UK Nandos Calories: All The Lowest Calorie Choices To Pick

So, tonight’s dinner of choice is a cheeky Nandos, but you don’t want to break your diet plan – no problem. There’s actually a huge list of things you can order in Nandos while calorie counting – the tricky bit is working it all out, which is why our guide to Nando’s Calories does it for you.

If you’ve ever wondered how many calories are in a Nandos, we’re about to give you all the info you need.

This post has been updated with the latest nutritional information as per April 2023

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Why Nandos is a Great Healthy Choice

Because, they offer the chance to eat a pretty balanced meal. Chicken, salad and pitta is going to be healthy whatever way you cut it!

Plus, those delicious spicy peri peri sauces they slather your chicken breast fillet in, they rev up your metabolism helping give you a tiny calorie burning boost – plus, it’s been shown that when we eat hot and spicy meals, we actually feel fuller faster.

However, while the plain chicken breast dishes are pretty much always a good choice, calories can change quite a lot once you start adding on the sides, or putting things in buns or wraps.

And while being able to choose your side dishes lets you juggle things – it can be hard to work out the exact calories while standing at the counter as you’ve got a few things to add together.

So, how do you find the lowest calorie choices in Nandos fast? Well, you could spend 20 minutes scouring the nutrition facts on their website and adding them all up yourself – of you could check our guide to Nando’s calories that’s done the hard work for you.

Note though, this is for Nandos UK calories, Nandos in other countries might have different calories (find our guide to the Australian version here).

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The Combo With the Least Calories

So, while the small portion of chicken wings is the absolute lowest calorie option for chicken on the Nandos menu, if you want to pick the lowest calorie option in Nandos – that’s also going to fill you up – then I would say to pick the 1/4 Chicken with a Mixed Leaf Salad and Long Stem Broccoli.

That combination will give you 329 calories – which, is great if you had a big lunch, but otherwise is actually a bit too low for a meal.

If you want to bring it closer to the 600 calories the NHS suggest you consume for lunch or dinner, then you might want to add a side of pitta bread with butter (which adds 246 calories) pick the Quarter Chicken with Spiced Grains and Butternut Squash (232 calories) and then add the Long Stem Broccoli which would take you up to 593 calories – and be super good for you too!

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If you like roast chicken, ribs, burgers etc – you might want to also check out our guide to Harvester calories.

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The Lowest Calorie Starter in Nandos

I must admit, I was a bit shocked with some of the calories in Nandos starters. They’re meant to be shared but even so, a portion of Peri Peri Nuts contains a whopping 793 calories – that’s more than a burger!

If you do want something to get things started, your lowest calorie choice is the Spicy Mixed Olives at 138 calories a serving.

Or, start with the mixed salad – it’s only 13 calories!

The Lowest Calorie Chicken Option

It’s what made Nando’s famous so, chances are it’s going to be on the list for a lot of you checking in at Nandos – but which chicken dish at Nandos has the lowest calories?

The absolute lowest option is the 3 Chicken Wings which has just 236 calories – but, it also probably isn’t going to score the highest on filling you up either, and so you might want to go for the 1/4 Chicken instead which has 284 calories.

If that’s still not quite enough protein, then go for the Nandos Butterfly Chicken, calories on this are a pretty low 332 per serving.

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Lowest Calorie Nandos Burgers and Wraps

You’d probably think that calories in a Nandos wrap would be the lowest of the bread-based options – wraps always sound healthy don’t they? But no.

When it comes to Nandos nutrition, the lowest calorie chicken-based option in the burgers and wraps category is actually the Grilled Chicken Burger which has just 438 calories.

I’m pleased to see that my favourite, the Grilled Chicken Pitta, isn’t far behind with 511 calories.

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If you’re wondering how some other healthy options stack up, you might want to look at our guide to the calories in Leon.

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Lowest Calorie Plant-Based Options

Like many fast food joints now, the Nandos menu has embraced veggie eating, although the menu has changed since I last updated this post.

However, one thing has stayed the same – while plant-based might sound like it’s lower in calories than meat-based options – that’s not necessarily the case,

The chickpea versions of each meal actually have slightly more calories than the chicken ones do – but, just as with the meat versions, the burger is still the lowest choice with the Spiced Chickpea Burger having just 534 calories.

Note though – if you’re picking one of the items on the menu made from their meat-substitute Imitator strips even though they are made from pea protein, the Imitator strips are not vegetarian or vegan-friendly. The baste used contains shellac which comes from insects.

The Spiced Chickpea Burger is also only plant-based and not vegetarian.

If you want a proper veggie option then, go for the Beanie range which includes the Beanie Burger at 562 calories.

Or, check out the Quinoa and Tomato salad which has 523 calories

Nandos don’t class anything on the menu as totally vegan. And they also suggest that you tell staff when you order than you’re veggie – they do separate meat and veggie products in the kitchen, but they say they’ll be even more careful if they know you’re veggie.

The Lowest Calorie Nando’s Sides

This is where your calories in a Nando’s can go from, ‘not too bad’ to blowing the budget. Pick the wrong two sides in a combo and you could double the calories in your meal.

The absolute lowest calorie side in Nandos is the Mixed Leaf Salad which has just 13 calories.

If you had that and the Long Stem Broccoli (32 calories) you’d only add 45 calories to your meal.

If you want a carb though, head for the Spicy Rice which has just 246 calories in a serving or the Spiced Grains with Butternut Squash at 232.

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Do The Sauces Have Calories?

The famous Nando Peri Peri sauces that add that yummy spice add a few calories – but their all less than 10 per serving so, I wouldn’t worry too much about adjusting between mild or hot if your tastebuds can handle it (and if they can’t this might be why).

Be a bit more cautious with the creamier sauces, especially the ones you can buy as an extra pot to dip your chicken (or sides) in – the Garlic Perinaise has 176 calories and plain Perinaise has 159 calories.

The Peri BBQ and Chilli Jam all add around 70 calories per pot.

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Lowest Calorie Nandos Desserts

Proof you should never judge anything by it’s name The Naughty Nata is your best cake-style option at just 161 calories (the, Choc A Lot is an amusing sinful 666!).

The Gelados are also good choices as all of them are under 161 calories – the Mango is the lowest at 99 calories.

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The Ultimate Guide to Nandos Calories

Of course, you rarely eat an item in Nandos on it’s own – and, as I said, this is where the maths gets tricky for calories at Nandos as you’ve got to try and find, then add, the amounts for three things in one go.

Or, you can just check out this list below that has done it for you.

Here you’ll find your favourite Nando’s ‘mains’ – and all the things you can add under a certain calorie range.

Sadly, chip lovers will notice they don’t appear as a side dish. The calories in Nandos chips aren’t terrible, but they aren’t low either – a portion of Nandos Chips is 448 calories, Peri Salted Chips are 450 – but unless you just have those with a side – and no chicken (in which case, why are you in Nandos?), I can’t fit them into a meal of under 600 calorie!

You can however add them to a meal for under 600 if you split the portion with a friend. If you want to use the below chart with chips as a side, use the numbers for the Spiced Grains and Butternut Squash sides, that’s roughly the same calories as you’ll find in half a portion of Nando’s chips.

If garlic bread is your thing, you might also want to do the same. There’s 362 calories in a portion of Nando’s Garlic bread which makes it tricky to get under 600 calories with most choices (not all, but most), but share it with a friend and you could also use the Butternut Squash numbers – half a portion of garlic bread has 50 calories less than that, but under counting isn’t going to matter.

Nandos Combo Choices Under 600 calories

Under 400 Calories

3 Chicken Wings and…

Corn on the Cob – 380 calories

Corn on the Cob and Mixed Salad – 393 calories

Rainbow Slaw – 367 calories

Rainbow Slaw and Mixed Salad – 348 calories

Macho Peas – 377 calories

Macho Peas and Mixed Salad – 390 calories

Long Stem Broccoli – 268 calories

Long Stem Broccoli and Mixed Salad – 281 calories

Mixed Salad – 249 calories

Quarter Chicken with

Long Stem Broccoli – 316 calories

Long Stem Broccoli and Mixed Salad – 329 calories

Mixed Salad – 297 calories

Butterfly Chicken with

Long Stem Broccoli – 364 calories

Long Stem Broccoli and Mixed Salad – 377 calories

Mixed Salad – 345 calories

Under 500 Calories

3 Chicken Wings With

Spicy Rice – 482 calories

Spicy Rice and Mixed Salad – 497 calories

Corn on the Cob and Long Stemmed Broccoli – 412 calories

Spiced Grains and Butternut Squash – 468 calories

Spiced Grains and Butternut Squash and Long Stem Broccoli – 500 calories

Spiced Grains and Butternut Squash and Mixed Salad – 471 calories

Coieslaw – 499 calories

5 Chicken Wings with

Mixed Salad – 406 calories

Long Stem Broccoli – 425 calories

Long Stem Broccoli and Mixed Salad – 438 calories

Quarter Chicken with

Rainbow Slaw – 447 calories

Rainbow Slaw and Mixed Salad – 460 calories

Corn on the Cob – 428 calories

Corn on the Cob and Long Stem Broccoli – 460 calories

Corn on the Cob and Mixed Salad – 441 calories

Macho Peas – 425 calories

Macho Peas and Long Stem Broccoli – 457 calories

Macho Peas and Mixed Salad – 438 calories

Butterfly Chicken with

Corn on the Cob – 476 calories

Corn on the Cob and Mixed Salad – 484 calories

Macho Peas – 473 calories

Macho Peas and Mixed Salad – 486 calories

Rainbow Slaw – 462 calories

Rainbow Slaw and Long Stem Broccoli – 495 calories

Rainbow Slaw and Mixed Salad – 476 calories

Grilled Chicken Burger with

Solo – 438 calories

With Long Stem Broccoli – 470 calories

With Mixed Salad – 483 calories

Under 600 calories

3 Chicken Wings with

Garlic Bread – 598 calories

Spicy Rice and Rainbow Slaw – 581 calories

Spiced Grains and Butternut Squash and Long Stem Broccoli – 520 calories

Spiced Grains and Rainbow Slaw – 567 calories

Creamy Mash – 512 calories

Corn on the Cob and Rainbow Slaw – 543 calories

Macho Peas and Rainbow Slaw – 541 calories

Creamy Mash and Long Stem Broccoli – 544 calories

Creamy Mash and Mixed Salad – 525 calories

Corn on the Cob and Macho Peas – 521 calories

Coleslaw and Long Stem Broccoli – 531 calories

Coleslaw and Mixed Leaf Salad – 512 calories

5 Chicken Wings with

Rainbow Slaw – 524 calories

Corn on the Cob – 537 calories

Corn on the Cob with Long Stem Broccoli – 569 calories

Corn on the Cob with Mixed Salad – 550 calories

Macho Peas – 534 calories

Macho Peas and Long Stem Broccoli – 564 calories

Macho Peas and Mixed Salad – 576 calories

Rainbow Slaw and Long Stem Broccoli – 556 calories

Rainbow Slaw and Mixed Salad – 537 calories

Quarter Chicken with

Spicy Rice – 530 calories

Spicy Rice and Long Stem Broccoli – 562 calories

Spicy Rice and Mixed Salad – 545 calories

Corn on the Cob and Rainbow Slaw – 559 calories

Corn on the Cob and Macho Peas – 569 calories

Spiced Grains and Butternut Squash – 516 calories

Spiced Grains and Butternut Squash and Long Stem Broccoli – 548 calories

Spiced Grains and Butternut Squash and Mixed Salad – 529 calories

Creamy Mash – 560 calories

Creamy Mash and Long Stem Broccoli – 592 calories

Creamy Mash and Mixed Salad – 573 calories

Coleslaw – 547 calories

Coleslaw and Long Stem Broccoli – 579 calories

Coleslaw and Mixed Leaf Salad – 550 calories

Butterfly Chicken with

Corn on the Cob and Long Stem Broccoli – 508 calories

Macho Peas and Long Stem Broccoli – 505 calories

Spicy Rice -578 calories

Spicy Rice and Mixed Salad – 591 calories

Spiced Grains and Butternut Squash – 564 calories

Spiced Grains and Butternut Squash and Long Stem Broccoli – 574 calories

Spiced Grains and Butternut Squash and Mixed Salad – 587 calories

Coleslaw – 595 calories

Half Chicken with

Mixed Salad – 581 calories

Long Stemmed Broccoli – 600 calories

Grilled Chicken Wrap with

Solo – 556 calories

With Long Stem Broccoli – 588 calories

With Mixed Salad – 569 calories

Grilled Chicken Burger with

Corn on the Cob – 582 calories

Corn on the Cob and Mixed Salad – 595 calories

Rainbow Slaw – 568 calories

Rainbow Slaw and Long Stem Broccoli – 600 calories

Rainbow Slaw and Mixed Salad – 582 calories

Macho Peas – 579 calories

Macho Peas and Mixed Salad – 591 calories

Grilled Chicken Pitta with

Solo – 511 calories

Mixed Salad – 524

Double Chicken Burger with

Solo – 576 calories

Mixed Salad – 589

Great Imitator Wrap with

Solo – 597 calories

Spiced Chickpea Burger with

Mixed Salad – 547

Broccoli – 575

Beanie Burger

Solo – 562 calories

With Long Stem Broccoli – 594 calories

With Mixed Salad – 575 calories

So there you have it, the guide to everything you can order in Nandos for under 600 calories. If your favourite isn’t on there, here’s where to find the Nandos calorie counter on their website.

Head to the menu, click on your dish, scan down and you’ll find a box called Nutritional Information which tells you the calorie in the dish.

All images from Nando’s Press Gallery. All calorie counts and menu items are correct on the day of publishing, but Nandos do change up their menu regularly – if you notice something wrong, or see that an item has disappeared or been added to the UK Nandos menu, please do let me know in the comments and I will get the post updated.

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