Calories in Caesar Salad: a Typical Serving, Broken Down by Ingredient
Quick answer: A main-size Caesar salad (150 g romaine, 3 tbsp Caesar dressing, 20 g croutons, 15 g grated parmesan) is about 420 kcal, with 9 g of protein and 34 g of fat. The dressing alone is 240 kcal, more than half the bowl. Add 120 g of chicken breast and it is about 620 kcal with 46 g of protein; switch to a low-calorie Caesar dressing and the plain salad drops to about 230 kcal.
A typical serving, ingredient by ingredient
There is no single standard Caesar, so here is the recipe we counted. The weights are a typical main-size bowl, and each ingredient comes from one USDA FoodData Central record (SR Legacy). The FDC ID is in the first column, so you can repeat the calculation.
| Ingredient (FDC ID) | Amount | kcal | Protein | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Romaine lettuce, raw (169247) | 150 g | 26 | 1.8 g | 0.5 g |
| Caesar dressing, regular (169055) | 44 g (3 tbsp) | 240 | 1.0 g | 26 g |
| Croutons, seasoned (172752) | 20 g (½ cup) | 93 | 2.2 g | 3.7 g |
| Parmesan, grated (171247) | 15 g | 63 | 4.3 g | 4.2 g |
| Total | 229 g | 420 | 9.2 g | 34 g |
How it is calculated: value per 100 g × grams ÷ 100, summed across ingredients, and only the total is rounded. The rows are rounded for display, so they add up to slightly more than the total. The dressing weight is 3 × 14.7 g, the tablespoon weight given in the USDA record.
Variations
Each variation is the same base recipe with one change, calculated the same way.
| Version | What changes | kcal | Protein | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classic, main size | Base recipe above | 420 | 9.2 g | 34 g |
| With chicken | + 120 g roasted chicken breast, no skin (171477) | 620 | 46 g | 38 g |
| With shrimp | + 100 g cooked shrimp (175180) | 520 | 33 g | 34 g |
| Light dressing | 45 g (3 tbsp) low-calorie Caesar dressing (169877) instead of regular | 230 | 8.4 g | 10 g |
| Chicken + light dressing | Both changes above | 430 | 46 g | 15 g |
| Side salad | Half of everything: 75 g romaine, 1½ tbsp dressing, 10 g croutons, 7.5 g parmesan | 210 | 4.6 g | 17 g |
The protein makes a big difference to how filling the salad is. The classic bowl has 9 g of protein. With chicken it has 46 g for another 200 kcal. With chicken and light dressing, you get a 430 kcal plate with 46 g of protein.
What moves the number
- Dressing. One tablespoon of regular Caesar dressing (14.7 g) is about 80 kcal and 8.5 g of fat. Two extra tablespoons add about 160 kcal, close to what the croutons and cheese add together. A tablespoon of low-calorie Caesar (15 g) is about 17 kcal. The 3 tbsp in our recipe also carry about 530 mg of sodium. How much salt per day →
- Croutons. A full cup of seasoned croutons (40 g) is about 185 kcal, twice the half cup in our recipe.
- Cheese. Grated parmesan is 42 kcal per 10 g. An ounce (28 g), a generous restaurant shower, is about 120 kcal.
- The lettuce. It does not move the number. 150 g of romaine is 26 kcal. In a Caesar, the lettuce mostly carries the dressing.
The same 150 g of romaine can end up in a 230 kcal bowl or a 620 kcal one. What decides it is the dressing, how many croutons go in, and whether there is protein on top.
How to log it
Photo identifies a Caesar and can estimate the size of the bowl, the croutons and the chicken. It cannot see how much dressing has soaked into the leaves, and dressing is more than half the calories. Add a voice note: "Caesar salad with extra dressing", "dressing on the side, used about half", or "light dressing".
Voice works on its own if you name the parts: "chicken Caesar, about 120 g chicken, normal dressing, a handful of croutons."
Dressing on the side is the easiest way to know what you ate. Each spoonful you add is about 80 kcal of regular Caesar.
FAQ
How many calories are in a Caesar salad? About 420 kcal for a main-size bowl with 3 tbsp of regular dressing, croutons and parmesan, and about 210 kcal for a side salad half that size. The dressing accounts for more than half.
How many calories are in a chicken Caesar salad? About 620 kcal with 120 g of roasted chicken breast and regular dressing, with 46 g of protein. With low-calorie dressing it is about 430 kcal.
How many calories are in Caesar dressing? About 80 kcal per tablespoon of regular dressing and about 17 kcal per tablespoon of low-calorie dressing. Three tablespoons of regular is about 240 kcal.
Is Caesar salad good for weight loss? It can fit a calorie deficit, but it is not low-calorie by default. A main-size bowl with regular dressing is about 420 kcal and only 9 g of protein. Adding chicken and using light dressing or less dressing gives about 430 kcal with 46 g of protein, which is easier to build a deficit around. Calorie deficit for weight loss →
Does a shrimp Caesar have fewer calories than a chicken Caesar? For the portions in our table, yes: 100 g of cooked shrimp adds 99 kcal and 24 g of protein, and 120 g of chicken breast adds 198 kcal and 37 g of protein. Shrimp gives slightly more protein per calorie: about 4 kcal per gram of protein, against about 5 for chicken breast.
Data: recipe calculation from USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy: romaine, raw (FDC 169247); Caesar dressing, regular (FDC 169055); Caesar dressing, low calorie (FDC 169877); croutons, seasoned (FDC 172752); parmesan, grated (FDC 171247); chicken breast, meat only, roasted (FDC 171477); shrimp, cooked (FDC 175180). Tablespoon and cup weights from the same records. Values checked October 2026.
Related: Calorie deficit for weight loss · How much protein per day · Voice food logging
CalMePlease logs a Caesar from a photo plus a quick voice note about the dressing, with protein and fat per bowl. Free on the App Store.
