Red Lobster Nutrition Guide: Calories, Allergens and Healthy Choices

Quick answer: Red Lobster meals range from about 240 calories for a cup of New England clam chowder to 5,590 calories for the Admiral’s Family Platter built to serve four. A typical single entree lands between 600 and 1,300 calories. The lightest adult entrees are the ones served grilled or steamed — filet mignon (390), sirloin (430) and whole steamed Maine lobster (440). Calories climb fastest with three things: breading, Alfredo sauce and butter.

Red Lobster Nutrition at a Glance

Across the menu we track, 55 items have published calorie counts. The lightest is 220 calories, the heaviest is 5,590, and the menu-wide average sits at 1,079 calories per item. 14 items come in at 600 calories or fewer.

Those averages hide an important detail, though: a “meal” at Red Lobster is rarely one item. Cheddar Bay Biscuits arrive free and refillable at about 160 calories each, most entrees come with a side, and drinks are refillable. A 660-calorie grilled salmon can comfortably become a 1,400-calorie dinner without you ordering anything extra.

For the price of each dish mentioned in this guide, check our Red Lobster menu with prices.

How to Read Red Lobster Nutrition Information

Three things are worth understanding before you use any calorie chart, including this one.

Preparation drives calories far more than the protein does. Shrimp is not inherently fattening; the breading and fryer are. The same is true of lobster, crab and fish. Once you notice this, the menu becomes easy to read: look at the cooking verb, not the seafood.

Portion definitions vary. Family platters and bundles are portioned for four people, so their headline calorie numbers look alarming until you divide them. The Admiral’s Family Platter at 5,590 calories is roughly 1,400 per person — high, but not the 5,590-calorie meal it first appears to be.

Figures are estimates. Restaurant nutrition data reflects standard recipes and standard portions. Real plates vary with kitchen practice, regional suppliers and how heavy-handed someone is with the butter sauce. Treat every number here as a close guide rather than a laboratory measurement.

Calories by Menu Category

This table is generated from our live menu database and updates automatically whenever an item changes. It shows how many items each category holds, the price range, and the average calorie count inside it.

The pattern is consistent. Kids’ meals and soups and sides sit lowest. Pasta, bowls and fried platters sit in the middle-to-high band. Seafood boils and hot platters occupy the top, because they are shareable feasts rather than single servings.

Red Lobster Menu Items Under 600 Calories

If you are eating lighter, this is the practical list. Every item below is 600 calories or fewer, pulled live from our database and sorted from lightest upward.

Menu Item	Category	Calories	Price
Cocktail Sauce (8 oz)	Biscuits & Extras	220	$2.99
New England Clam Chowder (Cup)	Soups & Sides	240	$9.99
Kids Grilled Shrimp Skewer	Kids	250	$8.99
Lobster Bisque (Cup)	Soups & Sides	340	$9.99
Caesar Side Salad	Soups & Sides	360	$5.99
6 Oz. Filet Mignon	Land & Sea	390	$33.99
Seasoned Sirloin Steak (7 oz)	Fish, Chicken & Steak	430	$21.99
Kids Popcorn Shrimp	Kids	430	$8.99
Whole Steamed Maine Lobster (1.25 lb)	Lobster, Crab & Seafood	440	$34.99
New England Clam Chowder (Bowl)	Soups & Sides	470	$11.99
Seafood-Stuffed Mushroom Caps	Starters & Appetizers	510	$10.49
Kids Golden-Fried Fish	Kids	530	$9.79
Garlic Butter Mussels	Starters & Appetizers	590	$13.99
Lobster Lover’s Duo	Signature Feasts	600	$54.99

Two things stand out. First, steak outperforms most seafood here, because a plain grilled cut carries no breading or sauce. Second, soups in the cup size are among the lightest things on the menu — but the bowl size roughly doubles them, which is the single easiest upgrade to decline.

The Highest-Calorie Items on the Menu

These are the heaviest items we track, sorted from highest down. Several are designed to serve four people, which is noted in the item name.

Note the entry that surprises most people: an eight-ounce container of tartar sauce carries more calories than most entrees on this menu. Sauces, biscuits and drinks are where a careful order quietly goes wrong.

Red Lobster Nutrition Comparisons

Calorie charts are easier to act on when you see two realistic choices side by side. Each comparison below uses items that sit on the same menu, often in the same category, so the difference is genuinely a decision you can make at the table.

Grilled Atlantic Salmon vs Crunch-Fried Flounder Sandwich

Both are fish. The grilled fillet costs $6.50 more and saves you more than a thousand calories. This is the clearest illustration on the whole menu that cooking method, not ingredient, is what you are really choosing.

Whole Steamed Maine Lobster vs Lobster & Shrimp Linguini

Lobster itself is lean, high-protein shellfish. Put it on linguini in a cream sauce and the dish nearly triples. If you came for lobster specifically, the steamed whole lobster is both the lightest and the most lobster you will get.

Lobster vs Shrimp vs Crab

As plain shellfish, all three are comparable and all three are reasonable. The divergence only appears once you move into Alfredo, breading or platter formats.

Alfredo vs Grilled: The Same Protein, Two Outcomes

Five shrimp dishes, one ingredient, a 1,840-calorie spread. The scampi at the top of this table and the popcorn shrimp platter at the bottom differ by nearly four times.

Cup vs Bowl: The Easiest Saving on the Menu

Both soups cost $9.99 as a cup and $11.99 as a bowl. Choosing the cup saves roughly 250 calories and two dollars, and a cup of chowder alongside a grilled entree is one of the most balanced orders available here.

Kids’ Menu Portions

The grilled skewer is the lightest item on the entire menu at 250 calories. It is also worth knowing that the chicken tenders on the kids’ menu carry more calories than several adult seafood entrees.

Hidden Calories: Sauces, Biscuits, Sides and Drinks

The single most common way a sensible order goes wrong at Red Lobster is not the entree. It is everything that arrives around it.

Cheddar Bay Biscuits

One Cheddar Bay Biscuit contains approximately 160 calories, 10 grams of fat, 16 grams of carbohydrates, 380 milligrams of sodium and 3 grams of protein. They are warm, complimentary with most entrees, and refilled on request. Three biscuits while you wait is roughly 480 calories — more than the entire steamed lobster you may have ordered as the sensible option. A half dozen ordered as a side is 970 calories; a dozen is 1,940.

Sauces

This is the most striking number in our entire database. An eight-ounce container of tartar sauce carries more calories than the Ultimate Feast. Cocktail sauce, being tomato and horseradish based rather than mayonnaise based, costs the same and carries a fraction of the calories. If you want a dipping sauce with fried seafood, that swap alone is worth about a thousand calories.

Drawn Butter

Steamed lobster and snow crab are served with drawn butter, and the butter is frequently not counted in the headline figure people quote for those dishes. Clarified butter runs roughly 100 calories per tablespoon. Using a full ramekin can add several hundred calories to a 440-calorie plate. Lemon does the same job for essentially nothing.

Drinks

Fountain soft drinks at $3.49 and the fresh smoothies and lemonades at $4.49 are refillable at most locations. Sweetened refills are an easy few hundred calories across a meal. Unsweetened iced tea, coffee or water carry effectively none. Our drink menu guide covers the full beverage lineup.

Nutrition by Menu Category

Below is every category with its items, prices and calorie counts, drawn live from our database. Category commentary follows the pattern you will have noticed by now: look for the grilled and steamed entries.

Starters and Appetizers

Appetizers range from 510 calories for Seafood-Stuffed Mushroom Caps up to 880 for Crispy Mozzarella Bites. Garlic Butter Mussels at 590 are the lightest genuinely seafood-forward starter, and the Lobster & Langostino Flatbread at 720 is the most shareable. Remember that a starter sits on top of an entree, not instead of it — an 880-calorie appetizer plus a 1,050-calorie pasta is a 1,900-calorie meal before biscuits.

Soups and Sides

This is the lightest category on the menu by average, and the most useful for building a balanced order. A cup of New England Clam Chowder at 240 calories or a Caesar Side Salad at 360 turns a plain grilled entree into a full meal for a modest addition. Watch the cup-to-bowl upgrade, which roughly doubles both soups.

Shrimp Favorites

The spread here runs from Garlic Butter Shrimp Scampi at 650 to the Coconut Jumbo Shrimp Entree at 1,190. Admiral’s Shrimp Trio at 730 is a reasonable middle option that lets you sample three preparations. The Bottomless Shrimp Sampler is dine-in only and, by its nature, has no fixed calorie total — what you consume depends on how many refills you take.

Lobster, Crab and Seafood

The best calorie-to-satisfaction ratio on the menu sits here. Whole Steamed Maine Lobster is 440 calories, Snow Crab Leg Cluster is 610, Grilled Rock Lobster Tail is 720. The outlier is Crab & Linguini Alfredo at 980, where the pasta and cream sauce, not the crab, account for most of the difference.

Fish, Chicken and Steak

Seasoned Sirloin Steak at 430 calories and Grilled Atlantic Salmon at 660 are the standouts. Hand-Battered Fish & Chips at 1,230 is the cheapest adult entree on the menu at $17.99 and also one of the heaviest in this category — a fair trade if you know you are making it.

Land and Sea

The 6 Oz. Filet Mignon at 390 calories is the single lightest adult entree anywhere on this menu, which surprises people who assume steak is the indulgent choice and seafood the virtuous one. Parmesan-Crusted Chicken at 610 is the lightest chicken option; Crispy Chicken Tenders at 720 and Cajun Chicken Linguini Alfredo at 1,120 climb from there.

Pasta

Every pasta dish here sits between 980 and 1,240 calories. There is no light option in this category, and that is simply the nature of linguini in Alfredo sauce. If you want pasta, the Crab & Linguini Alfredo at 980 is the lowest, and ordering a cup of soup instead of an appetizer keeps the overall meal in check.

Bowls and Sandwiches

The Southwest Shrimp Bowl at 700 calories is the lightest item in this group by a wide margin and one of the better balanced plates on the menu. The Sesame-Soy Salmon Bowl is 1,120, the Bacon Cheeseburger 940, and the Crunch-Fried Flounder Sandwich 1,690 — the highest-calorie single-serving item outside the platters and boils.

Seafood Boils

Boils are the highest-calorie category on the menu. The Cajun Garlic Butter Boil Bag is 2,100, Mariner’s Seafood Boil 1,880, Sailor’s Seafood Boil 2,600, and the Family Seafood Boil Bundle 3,600 across four servings. The shellfish is not the issue; the seasoned butter broth, corn and potatoes are. Boils are a genuine occasion meal rather than a regular order.

Signature Feasts

This category contains the menu’s sharpest internal contrast. The Lobster Lover’s Duo is 600 calories at $54.99. The Admiral’s Feast is 1,670 calories at $32.99. One is steamed lobster, the other is a fried combination platter, and the cheaper dish carries nearly three times the calories.

Hot Platters and Family Meals

The Admiral’s Family Platter at 5,590 calories is the largest single order on the menu, portioned for four people at roughly 1,400 each. Walt’s Favorite Shrimp Platter is 1,220, the Crunchy Popcorn Shrimp Platter 2,490, and the Fish Fry Family Platter 1,660. Several family bundles carry no published calorie figure, which we leave blank rather than estimate.

Kids

Four items between 250 and 690 calories. The Kids Grilled Shrimp Skewer at 250 is the lightest item on the entire menu and is a perfectly reasonable order for an adult wanting something small.

Desserts and Beverages

Vanilla Bean Cheesecake is 680 calories, Chocolate Wave Cake 910, and Warm Brownie Overload 1,230. Splitting a dessert between two people is the obvious move, and it is worth noting that the lightest dessert here carries more calories than a whole steamed lobster.

Biscuits and Extras

Covered in detail above, but to restate the essentials: 160 calories per biscuit, 970 for a half dozen, 1,940 for a dozen, and 1,210 calories in an eight-ounce tartar sauce.

Lunch and Dinner Menus

Several dishes appear on both services at identical prices and identical calorie counts. The lunch menu adds smaller plates, which is why lunch is generally the lighter visit. Full timings are in our hours guide.

Full Calorie Tables by Category

Every category below lists its items sorted from lightest to heaviest, with the lightest pick, heaviest pick and category average called out above each table. These figures come straight from our menu database.

Starters & Appetizers Nutrition

Lightest: Seafood-Stuffed Mushroom Caps (510 cal) · Heaviest: Crispy Mozzarella Bites (880 cal) · Average: 696 cal

Soups & Sides Nutrition

Lightest: New England Clam Chowder (Cup) (240 cal) · Heaviest: Lobster Bisque (Bowl) (630 cal) · Average: 408 cal

Lobster, Crab & Seafood Nutrition

Lightest: Whole Steamed Maine Lobster (1.25 lb) (440 cal) · Heaviest: Crab & Linguini Alfredo (980 cal) · Average: 732 cal

Shrimp Favorites Nutrition

Lightest: Garlic Butter Shrimp Scampi (650 cal) · Heaviest: Coconut Jumbo Shrimp Entree (1,190 cal) · Average: 905 cal

Seafood Boils Nutrition

Lightest: Mariner’s Seafood Boil (1,880 cal) · Heaviest: Family Seafood Boil Bundle (Serves 4) (3,600 cal) · Average: 2,545 cal

Signature Feasts Nutrition

Lightest: Lobster Lover’s Duo (600 cal) · Heaviest: Admiral’s Feast (1,670 cal) · Average: 1,158 cal

Fish, Chicken & Steak Nutrition

Lightest: Seasoned Sirloin Steak (7 oz) (430 cal) · Heaviest: Hand-Battered Fish & Chips (1,230 cal) · Average: 866 cal

Land & Sea Nutrition

Lightest: 6 Oz. Filet Mignon (390 cal) · Heaviest: Cajun Chicken Linguini Alfredo (1,120 cal) · Average: 654 cal

Pasta Nutrition

Lightest: Crab & Linguini Alfredo (980 cal) · Heaviest: Lobster & Shrimp Linguini (1,240 cal) · Average: 1,098 cal

Bowls & Sandwiches Nutrition

Lightest: Southwest Shrimp Bowl (700 cal) · Heaviest: Crunch-Fried Flounder Sandwich (1,690 cal) · Average: 1,113 cal

Lunch Menu Nutrition

Lightest: Seasoned Sirloin Steak (7 oz) (430 cal) · Heaviest: Cajun Chicken Linguini Alfredo (1,120 cal) · Average: 826 cal

Dinner Menu Nutrition

Lightest: Whole Steamed Maine Lobster (1.25 lb) (440 cal) · Heaviest: Mariner’s Seafood Boil (1,880 cal) · Average: 986 cal

Hot Platters Nutrition

Lightest: Walt’s Favorite Shrimp Platter (1,220 cal) · Heaviest: Admiral’s Family Platter (Serves 4) (5,590 cal) · Average: 2,740 cal

Kids Nutrition

Lightest: Kids Grilled Shrimp Skewer (250 cal) · Heaviest: Kids Chicken Tenders (690 cal) · Average: 475 cal

Biscuits & Extras Nutrition

Lightest: Cocktail Sauce (8 oz) (220 cal) · Heaviest: One Dozen Cheddar Bay Biscuits (1,940 cal) · Average: 1,085 cal

Desserts & Beverages Nutrition

Lightest: Vanilla Bean Cheesecake (680 cal) · Heaviest: Warm Brownie Overload (1,230 cal) · Average: 940 cal

Popular Items in Detail

Cheddar Bay Biscuit

Approximately 160 calories, 10 g fat, 16 g carbohydrates, 380 mg sodium, 3 g protein per biscuit. Complimentary with most entrees and refillable, which is precisely why they matter more than their individual number suggests.

Ultimate Feast

1,280 calories at $54.99. A combination plate of lobster, crab and shrimp. High in absolute terms, but notably lighter than the fried Admiral’s Feast, because most of its components are steamed rather than breaded.

Admiral’s Feast

1,670 calories at $32.99. The fried combination platter, and a useful reference point: it carries more calories than the Ultimate Feast at $22 less, because frying adds calories far more cheaply than lobster does.

Whole Steamed Maine Lobster

440 calories at $34.99 for a 1.25 lb lobster. The best protein-to-calorie ratio on the menu, provided you are moderate with the drawn butter.

New England Clam Chowder

240 calories for a cup, 470 for a bowl. The lightest non-kids item we track and a sensible way to start a meal without spending much of your calorie budget.

Admiral’s Family Platter

5,590 calories at $76.99, portioned for four. The headline number is the menu’s highest; per person it is approximately 1,400.

The Healthiest Options at Red Lobster

Ranked by calories, with the caveat that “healthiest” also depends on sodium, saturated fat and what else you order. These are the plates we would point someone to who wants a real meal rather than a token one.

Pair any of these with a cup of clam chowder (240) or a Caesar side salad (360) rather than fries, skip the biscuit basket or limit it to one, and you have a dinner between 700 and 1,100 calories at a seafood restaurant — which is a good outcome.

How to Order Lighter Without Leaving Hungry

• Read the cooking verb first. Grilled, steamed, blackened and broiled sit low. Breaded, crunchy, crispy, fried, popcorn and Alfredo sit high. This single habit does most of the work.
• Take the cup, not the bowl. Saves about 250 calories and $2 on either soup.
• Swap tartar sauce for cocktail sauce. Roughly a thousand calories of difference for the same $2.99.
• Use lemon instead of drawn butter, or ask for the butter on the side so you control the amount.
• Decide about biscuits before they arrive. One is 160 calories and genuinely enjoyable. Four is 640 and usually unnoticed.
• Order a side salad or steamed vegetables in place of fries where your entree allows a choice.
• Choose unsweetened drinks. Refillable sweetened drinks are the quietest calories in the meal.
• Split a dessert. The lightest dessert on the menu is 680 calories; half of one is a reasonable finish.
• Consider the lunch menu. Smaller portions at the same or lower prices.
• Take half home. Platter portions are genuinely large; boxing half at the start is easier than deciding at the end.

Common Nutrition Mistakes at Red Lobster

Assuming Seafood Is Automatically Light

Popcorn shrimp at 2,490 calories and steamed lobster at 440 are both seafood. The protein tells you almost nothing; the preparation tells you almost everything.

Forgetting the Biscuits Count

They are free, warm and refilled without being asked for, which is exactly why they are the most commonly uncounted calories in the meal.

Ordering Tartar Sauce by Default

At 1,210 calories for an eight-ounce container, it is the highest-calorie single item in our database relative to its size.

Treating Family Platters as One Person’s Meal

They are portioned for four. Eating one alone is not the intended use.

Drinking Your Calories

Refillable sweetened soft drinks and lemonades add up quickly across a long sit-down meal.

Adding an Appetizer to an Already Heavy Entree

An 880-calorie mozzarella starter in front of a 1,050-calorie Alfredo is a 1,930-calorie meal before biscuits, sides or dessert.

Allergens at Red Lobster

This is a seafood restaurant, and that shapes the allergen picture more than anything else. Shellfish is present throughout the menu and throughout the kitchen.

If you have a diagnosed allergy rather than a preference, speak to a manager rather than relying on menu descriptions or any third-party guide, including this one. Every item page on this site lists the ingredients and allergen notes we hold for that dish, but the kitchen is the only authority on what happens to your specific plate.

Gluten-Free Ordering at Red Lobster

Red Lobster does not operate a gluten-free kitchen, and fried items share equipment. For someone avoiding gluten by preference, the menu is workable. For someone with coeliac disease, the cross-contact risk is meaningful and worth discussing with a manager.

The safest territory is the same as the low-calorie territory: whole steamed Maine lobster, snow crab leg clusters, grilled Atlantic salmon, plain grilled steak. Request no biscuit, confirm the seasoning and sauces, and substitute a side salad or steamed vegetables for fries, which are typically cooked in shared oil.

Avoid anything described as breaded, crunchy, crispy, hand-battered, popcorn or fried; anything on linguini; the sandwiches and their rolls; the biscuits; and most desserts.

Low-Carb and Keto Ordering

The low-carb version of this menu is straightforward, because the carbohydrates are concentrated in a small number of places: the biscuits, the linguini, the breading, the fries, the corn and potatoes in the boils, and the desserts.

Order steamed or grilled protein — lobster, crab, salmon, shrimp scampi, filet mignon or sirloin — take a side salad or steamed vegetables instead of rice or fries, use butter or lemon rather than sweet sauces, and decline the biscuit basket. The 6 Oz. Filet Mignon at 390 calories and the Snow Crab Leg Cluster at 610 are both essentially carbohydrate-free as served.

A Note on Sodium

Calories are the figure most people track, but sodium is arguably the more relevant number at a seafood restaurant. Shellfish carries sodium naturally, seasoned boil broths carry a great deal more, and a single Cheddar Bay Biscuit contributes about 380 milligrams. If you are managing blood pressure, the boils and the fried platters are the items to approach carefully, and the grilled and steamed options are again the better territory.

Nutrition Glossary

Quick definitions for the terms used throughout this guide.

Calorie

A unit of food energy. Daily needs vary widely with body size, age and activity; 2,000 calories per day is the reference figure used on US nutrition labelling, not a target for every individual.

Protein

The macronutrient most concentrated in seafood, meat and dairy. Lobster, crab, shrimp and fish are all high-protein, low-fat proteins before preparation adds anything.

Carbohydrate

Found here mainly in biscuits, pasta, breading, fries, corn and potatoes, and desserts. Seafood itself contains virtually none.

Total Fat

Includes the fat naturally present in fish and the considerably larger amounts added by butter, cream sauces and frying oil.

Saturated Fat

The fraction of total fat most associated with cardiovascular risk. Butter, cream sauces and cheese are the main contributors on this menu; the omega-3 fats in salmon are not.

Sodium

Measured in milligrams. Naturally present in shellfish and added generously in seasoned broths, batters and sauces.

Cholesterol

Shellfish, particularly shrimp, is naturally higher in dietary cholesterol than most foods. Current dietary guidance treats dietary cholesterol as less influential on blood cholesterol than saturated fat, but it remains a figure some people monitor.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Concentrated in oily fish such as salmon. This is the main nutritional argument for choosing the grilled Atlantic salmon over a breaded whitefish.

Where Our Nutrition Data Comes From

Being straightforward about sourcing matters more on a nutrition page than almost anywhere else, so here is exactly how this guide is built.

The calorie figures, prices and category groupings in the tables above are held in our own menu database and rendered live onto this page. When we revise an item, this page changes with it — there is no separate static chart to fall out of date. Figures for individual items are compiled from published menu information and reviewed periodically.

Where we do not hold a verified figure, the cell is left blank rather than filled with an estimate. You will see this on several family bundles and on the dine-in refill items, where a fixed total does not meaningfully exist. We would rather show a gap than invent a number.

We publish calorie counts but not a full macronutrient breakdown for every item, because we do not hold verified fat, carbohydrate, protein and sodium figures across the whole menu. The macro figures quoted in this guide — the Cheddar Bay Biscuit, for instance — are the ones we have been able to verify against published nutrition data. For a complete official breakdown, Red Lobster’s own nutrition information is the authoritative source.

This is an independent guide. We are not owned by, affiliated with, or endorsed by Red Lobster.

Related Guides

• Drink menu: cocktails, prices and non-alcoholic options
• Hours: opening, closing and holiday schedule
• Senior menu and discounts
• $15 specials and value deals
• Endless Shrimp: price, flavors and how it works
• Copycat shrimp scampi recipe
• All Red Lobster guides

Frequently Asked Questions

How many calories are in a typical Red Lobster meal?

A single entree generally runs 600 to 1,300 calories. Once you add biscuits, a side, a drink and possibly a starter or dessert, a full sit-down meal commonly lands between 1,200 and 2,500 calories.

What is the healthiest thing to eat at Red Lobster?

Whole Steamed Maine Lobster at 440 calories is the strongest combination of lean protein and low calories. Snow Crab Leg Cluster (610) and Grilled Atlantic Salmon (660) are close behind, and the 6 Oz. Filet Mignon at 390 is the lightest adult entree of all.

What is the lowest-calorie item on the menu?

The Kids Grilled Shrimp Skewer at 250 calories, followed by a cup of New England Clam Chowder at 240 if you count soups. Among adult entrees, the 6 Oz. Filet Mignon at 390 is lowest.

What is the highest-calorie item at Red Lobster?

The Admiral’s Family Platter at 5,590 calories, though it is portioned for four people. The highest single-serving item is the Sailor’s Seafood Boil at 2,600.

How many calories are in a Cheddar Bay Biscuit?

About 160 calories, with roughly 10 grams of fat, 16 grams of carbohydrates, 380 milligrams of sodium and 3 grams of protein. A half dozen is 970 calories and a dozen is 1,940.

Are Cheddar Bay Biscuits free?

They are complimentary with most dine-in entrees and typically refilled on request. Ordering them separately costs $7.99 for a half dozen or $10.49 for a dozen.

Is Red Lobster healthy?

It can be, and it can very much not be. The same menu holds a 440-calorie steamed lobster and a 2,490-calorie popcorn shrimp platter. The determining factor is preparation: grilled and steamed dishes are genuinely light, fried and Alfredo dishes are not.

Does Red Lobster have gluten-free options?

Several dishes can be ordered without gluten-containing components — grilled and steamed proteins, salads without croutons, steamed vegetables. However, the kitchen is not gluten-free and fryers are shared, so anyone with coeliac disease should speak to a manager about cross-contact.

What can I eat at Red Lobster on a low-carb or keto diet?

Steamed lobster, snow crab clusters, grilled salmon, garlic butter shrimp scampi, filet mignon and sirloin are all essentially carbohydrate-free as served. Substitute a side salad or steamed vegetables for fries or rice and decline the biscuits.

Which dishes are highest in sodium?

The seafood boils and the fried platters, because seasoned broth, batter and sauces all carry sodium. Shellfish also contains sodium naturally. Grilled and steamed items are the lower-sodium territory.

How many calories are in Red Lobster tartar sauce?

An eight-ounce container is approximately 1,210 calories, which is more than most entrees on the menu. Cocktail sauce at the same $2.99 is around 220 calories.

Does the drawn butter count toward the calorie figure?

Published figures for steamed lobster and crab generally reflect the dish as plated, and drawn butter can add several hundred calories depending on how much you use. Asking for it on the side lets you control that.

How many calories are in the Ultimate Feast?

1,280 calories at $54.99. Notably fewer than the fried Admiral’s Feast at 1,670, because most of its components are steamed rather than breaded.

Are there any Red Lobster meals under 500 calories?

Yes. The 6 Oz. Filet Mignon (390), Seasoned Sirloin Steak (430), Whole Steamed Maine Lobster (440) and New England Clam Chowder bowl (470) all come in under 500, as do several kids’ items.

Is the kids’ menu lower in calories?

Generally yes, ranging from 250 to 690 calories. The Kids Grilled Shrimp Skewer is the lightest item on the entire menu. Note that Kids Chicken Tenders at 690 carry more calories than several adult seafood entrees.

How accurate are these calorie counts?

They reflect standard recipes and standard portions and should be treated as close estimates. Actual plates vary with kitchen practice, regional suppliers and portioning. For official figures, consult Red Lobster directly.

Do calories differ between lunch and dinner?

Dishes that appear on both menus carry the same figures. The lunch menu adds smaller plates, so a lunch visit is usually the lighter one.

Is shrimp high in cholesterol?

Shrimp is naturally higher in dietary cholesterol than most foods. Current dietary guidance places more emphasis on saturated fat than on dietary cholesterol, but it remains a figure some people monitor with their doctor.

What should I order if I want seafood but not a heavy meal?

Whole steamed Maine lobster or a snow crab leg cluster with lemon rather than butter, a cup of clam chowder instead of an appetizer, and a side salad in place of fries. That is a genuine seafood dinner in the 700 to 900 calorie range.

Where can I find allergen information for a specific dish?

Every menu item on this site has its own page listing the ingredients and allergen notes we hold. For a diagnosed allergy, confirm with a manager at the restaurant before ordering.

Red Lobster Menu Deals is an independent guide and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Red Lobster. Nutrition figures are estimates based on standard recipes and standard portions, and vary by location, preparation and portion size. This guide is general information, not medical or dietary advice. If you have a food allergy, coeliac disease or a medical condition requiring dietary management, confirm details with restaurant staff and consult a qualified healthcare professional.

Plan your own meal: add dishes together in our Red Lobster calorie and nutrition calculator to see total calories, protein, carbs, fat, sodium, price and allergens.