I thought the chopped onions were missing; turns out, the chopped, dehydrated bits were just virtually undetectable. In general, people aren’t looking for the best of the best when they order McDonald’s, but I’d pick plenty of other things on its menu before I’d get this again.
6. Wendy’s Double Stack
Katie Mach / Tasting Table
The truth is, this is not my first time evaluating a Wendy’s Double Stack. I tasted it as part of my under-$5 Wendy’s menu roundup. But this time, I had to really consider it as a double cheeseburger, not just any budget burger item. Here’s a breakdown of the Double Stack: two junior beef patties, a slice of American cheese, ketchup, mustard, onion, and pickles. A simple toasted sandwich bun holds it all together.
What worked well in the last Double Stack I tried still works: These patties have beefier flavor than those from McDonald’s, and despite having less cheese, the burger was not quite as dry. The onion slices also form a nice contrast to the fatty cheese and meat, and despite the small size of the patties, the toppings do not overwhelm. But the small, single slice of cheese is just not enough. The picture alone tells the story of its lackluster presence. Without it, the burger wouldn’t be that different. It’s an afterthought.
5. Burger King Double Cheeseburger
Katie Mach / Tasting Table
Burger King’s claim to fame is its flame-grilled patties. This process imparts a fire-cooked flavor that distinguishes them from flat-top seared burger patties. Burger King’s double cheeseburger includes two of these flame-grilled patties, stacked with two slices of cheese, pickles, ketchup, and mustard, all on a seeded bun.
Burger King may be better known for its Whopper, but this double cheeseburger wasn’t half bad. The flame-grilled thing is the real deal. The burger tasted robust, like it was fresh off the grill at a family barbecue, with lots of savory smokiness. The patties were well-seasoned, and while they weren’t all that much juicier than the ones from McDonald’s or Wendy’s, they were accompanied by plenty of gooey cheese. It also felt more substantial, despite its small size. Plus, I am a sucker for a seeded bun.
4. Checkers and Rally’s Big Buford
Katie Mach / Tasting Table
Checkers? Rally’s? Depending on where you live, one of these names may be more familiar to you. But the two Southern drive-thru chains merged in 1999 after Checkers acquired Rally’s, so while some locations may have one of those names (or both), officially, Checkers and Rally’s are one and the same. The double cheeseburger offering at this double chain is called the Big Buford, and the company describes it as “the boss of all burgers.” It has two “large” patties, two slices of American cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, ketchup, mustard, and mayo — quite the laundry list — and is nestled in a toasted “bakery-style” bun.
I’ve never actually gotten anything at Checkers, so I didn’t know what to expect. But I was very happy with this burger. The two patties were substantial — Checkers and Rally’s is telling the truth about the large size — and, despite all the toppings, the burgers remained the star. The Checkers and Rally’s patties were a step up from Burger King’s. They were flavorful and surprisingly juicy. The two slices of cheese weren’t overwhelmed by the other toppings, so it tasted like a true double cheeseburger; that being said, I’d probably get it without the lettuce and tomato next time, since they leaned more towards limp and mealy than crisp and refreshing.
3. Sonic SuperSONIC Double Cheeseburger
Katie Mach / Tasting Table
Sonic doesn’t share quite the same juggernaut status as the three fast-food competitors in the Burger Wars — Wendy’s, Burger King, and McDonald’s – but it should. It helped pioneer the drive-thru model that came to define the fast-food experience. And, in my opinion, its burgers are seriously underrated. Its double cheeseburger, aka the SuperSONIC Double Cheeseburger, is no exception.
I gave Sonic’s All-American SONIC Smasher (it goes big with the names) the top ranking in my smash burger list, and I was once again impressed by its size and quality. This thing was a mammoth, bigger than any of the other cheeseburgers on the list. The patties are well seasoned, full of savory, salty umami flavor, and just the right size. These patties edged out the Checkers and Rally’s competition by a thin margin. But the toppings were a marked improvement; the lettuce and tomato were crisp, not limp.
That said, it wasn’t cheesy enough. While there was a slice below and in between the two patties, they were overwhelmed by the fatty mayo and various other toppings. While I really liked the size of the patties, the cheese texture and flavor were buried by them and the other ingredients. It didn’t feel like a true double cheeseburger. Still, I happily devoured it, and it would be even better with a few modifications.
2. Five Guys Double Cheeseburger
Katie Mach / Tasting Table
Five Guys enjoys a special kind of reputation where it’s simultaneously both incredibly prolific and considered a favorite. Whether it’s a matter of the chain’s consistency, no-frills branding, or its burger-making secrets, Five Guys is extremely popular.
I had a feeling this double cheeseburger would be a tough one to beat. When it comes to burger patties that taste not just good, but seriously beefy and fresh, Five Guys has pretty much trounced the competition. I tend to think its patties could use a little more salt, but with a cheeseburger, the American cheese takes care of the problem. It’s the platonic ideal of fast-food convenience with the flavor and feeling of your favorite local burger stop.
It’s tricky to rank a Five Guys burger based on its toppings, since part of the appeal of the chain’s brief menu is the unlimited customization. But even though I picked the onions and cheese additions, I didn’t have a say in just how much was added, and it was the perfect amount.
1. Shake Shack Double ShackBurger
Katie Mach / Tasting Table
Shake Shack does its burgers smash-style, and those smashed patties are the star of the show. So, while its menu has a few curated offerings, its ShackBurger is a pretty simple affair. American cheese, lettuce, tomato, and ShackSauce is the default combo, though you can add pretty much anything you want. When I made my ShackBurger a double, it automatically doubled up on the cheese — a good sign.
I’ve had many a ShackBurger, and I was once again struck by how it is a true masterclass in the virtues of a smash burger: frilly fried edges with tons of flavor, and the right amount of greasiness. Five Guys perfected that home-cooked, fresh, beefy flavor. Shake Shack perfected the crispy, crunchy, super well-seasoned smash patty with a mile-wide wingspan. Sure, the bun may be struggling to keep up, but the potato rolls that Shake Shack uses on its burgers can roll with the non-uniformly shaped punches. Each patty was topped with a slice of American cheese, just the right amount.
This burger is not as big as some of its closest competitors, but it’s got enough heft to satisfy, and the layers of beef and melted cheese both play big roles in that. It’s not all meat, or all toppings. The cheese isn’t hiding in the background. It’s a real deal double cheeseburger.
Methodology
Katie Mach / Tasting Table
These double cheeseburgers were first evaluated based on the overall flavor and texture balance. The first bite was about determining how well the flavors complemented each other and if the ingredient ratio worked both structurally and texturally. I also evaluated the flavors and textures of the burger patties in isolation, considering seasoning, juiciness, and a variety of different tasting notes. Ultimately, because this was a ranking of double cheeseburgers, my priority was the beef patties and the cheese. It was important that, in one way or another, I found that these two elements were at the forefront of the burger.
While size and overall appearance were noted, these were not key factors in my evaluation. As I had to take separate trips for the cheeseburgers, I stored them in the fridge for food safety reasons before I took photos and tasted them. I reheated them in the microwave before tasting them. Because of both my own reheating and the steaming effect of fast-food packaging, I did not evaluate any aspect of texture that I felt could be attributed to these factors.
