Raw spinach has 23 calories per 100 g; a loose cup is near 7 calories, while a cup of cooked spinach is closer to 40.
Spinach looks big, so it’s easy to think you’ve eaten a lot. In reality, raw leaves weigh almost nothing. Once you cook them, the leaves collapse into a small pile, and the cup measure starts to trick you.
This page gives you calorie numbers for spinach that match real meals, from salads to cooked sides.
Why spinach calorie counts look odd
Spinach is mostly water plus fiber, with small amounts of protein and carbs. A cup can be fluffy, packed, or cooked down from many cups of raw leaves.
Cooking changes shape, not the calorie level of the leaf itself. Heat drives off water and softens the structure, so you fit more leaf into less space. That’s why “one cup cooked” can land many times higher than “one cup raw,” while spinach stays low-calorie.
Form matters too. Fresh leaves, thawed frozen spinach, and canned spinach all carry different amounts of water. When you drain harder, you lower the weight of water in the cup, and the cup starts holding more spinach. Weight-based tracking cuts through that noise.
Calories in spinach by serving size and prep
If you only remember one number, use 23 calories per 100 grams for plain spinach. That value comes from USDA FoodData Central’s spinach, raw entry, which is a solid anchor for both raw and cooked math.
Raw spinach in salads, wraps, and handfuls
A loose cup of raw spinach is light. Many people pile in two or three cups as a salad base and still stay under 25 calories. If you grab a quick handful for a sandwich or wrap, you may be logging just a few calories.
When you track raw spinach by cups, be honest about how packed the cup is. A loose scoop is fine as “1 cup raw.” A tightly stuffed cup can hold far more leaves, so a fast check on a kitchen scale can teach you what your usual scoop weighs.
If you track by ounces, use this shortcut: 1 ounce (28 g) of raw spinach is around 6 calories when you scale from the 23-per-100-g value.
Cooked spinach and the shrink factor
Spinach shrinks fast in a pan or pot. A big bowl of raw leaves can turn into a small side dish. The calorie number in the leaf doesn’t jump, but the portion you serve can hold many leaves.
A cup of cooked, drained spinach often weighs around 180 grams. At 23 calories per 100 g, that cup lands near 41 calories. That’s still light, but it’s no longer the tiny “7 calories per cup” that people associate with raw spinach.
The bigger calorie swing in cooked spinach usually comes from what you cook it with. Oil, butter, cheese, and cream can add far more calories than the spinach itself.
Scale math that stays simple
When accuracy matters, a scale makes life easier. You don’t need special tools, and you don’t need to log ten different spinach entries and guess which one matches your plate.
Use this three-step method:
- Pick a trusted base value (calories per 100 g) for the form you’re eating.
- Weigh your portion in grams.
- Multiply: calories = (calories per 100 g) × (grams ÷ 100).
Tare your bowl once
Set a bowl on the scale, hit tare, then add spinach until you hit the grams you want. If you’re sautéing, weigh the cooked spinach after draining, since trapped water can swing the count.
One fast check shows how it works. If you weigh 60 g of raw spinach, you’re at 23 × 0.60 = 13.8 calories. Many people round that to 14 when logging.
If you’re using packaged spinach products, serving sizes can be listed in cups, grams, or both. The FDA’s Nutrition Facts label page explains how calories and serving sizes are presented, which helps when one brand uses “1 cup” and another uses “85 g.”
Calorie chart for common spinach portions
Use this chart when you want a quick estimate without weighing. The weights are common reference amounts used in nutrition databases. Your own handfuls can weigh more or less, so treat these as steady guideposts.
| Portion | Weight | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| Spinach, raw, 1 cup (loose) | 30 g | 7 kcal |
| Spinach, raw, 2 cups | 60 g | 14 kcal |
| Spinach, raw, 1 ounce | 28 g | 6 kcal |
| Spinach, raw, 100 g | 100 g | 23 kcal |
| Spinach, cooked and drained, 1/2 cup | 90 g | 21 kcal |
| Spinach, cooked and drained, 1 cup | 180 g | 41 kcal |
| Spinach, cooked, 100 g | 100 g | 23 kcal |
| Spinach, frozen, thawed and drained, 1 cup | 190 g | 44 kcal |
Two things stand out. First, the per-100-gram value is stable for plain spinach. Second, cup measures shift once spinach is cooked and compact. If your tracker gives both “raw” and “cooked,” pick the one that matches what you see on the plate.
Fresh, frozen, canned, and restaurant spinach
Fresh spinach is the easiest to log because you can weigh the leaves and you know what’s in the bowl. Frozen spinach can be plain, but some packages add sauces or cheese. Canned spinach is packed in liquid and can carry added salt; after draining, the final weight depends on how much liquid you press out.
Restaurant spinach sides are often cooked in oil or butter for flavor. That can turn a low-calorie cup into a heavier side dish. When you eat out, check the restaurant nutrition page if it exists. If not, assume cooking fat was used and log it as part of your estimate.
Where spinach calories jump fast
Spinach is usually not the calorie problem. The add-ins are. A salad base that sits under 20 calories can grow into a high-calorie meal once you pile on calorie-dense toppings.
- Dressings and oils: Two tablespoons can add more calories than a whole bowl of raw spinach.
- Nuts and seeds: Great crunch, but small amounts carry a lot of energy.
- Cheese: A light sprinkle is fine; a thick layer adds up fast.
- Cream sauces: Common in creamed spinach and casseroles.
- Sweet add-ins: Dried fruit and candied toppings can stack calories quickly.
If you want to keep spinach dishes lighter, measure your dressing or cooking fat at least a few times. Once you see what a tablespoon looks like, eyeballing gets easier.
Spinach meals and calorie ranges
Meals vary by ingredient brands and portion size. The ranges below are meant to set expectations for daily cooking, not to match every restaurant plate. If you track closely, weigh the main ingredients and log them one by one.
| Spinach dish | What drives calories | Common range |
|---|---|---|
| Big spinach salad | Protein choice and dressing | 150–450 kcal |
| Spinach omelet | Cheese and cooking fat | 220–450 kcal |
| Sauteed spinach side | Oil or butter amount | 60–220 kcal |
| Smoothie with spinach | Fruit, yogurt, nut butter | 180–500 kcal |
| Spinach soup | Cream and toppings | 120–400 kcal |
| Spinach in pasta | Pasta size and sauce | 350–800 kcal |
| Creamed spinach | Cream, butter, cheese | 200–450 kcal |
If you want one habit that keeps spinach meals steady, measure oils and dressings. That step often saves more calories than trimming spinach.
Food safety for leafy greens
Spinach is often eaten raw, so safe handling matters. Keep greens cold, keep your cutting board clean, and avoid letting spinach sit at room temperature for long stretches.
Bagged spinach may be labeled “ready to eat.” Follow the package directions. If you rinse it again, use clean hands and a clean colander, then dry the leaves well so your salad doesn’t turn watery.
If you want a deeper set of practices for leafy greens, the CDC’s leafy vegetables guidance describes steps that reduce risk in buying, receiving, and storage. Home kitchens can borrow the same habits: watch dates, keep greens cold, and discard leaves that smell off or feel slimy.
Nutrients you get for the calories
Spinach isn’t popular just because it’s low in calories. It’s packed with micronutrients, including vitamin K, folate, and carotenoids, plus minerals like magnesium. That means you get a lot of nutrition per bite without a big energy hit.
Vitamin K deserves special attention for people who take warfarin. Sudden swings in vitamin K intake can affect dosing for that medicine. The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements vitamin K fact sheet explains food sources and interaction notes. If you use warfarin or another anticoagulant, keep your spinach intake steady and ask your prescriber before big diet changes.
If weight management is your goal, spinach can help you build a bigger plate with fewer calories. Use it to stretch omelets, soups, curries, and bowls. Pair it with protein and a measured fat, and the meal can feel filling without pushing calories through the roof.
Spinach calorie checklist
- Use 23 calories per 100 g as your anchor for plain spinach.
- Expect cup measures to change after cooking, since spinach packs down.
- When you want accuracy, weigh spinach and use the simple grams-to-calories math.
- Track oils, butter, cheese, nuts, and dressings with the same care as the greens.
- If you take warfarin, keep vitamin K intake steady and ask your prescriber before big diet changes.
Spinach stays low in calories in almost any form. Match the log entry to how the spinach is prepared, then pay attention to the add-ins that bring most of the calories.
References & Sources
- USDA FoodData Central.“Spinach, raw (nutrients).”Source for the 23 calories per 100 g reference value used throughout the portion math.
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).“The Nutrition Facts Label.”Explains how calories and serving sizes are shown on packaged food labels.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).“Leafy Vegetables.”Guidance on safer handling and storage practices for leafy greens.
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements.“Vitamin K: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals.”Details vitamin K food sources and interaction notes relevant to frequent spinach intake.
