How many calories are in pasta salad?
A 1-cup serving of pasta salad made with Italian dressing weighs 204 g and carries 271 calories. Per 100 g it runs 133 calories, which puts it among the lighter things on a potluck table. Then someone swaps the vinaigrette for mayonnaise, and the same cup lands at 451.
You'd need to walk about 54 minutes to burn the 271 calories in a 1-cup (204 g) serving.
How long does it take to burn off pasta salad?
A 1-cup (204 g) serving is 271 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 271 kcal |
|---|---|
| Walking, brisk | 54 min |
| Cycling, moderate | 34 min |
| Swimming, moderate | 39 min |
| Jogging | 32 min |
| Weight training, moderate | 1 hr |
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 (204 g); change it to what you actually ate. BodyPal works this out from your steps automatically.
On this page
- Pasta salad quick facts
- US servings, from one ounce to a full cup
- Italian dressing, creamy dressing and mayonnaise versions
- Sodium is the row to watch
- How does pasta salad compare?
- Most popular pasta salad brands
- FAQ
Pasta salad quick facts
The numbers below come from the USDA record FNDDS 2708936, "Macaroni or pasta salad, made with Italian dressing". That is the cold pasta most Americans picture: short shapes, tomatoes, chopped vegetables, tied together with a vinaigrette. The mayonnaise-bound deli macaroni salad is a different USDA record with a very different calorie line, and it gets its own section further down.
Records that add tuna, egg, shrimp or cured meat describe another dish entirely, so they are not blended in here. Nothing on this page averages one record against another.
| Nutrient | Per 100 g | Per 1 cup (204 g) | % Daily Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 133 | 271 | — |
| Total fat | 3.72 g | 7.6 g | 10% |
| Saturated fat | 0.58 g | 1.2 g | 6% |
| Carbohydrate | 20.9 g | 42.6 g | 16% |
| Dietary fiber | 1.6 g | 3.3 g | 12% |
| Total sugars | 2.37 g | 4.8 g | — |
| Protein | 3.7 g | 7.5 g | 15% |
| Sodium | 226 mg | 461 mg | 20% |
% 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 →
There is no added sugars row and no trans fat row here, because this FNDDS release does not publish either value for any pasta salad record. Cholesterol is 0 mg in the vinaigrette version, which is worth knowing if you avoid egg-based dressings, and potassium comes to 206 mg a cup, 4% of the Daily Value. The percentages follow the FDA's Daily Value reference amounts for a 2,000-calorie day.
US servings, from one ounce to a full cup
| Serving | Weight | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| 1 oz | 28 g | 37 kcal |
| 1/4 cup | 51 g | 68 kcal |
| 1/2 cup | 102 g | 136 kcal |
| 3/4 cup | 153 g | 203 kcal |
| 1 cup | 204 g | 271 kcal |
| Per 100 g | 100 g | 133 kcal |
Only the 1-cup line is a USDA household measure at 204 g. The quarter, half, three-quarter cup and ounce figures are our own arithmetic from the USDA 100 g number, not USDA servings, which is why they scale so cleanly.
The ounce row matters more than it looks. Supermarket deli counters sell pasta salad by weight, not by cup, so the sticker on the tub is the number you can actually work with: at 37 calories an ounce, a half-pound tub (227 g) is 302 calories and a full pound is about 604. Scoop it into a bowl at home and most people land near a cup and a half — around 407 calories before anything else goes on the plate.
One more trap: a cup of pasta salad is not a cup of dry pasta. Dry pasta triples in weight as it cooks and then gets diluted by vegetables and dressing, so the 204 g in that cup is mostly cooked, hydrated starch. Measuring your salad against a dry-pasta figure will overstate it badly.
Italian dressing, creamy dressing and mayonnaise versions
| Version | USDA record | Per 100 g | 1 cup (204 g) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italian dressing (base) | 2708936 | 133 kcal | 271 kcal |
| Light Italian dressing | 2708937 | 116 kcal | 237 kcal |
| Fat-free dressing | 2708940 | 134 kcal | 273 kcal |
| Creamy dressing | 2708938 | 156 kcal | 318 kcal |
| Light mayonnaise | 2708933 | 159 kcal | 324 kcal |
| With egg | 2708941 | 215 kcal | 439 kcal |
| Mayonnaise | 2708932 | 221 kcal | 451 kcal |
The spread across the table is 214 calories a cup, and not one gram of that is extra pasta. It is all dressing. In the table above, only the light Italian version comes in under the base 133 per 100 g.
Two rows deserve a second look. The fat-free dressing version is not the diet option: at 273 calories a cup it is two calories above the regular vinaigrette, because the oil was replaced with starch and sugar. Its carbohydrate climbs to 26.54 g per 100 g against 20.9 g in the base record. And the light mayonnaise version, at 324 a cup, quietly beats the full creamy-dressing one at 318. Light on the label is not always light on the plate.
The egg version at 439 is bound with mayonnaise as well, which is why it sits so close to the plain mayonnaise record rather than in the middle of the table. It does buy you protein: 10.6 g a cup instead of 7.5 g.
Retail tubs land across the same range. USDA's branded data lists a Target Archer Farms Asian-style pasta salad at 194 calories per 100 g and two Whole Foods Market macaroni salads at 279 and 379 — the top one nearly triple the vinaigrette record, because deli macaroni salad is mayonnaise first and pasta second.
Sodium is the row to watch
Calories are the easy part of this food. Sodium is the number that catches people out: one cup delivers 461 mg, 20% of the 2,300 mg Daily Value, which is about a fifth of a teaspoon of table salt sitting in a side dish. Two cups at a cookout, and two fifths of your day's sodium allowance is gone before the entree.
It gets steeper with add-ins. USDA lists the meat version at 378 mg per 100 g, which works out to 771 mg a cup, 34% of the Daily Value — our own arithmetic from that 100 g figure. Cured meat, olives and briny cheese all push the same direction. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans put 2,300 mg as the ceiling for adults, not a target.
The good news sits in the fiber row: 3.3 g a cup, 12% of the Daily Value, better than most cold sides manage. Choosing whole-grain pasta lifts it further, and MyPlate counts a cup of cooked pasta toward the day's grain servings either way. Protein is the weak column at 7.5 g, so pasta salad works better as a side than as the whole lunch.
How does pasta salad compare?
| Version | Per 100 g | US serving | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pasta salad, Italian dressing | 133 kcal | 1 cup, 204 g | 271 kcal |
| Light creamy dressing | 123 kcal | 1 cup, 204 g | 251 kcal |
| With tuna | 200 kcal | 1 cup, 204 g | 408 kcal |
| With cheese | 246 kcal | 1 cup, 204 g | 502 kcal |
Our take: if you are counting calories, the vinaigrette version at 271 a cup is a genuinely reasonable side, and light creamy at 251 is the cheapest bowl in this table. If you want the salad to be lunch rather than a side, the tuna version is the smarter 408 — it carries 13.7 g of protein a cup instead of 7.5 g, so it actually holds you. The cheese version at 502 is the one to serve in a half-cup scoop; per gram it is the heaviest thing here, and it does not buy much protein for the extra fat.
Most popular pasta salad 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) |
|---|---|
| Archer Farms Asian-Style Pasta Salad | 194 cal |
| Whole Foods Market Homestyle Macaroni Pasta Salad | 379 cal |
| Whole Foods Market Classic Macaroni Pasta Salad | 279 cal |
Brand popularity: BodyPal food database. Nutrition: manufacturer labels / USDA FoodData Central.
Pasta salad FAQs
How many calories are in a cup of pasta salad?
A 1-cup serving weighing 204 g has 271 calories when the salad is dressed with Italian vinaigrette, the USDA base record at 133 calories per 100 g. A cup of the mayonnaise version is 451 instead, so what binds the bowl matters far more than how big your scoop was.
How many calories are in 1/2 cup of pasta salad?
Half a cup is 102 g and 136 calories, our own arithmetic from the USDA 100 g figure rather than a listed USDA serving. That half cup brings 3.8 g of fat, 21.3 g of carbohydrate and 231 mg of sodium, which is already 10% of the day's sodium allowance for one small side.
Italian or creamy dressing, which pasta salad has more calories?
Creamy wins by 47 calories a cup: 318 against 271. Full mayonnaise is further ahead at 451 per cup, and light mayonnaise at 324 actually edges past the full-fat creamy version. If you want the lightest bowl on the table, light Italian dressing brings the cup down to 237 calories.
How much sodium is in pasta salad?
One cup carries 461 mg of sodium, 20% of the 2,300 mg Daily Value and roughly a fifth of a teaspoon of table salt. Per 100 g the base record lists 226 mg. Versions built with cured meat run much higher: USDA lists one at 378 mg per 100 g, or 771 mg a cup.
Is pasta salad healthy?
At 133 calories per 100 g the vinaigrette version is one of the lighter cold sides, and a cup delivers 3.3 g of fiber, 12% of the Daily Value. The weak spots are sodium at 20% per cup and protein at only 7.5 g, so treat it as a side next to a lean protein.
Does pasta salad have protein?
A cup has 7.5 g of protein, 15% of the Daily Value, and it comes from the wheat pasta rather than from anything added. That is modest for a main dish. The tuna version nearly doubles it to 13.7 g a cup, and the egg version reaches 10.6 g for 439 calories.
How many carbs are in pasta salad?
A cup holds 42.6 g of carbohydrate, 16% of the Daily Value, with 3.3 g of that as fiber and 4.8 g as total sugars. The fat-free dressing version carries more, not less: 26.54 g per 100 g against 20.9 g, because starch and sugar replace the oil that was taken out.
How many calories are in a pound of pasta salad?
A 1-pound deli tub is 454 g and about 604 calories, our own arithmetic from the USDA figure of 133 calories per 100 g rather than a USDA serving. A half-pound tub is 302. Made the mayonnaise way instead, that same pound would run roughly 1,003 calories.
Similar foods
- Potato wedges — 138 cal for 3 oz
- Ear of Corn — 99 cal per medium ear
- Sweet Potato — 103 cal per medium, baked
- Papaya salad — 190 cal per plate
- Carrot — 53 cal per cup chopped
- Onion — 46 cal per cup sliced
Count it without the math
Point the camera at the bowl and BodyPal counts the pasta salad for you, dressing and all.
