Friendsgiving Calories: 22 Potluck Dishes and Drinks Ranked by USDA Data

A typical Friendsgiving potluck plate is about 1,159 calories by USDA FoodData Central numbers: turkey, mac and cheese, green bean casserole, stuffing, a deviled egg, a Hawaiian roll, chips and guac, and a brownie. Two glasses of red wine take it to 1,409. The cheese board is the sneaky heavyweight at 468 per small plate.

Friendsgiving is the holiday where nobody knows the recipe. Your friend's mac and cheese, the dip someone's roommate made, the store-bought rolls still in the bag. This post gives you a USDA number for each classic potluck dish, then shows how to track a plate when you have no idea what went into it. The turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole and pie values match our Thanksgiving dinner calories post exactly, so the two holidays add up in the same currency.

How many calories are in Friendsgiving potluck dishes?

Here are 16 classic potluck dishes, ranked heaviest first, per typical serving. Every row is a USDA per-100 g value times the gram weight listed in Sources.

Rank	Dish	Serving	Calories	Protein
1	Cheese and charcuterie plate	3 oz cheese and salami, 5 crackers, grapes	468	20.5g
2	Pumpkin pie	1 regular slice (150 g)	374	7.1g
3	Spinach artichoke dip with tortilla chips	1/4 cup dip, 1 oz chips	329	4.5g
4	Mac and cheese	1/2 cup (115 g)	256	10.0g
5	Pasta salad with mayo	1/2 cup (102 g)	225	4.5g
6	Chips and guacamole	1 oz chips, 1/4 cup guac	225	3.2g
7	Brownie	1 medium (50 g)	203	2.4g
8	Bread stuffing	1/2 cup (100 g)	177	3.1g
9	Rotisserie chicken breast, skin eaten	3 oz (85 g)	149	22.4g
10	Turkey breast, no skin	3 oz (85 g)	125	25.6g
11	Sweet potato casserole	1/2 cup (125 g)	124	2.4g
12	Deviled eggs	2 pieces (60 g)	119	6.9g
13	Mashed potatoes	1/2 cup (105 g)	119	2.0g
14	Hawaiian-style sweet roll	1 roll (30 g)	96	3.0g
15	Cranberry sauce	1 slice (57 g)	91	0.5g
16	Green bean casserole	1/2 cup (115 g)	64	2.3g

The pattern: the classic Thanksgiving dishes (turkey, cranberry, green bean casserole) sit near the bottom. The grazing foods at the top, the board, the dip and the chips, get eaten before anyone sits down, and they rarely get counted.

How many calories in a Friendsgiving plate?

It depends on how many dishes make it onto the plate. Here are three versions, built from the table above.

The typical potluck plate. A bit of almost everything, one dessert.

Item	Calories	Protein
Turkey breast, no skin, 3 oz	125	25.6g
Mac and cheese, 1/2 cup	256	10.0g
Green bean casserole, 1/2 cup	64	2.3g
Bread stuffing, 1/2 cup	177	3.1g
Deviled egg, 1 piece	59	3.5g
Hawaiian-style sweet roll	96	3.0g
Tortilla chips, 1 oz	132	2.0g
Guacamole, 2 tbsp	47	0.6g
Brownie, medium	203	2.4g
Total	1,159	52.5g

Add two 5 oz glasses of red wine (125 each) and it is 1,409 calories.

The lighter plate. Turkey, green beans, two deviled eggs, a roll and a mini slice of pumpkin pie (75 g, 187) comes to 591 calories with 41.4g of protein. It skips the dips and the mac and cheese, not the fun.

The all-in grazer. Turkey and rotisserie chicken, a full cup of mac and cheese, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans, two deviled eggs, two rolls with a pat of butter, a cheese board plate, spinach dip and chips with guac, a brownie, a regular slice of pumpkin pie with whipped cream, and three glasses of red wine. That is 3,290 calories with 123.8g of protein. The board, the dips and the three glasses together are 1,265 of it, more than the whole typical plate.

How many calories on a cheese and charcuterie board?

A small plate from the board, 1 oz each of sharp cheddar (115), brie (95) and Italian salami (119), five butter crackers (77) and half a cup of grapes (62), is 468 calories with 20.5g of protein.

The cheese and salami are 329 of that. The crackers and grapes, the parts that feel like the bulk of the plate, are only 139. If you love the board, a good move is to build your plate once instead of grazing from it for an hour, so you know what you had. More cheese numbers live in our calories in cheese guide.

How many calories in deviled eggs?

USDA's typical deviled egg is 59 calories and 3.5g of protein per 30 g piece, so two are 119. That makes deviled eggs one of the friendliest potluck picks: high in protein for their size, and easy to count because each one is a single piece. Plain eggs are covered in calories in an egg.

How many calories in Hawaiian rolls?

USDA lists sweet dinner rolls at 96 calories per 30 g roll, which is the closest USDA match for the Hawaiian-style rolls that show up at every potluck. A plain dinner roll in our Thanksgiving post is 87, so the sweet version is only 9 more. A pat of butter adds 36, making it 132. USDA does not list the brand-name roll, so if you know the brand, the package label is the better number.

Rotisserie chicken or turkey breast: which is lighter?

Store rotisserie chicken is the potluck host's best friend. Three ounces of rotisserie breast with the skin eaten is 149 calories with 22.4g of protein. The same 3 oz of roasted turkey breast without skin is 125 calories with 25.6g. Both are lean, high-protein picks, and the gap is about the skin. For a full breakdown of white meat, dark meat and skin, see turkey calories, and high-protein Thanksgiving builds a whole plate around them.

How many calories in chips, guac and spinach artichoke dip?

Dips are where the potluck quietly adds up, because the chip is just the delivery system.

• Chips and guac: 1 oz of tortilla chips (132) and a quarter cup of guacamole (93) is 225 calories.
• Spinach artichoke dip: a quarter cup is 197 calories on its own, mostly fat. With 1 oz of chips it is 329. The dip has more calories than the chips it rides on.

A quarter cup of guac is about four tablespoons, which is a generous scoop. If you dip lightly, two tablespoons (47) is closer to the truth. For avocado basics, see calories in an avocado.

How many calories in the desserts?

• Brownie: small (30 g) 122, medium (50 g) 203, large (90 g) 365.
• Pumpkin pie: a regular slice (150 g) is 374, a mini slice (75 g) 187, and 2 tbsp of canned whipped cream adds 15.

Bake-sale brownies come in every size, so the size word matters more than the recipe. Every other pie, from apple to pecan, is ranked in Thanksgiving pie calories.

How many calories in Friendsgiving drinks?

All six are USDA FoodData Central values at standard pours.

Drink	Serving	Calories
Hard cider	12 oz	202
Regular beer	12 oz	153
Red wine	5 oz	125
White wine	5 oz	121
Sparkling wine	5 oz	113
Light beer	12 oz	103

Hard cider is the heaviest, at 202 per 12 oz bottle, about the same as a medium brownie. Party pours are rarely a measured 5 oz, so count glasses and say "big glass" when it was one. The alcohol calorie calculator handles any pour size, and lowest-calorie alcoholic drinks has more swaps.

How do you track a potluck meal when you don't know the recipe?

You do not need the recipe. You need a reasonable estimate, and that takes three steps.

1. Name the closest standard dish. "Mac and cheese" gets you most of the way, even if your friend's has three cheeses. The numbers in this post are USDA "typical recipe" values for exactly that reason.
2. Estimate the portion with your hand. A common rule of thumb: a fist is about a cup, a palm is a portion of meat, a cupped hand is a handful of chips, and a thumb is about a tablespoon of dip or butter. Our guide on how to track calories without weighing food shows how to calibrate it once.
3. Say what you can see or taste. Fried onions on the green beans, bacon in the mac and cheese, a buttery crumb on top, an extra-creamy dip. Those details change the number more than the base recipe does.

Then describe the plate in one sentence, like you would to a friend: "3 oz turkey, half a cup of mac and cheese with a breadcrumb topping, a deviled egg, a Hawaiian roll and a medium brownie." That sentence is the whole job.

Will one Friendsgiving ruin my week?

No. The typical plate with two glasses of wine is 1,409 calories, which leaves 591 of a 2,000 calorie target for the rest of the day. Even the all-in grazer at 3,290 is 1,290 over that target, or about 184 a day spread across a week. One big, happy dinner with friends is one dinner.

What helps is tracking it honestly and looking at the week as a whole, which how to not gain weight during the holidays walks through. If you are hosting both holidays, the Thanksgiving calorie calculator builds Thursday's plate dish by dish, and Thanksgiving leftovers calories covers the day after.

If tracking food ever feels stressful, or you have a history of disordered eating, please work with a doctor or dietitian rather than going by numbers alone.

How do I track a Friendsgiving plate in Nouri?

A potluck is the worst case for a database app. Search "mac and cheese" and you get a boxed brand with a barcode, not your friend's baking dish. Search "spinach dip" and you get a long list of versions. So you either spend five minutes at the table on your phone or skip it.

I built Nouri because I hit that wall. I used MyFitnessPal first, and the numbers were fine, but tracking a normal dinner took several minutes and after a long day I just would not do it. Then I tried AI photo trackers, and when I checked their estimates against what the ingredients actually added up to, the photo numbers came in low. The camera cannot see the oil in the pan or the portion under the garnish. At a potluck, that hidden part is the butter in the mac and cheese and the cream in the dip.

In Nouri you just type the plate the way you would text a friend. Nouri itemizes it, shows its reasoning and a confidence rating for each item, and if the mac and cheese had a crispy cheese crust or your brownie was a corner piece, add that context and it recalculates. Prefer a photo? Nouri turns it into a sentence first, so you can fix "green beans" to "green bean casserole with fried onions" before anything is counted. Hands full of a plate and a cider? Say "Hey Siri, track food in Nouri" from the lock screen. For what it's worth, Nouri scored 92.1/100 in our 100-meal accuracy benchmark (MyFitnessPal 77.0).

FAQ

How many calories are in a Friendsgiving dinner?

A typical potluck plate with turkey, mac and cheese, green bean casserole, stuffing, a deviled egg, a Hawaiian roll, chips and guac, and a brownie is about 1,159 calories by USDA numbers. With two glasses of red wine it is about 1,409. A lighter plate is about 591.

How many calories in a scoop of mac and cheese?

Half a cup of USDA's typical mac and cheese is 256 calories with 10g of protein, and a full cup is 513. Versions with extra cheese or a buttered breadcrumb top will run higher.

How many calories in deviled eggs?

One deviled egg (30 g) is about 59 calories with 3.5g of protein, so two are 119. That is one of the best protein-per-bite options on a potluck table.

How many calories in a charcuterie board?

A small plate with 1 oz each of cheddar, brie and salami, five butter crackers and half a cup of grapes is about 468 calories. The cheese and salami make up 329 of that.

How many calories in a Hawaiian roll?

USDA's sweet dinner roll, the closest match, is 96 calories per 30 g roll. With a pat of butter it is 132. If you have the package, the brand's label is the better number.

How many calories in spinach artichoke dip?

A quarter cup of USDA's spinach and artichoke dip is 197 calories, and with 1 oz of tortilla chips it is 329. The dip carries more calories than the chips.

How many calories in chips and guacamole?

One ounce of tortilla chips is 132 calories and a quarter cup of guacamole is 93, so 225 together. Two tablespoons of guac instead of four brings it to 179.

Is rotisserie chicken healthy for a potluck?

Yes, it is one of the leanest dishes on the table. Three ounces of rotisserie chicken breast with skin is 149 calories with 22.4g of protein, close to 3 oz of skinless turkey breast at 125 calories and 25.6g.

How many calories in a brownie?

USDA puts a medium brownie (50 g) at 203 calories, a small one at 122 and a large one at 365. Potluck brownies vary a lot in size, so the size matters more than the recipe.

How many calories in hard cider vs beer vs wine?

A 12 oz hard cider is 202 calories, a 12 oz regular beer 153, a light beer 103, and a 5 oz glass of red wine 125, by USDA figures. White wine is 121 and sparkling wine 113 for the same pour.

How do you count calories at a potluck without the recipe?

Pick the closest standard dish, estimate the portion with your hand, and add what you can see, like fried onions or a cheese crust. Typical-recipe numbers like the USDA values here get you a solid estimate without knowing the exact recipe.

What is the easiest way to track a Friendsgiving potluck plate?

Describe it in one sentence. In Nouri, type or say "turkey, half a cup of mac and cheese, a deviled egg, a Hawaiian roll and a brownie" and you get calories and macros item by item, with the reasoning shown, instead of hunting a database for your friend's casserole.

Friendsgiving is about the people, and the numbers are friendlier than they look once you see that the turkey and green beans are the light part. Type your plate into Nouri in one sentence, check the big day against Thanksgiving dinner calories, and save Thanksgiving pie calories for the dessert table.

Sources

USDA FoodData Central (checked Nov 7, 2026): macaroni or noodles with cheese 2708811, green bean casserole 2710040, egg deviled 2707181, cheese cheddar sharp sliced 170899, cheese brie 172177, salami Italian pork 174603, crackers butter plain 2708146, grapes raw 2709237, rolls dinner sweet 174107, chicken breast rotisserie skin eaten 2705963, turkey light meat roasted 171491, spinach and artichoke dip 2705783, tortilla chips plain 2708202, guacamole NFS 2709307, cookie brownie without icing 2707904, pie pumpkin 2708011, whipped cream pressurized 170860, macaroni or pasta salad made with mayonnaise 2708932, bread stuffing 2707687, mashed potatoes with whole milk and butter 168555, sweet potato casserole or mashed 2709708, cranberry sauce canned 173961, butter salted 173410, wine table red 173190, wine table white 174837, wine sparkling 2710687, beer regular 168746, beer light 168749, hard cider 2710621

Portion weights are USDA's own household measures where USDA gives one (half cups are half of USDA's cup weight; 1 oz chips is USDA's 28 g small bag; 5 butter crackers at USDA's 3 g per cracker; 1/4 cup of dip or guac is USDA's 60 g, four tablespoons; sparkling wine at USDA's 30 g per fl oz). Per-item values are USDA per-100 g figures times those weights, rounded to whole calories and 0.1 g protein, and every total is the sum of the rounded rows, checked with a script. Your friends' recipes and scoops will vary, so treat these as solid estimates.