Texas Roadhouse Low Calorie Menu: What to Order Under 500 Calories
Walking into a steakhouse while watching calories feels like a losing fight. It isn’t. But the item most people assume is the safe choice here turns out not to be, and that’s worth knowing before you order.
Grilled salmon is 580 calories. The 6oz sirloin is 420. The steak is the lighter option, and it’s five dollars cheaper. That’s the opposite of what most people expect walking in, and it sets the tone for this whole page.
Below is what’s actually low in calories here, what quietly wrecks an otherwise sensible meal, and how to build a plate that stays under 500.
The Lowest Calorie Entrées
Every one of these is a real dinner, not a side salad with ambitions.
| Item | Calories |
|---|---|
| Grilled Shrimp Skewer | 280 |
| Grilled Chicken Salad | 380 |
| Tilapia Fillet | 380 |
| Hand-Cut Sirloin 6oz | 420 |
| Grilled BBQ Chicken | 420 |
| Dallas Filet 6oz | 450 |
| Herb Crusted Chicken | 450 |
| Chicken Caesar Salad | 480 |
The 6oz sirloin is where I’d point most people. It’s the cheapest steak on the menu at $16.99, it’s among the leanest entrées, and at 420 calories you’ve still got room for a side. That combination doesn’t come around often.
Tilapia at 380 is the quiet winner if you want the lowest number on a proper plate. It rarely gets ordered, which is a shame.
The Salmon Problem
Grilled salmon has a reputation as the healthy restaurant order. Here it’s 580 calories, which puts it above the 6oz sirloin, the 8oz Dallas Filet, and the 12oz New York Strip.
None of that makes salmon a bad choice. It brings omega-3s that a steak doesn’t. But if calories are the metric you’re actually optimizing, ordering salmon over sirloin costs you 160 calories and five dollars while feeling like the disciplined decision. Worth knowing before you order it out of habit.
The counterintuitive one: the 12oz New York Strip is 520 calories. That’s less than salmon, less than smothered chicken, and less than Chicken Critters at 620. Grilling a lean cut beats almost anything that arrives breaded or sauced, regardless of size.
Where the Calories Actually Hide
Most people agonize over the entrée and then quietly hand back 800 calories in things they weren’t tracking.
The rolls
160 calories each with butter. They arrive hot, they’re free, and the basket gets refilled without asking. Three rolls is 480 calories, more than your entire sirloin. I’m not saying skip them. I’m saying count them.
The appetizers
Cactus Blossom is 1,230 calories. That’s more than a full rack of ribs would have been on its own. It’s built for four people to pick at, not one person to work through waiting on a steak.
The drinks
A margarita runs several hundred calories. Unsweetened iced tea is 5. Sweet tea is 120, which surprises people. Coca-Cola is 150, domestic beer 150, a glass of house wine 120.
The combos
This is where the biggest numbers live. Ribeye and Ribs is 1,490. Chicken Critters and Ribs is 1,290. Sirloin and Ribs is 1,110. Ordering two proteins roughly doubles everything, which is obvious in hindsight and easy to miss on a menu.
Sides, Ranked
| Side | Calories |
|---|---|
| Coleslaw | 140 |
| Green Beans | 160 |
| House Salad | 160 |
| Steamed Vegetables | 180 |
| Buttered Corn | 180 |
| Mashed Potatoes | 220 |
| Steak Fries | 320 |
The spread here is smaller than people assume. Even steak fries at 320 won’t ruin a meal built on a 420-calorie sirloin. Sides are not usually the problem. The rolls and the appetizer are.
Building a Plate Under 500
- Grilled shrimp skewer plus green beans: 440 calories. Comfortably under.
- Tilapia on its own: 380, with 120 left for a drink or half a roll.
- 6oz sirloin, no sides: 420, and it’s a steak dinner.
- Grilled chicken salad: 380 as a complete plate.
Push to 600 and the options open up considerably. A 6oz sirloin with green beans is 580. Dallas Filet with coleslaw is 590. Neither of those feels like restraint.
The pattern to notice: you pick one thing to spend on. A roll, a side, or a bigger cut. Trying to have all three is what turns a 420-calorie steak into a 1,400-calorie evening.
Build Your Own Plate
Add up any combination and see the total before you order.
Open the Calorie CalculatorOrdering Tips That Work
Order grilled, not fried or smothered. Grilled BBQ Chicken is 420. Country Fried Chicken is 780. Same bird, 360 calories apart.
Ask for the smaller cut. The 6oz sirloin exists for exactly this. Nobody will look at you strangely.
Sauces on the side. Butter and glazes land on the plate before it reaches you unless you say otherwise.
Go at lunch. Smaller portions, lower prices. See the lunch menu.
Decide about the rolls before you sit down. Deciding with the basket in front of you isn’t really deciding.
Box half immediately. Ask for the container when the food arrives, not after.
Please read this. These figures are estimates compiled from publicly available sources and may not match every location. Actual calories vary with portion size and preparation. If you have diabetes, celiac disease, a food allergy, or any condition requiring dietary control, don’t rely on this page. Speak with restaurant staff and check official allergen documentation. Nothing here is medical or nutritional advice.
Common Questions
What’s the lowest calorie meal at Texas Roadhouse?
The grilled shrimp skewer at 280 calories, if you count it as a meal. For a full entrée, tilapia at 380 or the grilled chicken salad at 380.
Is grilled salmon a good low calorie choice here?
Not especially. At 580 calories it’s higher than the 6oz sirloin, the Dallas Filet, and the New York Strip. It’s a fine meal, but it isn’t the light option people assume.
Which steak has the fewest calories?
The 6oz sirloin at 420, followed by the 6oz Dallas Filet at 450 and the 12oz New York Strip at 520.
How many calories are in the rolls?
About 160 each with butter. Two rolls approaches half a sirloin.
Can I eat here on a diet?
Yes, with planning. What sinks people is almost never the entrée. It’s the free bread, the shared appetizer, and the second drink.
The Short Version
Order something grilled. Sirloin, tilapia, shrimp, or BBQ chicken all land at 420 or below. Take a vegetable side. Drink unsweetened tea. Decide about the rolls in advance. Skip the combo plates entirely.
Do that and you’ll leave a steakhouse having eaten less than at most fast-casual places. Ignore it and you can clear 2,000 calories without noticing.
Browse the full menu with prices and calories, or run your exact order through the calorie calculator.