Food · Soups, Sauces, and Gravies
White sauce nutrition facts
A typical portion of white sauce (1/2 cup; 125 g, homemade, thick) has 230 calories and 5g of protein (USDA FoodData Central). USDA lists 3 descriptions of it: per 100 g they range from 72 calories (thin, prepared-from-recipe, with butter) to 186 (homemade, thick).
Nutrition Facts
* The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. Protein % DV here is not corrected for protein quality.
USDA values per 100 g for Sauce, homemade, white, thick, scaled to the portion. Check the USDA record.
- Protein per 100 g
- 4g
- more than 35% of 8,218 USDA reference foods
- Calories per 100 g
- 186
- more than 51% of reference foods
- Sodium per 100 g
- 373mg
- more than 77% of reference foods
1/2 cup weighs 125 g in USDA's record for Sauce, homemade, white, thick (FDC 174526).
Where the calories come from: 25% carbohydrate, 67% fat and 9% protein (4 calories a gram of protein or carbohydrate, 9 of fat).
Also rich in
- Riboflavin0.2 mg in 1/2 cup (125 g), 18% of the Daily Value
- Vitamin A163 µg RAE in 1/2 cup (125 g), 18% of the Daily Value
- Vitamin B120.3 µg in 1/2 cup (125 g), 14% of the Daily Value
- Selenium6.5 µg in 1/2 cup (125 g), 12% of the Daily Value
Source: USDA FoodData Central (FDC 174526), every nutrient the record reports; FDA Daily Values, 21 CFR 101.9.
Every form of white sauce USDA describes
Homemade, thick has the most calories per 100 g (186); the fewest: Thin, prepared-from-recipe, with… (72)
| USDA description | Calories | Protein | Fat | Sodium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sauce, homemade, white, thick | 186 | 4 g | 13.8 g | 373 mg |
| Sauce, white, thin, prepared-from-recipe, with butter | 72 | 4 g | 2.6 g | 184 mg |
| Sauce, homemade, white, medium | 147 | 3.8 g | 10.6 g | 354 mg |
Every nutrient in this record (87)
The portion is 1/2 cup (125 g); % DV is for that portion.
Energy, macronutrients and sugars (13)
| Nutrient | Per portion | Per 100 g | % DV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein | 4.99 g | 3.99 g | 10% |
| Total lipid (fat) | 17.3 g | 13.8 g | 22% |
| Carbohydrate, by difference | 14.5 g | 11.6 g | 5% |
| Ash | 1.84 g | 1.47 g | |
| Energy | 233 kcal | 186 kcal | |
| Alcohol, ethyl | 0 g | 0 g | |
| Water | 86.4 g | 69.1 g | |
| Total Sugars | 4.97 g | 3.98 g | |
| Fiber, total dietary | 0.38 g | 0.30 g | 1% |
| Cholesterol | 7.50 mg | 6.00 mg | 3% |
| Fatty acids, total saturated | 4.27 g | 3.42 g | 21% |
| Fatty acids, total monounsaturated | 7.31 g | 5.85 g | |
| Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated | 4.89 g | 3.91 g |
Minerals (10)
| Nutrient | Per portion | Per 100 g | % DV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calcium, Ca | 139 mg | 111 mg | 11% |
| Iron, Fe | 0.63 mg | 0.50 mg | 3% |
| Magnesium, Mg | 17.5 mg | 14.0 mg | 4% |
| Phosphorus, P | 120 mg | 96.0 mg | 10% |
| Potassium, K | 186 mg | 149 mg | 4% |
| Sodium, Na | 466 mg | 373 mg | 20% |
| Zinc, Zn | 0.50 mg | 0.40 mg | 5% |
| Copper, Cu | 0.026 mg | 0.021 mg | 3% |
| Manganese, Mn | 0.084 mg | 0.067 mg | 4% |
| Selenium, Se | 6.50 µg | 5.20 µg | 12% |
Vitamins (24)
| Nutrient | Per portion | Per 100 g | % DV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retinol | 159 µg | 127 µg | |
| Vitamin A, RAE | 163 µg | 130 µg | 18% |
| Carotene, beta | 33.8 µg | 27.0 µg | |
| Carotene, alpha | 0 µg | 0 µg | |
| Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) | 0.47 mg | 0.38 mg | 3% |
| Vitamin D (D2 + D3) | 1.50 µg | 1.20 µg | 8% |
| Cryptoxanthin, beta | 0 µg | 0 µg | |
| Lycopene | 0 µg | 0 µg | |
| Lutein + zeaxanthin | 2.50 µg | 2.00 µg | |
| Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid | 0.88 mg | 0.70 mg | 1% |
| Thiamin | 0.11 mg | 0.088 mg | 9% |
| Riboflavin | 0.24 mg | 0.19 mg | 18% |
| Niacin | 0.74 mg | 0.59 mg | 5% |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.39 mg | 0.32 mg | |
| Vitamin B-6 | 0.048 mg | 0.038 mg | 3% |
| Folate, total | 13.8 µg | 11.0 µg | |
| Vitamin B-12 | 0.33 µg | 0.26 µg | 14% |
| Choline, total | 17.9 mg | 14.3 mg | 3% |
| Vitamin K (phylloquinone) | 1.50 µg | 1.20 µg | 1% |
| Folic acid | 6.25 µg | 5.00 µg | |
| Folate, food | 7.50 µg | 6.00 µg | |
| Folate, DFE | 18.8 µg | 15.0 µg | 5% |
| Vitamin E, added | 0 mg | 0 mg | |
| Vitamin B-12, added | 0 µg | 0 µg |
Amino acids (18)
| Nutrient | Per portion | Per 100 g | % DV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tryptophan | 0.050 g | 0.040 g | |
| Threonine | 0.16 g | 0.13 g | |
| Isoleucine | 0.22 g | 0.17 g | |
| Leucine | 0.35 g | 0.28 g | |
| Lysine | 0.28 g | 0.23 g | |
| Methionine | 0.089 g | 0.071 g | |
| Cystine | 0.033 g | 0.026 g | |
| Phenylalanine | 0.17 g | 0.14 g | |
| Tyrosine | 0.17 g | 0.14 g | |
| Valine | 0.24 g | 0.19 g | |
| Arginine | 0.13 g | 0.10 g | |
| Histidine | 0.098 g | 0.078 g | |
| Alanine | 0.12 g | 0.098 g | |
| Aspartic acid | 0.27 g | 0.22 g | |
| Glutamic acid | 0.75 g | 0.60 g | |
| Glycine | 0.076 g | 0.061 g | |
| Proline | 0.34 g | 0.28 g | |
| Serine | 0.19 g | 0.15 g |
Fatty acids (20)
| Nutrient | Per portion | Per 100 g | % DV |
|---|---|---|---|
| SFA 4:0 | 0.069 g | 0.055 g | |
| SFA 6:0 | 0.041 g | 0.033 g | |
| SFA 8:0 | 0.024 g | 0.019 g | |
| SFA 10:0 | 0.054 g | 0.043 g | |
| SFA 12:0 | 0.060 g | 0.048 g | |
| SFA 14:0 | 0.25 g | 0.20 g | |
| SFA 16:0 | 2.40 g | 1.92 g | |
| SFA 18:0 | 1.37 g | 1.09 g | |
| MUFA 18:1 | 7.26 g | 5.81 g | |
| PUFA 18:2 | 4.65 g | 3.72 g | |
| PUFA 18:3 | 0.24 g | 0.19 g | |
| PUFA 20:4 | 0 g | 0 g | |
| PUFA 22:6 n-3 (DHA) | 0 g | 0 g | |
| MUFA 16:1 | 0.048 g | 0.038 g | |
| PUFA 18:4 | 0 g | 0 g | |
| MUFA 20:1 | 0 g | 0 g | |
| PUFA 20:5 n-3 (EPA) | 0 g | 0 g | |
| MUFA 22:1 | 0 g | 0 g | |
| PUFA 22:5 n-3 (DPA) | 0 g | 0 g | |
| Phytosterols | 50.0 mg | 40.0 mg |
Source: USDA FoodData Central, FDC 174526: every value the record reports, per 100 g as USDA gives it and scaled to the portion; Daily Values: 21 CFR 101.9.
Source: USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy, Foundation Foods and Survey foods), April 30, 2026 release.
Questions
How many calories are in white sauce?
230 in 1/2 cup (125 g) of homemade, thick; 72 to 186 per 100 g across USDA's descriptions.
How much protein is in white sauce?
5g in 1/2 cup; 4 g per 100 g.
How much sodium is in white sauce?
470mg in 1/2 cup; 373 mg per 100 g. Salt added in cooking changes it: USDA lists salted and unsalted forms separately where it measured both.
Sources for this page
- USDA FoodData Central
- the food and product records, April 30, 2026 release. fdc.nal.usda.gov
- FoodData Central documentation
- what each data type is and how branded records are submitted. fdc.nal.usda.gov
- USDA Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies
- the survey foods and their portions. ars.usda.gov
- 21 CFR 101.9, Nutrition labeling of food
- the label format, rounding and Daily Values. ecfr.gov
- FDA, How to Understand and Use the Nutrition Facts Label
- the 5% and 20% Daily Value rule. fda.gov