Calories in Spinach

How Many Calories Are in Spinach?

Spinach is one of the lowest-calorie foods you can eat. A cup of raw spinach (about 30 grams) has only about 7 calories, which is barely a rounding error in any diet. Because cooking wilts spinach so dramatically, a cup of cooked spinach (about 180 grams) has about 41 calories — it simply holds far more spinach by weight. Per 100 grams, spinach is about 23 calories.

Almost all of those calories come from carbohydrate and a surprising amount of plant protein. Spinach is the textbook example of a nutrient-dense, energy-light food.

Spinach Calories by Serving Size

Serving	Amount	Calories	Carbs (g)	Fiber (g)	Protein (g)
Handful raw	~15g	~3	0.5	0.3	0.4
One cup raw	~30g	~7	1.1	0.7	0.9
100 grams raw	100g	~23	3.6	2.2	2.9
Half cup cooked	~90g	~21	3.4	2	2.7
One cup cooked	~180g	~41	7	4	5

These figures are for plain spinach. Creamed spinach, spinach sauteed in oil or spinach with cheese can add 100 or more calories per serving, so the preparation drives most of the difference.

Macros and Nutrition in Spinach

Spinach is a nutritional powerhouse for its calorie count. A single cup of cooked spinach delivers far more than the daily value of vitamin K, plus large amounts of vitamin A, folate, manganese and iron, along with vitamin C, magnesium and potassium. It also contains lutein and zeaxanthin, antioxidants associated with eye health.

For a leafy green, spinach is relatively high in protein and fiber, which is why even modest portions feel substantial when cooked. The iron in spinach is non-heme (plant) iron, which is absorbed better when eaten alongside a vitamin C source like citrus, tomatoes or bell peppers.

Raw vs Cooked Spinach

Raw spinach is the lowest-calorie way to eat it and preserves the most vitamin C and folate, which are sensitive to heat. Cooking, however, shrinks the volume so you can eat much more in one sitting, and it can increase the availability of some nutrients like beta-carotene. Neither version is meaningfully higher in calories per gram — the per-cup difference is entirely about how tightly the leaves pack.

Is Spinach Good for Weight Loss?

Spinach is one of the best foods for weight loss. At roughly 7 calories per raw cup, you can build huge salads or blend handfuls into smoothies without affecting your calorie budget. Cooked spinach adds bulk and nutrition to omelets, pastas and stir-fries for very little energy. As always, the calories you add through oil, butter or cream dwarf the calories in the spinach itself, so light seasoning keeps spinach the diet-friendly food it is.