Chef salad calories come to 168 for one salad (236 g) and 71 per 100 g, counted with egg and cheese and no dressing. The thing to notice is the fat share: 55% of those calories come from fat, while the lettuce, tomato and carrots add volume but very little energy.
168kcal
1 salad · 236 g, egg and cheese, no dressing
24%protein
10 gProtein
9 gCarbs
10.3 gFat
How to burn off 168 kcal
—Walking, brisk
—Jogging
—Cycling, moderate
—Swimming
Skip the math. BodyPal counts these calories from your steps and workouts automatically.
Nutrition facts
Egg and cheese, no dressing · per 236 g
Calories
168 kcal
Protein
10 g
Carbohydrate
8.7 g
Fat
10.3 g
Saturated fat
5 g
Cholesterol
116 mg
Sodium
250 mg
Potassium
564 mg
Iron
0.9 mg
Source: USDA FoodData Central
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Verified nutrition data
Numbers on this page come from USDA FoodData Central, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s food composition database, and from manufacturer labels where a branded product is named. Last verified September 2026. How we verify our data →
Chef salad: calories, protein and sodium by serving
Percent of daily value uses the FDA reference of 2,000 kcal a day.
Serving
kcal
Protein
Carbs
Fat
Sodium
% DV kcal
1 salad (236 g)
168
10 g
8.7 g
10.3 g
250 mg
8%
Side portion (168 g)
119
7.1 g
6.2 g
7.3 g
178 mg
6%
1 cup (79 g)
56
3.3 g
2.9 g
3.4 g
84 mg
3%
100 g
71
4.2 g
3.7 g
4.4 g
106 mg
4%
3 × 1 salad (236 g)
503
30 g
750 mg
5 × 1 salad (236 g)
838
50 g
1,251 mg
One full salad is a 168-calorie plate
A full chef salad of 236 g lands at 168 calories, which is about 8% of the daily value. That is a light number for a bowl that big, because most of the weight is lettuce and other watery vegetables. The egg and cheese do the heavy lifting on calories, and the greens mostly fill space.
Smaller portions scale down cleanly. A side portion of 168 g comes to 119 calories, and a single cup (79 g) is just 56. If you serve chef salad next to a sandwich or soup, the side portion is the realistic number to log, not the full salad.
Going up is where the totals start to matter. Two full salads (472 g) reach 335 calories, three reach 503, and five come to 838 across 1,180 g. Few people eat five salads, but the math shows something useful: even a very large bowl stays moderate as long as dressing stays off the plate. The card counts no dressing, so anything you pour on top is extra and needs its own entry.
Fat supplies more than half the calories
The calorie split is 55% fat, 24% protein and 21% carbs. Per 100 g that works out to 4.4 g fat, 4.2 g protein and 3.7 g carbs. The fat comes from the egg yolk and cheese, which is why a salad that looks like vegetables behaves, calorie-wise, more like a dairy-and-egg dish.
Saturated fat sits at 2.1 g per 100 g, close to half of the total fat. For the full 236 g salad, total fat reaches 10.3 g. That is not a large amount, but it is the part of the plate that moves the number most if you add extra cheese or a second egg.
Protein is the quiet strength here. One salad delivers 10 g, about 20% of the daily value, for 168 calories. That is a solid ratio for a meal with this much bulk. Carbs stay low at 8.7 g per salad, and sugars only 3.8 g, mostly from tomato and carrot.
Sodium stays modest until dressing arrives
Without dressing, a full chef salad carries 250 mg of sodium, 11% of the daily value. Per 100 g it is 106 mg. Those are mild numbers for a meal, lower than many deli-style plates, because the base is fresh vegetables rather than cured meat alone.
Cholesterol is the row that stands out instead: 49 mg per 100 g, coming from the egg. If you track cholesterol, the egg is the lever. Leaving it out or using only the white trims that row, while keeping the vegetables and cheese as they are.
The real sodium risk sits outside this card. Packaged versions from brands like Marketside, Taylor Farms or Boar's Head often add ham or turkey and a dressing packet, and both push sodium up. Check the label of the kit you buy, and log the dressing separately so the salad itself keeps its honest numbers.
A light base that needs a plan for dressing
At 168 calories with 10 g of protein and 2.8 g of fiber, a chef salad works as a light lunch or a starter before a bigger dinner. It also brings potassium, 239 mg per 100 g, from the vegetables. On its own it may leave you hungry by mid-afternoon, so it pays to think about what goes with it.
Good pairings add what the salad lacks: more fiber and some slow carbs. A slice of whole-grain bread, a cup of bean soup or a piece of fruit rounds out the meal without overwhelming the total. If you want more protein, extra egg white or lean turkey adds it with less fat than more cheese.
Dressing deserves a decision, not a reflex. Measure it with a spoon, or use a lighter vinaigrette and toss well so a little goes further. BodyPal can log the salad from a photo, but adding the dressing as its own item keeps the total accurate.
How does chef salad compare?
Here is how chef salad stacks up against other salads on our site, per 100 g and per usual serving.
Verdict: For the fewest calories pick chicken caesar salad at 63 per 100 g, and for the most protein pick chicken greek salad at 10.3 g per 100 g, both close to chef salad's 71. Treat broccoli salad as a side, not a meal: it runs 270 per 100 g and 416 per cup, about 3.8 times this salad.
Most popular chef salad brands in the United States
Ranked by popularity in the BodyPal database
# Productkcal / 100 g
1Marketside Chef Salad1 container · 206 g141 kcal
2Marketside Chef Salad With Turkey & Ham1 cup · 100 g130 kcal
3Pacific Coast Fruit Chef Salad1 salad · 374 g78 kcal
4Raley's California Chef Salad10.75 oz · 305 g170 kcal
5Boar's Head Chef Salad1 cup · 100 g130 kcal
6Taylor Farms Chef Salad1 package · 220 g118 kcal
7Archer Farms Chef Salad1 salad · 220 g118 kcal
8Sunnyside Farms Chef Salad1 package · 249 g149 kcal
Packaged chef salads count the dressing and meat toppings in the container, so their labels read higher per 100 g than the no-dressing salad above. Source: manufacturer labels / USDA FoodData Central.
Chef salad FAQs
How many calories are in a chef salad?
A 236 g chef salad with egg, cheese and vegetables and no dressing is about 168 calories. A 79 g cup of it is 56 calories.
Is chef salad good for weight loss?
Without dressing it is 71 calories per 100 g, so a full 236 g salad is 168 calories with 10 g protein. Packaged versions with dressing run 118 to 170 calories per 100 g.
Chef salad vs chicken Greek salad: which has fewer calories?
Chef salad has 71 calories per 100 g and chicken Greek salad 93, so the same 236 g bowl is 168 calories versus 219.
How much protein is in a chef salad?
About 10 g in a 236 g salad, or 4.2 g per 100 g, with 10.3 g fat and 8.7 g carbs in the same salad.
How many calories are in a side portion of chef salad?
A side portion of 168 g has 119 calories, with 7.1 g of protein and 7.3 g of fat. That is about 6% of the daily value for calories, before any dressing.
How many calories are in one cup of chef salad?
One cup (79 g) of chef salad has 56 calories, 3.3 g of protein and 3.4 g of fat. It is a useful unit if you scoop salad from a larger shared bowl.
How much sodium is in a chef salad?
A full chef salad (236 g) has 250 mg of sodium, 11% of the daily value, counted without dressing. Per 100 g it is 106 mg. Dressing and deli meat raise it.
How much fat is in a chef salad?
One chef salad has 10.3 g of fat, and fat supplies 55% of its calories. Per 100 g there is 4.4 g of fat, of which 2.1 g is saturated, mostly from cheese and egg.
How much fiber is in a chef salad?
One chef salad has 2.8 g of fiber, or 1.2 g per 100 g. That is modest, so pairing it with beans, whole grains or fruit helps if you want a more filling meal.
