How many calories are in broccoli?
Broccoli has 55 calories per 1 cup chopped (156 g) — that's 35 calories per 100 g, roughly 3% of a 2,000-calorie day. Most of those calories come from carbohydrate.
USDA FoodData Central · cooked, boiled · FDC 169967
Calories by portion
| Portion | Calories | Protein | Carbs | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 cup chopped (156 g) | 55 | 3.7 g | 11.2 g | 0.6 g |
| 100 g | 35 | 2.4 g | 7.2 g | 0.4 g |
| 1 oz (28 g) | 10 | 0.7 g | 2 g | 0.1 g |
Where the calories come from
Protein 23% Carbs 69% Fat 9%
Calories computed from USDA per-100 g data (FDC 169967, SR Legacy). cooked, boiled. The macro split uses general Atwater factors (protein and carbs ≈ 4 cal/g, fat ≈ 9 cal/g) and is approximate.
Broccoli is about as low as food calories go: a full cup of cooked chopped broccoli has roughly 55 calories — just 35 per 100 g. The little energy it carries is mostly carbohydrate, but the absolute amount is so small that broccoli barely moves a daily total. When people ask “how many calories in broccoli,” the honest and slightly fun answer is: almost none. You can pile a mountain of it on your plate for the calorie cost of a few bites of most other foods.
One of the lowest-calorie foods you can eat
At 35 calories per 100 g, broccoli sits among the least calorie-dense foods in the supermarket, and the reason is its makeup: it’s mostly water and fiber, with only a small amount of carbohydrate and a trace of protein and fat. That combination is exactly what makes it so easy to eat freely. Two full cups is only around 110 calories — still less than a single slice of bread plus a pat of butter — so broccoli is one of the rare foods where portion size hardly matters for your calorie count. If anything, the practical ceiling isn’t calories at all but digestion: broccoli’s fiber can cause bloating in very large amounts. On energy, though, it’s effectively a free pass.
Why that makes broccoli a weight-loss workhorse
Low calories are only half of it — the other half is that broccoli is filling and nutrient-dense for those calories. The fiber (about 5 g a cup) plus all that water adds real volume and fullness to a meal, so a big serving of broccoli lets you eat a satisfying, substantial plate while keeping the calorie total low. That’s the whole logic of “high-volume eating”: bulk the plate with something like broccoli, anchor it with a lean protein, and you stay full on fewer calories. And those ~55 calories come loaded — most of a day’s vitamin C and vitamin K, folate, and sulforaphane — so you’re not trading nutrition for the low count; you’re getting both. Frame broccoli accurately: not a meal on its own, but the perfect near-zero-calorie sidekick that makes the rest of the plate work harder.
For the protein side of the picture — broccoli is high-protein for a vegetable, though still not a protein source — see protein in broccoli.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many calories are in a cup of broccoli?
About 55 calories in a 1-cup chopped cooked serving (156 g), which is 35 calories per 100 g (USDA FDC 169967). That's exceptionally low — broccoli is mostly water and fiber, so you can eat a large amount for very few calories.
How many calories are in 100 g of broccoli?
Cooked broccoli is just 35 calories per 100 g, one of the lowest figures of any common food. Even what little energy it has is mostly carbohydrate, but the absolute number is so small that broccoli barely registers on a daily calorie count.
Is broccoli good for weight loss?
Yes — it's close to ideal. At about 55 calories a cup, broccoli adds volume, fiber, and a feeling of fullness to a plate for almost nothing, which lets you eat satisfying portions while keeping total calories down. Pairing a big serving of broccoli with a lean protein is a classic high-volume, lower-calorie meal.
Can you eat too much broccoli?
On calories, practically no — you'd have to eat enormous amounts to matter, since a whole cup is only ~55 calories. The real limit is digestive comfort: broccoli is high in fiber and certain carbohydrates that can cause gas or bloating in large quantities. Calorie-wise, though, it's one of the hardest foods to overeat.
How many calories are in raw broccoli?
Roughly the same per 100 g, around 34-35 calories, since cooking by boiling doesn't add calories. A cup of raw florets weighs less than a cup of cooked chopped broccoli, so a cup of raw lands a bit lower in total calories simply because there's less of it in the cup.
When was this data last verified?
2026-06-04, against USDA FoodData Central FDC 169967 (Broccoli, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt; SR Legacy). We re-verify reference pages periodically and update when USDA revises the entry.
Whole-food values are USDA reference data, not a Labelgrade (that score is for branded packaged products). See our methodology and the TDEE calculator to turn this into a daily target.