Mac salad calories come to 439 for one cup (204 g) and 215 per 100 g. The figure to notice is fat: it supplies 48% of the calories, more than the pasta does. The dressing sets the total more than the macaroni does, and scoop size swings it further.
439kcal
1 cup · 204 g, prepared, with egg
10%protein
10.6 gProtein
46 gCarbs
23 gFat
How to burn off 439 kcal
—Walking, brisk
—Jogging
—Cycling, moderate
—Swimming
Skip the math. BodyPal counts these calories from your steps and workouts automatically.
Nutrition facts
Prepared, with egg · per 204 g
Calories
439 kcal
Protein
10.6 g
Carbohydrate
46 g
Fat
23 g
Saturated fat
4 g
Cholesterol
80 mg
Sodium
402 mg
Potassium
114 mg
Iron
2.1 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 →
Mac 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 cup (204 g)
439
10.6 g
46 g
23.3 g
402 mg
22%
Side portion (136 g)
292
7 g
30.7 g
15.6 g
268 mg
15%
With tuna (204 g)
408
13.6 g
42.6 g
20.2 g
420 mg
20%
100 g
215
5.2 g
22.5 g
11.4 g
197 mg
11%
3 × 1 cup (204 g)
1,316
31.7 g
1,206 mg
5 × 1 cup (204 g)
2,193
52.8 g
2,009 mg
A side scoop is 292 calories, a full cup is 439
A deli or cookout side portion of 136 g comes to 292 calories, about 15% of a 2000-calorie daily value. Fill a full cup (204 g) and it rises to 439 calories, or 22% of the day. The gap is only a spoonful or two, which is why mac salad totals drift so easily at a buffet.
Seconds add up fast. Two cups (408 g) reach 877 calories and 804 mg of sodium. Three cups, the kind of total a potluck plate can quietly hit over a long afternoon, land at 1,316 calories. A five-cup party bowl comes to 2,193 calories and 2,009 mg of sodium, worth knowing before you split it among a few people.
If you track food, weigh your usual scoop once. Knowing whether your spoon holds closer to 136 g or 204 g tells you which of the two numbers to log. That single check does more for accuracy than any recipe swap.
Fat outweighs the pasta in the calorie split
Per 100 g, mac salad carries 22.5 g of carbs and 11.4 g of fat. By weight the carbs win, but fat packs far more calories per gram, so the split flips: 48% of the calories come from fat, 42% from carbs and only 10% from protein. The macaroni is the bulk. The mayonnaise dressing is the energy.
The other rows are quiet. Saturated fat is 2 g per 100 g, cholesterol is 39 mg thanks partly to the egg in this USDA recipe (macaroni or pasta salad with egg), sugar is 1.8 g and fiber is 1.3 g. Nothing there stands out as a reason to skip it.
Protein is the weak spot. A cup gives 10.6 g, about 21% of the daily value, which is fine for a side and thin for a meal. If mac salad is the main event on your plate, it will not hold you long for 439 calories.
Tuna makes mac salad leaner and more filling
The USDA also lists a tuna version, and the numbers favor it. A 204 g cup with tuna comes to 408 calories against 439 for the egg version, with fat down to 20.2 g from 23.3 g. Protein climbs to 13.6 g, which is 27% of the daily value instead of 21%.
The trade is a little sodium: 420 mg per cup with tuna versus 402 mg without, or 18% of the daily value against 17%. That is a small difference. Carbs dip as well, to 42.6 g, because some of the pasta's room goes to fish.
Store-bought tuna versions such as Brown Bag Sandwich Co. Tuna Mac Salad are easy to find, though recipes differ in how heavy the dressing is. At home the lever stays the same: less mayonnaise per bowl of pasta pulls the fat row down the most, and more tuna lifts protein.
Treat mac salad as the starch on the plate
With 46 g of carbs in a cup, mac salad already fills the starch slot. Serving it beside buns, chips and corn stacks starch on starch. Paired with grilled chicken, fish or a green salad instead, a 292-calorie side portion sits comfortably in a summer meal.
Sodium is moderate for a deli salad. A cup holds 402 mg, 17% of the 2300 mg daily value, and per 100 g it has 197 mg, well under chicken salad at 653 mg or shrimp salad at 703 mg. If you watch sodium, the bigger risk is usually the salty mains it sits next to, not the mac salad itself.
Logging it is simple: BodyPal can log mac salad from a photo. The choice that moves your total most is still the one you make with the serving spoon.
How does mac salad compare?
Here is mac salad next to mac and cheese, chicken salad and shrimp salad, compared per 100 g and per usual serving.
Verdict: Calories barely differ, from 196 per 100 g for shrimp salad to 223 for mac and cheese, so mac salad at 215 is a middle pick whose real edge is sodium, at 197 mg against 653 mg for chicken salad. For staying full pick chicken salad, with 11.6 g of protein for 200 calories; for a lower-sodium side, keep mac salad.
Most popular mac salad brands in the United States
Ranked by popularity in the BodyPal database
# Productkcal / 100 g
1Brown Bag Sandwich Co. Tuna Mac Salad1 salad · 173 g405 kcal
Deli tubs are dressed more heavily than the USDA average recipe, so their label numbers read higher per 100 g. Source: manufacturer labels / USDA FoodData Central.
Mac salad FAQs
How many calories are in a cup of mac salad?
About 439 calories in one cup (204 g). A smaller 136 g side portion is about 292 calories.
Is mac salad good for weight loss?
A full cup is 439 calories with 23.3 g of fat, mostly from the dressing. A 136 g side portion at 292 calories fits a daily target more easily.
Mac salad vs mac and cheese: which has more calories?
Mac salad is 215 calories per 100 g and mac and cheese about 223, so they are close. A cup of mac salad (204 g) comes to 439 calories.
How many carbs and how much protein are in mac salad?
Per 100 g there are 22.5 g of carbs and 5.2 g of protein. One cup (204 g) works out to about 46 g of carbs and 10.6 g of protein.
How many calories are in a side portion of mac salad?
A 136 g side portion of mac salad has 292 calories, about 15% of a 2000-calorie daily value. It also brings 7 g of protein, 30.7 g of carbs and 15.6 g of fat.
How much fat is in mac salad?
A cup of mac salad (204 g) has 23.3 g of fat, and 100 g has 11.4 g. Fat supplies 48% of its calories, more than carbs at 42%, with 2 g of saturated fat per 100 g.
Does tuna mac salad have fewer calories than regular mac salad?
Yes, slightly. A 204 g cup with tuna has 408 calories versus 439 for the egg version, and protein rises to 13.6 g from 10.6 g. Sodium edges up to 420 mg from 402 mg.
How much sodium is in mac salad?
A cup of mac salad has 402 mg of sodium, 17% of the daily value, and 100 g has 197 mg. That is well below chicken salad at 653 mg or shrimp salad at 703 mg per 100 g.
How many calories are in 100 grams of mac salad?
100 g of mac salad has 215 calories, about 11% of the daily value. It contains 5.2 g of protein, 22.5 g of carbs, 11.4 g of fat and 1.3 g of fiber.
