How many calories are in chow mein?
A 1-cup serving of chow mein weighs 220 g and carries 288 calories. Per 100 g the dish runs 131 calories, which is lighter than it looks for a plate of fried noodles. The reason is water and vegetables: the noodles are only part of what fills the container.
You'd need to walk about 58 minutes to burn the 288 calories in a 1-cup (220 g) serving.
How long does it take to burn off chow mein?
A 1-cup (220 g) serving is 288 kcal. Enter your weight and the amount you ate to see how long it takes you to burn that off:
lb
| Activity | Time to burn 288 kcal |
|---|---|
| Walking, brisk | 58 min |
| Cycling, moderate | 36 min |
| Swimming, moderate | 41 min |
| Jogging | 34 min |
| Weight training, moderate | 1 hr 4 min |
Times are for a 155 lb adult at a steady pace; change the weight to see yours. The amount is set to the portion in the text (220 g); change it to what you actually ate. BodyPal works this out from your steps automatically.
On this page
- Chow mein quick facts
- US servings, from one ounce to a takeout plate
- Chicken, beef, pork and shrimp chow mein
- The noodles are a third of the calories
- Sodium is the row to watch
- How does chow mein compare?
- Most popular chow mein brands
- Chow mein FAQs
Chow mein quick facts
The record used here is the USDA FNDDS entry 2706722, "Chow mein or chop suey, NS as to type of meat, with noodles". "NS as to type of meat" is USDA shorthand for the way most people actually order it: noodles, vegetables, a protein you didn't specify. That is the plate a search for chow mein calories is usually holding, so it gets the main number. Chicken, beef, pork and shrimp each have their own record, and they sit further down the page.
| Nutrient | Per 100 g | Per 1 cup (220 g) | % Daily Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 131 | 288 | — |
| Total fat | 5.43 g | 11.9 g | 15% |
| Saturated fat | 1.46 g | 3.2 g | 16% |
| Carbohydrate | 11.15 g | 24.5 g | 9% |
| Dietary fiber | 1.5 g | 3.3 g | 12% |
| Total sugars | 1.54 g | 3.4 g | — |
| Protein | 9.91 g | 21.8 g | 44% |
| Sodium | 408 mg | 898 mg | 39% |
| Cholesterol | 33 mg | 73 mg | 24% |
| Potassium | 174 mg | 383 mg | 8% |
% Daily Value is based on a 2,000-calorie diet.
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 →
Two rows you would see on a packaged label are missing here. Added sugars and trans fat are not published in this FNDDS release for mixed dishes, so there is nothing honest to put in those cells and they stay out of the table. Everything else comes straight from the single record, not blended from several sources.
The number that jumps out is protein. A cup of chow mein carries 21.8 g, which is 44% of the 50 g Daily Value used on the Nutrition Facts label. For a dish filed under noodles, that is a lot.
US servings, from one ounce to a takeout plate
| Serving | Weight | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| 1 oz | 28 g | 37 kcal |
| 1/2 cup, side portion | 110 g | 144 kcal |
| 1 cup | 220 g | 288 kcal |
| 2 cups, takeout plate | 440 g | 576 kcal |
| Per 100 g | 100 g | 131 kcal |
Only the 1-cup line and the per-100-g line come straight from USDA. The half cup, the ounce and the two-cup plate are our own arithmetic from the USDA 100 g figure, not USDA servings, which is exactly how a takeout container should be costed: nobody serves themselves 100 g.
The two-cup line is the one worth pinning down. A standard takeout container of chow mein comes back holding roughly 2 cups, and at 576 calories that is a full meal rather than a side. If it arrives next to rice, treat the noodles as the entrée and the rice as the extra, not the other way around.
Weighing beats measuring here. Chow mein packs unevenly, and a cup scooped loosely from a container can land 30 g under a cup pressed down. If you have a scale, 220 g is the honest cup.
Chicken, beef, pork and shrimp chow mein
| Version | Per 100 g | Typical serving | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken chow mein | 131 kcal | 1 cup (220 g) | 288 kcal |
| Beef chow mein | 129 kcal | 1 cup (220 g) | 284 kcal |
| Pork chow mein | 143 kcal | 1 cup (220 g) | 315 kcal |
| Shrimp chow mein | 117 kcal | 1 cup (220 g) | 257 kcal |
| Vegetable, meatless | 117 kcal | 1 cup (220 g) | 257 kcal |
| Without noodles | 83 kcal | 1 cup (220 g) | 183 kcal |
Chicken lands on the same numbers as the default record because USDA builds both from the same recipe, so ordering chicken instead of "whatever the kitchen uses" changes nothing on paper. Beef is four calories lighter per cup, not the heavy option people expect. Pork is the top of the range at 315 a cup, and shrimp is the lightest of the meat versions at 257.
Meatless chow mein ties shrimp at 257 calories a cup, but the two are not interchangeable. The meatless record holds 2.98 g of protein per 100 g against 9.91 g for the default, so a vegetable cup gives about 6.6 g of protein where the standard cup gives 21.8 g. Same calories, very different staying power.
Packaged chow mein is a separate world. The instant cups sit far above the restaurant dish: a Nissin Chow Mein Teriyaki Beef package (113 g) is 510 calories, the chicken version 500, and La Choy Chow Mein Noodles are 130 calories for a half-cup 28 g label serving. A Tai Pei frozen chicken chow mein entrée is the mild one at 300 calories for the whole 283 g container.
The noodles are a third of the calories
Here is the split most calorie pages skip. A cup of chow mein with noodles is 288 calories. The same cup of the same dish without the noodles is 183. The noodles are worth 105 calories per cup, more than a third of the total, and they carry almost all of the carbohydrate: 11.15 g per 100 g with noodles against 3.84 g without.
That gives you a real lever. Asking for extra vegetables and less noodle is not diet theater, it is a measurable 105 calories a cup, and the protein barely moves, since the no-noodle record still holds 9.78 g per 100 g.
The crispy noodles sprinkled on top are the opposite trap. Crispy chow mein noodles run 521 calories per 100 g, so a 28 g handful is 146 calories. That garnish costs more than a half cup of the actual dish, which is 144. A small pile of something crunchy outweighing a real portion of the meal is the kind of thing a scale catches and eyeballing never does.
Sodium is the row to watch
One cup delivers 898 mg of sodium, 39% of the Daily Value, or just under half a teaspoon of table salt. The two-cup takeout plate comes to 1,796 mg, which is 78% of the day, and that is before the little packets on the table.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans put the adult limit at 2,300 mg a day, so one container of chow mein takes most of it. If you are watching sodium, this is the dish to split, and the vegetable version does not save you: the meatless record is 434 mg per 100 g, slightly higher than the default 408 mg, because the seasoning does the work the meat used to do.
Calorie for calorie, though, chow mein earns its place. At 21.8 g of protein a cup it clears the bar MyPlate sets for a protein-forward meal while staying under 300 calories, and it brings 3.3 g of fiber with it. The salt is the cost, not the calories.
How does chow mein compare?
| Dish | Per 100 g | US serving | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chow mein, with noodles | 131 kcal | 1 cup (220 g) | 288 kcal |
| Lo mein, NFS | 121 kcal | 1 cup (220 g) | 266 kcal |
| Lo mein with shrimp | 121 kcal | 1 cup (220 g) | 266 kcal |
| Crispy chow mein noodles | 521 kcal | 1/2 cup (28 g) | 146 kcal |
Our take: the chow mein versus lo mein argument is smaller than the internet makes it. Lo mein is 22 calories lighter per cup, which is noise next to how much you actually scoop. What separates them is protein, 21.8 g a cup for chow mein against roughly 10.5 g for plain lo mein, so chow mein is the better pick if the goal is one meal that holds. Order lo mein only if you genuinely prefer the softer noodle, and keep the crispy noodles off both, since a handful costs more than a half cup of dinner.
Most popular chow mein brands in the United States
Ranked by how widely each product appears among foods sold in the United States, from the BodyPal food database of over 3.3 million products. Calories are the figures printed on each Nutrition Facts label, checked against USDA FoodData Central.
| Product | Calories (per 100 g) |
|---|---|
| La Choy Chow Mein Noodles | 464 cal |
| Nissin Chow Mein Teriyaki Beef | 451 cal |
| Nissin Chow Mein Spicy Teriyaki Beef | 425 cal |
| Nissin Chow Mein Chicken | 442 cal |
| Nissin Premium Chow Mein Kung Pao Chicken | 456 cal |
| Tai Pei Chicken Chow Mein | 106 cal |
Brand popularity: BodyPal food database. Nutrition: manufacturer labels / USDA FoodData Central.
Chow mein FAQs
How many calories are in 1 cup of chow mein?
A 1-cup serving weighs 220 g and holds 288 calories, based on the USDA record for chow mein with noodles at 131 calories per 100 g. That cup also brings 21.8 g of protein and 898 mg of sodium, so it is a filling, salty portion rather than a light one.
How much sodium is in chow mein?
One cup carries 898 mg of sodium, 39% of the 2,300 mg Daily Value, and a two-cup takeout plate doubles that to 1,796 mg before anyone reaches for the soy sauce. That is 78% of the daily limit in a single meal, which is the main reason to split the container.
Is chow mein healthier than lo mein?
Chow mein runs 131 calories per 100 g against 121 for lo mein, so a matching 1-cup serving is 288 versus 266. The calorie gap is small. Protein is the real difference, 21.8 g a cup against roughly 10.5 g, and that is what decides how long the meal holds you.
How many calories in chicken chow mein?
Chicken chow mein with noodles is 131 calories per 100 g, the same 288 for a 1-cup serving as the unspecified-meat record, because USDA builds both from the same recipe. Protein lands at 21.8 g and sodium at 898 mg, so choosing chicken does not lighten the plate at all.
How many calories in beef chow mein?
Beef chow mein with noodles is 129 calories per 100 g, or 284 calories for a 1-cup serving, four under the default record. The beef version is slightly leaner, 4.89 g of fat per 100 g against 5.43 g, and lower in sodium at 328 mg per 100 g against 408 mg.
Is chow mein high in protein?
Yes, 21.8 g in a 1-cup serving, which is 44% of the 50 g Daily Value and more than most noodle dishes deliver. Plain lo mein gives about 10.5 g for the same cup. Drop the meat and it falls to roughly 6.6 g, since the meatless record holds only 2.98 g per 100 g.
How many calories in crispy chow mein noodles?
A 28 g half-cup of crispy chow mein noodles is 146 calories, at 521 calories per 100 g. That handful scattered on top costs more than a half cup of the dish itself, which is 144 calories, so the crunchy garnish is denser than the meal sitting underneath it.
How many calories in a takeout container of chow mein?
A typical container holds about 2 cups, 440 g, and runs 576 calories, our own arithmetic from the USDA 100 g figure. That works out to 1,796 mg of sodium, 78% of the Daily Value, and 43.6 g of protein. Eating half and saving half keeps it near a normal lunch.
Similar foods
- Chicken Chow Mein — 288 cal per cup
- Half And Half — 20 cal per tbsp
- Snow Cone — 256 cal per snow cone
- Egg Foo Yung — 108 cal per patty
- Lasagna — 286 cal per piece
- Shrimp Lo Mein — 242 cal per cup
Count it without the math
Point the camera at the container and BodyPal counts the chow mein for you, noodles and all.
