Calories per 100g. Useful for calorie-conscious meal planning.
1–30 of 7,891 foods
This ranking sorts foods by calories per 100g — energy density. It is useful in both directions: for identifying foods that deliver a lot of energy in little volume, and for finding those that fill a plate without much.
Pure fats sit at the ceiling. Fish oils and every cooking oil land at around 900 kcal per 100g, because fat carries 9 kcal per gram against 4 for protein and carbohydrate.
At the other end, vegetables and fruit with high water content fall between 15 and 60 kcal per 100g. That gap — not any specific ingredient — is what determines whether a meal is easy or hard to overeat.
Daily intake reference (FDA Daily Value)
FDA reference intake: 2,000 calories per day, used as the basis for all percent Daily Values on nutrition labels. Actual needs vary widely with body size, composition, age, and activity.
Energy density drives fullness
People tend to eat a fairly consistent weight of food per day rather than a consistent calorie count. Choosing lower-density foods lets the same volume carry fewer calories.
Oils add up invisibly
A tablespoon of any oil is around 120 calories. Cooking fat is the most commonly overlooked calorie source precisely because it is not the thing being eaten.
Dry versus cooked changes everything
Dry pasta, rice, and beans show three to four times the calories per 100g of their cooked forms, because cooking adds water. Always check which state a figure refers to.
Q. Which foods have the most calories per 100g?
A. Fats and oils, all near 900 kcal per 100g. After those come nuts and seeds (about 550–600), then dried fruits and cured meats. Fat is more than twice as energy-dense as protein or carbohydrate by weight.
Q. What are the lowest-calorie foods?
A. Water-rich vegetables and fruit — cucumber, lettuce, celery, tomato, watermelon — mostly land between 15 and 40 kcal per 100g. Broths and clear soups are similar.
Q. Does 100 calories of anything have the same effect?
A. Not in practice. 100 calories of chicken breast or beans is far more filling than 100 calories of oil or sugar, and protein additionally costs more energy to digest. Calories count, but so does what carries them.
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Data source: USDA FoodData Central (Public Domain) — fdc.nal.usda.gov