Goodles Cheddy Mac & Cheese: 10.4g Protein per 74g, Labelgrade B-
B- 74 / 100 — Very low saturated fat, effectively zero sugar, high sodium per 100g, and substantial fiber.
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Goodles Cheddy Mac & Cheese delivers 10.4g of protein and 192 calories per 74g (USDA FDC 2756187). Per 100g that’s 14.1g of protein; per oz, 4g. The Labelgrade is B- (74 / 100): Very low saturated fat, effectively zero sugar, high sodium per 100g, and substantial fiber.
Why this Labelgrade
| Dimension | Grade | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein density | B- | 71 / 100 | 14.1g per 100g — moderate; the per-serving total matters more than the per-unit density |
| Ingredient quality | B- | 72 / 100 | 28 ingredients; flagged phosphate additives |
| Saturated fat load | A | 91 / 100 | 1.11g per serving (1.5g per 100g) — very low |
| Sodium load | D | 40 / 100 | 437mg per serving (167mg per oz) — high; structural for cured/preserved foods |
| Sugar load | A+ | 100 / 100 | 3.7g sugar; USDA omits the added-sugar line, but the ingredients list a sweetener — scored as added, not naturally-occurring |
| Fiber | B- | 72 / 100 | 4.44g per serving — good |
| Overall | B- | 74 / 100 | Weighted blend: protein 25% · ingredients 22% · saturated fat 18% · sodium 15% · sugar 12% · fiber 8% |
How it compares
We’re still building out this category. As a benchmark, plain cooked chicken breast contains 31g of protein per 100g (8.8g per oz). Goodles Cheddy Mac & Cheese delivers 14.1g of protein per 100g (4g per oz).
Upgraded mac, still mac
This is the honest frame for Goodles. It’s a genuinely better box of macaroni and cheese — and it’s still a box of macaroni and cheese. The upgrade is real: the noodles are a wheat-flour base reinforced with chickpea protein and wheat protein, which lifts protein to 10.4g per serving (14.1g per 100g, high for any pasta), and a blend of vegetable-derived nutrients — broccoli, spinach, kale, pumpkin, sweet potato and more — pushes fiber to 4.4g. Set against a standard box, which lands around 6g of protein and 1 to 2g of fiber, that’s a meaningful bump on both fronts, and it’s the entire reason this scores a B- where ordinary mac would grade well below it.
What the protein and fiber don’t change is the underlying nature of the dish. At 34.8g of carbohydrate per serving it’s a refined-carb comfort food, not a low-carb or high-protein staple — the protein-to-calorie ratio (192 calories for 10.4g of protein, about 18.5 cal/g) is far from a lean protein source. So the right way to read the grade is as a swap, not a promotion: if you’re making mac, this version does more for you nutritionally than the blue box. It just isn’t a reason to put mac on the table more often than you otherwise would.
The sodium is the ceiling on the grade
Everything good about Goodles runs into one wall: salt. At 437mg of sodium per serving — about 19% of the FDA’s 2,300mg daily limit — the sodium dimension grades a D (40/100) and is, by a wide margin, what holds the overall at B- instead of higher. The protein (B-), fiber (B-), saturated fat (A, just 1.11g) and sugar lines would otherwise carry it further. This isn’t a formulation quirk so much as the cost of the cheese: most of the sodium rides in with the cheddar-cheese blend and butter that make it taste like mac in the first place, so it’s largely baked in before it reaches your pot.
You can’t cook it out, but you can manage around it. Don’t add salt to the boiling water or the finished dish — the cheese sauce already supplies plenty — and treat the mac as the carb component of a plate rather than the whole meal: a lean protein and a green vegetable alongside it balance the sodium-to-nutrition ratio in a way a bowl of mac on its own never will. For anyone actively watching sodium, that 437mg is the number to keep in view, and it’s the single honest knock on an otherwise smartly-built box.
Scope
This page covers Goodles Cheddy Mac & Cheese, UPC 00850031990005, as represented in USDA Branded Foods FDC 2756187. Goodles sells multiple variants in this product line — other sizes, flavors, or fat levels may have different macros and Labelgrade scores. Manufacturers periodically reformulate; always cross-reference the actual package label, especially if you have allergies or dietary restrictions.
Ingredients (from the USDA Branded Foods entry)
Other Ingredients: Goodles noodles (wheat flour, chickpea protein, wheat protein, nutrients extracted from [broccoli*, spinach*, kale*, pumpkin*, sweet potato*, sunflower seed*, cranberry*, chlorella*, maitake mushroom*, shiitake mushroom*]), cheddar cheese blend (cultured milk, whey, buttermilk, salt, disodium phosphate, color [paprika, tureric, annatto], enzymes), butter (cream, salt, enzymes) salt, tapioca flour, dried maple syrup, actic acid. * Organic. Contains wheat and milk.
Where to buy
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Quick Facts
Per serving · 74g
See how this fits your day — protein calculator · macro calculator
Full nutrition facts
| Nutrient | Per Serving (74g) |
|---|---|
| Calories | 192 |
| Protein | 10.4g |
| Total Fat | 2.59g |
| Saturated Fat | 1.11g |
| Total Carbohydrates | 34.8g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4.44g |
| Total Sugars | 3.7g |
| Sodium | 437mg |
Scope: This page applies specifically to Cheddy Mac & Cheese · UPC 00850031990005. Other sizes, flavors, or formulations may differ.
How this fits each diet
Each score is computed from the same USDA nutrition + ingredient data, against the published rules of each diet. They tell you "does this food fit this diet" — not whether the diet is right for you.
contains animal-derived ingredients
contains no listed meat or fish
contains a gluten-bearing ingredient
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Goodles Cheddy Mac & Cheese healthy?
It's an upgraded comfort food, not a health food — and it's honest about being mac and cheese. The genuine wins over a standard box are real: 10.4g of protein and 4.4g of fiber per serving, where regular mac gives you maybe 6g of protein and 1 to 2g of fiber. But it's still a refined-carb dish at 34.8g of carbohydrate and 437mg of sodium per serving. Think of it as the better version of a treat you were going to eat anyway, not a reason to eat mac more often.
Why does it score a B- and not lower like regular mac?
Two dimensions do the lifting. The chickpea-and-wheat protein blend earns a B- on protein density (14.1g per 100g, high for pasta), and the veggie-powder fiber earns a B- at 4.4g per serving — both well above a standard box, which is exactly why it out-scores ordinary mac. What keeps it at 74 rather than higher is sodium, which grades a D at 437mg per serving. It's a meaningfully better box of mac, capped by the salt that comes with the cheese.
Is there really hidden veggie and extra protein in it?
Yes, and it's the brand's whole premise. The noodles are a wheat-flour base cut with chickpea protein and wheat protein — that's where the 10.4g of protein comes from — plus a blend of nutrients extracted from broccoli, spinach, kale, pumpkin, sweet potato and several other plants. Those powders, together with the chickpea, are what push the fiber to 4.4g. It's not a salad in a box, but the protein and fiber gains over standard mac are real and measurable.
How much sodium does it have, and can I lower it?
437mg per 74g serving — about 19% of the FDA's 2,300mg daily limit, and the single biggest drag on the grade. Most of it rides in with the cheddar-cheese blend and butter, so you can't fully cook it out. You can soften the total by not adding salt when you boil or finish it, and by serving it alongside an unsalted vegetable or protein rather than as the whole meal.
Is this better than regular boxed mac, and what else could I pair with it?
On nutrition, yes — more protein, more fiber, comparable everything else, which is why it grades higher than a standard box. It's still mac, though, so treat it as the carb on the plate: pair it with a lean protein (grilled chicken, a fried egg) and a green vegetable to round out a meal the box can't on its own. If you want maximum protein and fiber for the fewest refined carbs, a chickpea-pasta dish you sauce yourself goes further; Goodles wins on being a fast, familiar mac with a real nutrition bump.
When was this data last verified?
2026-06-05, against USDA FoodData Central FDC 2756187. We re-verify top-traffic pages monthly and update within 7 days when a manufacturer reformulates.