Boone’s analysis puts McDonald's Sweet & Sour Dip at 2% of an adult’s daily calories, 7% of the daily salt limit for a child aged 4 to 6 and 2.2 teaspoons of free sugar.
How many calories are in a McDonald's Sweet & Sour Dip? It contains 44 kcal, 0.2g of fat (0g saturated), 8.7g of sugar and 0.21g of salt, one of the lower-calorie items on the menu.
Build a full meal with our nutrition calculator
A Sweet & Sour Dip is added to something else, and its figures are almost never counted in the item it is served with. Use the Boone meal calculator to build a full meal rather than view this item on its own, then choose your age and sex for a more accurate view of what the whole order adds up to.
Nutrition information
Nutrition information: McDonald's Sweet & Sour Dip
| Energy | 44 kcal |
| Fat | 0.2g |
| of which saturates | 0g |
| Carbohydrate | 10g |
| of which sugars | 8.7g |
| Fibre | 0.4g |
| Salt | 0.21g |
| Protein | 0.1g |
Nutrition figures are McDonald’s UK published data, per item as sold and before any optional sauces or extras. Boone converts them to the portion and age comparisons on this page.
A McDonald's Sweet & Sour Dip contains 44 kcal, which is 2% of the 2,000 kcal adult daily reference intake. It provides 0.2g of total fat, of which 0g is saturated, 8.7g of sugar, 0.21g of salt, 0.1g of protein and 0.4g of fibre.
McDonald's Sweet & Sour Dip is assembled from 1 separately manufactured component. The Sweet & Sour dip alone carries 6 different classes of additive. Across the whole item the ingredient list names flavourings, glucose or glucose-fructose syrup, maltodextrin, modified starches, stabilisers and thickeners. None of these add nutritional value. They exist to make the item survive industrial production, freezing and transport.
McDonald's Sweet & Sour Dip sits at the lighter end of the menu
At 44 kcal, 8.7g of free sugar and very little salt, McDonald's Sweet & Sour Dip stays well inside every daily guideline Boone checks. Few items on this menu do.
Adult daily reference intakes (Reference Intake, RI)
Calories2,000 kcal
Total fat70g
Saturated fat20g
Carbohydrate260g
Sugars90g
Fibre30g
Salt6g
Protein50g
Sugar in McDonald's Sweet & Sour Dip
McDonald's Sweet & Sour Dip contains 8.7g of free sugar per standard serving (2.2 teaspoons). Moderate 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. The table below shows how this compares across all age groups.
Free sugar by portion: McDonald's Sweet & Sour Dip
| Portion | Adult (female)
30g | Adult (male)
30g | Age 11 to 17
30g | Age 7 to 10
24g | Age 4 to 6
19g |
|---|
| Per portion | 8.7g
29% | 8.7g
29% | 8.7g
29% | 8.7g
36% | 8.7g
46% |
| Teaspoons | 2.2 tsp |
Boone calculates these percentages from McDonald's 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; fibre is a target to reach, so a high percentage there is a good thing. For guidance only.
Salt in McDonald's Sweet & Sour Dip
McDonald's Sweet & Sour Dip contains 0.21g of salt per standard serving. Low salt
Children have lower salt limits: 3g per day for ages 4 to 6, 5g for ages 7 to 10. The table below shows how this serving compares to daily limits for adults and children.
Salt by portion: McDonald's Sweet & Sour Dip
| Portion | Adult (female)
6g | Adult (male)
6g | Age 11 to 17
6g | Age 7 to 10
5g | Age 4 to 6
3g |
|---|
| Per portion | 0.21g
3% | 0.21g
3% | 0.21g
3% | 0.21g
4% | 0.21g
7% |
Boone calculates these percentages from McDonald's 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; fibre is a target to reach, so a high percentage there is a good thing. For guidance only.
Calories in McDonald's Sweet & Sour Dip
McDonald's Sweet & Sour Dip contains 44 kcal per standard serving. Low calorie share
Daily calorie needs vary by age and sex. The table below shows how this serving compares to typical daily reference intakes.
Calories by portion: McDonald's Sweet & Sour Dip
| 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 | 44 kcal
2% | 44 kcal
2% | 44 kcal
2% | 44 kcal
3% | 44 kcal
3% |
Boone calculates these percentages from McDonald's 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; fibre is a target to reach, so a high percentage there is a good thing. For guidance only.
Saturated fat in McDonald's Sweet & Sour Dip
McDonald's Sweet & Sour Dip contains 0g of saturated fat per standard serving. Low saturated fat
The saturated fat guideline is 20g a day for women and 30g for men, and lower again for children. The table below shows how this serving compares.
Saturated fat by portion: McDonald's Sweet & Sour Dip
| Portion | Adult (female)
20g | Adult (male)
30g | Age 11 to 17
20g | Age 7 to 10
18g | Age 4 to 6
16g |
|---|
| Per portion | 0g
0% | 0g
0% | 0g
0% | 0g
0% | 0g
0% |
Boone calculates these percentages from McDonald's 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; fibre is a target to reach, so a high percentage there is a good thing. For guidance only.
Fibre in McDonald's Sweet & Sour Dip
McDonald's Sweet & Sour Dip contains 0.4g of fibre per standard serving. Very little fibre
Fibre is the one figure here that is a target to reach rather than a limit to stay under. UK guidance is 30g a day for adults, 25g for ages 11 to 17, 20g for ages 7 to 10 and 15g for ages 4 to 6. Most people in the UK fall well short. The table below shows how much of a day’s fibre this serving provides.
Fibre by portion: McDonald's Sweet & Sour Dip
| Portion | Adult (female)
30g | Adult (male)
30g | Age 11 to 17
25g | Age 7 to 10
20g | Age 4 to 6
15g |
|---|
| Per portion | 0.4g
1% | 0.4g
1% | 0.4g
2% | 0.4g
2% | 0.4g
3% |
Boone calculates these percentages from McDonald's 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; fibre is a target to reach, so a high percentage there is a good thing. For guidance only.
Ultra-processed food: what is really in it
Processing and additives: McDonald's Sweet & Sour Dip
McDonald's Sweet & Sour Dip is assembled from 1 separately manufactured component. Reading the ingredient list closely, it contains flavourings, glucose or glucose-fructose syrup, maltodextrin, modified starches, stabilisers and thickeners. These are not there to add nutritional value. They make industrial production and distribution possible.
Flavourings
Add or restore taste lost during processing. Found in the Sweet & Sour dip.
Glucose or glucose-fructose syrup
Sweeten and control texture more cheaply than sugar alone. Found in the Sweet & Sour dip.
Maltodextrin
Bulk out a product and carry flavour, with little taste of its own. Found in the Sweet & Sour dip.
Modified starches
Thicken and hold water in a way unmodified flour cannot. Found in the Sweet & Sour dip.
Stabilisers
Stop mixtures separating and hold texture during storage and transport. Found in the Sweet & Sour dip.
Thickeners
Give sauces and syrups the body they would otherwise lack. Found in the Sweet & Sour dip.
Boone classifies McDonald's Sweet & Sour Dip as NOVA group 4, ultra-processed, based on the additives named above. NOVA groups foods by how far they are from their whole-food form, not by how nutritious they are. A group 4 food is not automatically unhealthy, and a group 1 food is not automatically healthy. Read from the published ingredient list, 17-18 August 2026.
A McDonald's Sweet & Sour Dip contains at least 18 distinct ingredients: 8 raw and 10 manufactured.
Ingredient count by order: McDonald's Sweet & Sour Dip
| What you order | Raw | Manufactured | Total | % manufactured |
|---|
| McDonald's Sweet & Sour Dip on its own | 8 | 10 | 18 | 56% |
The 10 manufactured ingredients
barley malt extract, caramelised sugar syrup, glucose, glucose-fructose syrup, maltodextrin, modified maize starch, soy sauce, soya beans, soya extract, xanthan gum.
The 8 raw ingredients
apricot puree, dried red bell peppers, rapeseed oil, salt, spirit vinegar, sugar, water, wheat flour.
What those ingredients are, by type
Sugars and syrups4
Grains and flours3
Starches2
Flavourings2
Oils and fats1
Stabilisers and thickeners1
Acids and acidity regulators1
Salt and minerals1
Fruit and vegetables1
Boone counts every distinct named ingredient on McDonald’s published component lists, including sub-ingredients, and removes duplicates, so salt appearing in four components counts once. Additive class names are dropped and the named substance kept, so “stabiliser (guar gum)” counts guar gum once. Raw covers whole foods and basic kitchen staples such as flour, sugar, salt and oil. Manufactured covers substances that only exist as an output of industrial processing. Where McDonald’s lists more than one approved supplier recipe only the primary one is counted, so every figure here is a minimum. The build uses a Sweet and Sour dip.
Allergens at a glance
McDonald's Sweet & Sour Dip contains wheat, barley, soya and celery.
Allergen information: McDonald's Sweet & Sour Dip
| Allergen | Status |
|---|
| Wheat | Contains |
| Rye | Not present |
| Barley | Contains |
| Oats | Not present |
| Sesame | Not present |
| Soya | Contains |
| Milk | Not present |
| Eggs | Not present |
| Fish | Not present |
| Crustaceans | Not present |
| Celery | Contains |
| Mustard | Not present |
| Molluscs | Not present |
| Lupin | Not present |
Contains = declared as an ingredient. May contain traces = McDonald's states the allergen cannot be excluded. McDonald's prepares food in kitchens where all 14 major allergens are present and equipment is shared, so no item can be guaranteed allergen free, even when ingredients are removed on request. Buns, rolls and tortilla wraps are toasted in the same toaster as sesame-topped buns. Retrieved 17-18 August 2026.
