Culver's Menu With Updated Prices & Calories (2026)

Culver's is a Midwestern fast-casual chain that started in 1984 in Sauk City, Wisconsin. Two things made it famous: ButterBurgers — fresh, never-frozen beef on a buttered bun — and fresh frozen custard churned in small batches all day. It's grown to more than 900 locations across the U.S., mostly in the Midwest and South, but it still feels more like a really dialed-in local burger spot than a corporate chain.

People don't usually talk about Culver's the way they talk about the big national chains. They talk about it the way they talk about a diner they grew up with. The food costs a couple bucks more than the value-menu giants, and once you've had the curds you understand why.

Twelve sections cover the whole menu. Tap any tile to jump to its full price and calorie table, or scroll the page top-to-bottom for the complete tour.

Here's a quick read on what to expect before you get into the details. Most singles are in the $4–$8 range, doubles climb past $10, and the seafood dinners are the priciest items on the board. Sides and drinks stay friendly enough that loading up a Value Basket doesn't sting.

Numbers are approximate 2026 averages and will vary a bit by location.

If you want one quick decision and a full meal at the end of it, this is the section to start with. Each basket pairs your main pick with crinkle-cut fries and a fountain drink, and the price already factors that combo in. I usually grab the Bacon Deluxe basket if I'm hungry, the tenders basket if I'm splitting with a kid.

Open the full value baskets page →

The ButterBurger is the reason the whole brand exists. Fresh Midwest beef, seared hard on a flat-top, and a soft bun with a brush of real butter on top. Order it as a Single if you want to actually finish it — the Triple is a wall of beef.

Open the full butterburgers page →

Custard is what people quietly drive across town for. It's churned in small batches all day so it stays dense and creamy instead of airy. The Concrete Mixer is the move if you can't decide between toppings — pick three and let them blend it.

Open the full fresh frozen custard page →

Whole white-meat chicken, breaded in-store for the crispy stuff and grilled to order for everything else. The tenders punch above their weight, especially with honey mustard. The Spicy Crispy has a real kick — not Nashville-hot, but enough to notice.

Open the full chicken page →

Fish at a custard place sounds wrong until you try it. The North Atlantic Cod is hand-battered and fries up flaky inside a crisp shell, and the butterfly shrimp are the same idea in miniature. Friday-night Wisconsin energy.

Open the full seafood page →

Beyond the burger, this is where the slow-cooked stuff lives — pot roast that's been braised until it falls apart, a proper Reuben with rye, and melts that lean hard on real cheese. Less hype than the ButterBurger, often more interesting.

Open the full sandwiches page →

Three solid options if you're trying to eat lighter or just want something green between custard runs. The Cranberry Bacon Bleu is the one I keep coming back to, and you can add grilled chicken to any of them to make it a meal.

Open the full salads page →

This is honestly where Culver's separates from the pack. Wisconsin cheese curds, crinkle-cut fries that actually have flavor, real mashed potatoes, and George's Chili. The Family size of curds is meant for sharing — most people learn that the hard way.

Open the full sides page →

Standard fountain lineup plus fresh-brewed iced tea and signature roast coffee that's better than it has any right to be. Free refills on fountain drinks and tea at most locations if you're dining in.

Open the full drinks page →

Right-sized portions of the same fresh stuff the adults are eating, plus a scoop of custard to seal the deal. Solid pick for picky eaters — the grilled cheese and tenders basically never miss.

Open the full kids' meals page →

Most sauces are free with the matching item — tartar with cod, cocktail with shrimp, honey mustard with tenders. Extras are usually around fifty cents. Ranch is the unofficial dipping sauce of the whole menu.

Open the full sauces & dressings page →

Lemon Ice is dairy-free, tart and refreshing — a smart move on a hot day or if you're skipping dairy. Seasonal treats rotate, so check the chalkboard.

Open the full lemon ice & seasonal page →

The Flavor of the Day is exactly what it sounds like: every Culver's picks one custard flavor to feature, and it changes daily. The rotation pulls from a list of around 40 flavors — Caramel Cashew, Mint Explosion, Turtle, Lemon Berry Layer Cake, stuff like that. The schedule is set a month in advance by each store.

Two ways to plan ahead: check the Culver's app (you can punch in your zip and see your local store's calendar), or just look at the chalkboard inside the restaurant. Honestly, the surprise is half the fun. If your favorite shows up, that's a good day.

Combos at Culver's are called Value Baskets — a main, crinkle-cut fries and a fountain drink in one box, priced together. There's no rotating "$5 meal deal" gimmick, but the baskets are the best per-dollar pick on the board. A single ButterBurger Cheese basket runs about $4.79 and gets you out the door full.

For families, the Family-size sides (curds, onion rings, pretzel bites, chili cheddar fries) are built to share, and the Kids' Meals come with a scoop of custard included. A double basket plus a Family curds plus two kids' meals lands around $30–$35 for four people, which is solid for the quality.

If you ask ten regulars what to order first, you'll get a list that looks roughly like this:

• The Culver's Deluxe — the flagship ButterBurger with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle and mayo.
• Wisconsin Cheese Curds — non-negotiable. Get the Medium at minimum.
• Concrete Mixer — pick three mix-ins and let them go to work.
• Original Chicken Tenders — quietly some of the best fast-food tenders going.
• Flavor of the Day in a waffle cone — depends what's on the board.
• North Atlantic Cod Sandwich — the dark horse pick, especially on Fridays.

Culver's isn't a vegetarian destination, but you won't starve. The Harvest Veggie Burger is the only fully meat-free entrée, and it's actually pretty good — black bean and quinoa based. Otherwise, the grilled cheese, cheese curds, mac & cheese, garden salads (hold the chicken), broccoli, mashed potatoes, applesauce and the entire custard menu are all fair game.

For lighter options: the Garden Fresco Salad (330 cal), a Grilled Chicken Sandwich (480 cal), or a single ButterBurger with no cheese (390 cal) all keep you under 500 calories. Pair with unsweet iced tea and skip the fries if you're really watching it.

Calories at Culver's range from "fine, I'm being good" to "I made a choice today and I stand by it." A single ButterBurger comes in around 390 calories. A Triple Bacon Deluxe with cheese is north of 1,100. A Large Concrete Mixer can hit 1,000 on its own.

Quick rules of thumb: every patty adds roughly 170–200 calories, cheese adds about 50–70, and fries scale from 220 (Small) to 430 (Large). On the custard side, custard is rich — a Small scoop is already ~310 calories before toppings. The full nutrition PDF on culvers.com has the official numbers, allergens and ingredients if you need to plan precisely.

The major allergens to know about: wheat (buns, breading), dairy (custard, cheese, butter on the bun), eggs (custard, some sauces), soy (oil and various ingredients), fish/shellfish (cod and shrimp), and tree nuts (cashews in certain custards and salads). Cross-contact is real — fried items share fryer oil, and the kitchen prep area is shared.

Culver's publishes a detailed allergen chart on their official site, and staff are generally good about answering questions if you tell them about an allergy at the counter. If you have a severe allergy, check the PDF before you go.

Gluten-free: Culver's doesn't offer certified gluten-free items. The buns, breading and many sides contain wheat, and fryers are shared between breaded and non-breaded items, so cross-contact is a near certainty. If you're celiac, it's a hard pass. If you're gluten-sensitive and willing to accept some risk, custard, garden salads, plain grilled chicken and steamed broccoli are your safer bets.

Halal: Culver's beef and chicken are not halal certified at the chain level. A small number of independently owned locations may source halal meat — call your local store to ask directly. Don't assume.

Culver's sits in the mid-tier of fast food on price. Singles run about a dollar more than McDonald's or Burger King, roughly in line with Wendy's, and noticeably cheaper than Five Guys or Shake Shack. The trade-off is real food — fresh beef instead of frozen, real cheese, custard that isn't soft serve.

A rough head-to-head on a basic single combo: McDonald's around $9–$10, Wendy's around $9–$11, Culver's around $8–$10, Five Guys around $14–$16. For what you get, Culver's is one of the better quality-to-price plays in the category.

• Order from the Value Baskets, not à la carte. The basket bundles fries and drink at a real discount.
• Use the MyCulver's Rewards app. You get a free scoop after signup, free items on your birthday, and points toward future freebies on every order.
• Get the Medium curds, not the Large. The Medium is genuinely enough for two.
• Refill the fountain drink if you're dining in — free refills at most locations.
• Watch the local store's promos. Many franchises run a $1 scoop or "scoop of the week" deal that never gets advertised nationally.
• Skip the Triple. The Double has plenty of beef. The Triple is a meme.

No. Culver's doesn't do breakfast. Most stores open between 10:00 and 10:30 a.m. local time and go straight into the full lunch and dinner menu. No breakfast sandwiches, no pancakes, no morning coffee-and-bagel routine. If you want a ButterBurger at 10:01 a.m., though, they've got you.

Standard hours are roughly 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., seven days a week, though many locations run later — especially on Fridays and Saturdays. Holiday hours change; Christmas Day is the one day most locations close entirely.

There are over 900 Culver's restaurants across roughly 26 states, with the densest footprint in Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Indiana, Iowa and Michigan, and steady growth across the South and Southwest. Use the store locator on culvers.com to find your nearest spot and check that location's exact hours — they vary store to store.

Craig and Lea Culver opened the first Culver's in 1984 in Sauk City, Wisconsin, with help from Craig's parents George and Ruth. They sold the family motel to fund it. The original idea was simple: cook beef fresh, serve it on a buttered bun, and pair it with the kind of frozen custard Wisconsinites grew up with.

The chain grew slowly and deliberately. Franchising started in 1987, and even now Culver's takes the unusual step of requiring new franchisees to complete a 60-day, in-restaurant training program before opening. That's a big reason the food quality stays consistent from one store to the next.

• Ask for the burger "Wisconsin style" — extra butter on the bun. Some stores do it automatically, some need a prompt.
• Order the cheese curds before anything else. They're best in the first three minutes off the fryer.
• Sub a Flavor of the Day into a Concrete Mixer. Most stores will do it. Don't be shy.
• Get the chicken tenders Buffalo-style with a side of ranch. Trust the locals.
• Ask for fresh fries. Polite request, every time, 90 seconds of patience. Worth it.
• If it's your birthday week, the rewards app drops a free single scoop or basket — don't sleep on it.

Culver's isn't the cheapest place to grab fast food, and it isn't trying to be. What it does is take a few simple things — fresh beef, real cheese, hand-battered chicken, custard made that morning — and do them well, consistently, in towns where people actually notice. That's a rare thing in the category.

If it's your first visit, get a single Deluxe basket, a Medium curds and whatever the Flavor of the Day is in a small cup. You'll know within five minutes whether Culver's is your kind of place. For most people, it ends up being the kind of place you start driving a little out of the way for.