Olive Garden Nutrition Information: Calories, Sodium and Healthy Picks
Want to eat at Olive Garden without blowing your calorie budget? You can. You just need the numbers. Some dinner entrées come in under 500 calories. Others pack more than a full day of sodium on one plate.
This guide gives you the Olive Garden nutrition information people search for most: calories in breadsticks, salad and soups, the lightest entrées, the heaviest ones and the swaps that work. Every figure comes from Olive Garden’s U.S. nutrition guide, updated August 31, 2026. For dishes and prices, start with our Olive Garden menu with prices.
Key facts
- One breadstick with garlic topping has 140 calories. A plain one has 130.
- One serving of Famous House Salad with Signature Italian Dressing has 150 calories.
- Minestrone is the lightest soup at 110 calories per bowl.
- Shrimp Scampi (490 calories) and Herb-Grilled Salmon (610 calories) rank among the lightest dinner entrées.
- Tour of Italy has 1,550 calories and 3,220 mg of sodium.
- Olive Garden bases its numbers on standard recipes, so your plate can differ.
Where Can You Find Official Olive Garden Nutrition Information?
Olive Garden publishes a full nutrition guide for its U.S. restaurants, excluding Hawaii. It lists calories, fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbs, fiber, sugar and protein for each item. You’ll find it in the Nutrition section of the Olive Garden website. Restaurant menus also show calories next to each dish.
Keep three things in mind:
- The guide uses 2,000 calories a day as general advice. Your needs may differ.
- The guide may leave out limited-time offers, regional dishes and test items.
- Olive Garden updates the guide from time to time. Check it before each visit.
Got a question about a specific dish? Call Olive Garden Guest Relations at 1-800-331-2729, Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern.
How Many Calories Are in Olive Garden Breadsticks?
One breadstick with garlic topping has 140 calories and 460 mg of sodium. Skip the topping and it drops to 130 calories and 280 mg of sodium. Each one carries 25 grams of carbs.
That sounds small. The basket is the real problem. Your server keeps it coming. Four breadsticks with garlic topping add 560 calories before your entrée even lands.
Dipping sauces add more. Here’s how they compare. Planning to share a starter too? Our Olive Garden appetizers guide covers those.
| Breadstick or sauce | Calories | Sodium |
|---|---|---|
| Breadstick with garlic topping (1) | 140 | 460 mg |
| Breadstick, plain (1) | 130 | 280 mg |
| Marinara dipping sauce | 70 | 640 mg |
| Five Cheese Marinara dipping sauce | 200 | 650 mg |
| Alfredo dipping sauce | 440 | 600 mg |
| Spicy Alfredo dipping sauce | 490 | 700 mg |
Tip: Ask for one breadstick per person to start. You still get the taste. You just skip the endless refill.
How Many Calories Are in Olive Garden Salad?
One serving of Famous House Salad with Signature Italian Dressing has 150 calories and 770 mg of sodium. Without dressing, it has 70 calories. The dressing alone adds 80 calories per fluid ounce.
So what counts as one serving? About 5 ounces. Olive Garden brings about 10 ounces for a party of 1 or 2 guests, so half the bowl equals one serving. Go back for a second bowl and the numbers climb fast.
Want it lighter? Ask for Low-Fat Italian Dressing. It has 30 calories per fluid ounce. You can also ask for the dressing on the side and dip your fork instead of pouring.
Olive Garden Soup Calories and Sodium
Each of the four core soups stays under 250 calories per 8-ounce bowl. Sodium tells a different story.
| Soup (per bowl) | Calories | Sodium |
|---|---|---|
| Minestrone | 110 | 810 mg |
| Pasta e Fagioli | 150 | 710 mg |
| Zuppa Toscana | 220 | 790 mg |
| Chicken & Gnocchi | 230 | 1,290 mg |
Minestrone wins on calories. It’s full of beans and vegetables. Pasta e Fagioli has the least sodium. Chicken & Gnocchi is the creamiest pick and the saltiest. Love it anyway? Our Chicken & Gnocchi soup page covers it in detail. You can compare every bowl on the Olive Garden soups menu.
What Is the Lowest-Calorie Meal at Olive Garden?
The soup, salad and breadsticks combo makes one of the lightest full meals. Pick minestrone, one serving of salad with Signature Italian Dressing and one breadstick with garlic topping. That adds up to 400 calories.
Want a real entrée? These dinner plates come in lowest.
| Dinner entrée | Calories | Sodium |
|---|---|---|
| Shrimp Scampi | 490 | 1,120 mg |
| Spaghetti with Marinara | 490 | 1,290 mg |
| Herb-Grilled Salmon | 610 | 1,360 mg |
| Grilled Chicken Margherita | 650 | 2,120 mg |
Shrimp Scampi gives you shrimp, asparagus and tomatoes over angel hair. It’s light for a pasta dish.
Herb-Grilled Salmon suits low-carb eaters. It has 45 grams of protein and only 9 grams of carbs.
Grilled Chicken Margherita packs 65 grams of protein with 15 grams of carbs. The catch? Its 2,120 mg of sodium sits close to a full day’s limit. Split it or take half home.
Looking for Chicken Piccata? Olive Garden’s current U.S. guide doesn’t list it. Our Olive Garden Chicken Piccata guide explains what it is and how to check your local menu.
Tip: Lunch portions cut calories without cutting flavor. The lunch-size Spaghetti with Marinara has 370 calories. The lunch-size Shrimp Scampi has 460, compared with 490 at dinner.
Which Olive Garden Dishes Have the Most Calories?
Cream sauces, cheese and fried toppings push the numbers up. Chicken Tortelloni Alfredo tops the Olive Garden dinner menu at 1,980 calories. Tour of Italy combines Chicken Parmigiana, Lasagna Classico and Fettuccine Alfredo. That’s 1,550 calories and 3,220 mg of sodium on one plate.
| Dish | Calories | Sodium |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken Tortelloni Alfredo | 1,980 | 3,720 mg |
| Chicken Alfredo with Crispy Chicken Fritta | 1,710 | 2,670 mg |
| Steak Gorgonzola Alfredo | 1,580 | 2,750 mg |
| Tour of Italy | 1,550 | 3,220 mg |
| Chicken Alfredo with grilled chicken | 1,480 | 2,290 mg |
| Fettuccine Alfredo | 1,220 | 1,210 mg |
You don’t have to skip these dishes. Just plan for them. Share one, or eat half and box the rest.
Olive Garden Sodium: What You Should Know
Sodium is the number most diners miss at Olive Garden. The FDA suggests less than 2,300 mg a day. Plenty of entrées pass 1,000 mg. Some pass the full daily amount alone.
Here’s where the salt hides:
- Breadsticks. The garlic topping adds 180 mg per stick.
- Dressing. One fluid ounce of Signature Italian Dressing has 520 mg.
- Soups. Even the lowest-sodium bowl has 710 mg.
- Breaded and stuffed entrées. Chicken Tortelloni Alfredo (3,720 mg), Chicken Parmigiana (3,300 mg) and Stuffed Chicken Marsala (3,020 mg) top the dinner list.
Watching your sodium? Order plain breadsticks, keep the dressing on the side and pick Pasta e Fagioli as your soup.
How to Order Healthier at Olive Garden
Use these simple moves on your next visit.
- Go at lunch. Lunch plates are smaller and lighter. Browse the Olive Garden lunch menu for options.
- Start with soup. A bowl of minestrone fills you up for 110 calories.
- Cap the breadsticks. One or two is plenty.
- Control the dressing. Ask for it on the side or switch to Low-Fat Italian.
- Pick marinara over Alfredo. Marinara dipping sauce has 70 calories. Alfredo has 440.
- Choose grilled over fried. A grilled chicken topping has 130 calories. Crispy Chicken Fritta has 240.
- Box half right away. Ask for a to-go box when your plate arrives.
- Share the big plates. Tour of Italy easily feeds two.
Going for the Never-Ending Pasta Bowl? Every refill adds a full set of calories. Pick marinara and stop at one or two bowls. Our Olive Garden pasta menu guide explains how the bowl works. The Olive Garden specials page lists what’s running now.
Drinks add calories too, so check the guide before you order from the bar. Our Olive Garden happy hour guide covers drink deals.
Olive Garden Allergen and Gluten Information
Calories are one part of the story. Allergens matter just as much for many diners.
Allergy note: Olive Garden publishes a separate allergen guide for its menu. Breadsticks contain wheat. Olive Garden says its breadsticks and garlic topping contain no dairy, since it makes the topping with margarine. The chain offers a gluten-sensitive menu, but it doesn’t call those dishes gluten-free. Kitchens share equipment, so cross-contact can happen. Check our Olive Garden allergen menu, gluten-free menu and dairy-free menu guides. Always tell your server about any allergy before you order.
Does Olive Garden Nutrition Change by Location?
It can. Cooks make each dish by hand. Ingredients vary by season and region. Substitutions change the numbers too. So treat the guide as a close estimate, not an exact count.
Portion size matters most. A heavy pour of dressing or an extra ladle of sauce shifts the totals. If you track calories closely, ask for sauces and dressing on the side.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many calories are in an Olive Garden breadstick?
One breadstick with garlic topping has 140 calories. A plain breadstick without the topping has 130 calories.
How many calories are in Olive Garden salad with dressing?
One serving of Famous House Salad with Signature Italian Dressing has 150 calories. Without dressing, it has 70 calories.
What is the healthiest thing to eat at Olive Garden?
Good picks include Herb-Grilled Salmon, Shrimp Scampi and a minestrone, salad and breadstick combo. Lunch-size plates help too.
What is the lowest-calorie soup at Olive Garden?
Minestrone. It has 110 calories per bowl.
Which Olive Garden soup has the least sodium?
Pasta e Fagioli. It has 710 mg of sodium per bowl.
How many calories are in the Tour of Italy?
Tour of Italy has 1,550 calories and 3,220 mg of sodium.
Are Olive Garden breadsticks dairy-free?
Olive Garden says its breadsticks and garlic topping contain no dairy. They do contain wheat. Check the allergen guide and talk to your server if you have an allergy.
Can you eat at Olive Garden on a diet?
Yes. Go at lunch, start with soup, limit breadsticks and pick grilled proteins. Keep dressing and sauces on the side.
How many calories are in the Never-Ending Pasta Bowl?
It depends on your pasta, sauce and topping, and on how many refills you eat. Olive Garden’s guide lists each pasta, sauce and topping on its own, so add up your picks for each round.
Final Thoughts on Olive Garden Nutrition
Olive Garden can fit almost any eating plan. You just need to know the numbers. Start with soup, keep breadsticks to one or two and pick grilled or lunch-size plates. Watch sodium as closely as calories. For the full lineup of dishes, check our Olive Garden menu with prices. Feeding the whole crew at home? Our Olive Garden family meals guide can help.
Planning a Lighter Meal?
Compare the pasta options or browse the full menu before you go.
Disclaimer: theolivegardenmenu.com is an independent, unofficial guide. Olive Garden and Darden Restaurants don’t run, endorse or sponsor this site. Menu items, nutrition and prices may vary by location and can change at any time.
