Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen under 1,200 calories: 39 plates, ranked

Of the 45 dishes we track at Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen, 39 come to 1,200 calories or less with the sides and choices they come with — 87%. The most protein in one plate under 1,200 is the Grilled Pork Chops with cheese & bacon mashed potatoes and buttered off-the-cob corn, 89 g for 1,110 calories, and it is the most filling of them by protein and fiber per calorie too. 6 dishes do not fit under 1,200.

Source: Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen nutrition guide (official), August 2026 edition · Data refreshed September 16, 2026

• 39 plates under 1,200
• 89g most protein in one plate
• 89g protein in a full meal
• 6 dishes over 1,200

As of October 2026, 39 of the 45 Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen dishes we track come to 1,200 calories or less with the choices they come with, and the most protein in a complete Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen meal under 1,200 is 89 g (Grilled Pork Chops with cheese & bacon mashed potatoes and buttered off-the-cob corn, and a Coffee).

Three complete Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen meals under 1,200 calories

Under 1,200, the most-protein meal is built on the Grilled Pork Chops (650 cal for the dish alone), which leaves 550 calories for the sides it comes with and a drink. One plate — a dish with a valid pick for each choice it comes with, never the same row twice — and at most one drink: the MinMax app's meal and the best under the cap, drink included. The lightest meal is unchanged from under 1,000; the others use the extra 200 calories.

Build your own Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen plate under 1,200 calories → Swap a side or a sauce, add a dish, share the link.

Every Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen plate under 1,200 calories, ranked by protein

One row per dish, counted once with the best choices that still fit under 1,200 — by grams of protein, then calories. The median plate under 1,200 is 1,170 calories. Figures as Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen published them, rounded to whole numbers (how we check them).

What 1,200 calories buys at Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen

Going from 1,000 to 1,200 calories adds 10 plates: Smokehouse Burger (1,150), 6 oz. Top Sirloin Steak & Ribs (1,165), 16 oz. Bone-In Ribeye (1,175), Country Fried Chicken (double) (1,175), Country Fried Steak (1,175), Fish & Chips (1,175), Dijon Chicken & Mushrooms (over seasoned rice) (1,185) and 6 oz. Top Sirloin & Chicken Tenders (1,190) and 2 more. The extra room also changes what 26 plates are counted with: Grilled Pork Chops takes cheese & bacon mashed potatoes and buttered off-the-cob corn instead of a broccoli cheese casserole and buttered off-the-cob corn, Garlic Herb Chicken (over seasoned rice) takes cheese & bacon mashed potatoes and buttered off-the-cob corn instead of a broccoli cheese casserole and sweet baby carrots and Grilled Whitefish, Blackened (over seasoned rice) takes cheese & bacon mashed potatoes and a broccoli cheese casserole instead of cheese & bacon mashed potatoes and buttered off-the-cob corn, and 23 more. Across the 39 plates on this page, the choices a dish comes with add as much as 890 calories. The heaviest plate that still fits is the 5 oz. Grilled Salmon (over seasoned rice) with a loaded baked potato with bacon and a broccoli cheese casserole at 1,200 calories, exactly at the cap.

What doesn't fit under 1,200

6 of 45 Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen dishes are over 1,200 calories even with their lightest choices; the lightest of them, the Half Rack of Ribs & Grilled Shrimp, misses by 15 calories at 1,215. Tighter budget: Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen under 1,000. Closest misses: Half Rack of Ribs & Grilled Shrimp (from 1,215), Chicken Tender Platter, Buffalo (from 1,275), Half Rack of Ribs & Beer-Battered Fried Shrimp (from 1,325), Chicken Tenders & Grilled Shrimp (from 1,335) and Chicken Tender Platter, Honey Hot (from 1,345).

More at Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen

• Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen calories & nutrition (155 items listed)
• Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen under 800 calories (21 plates)
• Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen under 1,000 calories (29 plates)
• High-protein Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen plates (14 dishes)
• Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen calorie calculator (build a plate under your cap)

Under 1,200 calories at other chains

The same cap at 3 other sit-down chains, where a dish is also counted with its sides. The counter chains are ranked on fast food under 500 calories.

• Denny's under 1,200
• Olive Garden under 1,200
• Outback Steakhouse under 1,200