Muscle Gain
Best High-Protein Culver's Orders in 2026
The best high-protein Culver's orders in 2026, from the Cranberry Bacon Bleu Salad to a Triple ButterBurger, with official calories and protein.
The short answer
The best high-protein order at Culver's in 2026 is the Cranberry Bacon Bleu Salad with grilled chicken and Ken's Raspberry Vinaigrette: about 435 calories and 46 grams of protein, based on Culver's nutrition data. For a sandwich, the Grilled Chicken Sandwich has 36 grams of protein for 480 calories. Skip the shakes, Concrete Mixers and fries, which add calories with little protein.
Culver's is known for ButterBurgers and frozen custard, but its best protein orders are the salads. Each one comes topped with grilled chicken by default, and the Cranberry Bacon Bleu Salad has 46 grams of protein for 390 calories before dressing. That's nearly as much protein as a Triple ButterBurger (48 grams) for about half the calories.
The burgers can work too, as long as you watch the extras. A medium shake adds 740 calories and 15 grams of protein. Here's what to order, using Culver's nutrition data (linked from its Nutrition and Allergen Guide, last updated October 16, 2026) and the options on its online menu.
What has the most protein at Culver's?#
The Culver's Bacon Deluxe, Triple has the most protein of any single item on Culver's regular menu, with 68 grams, but it costs 1,150 calories. For protein per calorie, the salads with grilled chicken win easily. Here's how the main items compare, from Culver's official nutrition data:
| Item | Calories | Protein | Protein per 100 cal | Sodium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cranberry Bacon Bleu Salad (grilled chicken) | 390 | 46 g | 11.8 g | 1,490 mg |
| Garden Fresco Salad (grilled chicken) | 330 | 39 g | 11.8 g | 1,090 mg |
| Chicken Cashew Salad (grilled chicken) | 430 | 41 g | 9.5 g | 1,020 mg |
| Beef Pot Roast Sandwich | 410 | 31 g | 7.6 g | 740 mg |
| Grilled Chicken Sandwich | 480 | 36 g | 7.5 g | 1,280 mg |
| Original Chicken Tenders (2) | 260 | 19 g | 7.3 g | 780 mg |
| ButterBurger, Triple | 730 | 48 g | 6.6 g | 680 mg |
| ButterBurger Cheese, Triple | 940 | 59 g | 6.3 g | 1,340 mg |
| ButterBurger, Double | 560 | 34 g | 6.1 g | 580 mg |
| ButterBurger Cheese, Double | 700 | 41 g | 5.9 g | 1,020 mg |
| Grilled Reuben Melt | 660 | 37 g | 5.6 g | 1,930 mg |
| Pork Loin Sandwich | 580 | 31 g | 5.3 g | 990 mg |
| ButterBurger, Single | 390 | 20 g | 5.1 g | 480 mg |
| Crispy Chicken Sandwich | 690 | 28 g | 4.1 g | 1,590 mg |
Nutrition from Culver's U.S. nutrition data, last updated October 16, 2026. Salad values include grilled chicken and no dressing; Culver's online menu lists dressing as a separate choice. Not every item is at every Culver's.
What is the best high-protein meal at Culver's?#
The best high-protein meal at Culver's is the Cranberry Bacon Bleu Salad with grilled chicken and Ken's Raspberry Vinaigrette: about 435 calories and 46 grams of protein. These orders are added up from Culver's published item values:
| Order | Calories | Protein |
|---|---|---|
| Cranberry Bacon Bleu Salad + Raspberry Vinaigrette | 435 | 46 g |
| Garden Fresco Salad + Raspberry Vinaigrette | 375 | 39 g |
| Beef Pot Roast Sandwich + Steamed Broccoli | 450 | 34 g |
| Grilled Chicken Sandwich + Steamed Broccoli | 520 | 39 g |
| Grilled Chicken Sandwich + medium George's Chili | 790 | 54 g |
| Triple ButterBurger + Steamed Broccoli (bulking) | 770 | 51 g |
The salad is the best balance by a wide margin. For a hot meal, the Beef Pot Roast Sandwich with broccoli is the lightest and has the least sodium (about 780 mg). If you're bulking, a medium George's Chili adds 18 grams of protein to any sandwich for 310 calories.
Are Culver's salads high in protein?#
Yes. All three Culver's salads come with grilled chicken by default, and each has 39 to 46 grams of protein for 330 to 430 calories before dressing. That's the best protein per calorie on the menu, close to 12 grams per 100 calories for the Cranberry Bacon Bleu and Garden Fresco.
The dressing decides how light the salad stays. Ken's Raspberry Vinaigrette is 45 calories, Culver's Vinaigrette is 120, Buttermilk Ranch is 180, Ken's Bleu Cheese is 200 and Culver's Signature Sauce is 260. On the Cranberry Bacon Bleu, Culver's online menu shows the bacon and the bleu cheese crumbles at 100 calories each, so leaving one off saves 100. Swapping the grilled chicken for crispy chicken adds about 210 calories.
Which Culver's ButterBurger has the best protein per calorie?#
The Triple ButterBurger without cheese has the best protein per calorie of Culver's burgers, at 48 grams for 730 calories. Each extra patty adds protein faster than calories, while cheese adds calories and sodium:
- ButterBurger, Single: 390 calories, 20 grams of protein.
- ButterBurger, Double: 560 calories, 34 grams.
- ButterBurger, Triple: 730 calories, 48 grams, 680 mg of sodium.
- ButterBurger Cheese, Triple: 940 calories, 59 grams, 1,340 mg of sodium.
Culver's online menu lets you drop the bun, which it lists as 220 calories on a ButterBurger. The Culver's Bacon Deluxe, Double is 910 calories for 50 grams, so the plain Triple ButterBurger gets nearly as much protein for 180 fewer calories. For more burger comparisons, see our best high-protein Burger King orders.
Is the Culver's Grilled Chicken Sandwich high in protein?#
Yes. The Grilled Chicken Sandwich has 36 grams of protein for 480 calories, the most protein of Culver's regular chicken sandwiches. The Crispy Chicken Sandwich has 28 grams for 690 calories, and the Spicy Crispy has 32 grams for 680.
Two swaps on Culver's online menu cut it further: holding the mayo saves 100 calories, and skipping the bun saves 240. Culver's doesn't list protein for those swaps, so the 36 grams is for the sandwich as served. Our best high-protein Wendy's orders compare a grilled chicken sandwich at another chain.
What should you skip at Culver's when you want protein?#
Skip the custard drinks, the fried sides and the fish dinners. They add a lot of calories for little protein:
- Large Malt: 1,120 calories, 22 grams of protein and 108 grams of sugar.
- Medium Concrete Mixer: 820 calories, 15 grams of protein.
- Wisconsin Cheese Curds, Large: 980 calories and 3,030 mg of sodium for 34 grams of protein.
- North Atlantic Cod Dinner, 1 Piece: 900 calories, 22 grams of protein.
- Chili Cheddar Fries: 610 calories, 14 grams.
Medium Crinkle Cut Fries add 350 calories and 4 grams of protein to any meal; Steamed Broccoli is 40 calories with 3 grams. For drinks, Culver's Premium Lemonade is 180 calories, while a white milk adds 8 grams of protein for 110.
Is Culver's good for building muscle?#
Culver's works for building muscle if you order a salad with grilled chicken, a Pot Roast or Grilled Chicken Sandwich, or a Triple ButterBurger, and skip the custard. The salads get you 39 to 46 grams of protein for under 450 calories with a light dressing.
Protein matters if you lift. A 2018 meta-analysis in the British Journal of Sports Medicine of 49 studies found that protein supplementation increased gains in muscle mass and strength from resistance training, with no further gains in muscle mass beyond a total intake of about 1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight a day. Watch the sodium on the salads: the Cranberry Bacon Bleu is 1,490 mg before dressing, against the FDA's 2,300 mg daily limit. Our guide to high protein fast food compares the top orders across chains.
At a local burger stand or supper club that doesn't post nutrition, Menu Scan AI can help. Snap the menu with your iPhone and it estimates calories, protein, carbs and fat for each dish from the menu descriptions, then labels the best matches for your goal. Treat the results as estimates, not lab values. The app is free to download; its listing says an annual subscription is required for full access, including menu scanning and AI nutrition analysis.
Frequently asked questions#
What is the highest protein item at Culver's?#
Among single regular-menu items, the Culver's Bacon Deluxe, Triple has the most protein at 68 grams, for 1,150 calories. The 8-piece Original Chicken Tenders have 78 grams, but they're 1,040 calories and meant for sharing.
How much protein is in a Culver's salad?#
Culver's salads come with grilled chicken and have 39 to 46 grams of protein before dressing: 46 grams in the Cranberry Bacon Bleu, 41 in the Chicken Cashew and 39 in the Garden Fresco.
How much protein is in the Culver's Grilled Chicken Sandwich?#
The Grilled Chicken Sandwich has 36 grams of protein and 480 calories as served, according to Culver's nutrition data.
How much protein is in a Culver's ButterBurger?#
A Single ButterBurger has 20 grams of protein and 390 calories, a Double has 34 grams and 560 calories, and a Triple has 48 grams and 730 calories.
What is the lowest calorie high-protein order at Culver's?#
The Garden Fresco Salad with grilled chicken and Ken's Raspberry Vinaigrette is about 375 calories with 39 grams of protein. Two Original Chicken Tenders are 260 calories with 19 grams.
Sources#
- Culver's: Nutrition and Allergen Guide, the official nutrition page
- Culver's: Interactive Nutrition Menu, Culver's U.S. nutrition data (last updated October 16, 2026) for burgers, chicken, salads, sandwiches, sides, dressings, custard and drinks
- Culver's: Cranberry Bacon Bleu Salad, default grilled chicken, protein swaps, toppings and dressing choices
- Culver's: Grilled Chicken Sandwich, bun and mayo options with their calories
- Morton et al., British Journal of Sports Medicine (2018), protein intake and muscle gains from resistance training
- FDA: Sodium in Your Diet, the 2,300 mg daily sodium limit