Denny's under 1,200 calories: 26 plates, ranked

Of the 35 dishes we track at Denny's, 26 come to 1,200 calories or less with the sides and choices they come with — 74%. The most protein in one plate under 1,200 is the T-Bone Steak with Dinner Bread (Add Side Choices) with mac 'n cheese and whole grain rice, 74 g for 1,160 calories; the most filling of them, by protein and fiber per calorie, is the Sirloin Steak with Dinner Bread (Add Side Choices) with sweet corn and mac 'n cheese (67 g protein, 11 g fiber, 1,060 cal). The most protein per calorie is the Pot Roast Melt (Add Side Choice) with mac 'n cheese, 6.7 g per 100. 9 dishes do not fit under 1,200.

Source: Denny's nutrition guide (official), April 2026 edition · Data refreshed October 13, 2026

• 26 plates under 1,200
• 74g most protein in one plate
• 86g protein in a full meal
• 9 dishes over 1,200

As of October 2026, 26 of the 35 Denny's dishes we track come to 1,200 calories or less with the choices they come with, and the most protein in a complete Denny's meal under 1,200 is 86 g (A T-Bone Steak with Dinner Bread with mac 'n cheese and broccoli, and a 2% Milk).

Three complete Denny's meals under 1,200 calories

Under 1,200, the most-protein meal is built on the T-Bone Steak with Dinner Bread (Add Side Choices) (680 cal for the dish alone), which leaves 520 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 Denny's plate under 1,200 calories → Swap a side or a sauce, add a dish, share the link.

Every Denny's 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 1,075 calories. Figures as Denny's published them, rounded to whole numbers (how we check them).

What 1,200 calories buys at Denny's

Going from 1,000 to 1,200 calories adds 10 plates: Bacon Avocado Cheeseburger (Add Side Choice) (1,045), Moons Over My Hammy Omelette with Hash Browns & White Toast (1,080), Mile High Denver Omelette with Hash Browns & White Toast (1,090), Country-Fried Steak with Gravy & Dinner Bread (Add Side Choices) (1,095), Philly Cheesesteak Omelette with Hash Browns & White Toast (1,120), Ultimate Omelette with Hash Browns & White Toast (1,150), Fried Fish Platter with Dinner Bread (Add Side Choices) (1,175) and Crispy Chicken Bacon Ranch Sandwich (Add Side Choice) (1,195) and 2 more. The extra room also changes what 9 plates are counted with: T-Bone Steak with Dinner Bread (Add Side Choices) takes mac 'n cheese and whole grain rice instead of mac 'n cheese and broccoli, T-Bone Steak & Eggs with Hash Browns & White Toast (Add Egg Choice) takes two scrambled eggs instead of two egg whites and Pot Roast Melt (Add Side Choice) takes mac 'n cheese instead of broccoli, and 6 more. Across the 26 plates on this page, the choices a dish comes with add as much as 530 calories. The heaviest plate that still fits is the All-American Slam with Hash Browns & White Toast at 1,200 calories, exactly at the cap.

What doesn't fit under 1,200

9 of 35 Denny's dishes are over 1,200 calories even with their lightest choices; the lightest of them, the Plate Lickin' Chicken Fried Chicken with Dinner Bread (Add Side Choices), misses by 5 calories at 1,205. Tighter budget: Denny's under 1,000. Closest misses: Plate Lickin' Chicken Fried Chicken with Dinner Bread (Add Side Choices) (from 1,205), Grand Slamwich with Hash Browns (from 1,220), Waffle Slam (Add Egg Choice) (from 1,240), Berry Waffle Slam (Add Egg Choice) (from 1,280) and Berry Stuffed French Toast Slam (Add Egg Choice) (from 1,320).

More at Denny's

• Denny's calories & nutrition (251 items listed)
• Denny's under 1,000 calories (16 plates)
• Denny's 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.

• Olive Garden under 1,200
• Outback Steakhouse under 1,200
• Red Lobster under 1,200