Mac & Cheese: calories and sugar by portion and age

Popeyes Mac & Cheese, creamy macaroni in golden cheese sauce in a white bowl, nutrition and calories

Boone’s analysis puts Popeyes Mac & Cheese at 12% of an adult’s daily calories, 47% of the daily salt limit for a child aged 4 to 6 and 0.0 teaspoons of free sugar.

How many calories are in a Popeyes Mac & Cheese? It contains 244.8 kcal, 8.8g of fat (5.4g saturated), 2g of sugar and 1.4g of salt.

Build a full meal with our nutrition calculator

Use the Boone meal calculator to build a full meal rather than view this item on its own. Add a main, fries, dips and a drink, then choose your age and sex for a more accurate view of how a Mac & Cheese fits into a day.

Nutrition information

Nutrition information: Popeyes Mac & Cheese

Energy	244.8 kcal
Fat	8.8g
of which saturates	5.4g
Carbohydrate	27.9g
of which sugars	2g
Fibre	1.6g
Salt	1.4g
Protein	11g

Nutrition figures are Popeyes UK published data, per item as sold and before any optional dips or extras. Boone converts them to the portion and age comparisons on this page.

Popeyes Mac & Cheese contains 244.8 kcal, which is 12% of the 2,000 kcal adult daily reference intake. It provides 8.8g of total fat, of which 5.4g is saturated, 2g of sugar, 1.6g of fibre, 1.4g of salt and 11g of protein.

The saturated fat content of 5.4g represents 27% of the adult daily guideline of 20g.

Sugar in Popeyes Mac & Cheese

Popeyes Mac & Cheese contains 0g of free sugar per standard serving (0.0 teaspoons). The total sugar figure Popeyes publishes is 2g; the difference is naturally present in milk and does not count towards the limits below. 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: Popeyes 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	0g 0%	0g 0%	0g 0%	0g 0%	0g 0%

Teaspoons: 0.0 tsp

Boone calculates these percentages from Popeyes 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 Popeyes Mac & Cheese

Popeyes Mac & Cheese contains 1.4g 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: Popeyes 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	1.4g 23%	1.4g 23%	1.4g 23%	1.4g 28%	1.4g 47%

Calories in Popeyes Mac & Cheese

Popeyes Mac & Cheese contains 244.8 kcal per standard serving. Low calorie share

Daily calorie needs vary by age and sex.

Calories by portion: Popeyes 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	244.8 kcal 12%	244.8 kcal 10%	244.8 kcal 13%	244.8 kcal 16%	244.8 kcal 19%

Saturated fat in Popeyes Mac & Cheese

Popeyes Mac & Cheese contains 5.4g of saturated fat per standard serving. Moderate saturated fat

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

Saturated fat by portion: Popeyes 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	5.4g 27%	5.4g 18%	5.4g 27%	5.4g 30%	5.4g 34%

Free sugar vs total sugar

Where the sugar comes from: Popeyes Mac & Cheese

Roughly 0g of the 2g counts as free sugar, or about 0.0 teaspoons. The rest is lactose, estimated from the 11g of protein. Popeyes does not publish the split, so the free figure is Boone’s estimate and is deliberately rounded so it is not understated.

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: Popeyes Mac & Cheese

Boone cannot classify this item, because Popeyes chooses not to 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.

Ingredients

Popeyes chooses not to publish an ingredient list

Ingredients: Popeyes Mac & Cheese

Popeyes does not publish the ingredients in a Popeyes Mac & Cheese, and it is under no legal obligation to do so.

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. Popeyes does not.

This means 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. That absence is Popeyes’ decision, not an omission on our part.

Popeyes is not unusual in this. UK law lets any chain serving food made to order skip ingredient labelling entirely, and the chains that publish do so by choice.

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

Allergens at a glance

Popeyes Mac & Cheese contains gluten, milk and mustard.

Allergen information: Popeyes Mac & Cheese

Allergen	Status
Cereals containing gluten	Contains
Sesame	Not present
Soya	Not present
Milk	Contains
Eggs	Not present
Fish	Not present
Crustaceans	Not present
Celery	Not present
Mustard	Contains
Molluscs	Not present
Lupin	Not present
Peanuts	Not present
Tree nuts	Not present
Sulphites	Not present

Contains = declared as an ingredient. May contain traces = Popeyes states the allergen cannot be excluded. Popeyes kitchens handle multiple foods, so no item can be guaranteed allergen free, even when an ingredient is removed from an order. Popeyes cooks its products in an oil blend that includes beef tallow. Popeyes takes care to remove bones from boneless products, but says some may remain.

Frequently asked questions

How many calories are in a Popeyes Mac & Cheese?+

Boone calculates that a Popeyes Mac & Cheese contains 244.8 kcal, which is 12% of an adult’s 2,000 kcal daily reference intake and 19% of the daily intake for a child aged 4 to 6.

How much sugar is in a Popeyes Mac & Cheese?+

Popeyes publishes a total sugar figure of 2g for a Popeyes Mac & Cheese, and Boone calculates that around 0g of that is free sugar, or about 0.0 teaspoons. The rest is lactose, which NHS daily sugar limits do not count.

How much saturated fat is in a Popeyes Mac & Cheese?+

A Popeyes Mac & Cheese contains 5.4g of saturated fat. Boone calculates this as 27% of the daily guideline for an adult woman and 18% for an adult man, because the guideline differs by sex: 20g and 30g.

How much salt is in a Popeyes Mac & Cheese?+

A Popeyes Mac & Cheese contains 1.4g of salt. Boone calculates that as 47% of the daily limit for a child aged 4 to 6 and 23% of an adult’s 6g limit.

Is a Popeyes Mac & Cheese ultra-processed?+

Popeyes does not publish ingredient lists for food made to order, and UK law does not require it to, so Boone cannot assign a NOVA group to this item.