Mac & Cheese: calories and sugar by portion and age

Dave's Hot Chicken Mac & Cheese, elbow macaroni in creamy yellow cheese sauce in a white bowl, nutrition and calories

Boone’s analysis puts Dave's Hot Chicken Mac & Cheese at 21% of an adult’s daily calories, 60% of the daily salt limit for a child aged 4 to 6 and 0.5 teaspoons of free sugar.

How many calories are in a Dave's Hot Chicken Mac & Cheese? It contains 421 kcal, 22g of fat (13g saturated), 2g of sugar and 1.8g of salt.

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Nutrition information

Nutrition information: Dave's Hot Chicken Mac & Cheese

Energy	421 kcal
Fat	22g
of which saturates	13g
Carbohydrate	38g
of which sugars	2g
Salt	1.8g
Protein	15g

Nutrition figures are Dave's Hot Chicken UK published data from its April 2026 nutritional guide, per item as sold and excluding substitutions or extras. Boone converts them to the portion and age comparisons on this page.

Dave's Hot Chicken Mac & Cheese contains 421 kcal, which is 21% of the 2,000 kcal adult daily reference intake. It provides 22g of total fat, of which 13g is saturated, 2g of sugar, 1.8g of salt and 15g of protein.

The saturated fat content of 13g represents 65% of the adult daily guideline of 20g.

Dave's Hot Chicken publishes figures both per portion and per 100g, which puts the portion at about 228g and 185 kcal per 100g.

Sugar in Dave's Hot Chicken Mac & Cheese

Dave's Hot Chicken Mac & Cheese contains 2g of free sugar per standard serving (0.5 teaspoons). Boone counts all of the 2g total sugar Dave's Hot Chicken publishes as free sugar, because the split between added sugar and the milk sugar in the cheese is not published. Low sugar

The NHS free sugar limit is 30g per day for adults, 24g for children aged 7 to 10, and 19g for children aged 4 to 6. Free sugar excludes the sugars naturally present in milk and whole fruit.

Free sugar by portion: Dave's Hot Chicken Mac & Cheese

Portion	Adult (female) 30g	Adult (male) 30g	Age 11 to 17 30g	Age 7 to 10 24g	Age 4 to 6 19g
Per portion	2g 7%	2g 7%	2g 7%	2g 8%	2g 11%

Teaspoons: 0.5 tsp

Boone calculates these percentages from Dave's Hot Chicken UK published nutrition data against UK Dietary Reference Values and NHS free sugar and salt limits. Free sugar, salt, calories and saturated fat are limits to stay under. For guidance only.

Salt in Dave's Hot Chicken Mac & Cheese

Dave's Hot Chicken Mac & Cheese contains 1.8g of salt per standard serving. Moderate salt

Children have lower salt limits: 3g per day for ages 4 to 6, 5g for ages 7 to 10.

Salt by portion: Dave's Hot Chicken Mac & Cheese

Portion	Adult (female) 6g	Adult (male) 6g	Age 11 to 17 6g	Age 7 to 10 5g	Age 4 to 6 3g
Per portion	1.8g 30%	1.8g 30%	1.8g 30%	1.8g 36%	1.8g 60%

Calories in Dave's Hot Chicken Mac & Cheese

Dave's Hot Chicken Mac & Cheese contains 421 kcal per standard serving. Moderate calorie share

Daily calorie needs vary by age and sex.

Calories by portion: Dave's Hot Chicken Mac & Cheese

Portion	Adult (female) 2000 kcal	Adult (male) 2500 kcal	Age 11 to 17 1936 kcal	Age 7 to 10 1553 kcal	Age 4 to 6 1291 kcal
Per portion	421 kcal 21%	421 kcal 17%	421 kcal 22%	421 kcal 27%	421 kcal 33%

Saturated fat in Dave's Hot Chicken Mac & Cheese

Dave's Hot Chicken Mac & Cheese contains 13g of saturated fat per standard serving. High saturated fat

The saturated fat guideline is 20g a day for women and 30g for men, and lower for children.

Saturated fat by portion: Dave's Hot Chicken Mac & Cheese

Portion	Adult (female) 20g	Adult (male) 30g	Age 11 to 17 20g	Age 7 to 10 18g	Age 4 to 6 16g
Per portion	13g 65%	13g 43%	13g 65%	13g 72%	13g 81%

Free sugar vs total sugar

Where the sugar comes from: Dave's Hot Chicken Mac & Cheese

All 2g counts as free sugar. The cheese contains some milk sugar, but Dave's Hot Chicken does not publish how much, so Boone does not deduct it and the figure is not understated. That is 0.5 teaspoons.

NHS daily free sugar limits: 30g for adults and children 11+, 24g age 7 to 10, 19g age 4 to 6.

Ultra-processed food: what is really in it

Processing: Dave's Hot Chicken Mac & Cheese

Boone cannot classify this item, because Dave's Hot Chicken does not publish an ingredient list for it.

NOVA classification is read from an ingredient list. Without one there is no way to count additives, separate raw ingredients from manufactured ones, or say whether an item is ultra-processed. Boone does not estimate a NOVA group, because a guess presented as a classification would be worse than saying nothing.

Classification is based on published ingredient lists only. If Dave's Hot Chicken publishes one, this section will be updated.

Ingredients

Dave's Hot Chicken does not publish an ingredient list in its nutritional guide

Ingredients: Dave's Hot Chicken Mac & Cheese

The Dave's Hot Chicken UK nutritional guide gives nutrition figures for a Dave's Hot Chicken Mac & Cheese but no ingredients, and the chain is under no legal obligation to publish them.

Food made to order in a restaurant counts as non-prepacked under UK food law. The legal requirement is to declare the 14 major allergens, and for large businesses in England to show calories at the point of choice. A full ingredient list is voluntary. Some chains publish one anyway.

Without an ingredient list, no page on this site can tell you how many ingredients are in this item, how many of them are manufactured substances, or whether it is ultra-processed. Boone will not estimate any of it.

Allergen information for this item is published by Dave's Hot Chicken and is shown below. Recipes change, so always check in restaurant before ordering if you have an allergy.

Allergens at a glance

Dave's Hot Chicken Mac & Cheese contains milk, wheat and gluten.

Allergen information: Dave's Hot Chicken Mac & Cheese

Allergen	Status
Wheat	Contains
Rye	Not declared
Barley	Not declared
Oats	Not declared
Sesame	Not declared
Soya	Not declared
Milk	Contains
Eggs	Not declared
Fish	Not declared
Crustaceans	Not declared
Celery	Not declared
Mustard	Not declared
Molluscs	Not declared
Lupin	Not declared
Peanuts	Not declared
Tree nuts	Not declared
Sulphites	Not declared

Contains = declared as an ingredient in the Dave's Hot Chicken UK allergen matrix (July 2026). Not declared = not listed in that matrix, which is not the same as allergen free. Dave's Hot Chicken does not pass on suppliers' may contain warnings, shares all kitchen equipment and fryers, cannot prepare any item separately, and states that none of its dishes are gluten free. It advises anyone who needs food free of an allergen not to order.

Frequently asked questions

How many calories are in a Dave's Hot Chicken Mac & Cheese?+

Boone calculates that a Dave's Hot Chicken Mac & Cheese contains 421 kcal, which is 21% of an adult’s 2,000 kcal daily reference intake and 33% of the daily intake for a child aged 4 to 6.

How much sugar is in a Dave's Hot Chicken Mac & Cheese?+

A Dave's Hot Chicken Mac & Cheese contains 2g of sugar, all of which counts as free sugar, or about 0.5 teaspoons. That is 7% of an adult’s 30g daily limit and 11% of the 19g limit for a child aged 4 to 6.

How much saturated fat is in a Dave's Hot Chicken Mac & Cheese?+

A Dave's Hot Chicken Mac & Cheese contains 13g of saturated fat. Boone calculates this as 65% of the daily guideline for an adult woman and 43% for an adult man, because the guideline differs by sex: 20g and 30g.

How much salt is in a Dave's Hot Chicken Mac & Cheese?+

A Dave's Hot Chicken Mac & Cheese contains 1.8g of salt. Boone calculates that as 60% of the daily limit for a child aged 4 to 6 and 30% of an adult’s 6g limit.

Is a Dave's Hot Chicken Mac & Cheese ultra-processed?+

Dave's Hot Chicken does not include ingredient lists in its UK nutritional guide, and UK law does not require them for food made to order, so Boone cannot assign a NOVA group to this item.

Is a Dave's Hot Chicken Mac & Cheese classed as less healthy?+

Under the government’s 2018 nutrient profiling model a Dave's Hot Chicken Mac & Cheese scores 10. The model classes a food scoring 4 or more as less healthy, so this item would be. The 2018 model is published but not yet used for advertising rules. Dave's Hot Chicken does not publish fibre or vegetable content, so Boone estimates both from the item's components.