Cocktail sauce calories come to 77 for a 1/4 cup (60 g) serving and 128 per 100 g. Calories aren't the number to notice, though. That same quarter cup carries 757 mg of sodium, or 33% of the daily value, and 88% of its calories come from carbs.
77kcal
1 quarter cup · 60 g, ready-to-serve
4%protein
0.8 gProtein
17 gCarbs
0.6 gFat
How to burn off 77 kcal
—Walking, brisk
—Jogging
—Cycling, moderate
—Swimming
Skip the math. BodyPal counts these calories from your steps and workouts automatically.
Nutrition facts
Ready-to-serve · per 60 g
Calories
77 kcal
Protein
0.8 g
Carbohydrate
16.9 g
Fat
0.6 g
Saturated fat
0 g
Cholesterol
0 mg
Sodium
757 mg
Potassium
185 mg
Iron
0.5 mg
Source: USDA FoodData Central
🛡️
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 →
Cocktail sauce: 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
1/4 cup (60 g)
77
0.8 g
16.9 g
0.6 g
757 mg
4%
1 tablespoon (17 g)
22
0.2 g
4.8 g
0.2 g
215 mg
1%
2 tablespoons (34 g)
44
0.5 g
9.6 g
0.4 g
429 mg
2%
100 g
128
1.4 g
28.2 g
1.1 g
1,262 mg
6%
3 × 1/4 cup (60 g)
230
2.4 g
2,272 mg
5 × 1/4 cup (60 g)
384
4.1 g
3,786 mg
A tablespoon is 22 calories, a full bowl is not
Cocktail sauce is measured in dips, and dips are hard to count. One tablespoon (17 g) is 22 calories and 215 mg of sodium. Two tablespoons (34 g) come to 44 calories and 429 mg of sodium, which is about what a careful shrimp eater uses on a small plate.
The standard 1/4 cup (60 g) serving is 77 calories, just 4% of the daily value for energy. That part is easy to absorb. The trouble starts at a party platter, where refills add up quietly. Two quarter cups (120 g) reach 154 calories, three (180 g) reach 230, and a heavy hand that works through 300 g of sauce lands at 384 calories.
The practical move is to decide on a portion before the shrimp arrive. Spoon about two tablespoons into a small ramekin instead of dipping straight from the jar. It keeps the calories under 50 and the sodium well below a fifth of the day.
Almost every calorie is carbohydrate
Per 100 g, cocktail sauce has 28.2 g of carbs, 1.4 g of protein and 1.1 g of fat. In calorie terms that is 88% carbs, 4% protein and 7% fat. This is a tomato-based condiment, so the profile looks more like ketchup than like a creamy dip.
Of those carbs, 11.8 g per 100 g are sugars, which works out to 7.1 g in a 1/4 cup and 2 g in a single tablespoon. There is also a little fiber, 1.8 g per 100 g, and 309 mg of potassium. Saturated fat and cholesterol both read 0.
The upshot: the sauce adds sweetness and acid but almost no protein. A quarter cup gives you 0.8 g of protein, which is 2% of the daily value. The protein on the plate has to come from the shrimp, crab or oysters, and those pair well because the sauce brings so little fat of its own.
Sodium is the row to watch
At 1,262 mg per 100 g, cocktail sauce is far saltier than its calorie count suggests. That 100 g portion covers 55% of the 2,300 mg daily value while delivering only 6% of daily calories. Few condiments make the imbalance this clear.
Scale it up and the numbers move fast. One 1/4 cup holds 757 mg. Two quarter cups climb to 1,514 mg, three reach 2,272 mg, which is nearly a full day, and the 300 g bowl hits 3,786 mg. Seafood such as shrimp and crab adds its own sodium on top of that.
If you watch sodium, the tablespoon is your friend. At 215 mg, or 9% of the daily value, a tablespoon lets you get the horseradish kick without spending a large share of the day's salt budget. Squeezing lemon over the shrimp first means you need less sauce for the same flavor.
Easy to fit in if you measure the dip
Low fat and modest calories make cocktail sauce one of the lighter ways to dress seafood. Compared with creamy or butter-based dips, it lets lean shrimp stay lean. The catch is entirely about volume and salt, not fat.
Pair it with foods that bring what the sauce lacks. Shrimp and crab supply protein, and a side of vegetables or a green salad adds fiber and potassium without more sodium. On a day with salty foods elsewhere, keep the sauce to a tablespoon or two.
Store-bought versions such as Heinz Zesty Cocktail Sauce, McCormick Original Cocktail Sauce for Seafood or Old Bay Cocktail Sauce can differ in sweetness and heat, so read the label. To track it quickly, BodyPal can log cocktail sauce from a photo of your plate.
How does cocktail sauce compare?
Here is cocktail sauce next to A1 sauce, enchilada sauce and soy sauce, per 100 g and per usual serving.
Verdict: If calories are the priority, enchilada sauce is the lightest at 30 per 100 g, against 128 for cocktail sauce. If sodium is the concern, cocktail sauce at 1,262 mg per 100 g beats A1 sauce at 1,647 mg and soy sauce at 5,493 mg, but enchilada sauce at 547 mg is the clear pick.
Most popular cocktail sauce brands in the United States
Ranked by popularity in the BodyPal database
# Productkcal / 100 g
1Old Bay Cocktail Sauce1/4 cup · 68 g132 kcal
2McCormick Original Cocktail Sauce for Seafood1/4 cup · 60 g133 kcal
3Key Food Fiery Cocktail Sauce1/4 cup · 60 g150 kcal
4Kraft Cocktail Sauce1/4 cup · 66 g91 kcal
5Jimmy's Cocktail Sauce2 tbsp · 28 g107 kcal
6House-Autry Cocktail Sauce1/4 cup · 60 g83 kcal
7Heinz Zesty Cocktail Sauce1/4 cup · 60 g100 kcal
All of these are the same ready-to-serve sauce, but recipes differ in sugar and horseradish, so labels run from 83 to 150 calories per 100 g. Source: manufacturer labels / USDA FoodData Central.
Cocktail sauce FAQs
How many calories are in cocktail sauce?
A 1/4 cup serving (60 g) has 77 calories and one tablespoon (17 g) has 22. Per 100 g, cocktail sauce is 128 calories.
Is cocktail sauce good for weight loss?
One tablespoon adds 22 calories, 2.0 g sugar and no meaningful fat, which makes it one of the lighter dips. The trade-off is sodium: 215 mg per tablespoon, or 1,262 mg per 100 g.
Cocktail sauce vs A1 sauce: which has fewer calories?
A1 sauce is 95 calories per 100 g against 128 for cocktail sauce, so A1 is about 33 calories lighter per 100 g.
How much sugar is in cocktail sauce?
Cocktail sauce has 11.8 g sugar per 100 g, which works out to 7.1 g in a 1/4 cup serving (60 g) and 2.0 g in a tablespoon. Total carbs are 28.2 g per 100 g.
How many calories are in 1 tablespoon of cocktail sauce?
One tablespoon (17 g) of cocktail sauce has 22 calories. It also carries 215 mg of sodium, 9% of the daily value, and 2 g of sugars, so a single tablespoon is a light, measured dip for shrimp.
Is cocktail sauce fattening?
Cocktail sauce has only 0.6 g of fat in a 1/4 cup (60 g) and 0 g of saturated fat, for 77 calories. The weight of the portion and the sodium matter more than the fat content.
How many carbs are in cocktail sauce?
A 1/4 cup (60 g) of cocktail sauce has 16.9 g of carbs, and 100 g has 28.2 g. Carbs supply 88% of its calories, and 7.1 g of the quarter cup's carbs are sugars.
What are the nutrition facts for cocktail sauce?
Per 100 g, cocktail sauce has 128 calories, 28.2 g carbs, 1.4 g protein, 1.1 g fat, 11.8 g sugars, 1.8 g fiber and 1,262 mg sodium. Cholesterol and saturated fat are 0.
How much sodium is in cocktail sauce?
A 1/4 cup (60 g) of cocktail sauce has 757 mg of sodium, which is 33% of the daily value. Two tablespoons hold 429 mg, and 100 g holds 1,262 mg.
