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Calories · American & British

Calories in mac and cheese

A typical restaurant serving of mac and cheese (one restaurant side, roughly a heaped cup, about 175 g) is about 340 calories, usually 250–1,000.

Restaurant portions vary; this is a typical estimate, not a label. Also called macaroni and cheese, macaroni cheese, mac n cheese.

~340
Mac and cheese

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

  • Protein11 g
  • Carbs27 g
  • Fat21 g

One serving

Serving
one restaurant side, roughly a heaped cup
Weight
~175 g
Per 100 g
~194

The dish

About mac and cheese

Mac and cheese is pasta in a sauce of cheese, butter and milk, so its fat comes mostly from the cheese. A side bowl is modest; a main-course skillet with bacon or a crumb crust can be two to three times more.

Ways it comes

One dish, a few numbers

Mac and cheese · rough numbers

  • Main-course bowl (about 400 g)~780

What moves the number

Why one plate is 250 and another 1,000

  • Cheese sauce made with butter and cream
  • Side vs main-course bowl
  • Baked crumb, bacon or lobster toppings

Ordering lighter

If you want a lighter plate

  • Order it as a side, not a main
  • Share a skillet with the table
  • Add a green vegetable to the plate

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 (SR Legacy) — CRACKER BARREL, macaroni n' cheese, FDC 169849 (175 g serving)
  2. USDA FoodData Central (FNDDS 2021–2023) — Macaroni or noodles with cheese, FDC 2708811
  3. UK CoFID 2021 (McCance and Widdowson's Composition of Foods) — Macaroni cheese, homemade, code 11-954

Questions

Questions people ask.

How many calories are in mac and cheese?

A typical restaurant serving of mac and cheese (one restaurant side, roughly a heaped cup, about 175 g) is about 340 calories, usually 250–1,000. The number depends mostly on the portion and how it is cooked.

Is mac and cheese high in calories?

A restaurant side is about 340. The fat comes mostly from the cheese, with butter and cream in the sauce; bacon or a crumb crust push it higher.

How many calories are in a main-course mac and cheese?

A main bowl of about 400 g is about 780, more than double a side.

What changes the calories in mac and cheese?

Cheese sauce made with butter and cream. Side vs main-course bowl.

How can I order mac and cheese lighter?

Order it as a side, not a main. Share a skillet with the table.

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.