How many calories are in white bread?
White bread has 74 calories per 1 slice (28 g) — that's 266 calories per 100 g, roughly 4% of a 2,000-calorie day. Most of those calories come from carbohydrate.
USDA FoodData Central · commercially prepared · FDC 174924
Calories by portion
| Portion | Calories | Protein | Carbs | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 slice (28 g) | 74 | 2.5 g | 13.8 g | 0.9 g |
| 100 g | 266 | 8.9 g | 49.4 g | 3.3 g |
| 1 oz (28 g) | 75 | 2.5 g | 14 g | 0.9 g |
Where the calories come from
Protein 14% Carbs 75% Fat 11%
Calories computed from USDA per-100 g data (FDC 174924, SR Legacy). commercially prepared. The macro split uses general Atwater factors (protein and carbs ≈ 4 cal/g, fat ≈ 9 cal/g) and is approximate.
A single slice of white bread has about 74 calories — and almost all of it is carbohydrate. The number that scares people is the per-100 g figure, 266 calories, which reads high next to rice or potatoes. But that comparison is misleading: 100 g of bread is roughly three and a half slices, and a real slice weighs only about 28 g. Read bread the way you actually eat it — by the slice — and it’s a modest 74 calories. The honest takeaway when someone asks “how many calories in bread” is that the per-slice cost is small; the total just depends on how many slices you stack up.
Why bread looks calorie-dense by weight
Bread does carry more calories per gram than many other carb staples, and there’s a simple reason: water. Cooked rice, potatoes, and oatmeal are mostly water by weight, which dilutes their calories per gram down into the 90-130 range. Bread is the opposite — most of its moisture is baked off, so what’s left is concentrated starch at 266 calories per 100 g. That makes the per-100 g number look alarming compared with a potato, even though a single slice is much lighter and lands at a perfectly reasonable 74 calories. The fix is just to stop reading bread per 100 g. Count slices, because that’s the unit that maps to what’s on your plate.
Where the calories come from: slice count and spreads
Once you’re counting slices, the math is clean and the calories scale right with it: one slice ~74, the two slices in a sandwich ~148, a third slice or a side roll another ~74 or so. Bread’s real risk isn’t density — it’s how quietly the servings stack up across a day (toast at breakfast, a sandwich at lunch, a roll at dinner) and what goes on or between them. Butter, mayonnaise, and oil are calorie-dense enough that a generous spread can rival the bread it’s on, and in a sandwich the filling is usually where most of the calories actually live. So frame bread honestly: a modest ~74 calories a slice, where the total is set by how many slices you eat and what you put on them — not by the intimidating per-100 g figure on the label.
For the protein side of the picture — and why bread is a carrier rather than a protein source — see protein in white bread.
Packaged grains options, graded
Prefer something off the shelf? Here are the best-graded grains in our catalog — each scored on our transparent Labelgrade. Check the calorie line on each label for your goal.
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Labelgrade 81/100 · 110 cal · 5 g protein
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many calories are in a slice of white bread?
About 74 calories in a standard slice (28 g), which comes from 266 calories per 100 g (USDA FDC 174924). Most of that is carbohydrate. The per-100 g figure looks high, but a single slice is only ~28 g — far less than 100 g — so a slice is genuinely modest.
How many calories are in 100 g of white bread?
White bread is 266 calories per 100 g. That sounds high because bread is low in water and energy-dense by weight, but 100 g is roughly three and a half slices. Nobody eats bread in 100 g units — the practical number is per slice (~74 calories).
Why does white bread look high in calories per 100 g?
Because bread is dense and dry. Unlike rice or potatoes, which are mostly water, bread has had most of its moisture baked off, so it packs more calories into each gram — 266 per 100 g. But a slice only weighs about 28 g, so the realistic per-slice calorie cost (~74) is small. Always read bread by the slice, not by 100 g.
How many calories are in two slices of bread (a sandwich)?
About 148 calories for the two slices of white bread in a sandwich (56 g). That's just the bread — the filling adds the rest, and is usually where most of a sandwich's calories come from. The calories scale directly with how many slices you use.
Is bread bad for weight loss?
Not inherently — a slice is only about 74 calories. The issue is that bread is easy to eat several servings of without noticing (toast, a sandwich, a side roll, then more), and the spreads and fillings add up fast. Counting slices and watching the butter, mayo, and oil matters more than avoiding bread.
When was this data last verified?
2026-06-04, against USDA FoodData Central FDC 174924 (Bread, white, commercially prepared; 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.