Remembite

Calories in spinach

Boiled spinach, 1 cup (180 g), has 41 kcal. 100 g boiled is 23 kcal; 100 g raw is 23 kcal.

Updated . Reference values from USDA FoodData Central.

Compare raw and boiled spinach by the cup or by weight, since a cup of each holds very different amounts.

Calories by amount

By cup and piece

Scroll sideways to see all columns.

AmountWeight (g)Calories (kcal)Basis
Boiled spinach
1/4 cup45108-12Calculated from 1 cup (USDA)
1/3 cup601411-16Calculated from 1 cup (USDA)
1/2 cup902117-25Calculated from 1 cup (USDA)
2/3 cup1202822-33Calculated from 1 cup (USDA)
3/4 cup1353125-37Calculated from 1 cup (USDA)
1 cup1804133-49USDA household measure
100 ml761814-21Calculated from 1 cup (USDA)
250 ml1904435-52Calculated from 1 cup (USDA)
Raw spinach
1 leaf1022-3USDA household measure
1/4 cup821-2Calculated from 1 cup (USDA)
1/2 cup1533-4Calculated from 1 cup (USDA)
1 cup3076-8USDA household measure

By weight

AmountRaw (kcal)Boiled (kcal)
50 g1211-121211-12
100 g2322-242322-24
150 g3533-363533-36
200 g4644-484644-48
1 oz (28 g)76-776-7
4 oz (113 g)2625-272625-27
8 oz (227 g)5250-545250-54

Small numbers after each value are the range, with about an 80 percent chance that the reference value falls inside. Weights are calculated from 100 g of each USDA record. How the range works.

Raw vs cooked, per 100 g

Spinach, raw

Raw

23 kcal (22-24) per 100 g

Protein
2.9 g
Carbs
3.6 g
Fat
0.4 g

Source: USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy, FDC 168462.

Spinach, boiled

Boiled

23 kcal (22-24) per 100 g

Protein
3 g
Carbs
3.8 g
Fat
0.3 g

Source: USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy, FDC 168463.

Compared with similar foods

kcal per 100 g Raw Cooked 10 20 30 40 50 0 Spinach 23 23 Broccoli 34 35 Carrot 41 35 Cauliflower 25 23 Bars start at 0. Bold: this page.
Chart data
FoodRaw (kcal per 100 g)Cooked (kcal per 100 g)
Spinach2323
Broccoli3435
Carrot4135
Cauliflower2523
Calories per 100 g of spinach and 3 similar foods, raw and cooked. Source: USDA FoodData Central (FDC 168462, 168463, 170379, 169967, 170393, 170394, 169986, 170397), Remembite arithmetic.

Measuring spinach

Per hundred grams, raw spinach is 23 kcal and boiled spinach is 23 kcal, so the two states are close gram for gram. The cup rows are not close. A cup of raw leaves weighs 30 g, while a cup of boiled spinach weighs 180 g, because cooked leaves pack tightly. That is why a cooked cup has far more calories than a raw cup. The cooked record is boiled and drained, without salt. Frozen, canned and creamed spinach, and spinach cooked in oil or butter, are not covered. If you weigh in grams, the gap mostly disappears.

Common questions

How many calories in 1 cup of raw spinach?

A cup of raw spinach is 7 kcal at 30 g. Raw leaves are loosely packed, so a cup holds little weight.

How many calories in 1 cup of cooked spinach?

A cup of boiled, drained spinach is 41 kcal at 180 g. It is higher than the raw cup because far more spinach fits in a cooked cup.

How much raw spinach makes 1 cup cooked?

The USDA cup rows show the gap: a raw cup is 30 g and a boiled cup is 180 g. These are separate samples, not a measured cooking yield. For your own batch, weigh the spinach before and after cooking.

Often eaten with

  • Eggs1 large, boiled (50 g)78 kcal
  • Salmon1 fillet, cooked (356 g)733 kcal
  • Pasta1 cup spaghetti not packed, cooked (124 g)196 kcal

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Sources: USDA FoodData Central, FDC 168462 (raw), FDC 168463 (boiled). Cup, spoon and piece weights are USDA household measures in the same records unless the Basis column says otherwise. Methodology. Estimates, not medical advice.

Source: USDA FoodData Central (CC0)