How Many Calories Is In A Cup Of Spinach? Facts

A cup of raw spinach contains about 7 calories. That number comes from the USDA’s FoodData Central database, and it holds whether you measure the leaves loosely packed or chopped. Spinach is one of the lowest-calorie foods you can eat, but the more useful question is what else that cup delivers — and why the calorie count changes so little no matter how you prepare it.

How Many Calories Is In A Cup Of Spinach?

One cup of raw spinach has roughly 7 calories. That figure applies to a standard one-cup serving, which weighs about 30 grams. The exact number shifts slightly depending on how tightly the leaves are packed, but the range stays narrow — somewhere between 5 and 8 calories for a typical cup.

For context, a cup of raw spinach is about 91 percent water by weight. Most of the remaining mass is fiber and carbohydrates, with a small amount of protein and almost no fat. Water and fiber contribute essentially no calories, which is why the total lands so low.

The calorie count does not change much if you chop the spinach or tear it into pieces. What changes it is cooking. A cup of cooked spinach contains closer to 41 calories, but that is not because heat adds energy. Cooking collapses the leaves and removes water, so far more spinach fits into the same cup. You are simply eating more plant in the same volume.

What Is the Full Nutrition Profile of One Cup of Spinach?

Calories tell only a small part of the story. Spinach is dense in several nutrients that matter for long-term health, and it delivers them for very few calories.

Here is what one cup of raw spinach provides, based on USDA data:

• Calories: about 7
• Carbohydrates: about 1 gram
• Fiber: about 0.7 grams
• Protein: about 0.9 grams
• Fat: essentially 0 grams
• Vitamin K: a large share of daily needs
• Vitamin A: roughly 15 percent of daily needs, from beta-carotene
• Vitamin C: a modest amount
• Folate: a meaningful amount
• Iron: a small amount
• Calcium: a small amount

The vitamin K content is the standout. One cup of raw spinach supplies a substantial portion of what most adults need in a day. That matters for blood clotting and bone health, but it also matters for people taking blood-thinning medication — more on that below.

Spinach also contains carotenoids like lutein and zeaxanthin, which concentrate in the retina. Research has linked these compounds to eye health, though the evidence comes largely from observational studies rather than controlled trials.

Does Cooking Spinach Change the Calories?

Cooking does not add calories to spinach itself. The difference between raw and cooked is a matter of volume, not energy.

When spinach wilts, the cell walls break down and water escapes. A large handful of raw leaves shrinks to a few tablespoons. That means a cup of cooked spinach holds the equivalent of several cups of raw leaves. The calories go up because the amount of spinach goes up.

What you cook it in is a separate matter. Sautéing spinach in butter or oil adds fat and calories that have nothing to do with the vegetable. A tablespoon of olive oil adds about 119 calories — far more than the spinach itself. If you are tracking calories, the cooking fat usually matters more than the greens.

Raw vs. Cooked Spinach at a Glance

The table makes the point clearly. The cooked cup holds roughly six times the spinach, which explains almost the entire calorie difference.

Is Spinach a Good Food for Weight Management?

Spinach is a useful food for anyone watching their weight, mainly because it adds volume and nutrients without adding many calories. Foods high in water and fiber tend to increase fullness, and some research suggests that eating low-energy-density foods can help people feel satisfied while taking in fewer calories overall.

That said, no single vegetable drives weight loss. Spinach helps when it replaces higher-calorie foods or bulks up a meal — a salad that starts with a big bed of spinach, for example, or a smoothie that uses spinach instead of added sugar. It does not help much if it sits next to a plate of fried food.

The fiber content is modest per cup, so spinach alone will not meet your daily fiber needs. It works best as part of a varied diet that includes other vegetables, whole grains, and legumes.

Does Spinach Have Any Downsides?

For most people, spinach is a safe and healthy food. A few groups need to pay attention.

Spinach is high in vitamin K, which interacts with blood-thinning medications like warfarin. Vitamin K helps blood clot, and these drugs work by slowing clotting. A sudden increase or decrease in vitamin K intake can affect how well the medication works. People on these drugs do not need to avoid spinach, but they should keep their intake steady and tell their doctor how much they typically eat.

Spinach also contains oxalates, natural compounds that can bind to calcium and contribute to kidney stones in people who are prone to forming them. If you have a history of calcium oxalate stones, your doctor may suggest limiting high-oxalate foods. This is a specific medical situation, not a general concern.

Spinach is also a source of dietary nitrates. These are generally considered beneficial, but they can interfere with certain medications. Anyone taking nitrate-based drugs should check with a clinician.

Finally, raw spinach can carry bacteria like E. coli or Listeria, as any raw leafy green can. Washing reduces but does not eliminate the risk. People who are pregnant, very young, elderly, or immunocompromised may want to cook spinach rather than eat it raw.

How Should You Store and Prepare Spinach?

Fresh spinach loses nutrients over time, especially vitamin C, which is sensitive to light, heat, and oxygen. Stored in a sealed bag in the refrigerator, spinach usually keeps for a few days to about a week, depending on how fresh it was when you bought it.

Washing before storage tends to speed spoilage because added moisture encourages bacterial growth. It is usually better to wash spinach right before you use it. If the leaves are wet when you bring them home, pat them dry first.

Cooking spinach briefly — steaming, sautéing, or wilting — preserves more nutrients than boiling it for a long time, since some water-soluble vitamins leach into the cooking water. That said, the difference is not dramatic, and eating cooked spinach is far better than eating none.