How many calories are in corn?
Corn has 77 calories per 1 ear (90 g) — that's 86 calories per 100 g, roughly 4% of a 2,000-calorie day. Most of those calories come from carbohydrate.
USDA FoodData Central · raw · FDC 169998
Calories by portion
| Portion | Calories | Protein | Carbs | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 ear (90 g) | 77 | 3 g | 16.8 g | 1.3 g |
| 100 g | 86 | 3.3 g | 18.7 g | 1.4 g |
| 1 oz (28 g) | 24 | 0.9 g | 5.3 g | 0.4 g |
Where the calories come from
Protein 13% Carbs 74% Fat 13%
Calories computed from USDA per-100 g data (FDC 169998, SR Legacy). raw. The macro split uses general Atwater factors (protein and carbs ≈ 4 cal/g, fat ≈ 9 cal/g) and is approximate.
A plain ear of sweet corn has about 77 calories — that comes from USDA’s 86 calories per 100 g for a typical 90 g ear. Most of that energy is carbohydrate, the starch and natural sugar that make corn sweet and satisfying, though corn also carries a bit more protein than most vegetables. The key word, though, is plain: an ear on its own is a modest 77 calories, but corn is rarely eaten plain. Butter, oil, and salt are where the calories climb — which is why corn is best thought of as a starchy side, not a free vegetable.
Where the calories in corn come from
Corn straddles the line between vegetable and grain, and its calorie breakdown shows it. Roughly 74% of the calories come from carbohydrate — close to 19 g of carbs per 100 g, including natural sugar — with about 13% from protein and 13% from fat. That protein share is genuinely higher than you would see in a watery vegetable like broccoli or carrots, so if you have heard corn has “more protein than you’d think,” that is fair. But the carbohydrate still dominates, which is why corn sits much closer to rice or potato on the plate than to a leafy vegetable. Treat it as the starch portion of your meal and the numbers make sense.
A starchy side whose calories depend on the toppings
On calorie density, corn lands in moderate territory — heavier than crunchy, watery veg because it is starchy, but still light compared with bread or pasta. The practical angle is all about what you add. A bare ear is ~77 calories; brush it with a tablespoon of butter and you can add 100 calories of pure fat, more than doubling the total. The same logic applies to a cup of kernels (~125 calories) drowning in butter or mixed into a mayo-heavy salad. None of this makes corn unhealthy — it brings fiber, lutein, and zeaxanthin — but the honest framing is to count corn as your starch and watch the toppings, the way you would with a baked potato.
For the flip side of the macro picture, see protein in corn — where corn’s modest protein edge over other vegetables gets its due.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many calories are in an ear of corn?
About 77 calories in one medium ear of sweet corn (90 g), plain, based on USDA's 86 calories per 100 g (FDC 169998). That is for corn on its own — a pat of butter adds roughly 35-100 calories, which is where a buttered ear can quietly double in energy.
How many calories are in corn per 100 g or per ounce?
86 calories per 100 g, which is about 24 calories per ounce (28 g). That is a moderate calorie density — higher than watery vegetables like broccoli or carrots, because corn is a starchy vegetable that behaves more like a grain than a leafy veg.
Where do the calories in corn come from?
Mostly carbohydrate. Using standard Atwater factors, roughly 74% of corn's calories come from carbs — starch and natural sugar — with about 13% from its ~3.3 g of protein per 100 g and about 13% from its ~1.4 g of fat. Corn has noticeably more protein than most vegetables, but it is still fundamentally a starch.
Is corn fattening or good for weight loss?
Corn is not fattening on its own — a plain ear is only about 77 calories with 2 g of fiber. It behaves like a starchy side, so the smart move is to count it as your starch for the meal, the way you would rice or a potato, rather than as a free vegetable. What pushes the calories up is what goes on top: butter, oil, and salt can add more energy than the corn itself.
How many calories are in a cup of corn?
About 125 calories for a cup of corn kernels (around 145 g), since corn runs 86 calories per 100 g. A cup of kernels is a more concentrated serving than a single ear, so it lands closer to a real starch portion — useful to know when corn is mixed into a salad or bowl.
When was this data last verified?
2026-06-04, against USDA FoodData Central FDC 169998 (Corn, sweet, yellow, raw; SR Legacy). We re-verify reference pages periodically and update when the underlying USDA entry changes.
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.