I ranked 12 fast-food double cheeseburgers from worst to best, and my favorite was also one of the cheapest

Erin McDowellMay 29, 2024, 11:10 IST

Double cheeseburgers from In-N-Out. Cook Out, and Sonic.Erin McDowell/Business Insider; Drew Angerer/Getty Images; Don & Melinda Crawford/Education Images/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

I ranked double cheeseburgers from 12 different fast-food chains.
White Castle surprised me with its small, cheap, and super-flavorful sliders.

A classic double cheeseburger is a fast-food staple, but which chain has the best one?

May 28 marks National Burger Day, but burgers remain one of the most popular foods in the US throughout the rest of the year. A 2023 report by Cargill Meat Solutions Corporation found that 79% of Americans order burgers at restaurants at least once a month, while Forbes reported McDonald's is one of the most valuable brands in the world.

Over the years, I've tried practically every fast-food double cheeseburger on the market. For a definitive ranking, 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, and In-N-Out.

Here's every fast-food double cheeseburger ranked from worst to best.

My least favorite double cheeseburger was from Burger King. It cost me $3.89.

Burger King's double cheeseburger.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

It comes with two of the chain's beef patties, American cheese, pickles, mustard, and ketchup on a sesame-seed bun.

Burger King's double cheeseburger.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

This burger was super filling, but I liked the other burgers I tried more.

Burger King's double cheeseburger.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

Next was Wendy's double cheeseburger, which the chain calls a Double Stack. I ordered it for $4.49.

Wendy's double cheeseburger.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

A Wendy's double cheeseburger comes with two junior-size hamburger patties, American cheese, ketchup, mustard, pickles, and sweet onion.

The Wendy's Double Stack.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

The burger bun was fluffy and light, and the toppings had a ton of flavor.

Wendy's double cheeseburger.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

The McDonald's double cheeseburger cost me $5.79.

McDonald's double cheeseburger.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

The double cheeseburger from McDonald's comes with two beef patties, pickles, chopped onions, ketchup, mustard, and two slices of American cheese.

McDonald's double cheeseburger.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

I thought the ingredients came together well in this burger, but the bun was a little lackluster.

McDonald's double cheeseburger.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

In ninth place was the double-meat Whataburger with cheese.

Whataburger double meat burger with cheese.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

I ordered it with a large bun, American cheese, grilled peppers and onions, pickles, and ketchup.

Whataburger double meat burger with cheese.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

Unlike the other double cheeseburgers, this burger had sliced jalapeño peppers that I imagined would add quite the kick.

Whataburger double meat burger with cheese.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

I thought the burgers had a delightfully crispy texture to them, and the toppings added a ton of flavor.

Whataburger double meat burger with cheese.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

Coming in eighth was the double cheeseburger from P. Terry's Burger Stand, a regional chain I visited in Austin, Texas.

P. Terry's double cheeseburger.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

Despite being less expensive than the Whataburger double cheeseburger, the P. Terry's burger was larger.

P. Terry's double cheeseburger.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

I again thought the cheese could have been more melted, but the size definitely made up for that small detail.

P. Terry's double cheeseburger.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

I thought the burgers were juicy and the pickles had a tart crunch to them.

P. Terry's double cheeseburger.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

The double cheeseburger from Shake Shack was the second most expensive burger I tried.

Shake Shack double cheeseburger.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

Right away, I thought the burger was massive.

Shake Shack double cheeseburger.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

The toppings were generous and the chain's signature Shack sauce, which is a mayo-based sauce with a slight mustard flavor, made it really tasty.

Shake Shack double cheeseburger.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

However, biting into the Shake Shack burger was a little overwhelming, in my opinion.

Shake Shack double cheeseburger.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

In sixth place was the double-decker burger with cheese from Checkers.

Checkers double cheeseburger.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

I thought this burger was a little pricey for the size.

Checkers double cheeseburger.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

The burger patties were very juicy and the toppings tasted fresh.

Checkers double cheeseburger.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

I also tried the double cheese slider from White Castle.

White Castle double cheeseburger.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

The burgers were small but packed with flavor.

White Castle double cheeseburger.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

The amount of toppings on each burger was generous.

White Castle double cheeseburger.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

I was blown away by the cheeseburgers from White Castle, a result I admittedly wasn't expecting.

White Castle double cheeseburger.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

My fourth-favorite double cheeseburger was from Five Guys.

Five Guys cheeseburger.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

I was able to customize my toppings, but I ordered the burger with pickles, grilled onions, ketchup, and mustard.

Five Guys cheeseburger.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

The burger was large without being too intimidating.

Five Guys cheeseburger.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

The burger patties were crispy on the outside but juicy on the inside.

Five Guys cheeseburger.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

My third-favorite double cheeseburger came from Sonic Drive-In.

SuperSonic double cheeseburger.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

The burger came with a hearty serving of shredded lettuce, tomatoes, two slices of cheese, diced onions, pickles, mayonnaise, and ketchup.

Sonic double cheeseburger.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

The bun was perfectly soft but still held the sauce-covered burger together.

Sonic double cheeseburger.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

My second-favorite double cheeseburger came from Cook Out, a regional chain I visited in South Carolina.

Cook Out big double burger.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

The burger came wrapped in foil and featured two juicy patties.

Cook Out big double burger.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

For the price, I thought the burger was out of this world.

Cook Out big double burger.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

In my opinion, the best double cheeseburger I tried was the famous Double-Double burger from In-N-Out.

In-N-Out Double-Double burger.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

Most Double-Double burgers come with lettuce, tomato, onions, and spread.

In-N-Out Double-Double burger.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

The first thing I noticed about the In-N-Out burger was how juicy the burger patties were, followed by the incredible layers of cheese.

In-N-Out Double-Double burger.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

Of all the burgers I tried, I thought the In-N-Out double cheeseburger packed the most flavor for the best price.

In-N-Out Double-Double burger.Erin McDowell/Business Insider

I tried Gordon Ramsay's 10-minute steak-sandwich recipe. It was delicious but took me almost an hour to make.

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I ranked 12 fast-food double cheeseburgers from worst to best, and my favorite was also one of the cheapest

My least favorite double cheeseburger was from Burger King. It cost me $3.89.

It comes with two of the chain's beef patties, American cheese, pickles, mustard, and ketchup on a sesame-seed bun.

This burger was super filling, but I liked the other burgers I tried more.

Next was Wendy's double cheeseburger, which the chain calls a Double Stack. I ordered it for $4.49.

A Wendy's double cheeseburger comes with two junior-size hamburger patties, American cheese, ketchup, mustard, pickles, and sweet onion.

The burger bun was fluffy and light, and the toppings had a ton of flavor.

The McDonald's double cheeseburger cost me $5.79.

The double cheeseburger from McDonald's comes with two beef patties, pickles, chopped onions, ketchup, mustard, and two slices of American cheese.

I thought the ingredients came together well in this burger, but the bun was a little lackluster.

In ninth place was the double-meat Whataburger with cheese.

I ordered it with a large bun, American cheese, grilled peppers and onions, pickles, and ketchup.

Unlike the other double cheeseburgers, this burger had sliced jalapeño peppers that I imagined would add quite the kick.

I thought the burgers had a delightfully crispy texture to them, and the toppings added a ton of flavor.

Coming in eighth was the double cheeseburger from P. Terry's Burger Stand, a regional chain I visited in Austin, Texas.

Despite being less expensive than the Whataburger double cheeseburger, the P. Terry's burger was larger.

I again thought the cheese could have been more melted, but the size definitely made up for that small detail.

I thought the burgers were juicy and the pickles had a tart crunch to them.

The double cheeseburger from Shake Shack was the second most expensive burger I tried.

Right away, I thought the burger was massive.

The toppings were generous and the chain's signature Shack sauce, which is a mayo-based sauce with a slight mustard flavor, made it really tasty.

However, biting into the Shake Shack burger was a little overwhelming, in my opinion.

In sixth place was the double-decker burger with cheese from Checkers.

I thought this burger was a little pricey for the size.

The burger patties were very juicy and the toppings tasted fresh.

I also tried the double cheese slider from White Castle.

The burgers were small but packed with flavor.

The amount of toppings on each burger was generous.

I was blown away by the cheeseburgers from White Castle, a result I admittedly wasn't expecting.

My fourth-favorite double cheeseburger was from Five Guys.

I was able to customize my toppings, but I ordered the burger with pickles, grilled onions, ketchup, and mustard.

The burger was large without being too intimidating.

The burger patties were crispy on the outside but juicy on the inside.

My third-favorite double cheeseburger came from Sonic Drive-In.

The burger came with a hearty serving of shredded lettuce, tomatoes, two slices of cheese, diced onions, pickles, mayonnaise, and ketchup.

The bun was perfectly soft but still held the sauce-covered burger together.

My second-favorite double cheeseburger came from Cook Out, a regional chain I visited in South Carolina.

The burger came wrapped in foil and featured two juicy patties.

For the price, I thought the burger was out of this world.

In my opinion, the best double cheeseburger I tried was the famous Double-Double burger from In-N-Out.

Most Double-Double burgers come with lettuce, tomato, onions, and spread.

The first thing I noticed about the In-N-Out burger was how juicy the burger patties were, followed by the incredible layers of cheese.

Of all the burgers I tried, I thought the In-N-Out double cheeseburger packed the most flavor for the best price.