How many calories are in shrimp chow mein?
A 1-cup serving of shrimp chow mein with noodles is 257 calories, and the dish runs 117 calories per 100 g. That cup weighs 220 g and brings 19.9 g of protein with it. The noodles are what move the number: the same dish without them is 152 calories a cup.
You'd need to walk about 51 minutes to burn the 257 calories in a 1-cup (220 g) serving.
How long does it take to burn off 257 kcal of shrimp chow mein?
A 1-cup (220 g) serving is 257 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 257 kcal |
|---|---|
| Walking, brisk | 51 min |
| Cycling, moderate | 32 min |
| Swimming, moderate | 37 min |
| Jogging | 30 min |
| Weight training, moderate | 57 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
- Shrimp chow mein quick facts
- Cups, ounces and takeout containers
- With noodles, without noodles, and the other meats
- Sodium is the row to watch, not the calories
- How does shrimp chow mein compare?
- Most popular shrimp chow mein brands
- FAQ
Shrimp chow mein quick facts
The record behind every number here is FNDDS 2706712, "Shrimp chow mein or chop suey with noodles", from the USDA's 2021-2023 survey release. It was picked because it matches what people actually have in front of them: a plate or takeout box of noodles with shrimp and vegetables through it. USDA also keeps a separate record for the same dish served without noodles, and that one is treated below as a lighter preparation rather than a competing source.
The difference between those two records is the preparation, not the database. Noodles add starch and the oil they are tossed or fried in; take them out and the shrimp become a bigger share of the plate.
| Nutrient | Per 100 g | Per 1 cup (220 g) | % Daily Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 117 | 257 | — |
| Total fat | 4.03 g | 8.9 g | 11% |
| Saturated fat | 1.13 g | 2.5 g | 12% |
| Carbohydrate | 11.37 g | 25.0 g | 9% |
| Dietary fiber | 1.5 g | 3.3 g | 12% |
| Total sugars | 1.51 g | 3.3 g | — |
| Protein | 9.05 g | 19.9 g | 40% |
| Sodium | 335 mg | 737 mg | 32% |
| Cholesterol | 65 mg | 143 mg | 48% |
| Potassium | 142 mg | 312 mg | 7% |
% 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: added sugars and trans fat. FNDDS does not break those out for mixed restaurant-style dishes, so quoting them would mean inventing them. The cholesterol row is the one most people skip past and shouldn't - 143 mg in a single cup is 48% of the Daily Value the FDA sets for the Nutrition Facts label, and shellfish is why.
Cups, ounces and takeout containers
| Serving | Weight | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| 1 oz | 28 g | 33 kcal |
| 1/2 cup | 110 g | 129 kcal |
| 1 cup | 220 g | 257 kcal |
| 4 oz | 113 g | 132 kcal |
| 1 1/2 cups | 330 g | 386 kcal |
| Per 100 g | 100 g | 117 kcal |
The 1-cup, 220 g line is the household measure USDA publishes for this record. Every other line is our own arithmetic from the USDA 100 g figure, not a USDA serving - useful, but scaled rather than measured.
The gap worth knowing about is the container. A cup of noodles is a modest side; the paper cartons most takeout arrives in hold closer to a cup and a half once they are packed, which is 386 calories rather than 257. Weigh the box once on a kitchen scale and you will never have to guess again. If you split an order two ways, half a cup each is 129 calories, and that is genuinely a light plate.
With noodles, without noodles, and the other meats
| Version | Per 100 g | 1 cup | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shrimp chow mein, with noodles | 117 kcal | 220 g | 257 kcal |
| Shrimp chow mein, no noodles | 69 kcal | 220 g | 152 kcal |
| Chicken or turkey chow mein, no noodles | 83 kcal | 220 g | 183 kcal |
| Beef chow mein, no noodles | 82 kcal | 220 g | 180 kcal |
| Pork chow mein, no noodles | 98 kcal | 220 g | 216 kcal |
| Chow mein, meat not specified, no noodles | 83 kcal | 220 g | 183 kcal |
| Chow fun noodles with vegetables, meatless | 74 kcal | 220 g | 163 kcal |
The noodles nearly double the dish. Shrimp chow mein with noodles is 117 calories per 100 g; the no-noodle record is 69. Per cup that is 257 against 152. What barely changes is the protein: 9.05 g per 100 g with noodles, 8.8 g without. You are paying about 105 calories a cup for the noodles and getting starch and oil for it, which is a fair trade if the noodles are the part you came for and a poor one if they aren't.
Cholesterol runs the other way, and that surprises people. The no-noodle version carries 73 mg per 100 g against 65 mg in the noodle version, because the shrimp make up a larger share of a plate that has nothing bulking it out. Lighter in calories, denser in everything shrimp brings.
Among the meats, pork is the heaviest of the no-noodle records at 98 calories per 100 g, chicken and beef sit close together at 83 and 82, and the shrimp version at 69 is the lightest chow mein record USDA lists. Beef carries the most protein per 100 g at 10.76 g. The meatless chow fun noodles are the odd one out: 74 calories per 100 g but only 1.56 g of protein against the shrimp dish's 9.05 g, so it eats like a carbohydrate side rather than a main.
Sodium is the row to watch, not the calories
At 257 calories a cup, this is not a heavy dish. The sodium is a different story. One cup delivers 737 mg, 32% of the 2,300 mg Daily Value - about a third of a teaspoon of table salt in a side of noodles. Go up to a cup and a half and you are at roughly 1,106 mg, close to half a day, before the rice, the soup or the sauce packet.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans put the ceiling for adults at 2,300 mg a day, and most Americans clear it without noticing. If you're watching sodium, the no-noodle record is the better pick at about 579 mg a cup, scaled from its 263 mg per 100 g. Asking for sauce on the side does more than anything else on the plate.
The upside is real too. That same cup is 19.9 g of protein, 40% of the Daily Value, for 257 calories - a ratio most noodle dishes cannot touch, and one that fits the way MyPlate frames seafood as a protein food to eat more often. Saturated fat stays low at 2.5 g, 12% of the Daily Value. For a 350-450 calorie lunch, a cup of this plus a vegetable side lands neatly.
How does shrimp chow mein compare?
| Dish | Per 100 g | US serving | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shrimp chow mein, with noodles | 117 kcal | 1 cup, 220 g | 257 kcal |
| Chicken or turkey chow mein, no noodles | 83 kcal | 1 cup, 220 g | 183 kcal |
| Beef chow mein, no noodles | 82 kcal | 1 cup, 220 g | 180 kcal |
| Pork chow mein, no noodles | 98 kcal | 1 cup, 220 g | 216 kcal |
Read that table carefully, because it is not a fair fight: the three meat rows are all no-noodle records, and the shrimp row has noodles in it. Compare like with like and shrimp wins outright - 69 calories per 100 g against 82 for beef, 83 for chicken and 98 for pork.
Our take: shrimp is the leanest protein on the chow mein menu, and the noodles are the only reason its number looks high. If you want the lightest plate, order shrimp without noodles at 152 calories a cup. If you want the most food for the calories, keep the noodles - 257 calories with 19.9 g of protein is a solid lunch. Pork with noodles would be the version to skip, and sodium, not calories, is what should decide your portion size either way.
Most popular shrimp 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) |
|---|---|
| Nissin Premium Chow Mein Noodles with Shrimp (dry cup) | 474 cal |
| P.F. Chang's Home Menu Shrimp Lo Mein | 140 cal |
| Wok Street Shrimp Lo Mein Noodles | 137 cal |
| Tastee Choice Shrimp Lo Mein | 126 cal |
| Gourmet Dining Shrimp Lo Mein Stir Fry | 103 cal |
| Wegmans General Tso's Shrimp Lo Mein | 93 cal |
Brand popularity: BodyPal food database. Nutrition: manufacturer labels / USDA FoodData Central.
Shrimp chow mein FAQs
How many calories are in shrimp chow mein?
A 1-cup (220 g) serving of shrimp chow mein with noodles is 257 calories, and the dish runs 117 calories per 100 g. That figure comes from the USDA FNDDS record for shrimp chow mein or chop suey with noodles. Half a cup is 129 calories; a 1 1/2-cup takeout container is 386.
How many calories are in shrimp chow mein without noodles?
Without noodles it drops to 152 calories a cup, from a USDA record that runs 69 calories per 100 g. You lose the noodles' starch and the oil they are cooked in, but keep almost all the protein: 8.8 g per 100 g against 9.05 g in the noodle version. Sodium falls to about 579 mg a cup.
Is shrimp chow mein high in sodium?
One cup carries 737 mg of sodium, 32% of the 2,300 mg Daily Value, which is about a third of a teaspoon of table salt. A 1 1/2-cup container pushes roughly 1,106 mg, close to half a day. Calories are not the problem with this dish; sodium is.
How much protein is in shrimp chow mein?
A cup gives 19.9 g of protein, 40% of the 50 g Daily Value, from 9.05 g per 100 g. That is high for a noodle dish, and the shrimp carry it. The no-noodle version holds nearly the same at 8.8 g per 100 g, because the shrimp, not the noodles, carry the protein.
How many carbs are in shrimp chow mein?
One cup has 25.0 g of carbohydrate, 9% of the Daily Value, alongside 3.3 g of fiber and 3.3 g of total sugars. Per 100 g that is 11.37 g. Drop the noodles and carbohydrate falls to 4.27 g per 100 g, roughly 9.4 g in a cup by our own arithmetic.
Shrimp chow mein vs shrimp lo mein calories?
Shrimp chow mein with noodles is 257 calories a cup, at 117 per 100 g. USDA FNDDS does not publish a separate shrimp lo mein record, so we will not quote a number for it. The difference is the cooking: chow mein noodles are pan-fried and crisped, lo mein noodles boiled and tossed in sauce.
Is shrimp chow mein healthy?
A cup is 257 calories with 19.9 g of protein and only 2.5 g of saturated fat, which is a good trade for a lunch. Sodium is the catch at 737 mg, 32% of a day. If you're watching sodium, the no-noodle version at about 579 mg a cup is the better pick.
How many calories in takeout shrimp chow mein?
The USDA figure is 257 calories per cup, but takeout containers rarely hold one cup. A 1 1/2-cup box is 386 calories and a 2-cup box about 515, both scaled from the USDA 100 g number rather than measured. USDA does not publish restaurant-specific values, so weigh the container once.
Similar foods
- Olive — 26 cal for 5 large olives
- Masoor Dal — 207 cal per cup cooked
- Mexican rice — 279 cal per cup
- Shrimp Lo Mein — 242 cal per cup
- Egg Foo Yung — 108 cal per patty
- Tuna steak — 185 cal per steak, 6 oz
Count it without the math
Point the camera at the box and BodyPal counts the noodles and the shrimp for you.
