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Calories · American & British

Calories in Caesar salad

A typical restaurant serving of Caesar salad (one starter salad with about 45 g of dressing, about 245 g) is about 400 calories, usually 250–800.

Restaurant portions vary; this is a typical estimate, not a label. Also called classic caesar.

~400
Caesar salad

The usual range

Drawn on one 0–2,000 scale shared by every dish page, so plates compare at a glance.

Protein, carbs and fat

  • Protein9 g
  • Carbs16 g
  • Fat33 g

One serving

Serving
one starter salad with about 45 g of dressing
Weight
~245 g
Per 100 g
~162

The dish

About Caesar salad

Romaine itself adds very little; most of a caesar salad's energy comes from the creamy dressing, followed by croutons and parmesan.

What moves the number

Why one plate is 250 and another 800

  • Creamy caesar dressing: most of the total
  • Croutons and parmesan
  • Added grilled or fried chicken

Ordering lighter

If you want a lighter plate

  • Ask for the dressing on the side
  • Go lighter on croutons
  • Choose grilled chicken over crispy

Side by side

Next to other American & British dishes

American & British · typical restaurant servingAll about American & British food →

  • Hot dog~300one beef hot dog in a white bun with mustard · usually 250–650
  • Mac and cheese~340one restaurant side, roughly a heaped cup · usually 250–1,000
  • Clam chowder~350one bowl of New England chowder, about 1½ cups · usually 200–900
  • Sausage roll~350one bakery sausage roll in flaky pastry · usually 250–550
  • Caesar salad~400one starter salad with about 45 g of dressing · usually 250–800
  • Grilled cheese sandwich~400one grilled cheese on white bread · usually 300–750
  • BLT~420one café or diner BLT, no sides · usually 300–650
  • Onion rings~420one side order of 8 to 10 rings · usually 300–1,000
  • Grilled salmon~440one restaurant fillet, no sides · usually 300–650
  • French fries~490one restaurant side of fries · usually 250–700
  • Shepherd's pie~490one pub portion · usually 350–750
  • BBQ ribs~530a half rack of sauced pork ribs, about 6 ribs · usually 450–1,400

In PlateDiary

A rough number for the dishes you save — only if you want one.

Off unless you turn them on

Calories in PlateDiary are off unless you turn them on. Switch them on and, when PlateDiary AI reads your photo of the table, each dish gets one rough “~” number. Accept it or change it; a number you correct is remembered for that dish. With Calories off, the app looks exactly as it did before.

A read sends small pictures of the cut-out dishes, with the place's name as a hint — never the table photo, faces or your location. Calorie numbers never go to analytics, and nothing is written to a health app. PlateDiary AI starts with free tries; here is how it works.

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How these numbers were made

Method and sources

Last reviewed

Restaurant portions and cooking vary, so these are typical estimates for one serving, built from the sources below. Treat it as a rough number: your plate may land anywhere in the range.

If you manage a health condition, ask a doctor or registered dietitian.

AI helped draft this page; every number was checked against the sources.

  1. USDA FoodData Central (FNDDS 2021–2023) — Caesar salad, with romaine, no dressing, FDC 2709591
  2. USDA FoodData Central (FNDDS 2021–2023) — Caesar dressing, FDC 2710199

Questions

Questions people ask.

How many calories are in Caesar salad?

A typical restaurant serving of Caesar salad (one starter salad with about 45 g of dressing, about 245 g) is about 400 calories, usually 250–800. The number depends mostly on the portion and how it is cooked.

Is Caesar salad high in calories?

More than most people expect: a starter Caesar is about 400, and most of it is the creamy dressing, not the romaine. A main-size plate with crispy chicken can reach about 800.

Does dressing on the side really help?

Yes. The dressing carries most of the fat, so using only part of it is the biggest single change you can make.

Is chicken Caesar higher?

Grilled chicken adds mostly protein; crispy chicken adds fat too, which is how a main-size Caesar climbs toward the top of the range.

What changes the calories in Caesar salad?

Creamy caesar dressing: most of the total. Croutons and parmesan.

How can I order Caesar salad lighter?

Ask for the dressing on the side. Go lighter on croutons.

Can PlateDiary show calories for the dishes I eat out?

Yes, if you want it to: calories in PlateDiary are off unless you turn them on. Switch them on and each dish you save from a photo of the table gets one rough “~” number you can accept or change.