How Many Calories Are in a Tomato? Calories by Size and Variety

A raw red tomato has about 18 calories per 100 grams, while a medium tomato weighing roughly 123 grams contains around 22 calories. Tomato weight explains most of the difference, so measuring the edible portion gives you the most reliable total.

This overview covers calories in whole, sliced, and chopped tomatoes, common varieties, preparation methods, and portion estimates. It gives you practical figures for meal planning and nutrition logs.

A Raw Tomato Provides an 18-Calorie Baseline

A red tomato weighing exactly 100 grams supplies about 18 calories. You can apply that figure to fresh tomatoes on a salad, sandwich, or cutting board. This calorie density provides a consistent baseline for estimating different sizes and varieties.

One medium tomato generally weighs around 123 grams and contains roughly 22 calories. You can use that total as a shortcut for an average medium piece. Stem tissue and damaged sections do not belong in the edible portion, so exclude them before weighing.

Water accounts for most of a tomato’s weight, which keeps its calorie density relatively low. A medium tomato also supplies about 95% of a daily vitamin C reference intake. You receive water, fiber, vitamin C, and other nutrients with a modest energy load.

Most of the fruit’s energy comes from carbohydrate. Protein and fat contribute only small amounts, while the carbohydrate includes fiber and natural sugars. These values align with the raw red tomato data listed by USDA FoodData Central.

Tomato Size and Variety Change the Total

Variety alters the weight of an individual piece more than the calorie density of its flesh. A small tomato with 100 grams of edible flesh contains roughly 18 calories. A larger piece can reach 30 calories or more without changing the baseline per gram.

Cherry tomatoes generally contain about 18 to 25 calories each. Their size and water content vary, so a piece count alone gives you a rough figure. Ten smaller tomatoes may total about 180 calories, while ten larger pieces may reach about 250 calories.

Grape tomatoes have the same measurement challenge despite their elongated shape. Their form does not create a fixed Serving Size because each piece can differ in weight. You can weigh five tomatoes, record the combined total, and divide that figure by five for your own average.

Tomato Weight gives you a firmer estimate than the variety name alone. A Nutrition Facts panel can guide you for canned or prepared products, while fresh tomatoes need a scale or a standard portion reference. Your best estimate reflects the amount you plan to eat.

Grams Convert Any Tomato Into a Reliable Count

Multiply the edible Tomato Weight in grams by 0.18 to estimate calories. A 150-gram tomato contains about 27 calories, and a 200-gram tomato contains about 36. The calculation applies to red, Roma, grape, and cherry tomatoes because it measures edible mass directly.

Four Steps for Calculating Your Portion

1. 1Weigh the edible portion. Place your tomato on a kitchen scale and record its weight in grams.
2. 2Multiply grams by 0.18. A 120-gram tomato contains about 22 calories.
3. 3Round to the nearest calorie. Minor rounding differences work for everyday nutrition tracking.
4. 4Count each portion separately. Add the totals for every tomato or measured serving you eat.

One cup of chopped raw tomato weighs about 149 grams and contains roughly 27 calories. You can apply that Serving Size to salads, sauces, and cooked dishes before other ingredients enter the recipe. A medium whole tomato yields close to one and a half cups after chopping, though the volume depends on the cuts.

Without a scale, compare the tomato with a baseball. A medium piece is close to that size, while a large tomato is wider and heavier. A standard kitchen cup also works as a rough volume reference, although loose tomato pieces do not fill it evenly.

For example, three small tomatoes totaling 60 grams contribute about 11 calories. Add 27 calories for a 150-gram cup of chopped tomato, and the combined serving contains about 38 calories. Dressing, oil, cheese, and other additions require separate entries in your nutrition record.

Your calculation should use edible grams rather than the plate weight or stem weight. For example, a tomato listed as 145 grams with a 5-gram stem contributes about 25 calories. The calculation uses the 140-gram edible portion and multiplies it by 0.18.

Cutting Changes Shape but Not Per-Weight Calories

Whole, sliced, and chopped raw tomatoes retain the same basic calorie density per gram. Cutting alters the shape and makes portioning easier, but it does not add energy to the fruit. Your total depends on the flesh, seeds, and juice left on the plate.

A tomato slice containing about 20 grams of edible flesh supplies roughly 4 calories. A larger 30-gram slice contains about 5 calories. Diameter and thickness affect the piece weight, so weighing several slices gives you a stronger estimate for your serving.

You can drain chopped tomatoes in a sieve, though some soluble material and tomato flavor remain in the liquid. Discarding juice or pulp slightly lowers the edible amount, which can make your original whole-fruit estimate run slightly high. There’s no need to account for each discarded seed separately.

Preparation also affects your visible portion without changing raw calorie density. A sliced 20-gram piece and a chopped 20-gram portion both contain about 4 calories. Your measured edible weight remains the deciding factor.

“Practical tip: Weigh tomatoes after trimming the stem, but keep any juice, seeds, and pulp that you plan to eat.

Cherry and Grape Tomatoes Need Portion Measurements

A Cherry Tomato containing about 18 calories sits near the lower end of the 18-to-25-calorie range for individual pieces. Larger pieces can reach about 25 calories or slightly beyond that level. Weighing a batch accounts for the size variation inside one container.

A Grape Tomato does not have a fixed calorie total because its elongated shape does not indicate its weight. Five tomatoes totaling 100 grams contain about 18 calories. Five pieces totaling 125 grams contain about 23 calories after the same calculation.

You can use package counts to estimate larger quantities without measuring every tomato. Ten Cherry Tomatoes may contain about 180 calories for smaller fruit or about 250 calories for larger pieces. Dividing the total by 10 gives you a range-based estimate for each piece.

Weighing several pieces gives you a better average for the tomatoes in your kitchen. Place the batch on the scale, subtract the container’s weight, and use the edible total. Your result then reflects the actual Tomato Weight rather than a generic package estimate.

Common Vegetables Provide a Useful Calorie Comparison

A medium tomato’s roughly 22-calorie total falls near the amounts listed for several raw vegetable servings. Its high water content supplies volume and texture with little energy. You can use that combination to add bulk to a meal while tracking calories.

Compare vegetables by measured weight or a stated Serving Size. Piece counts can distort the comparison because cucumbers, bell peppers, and tomatoes have different densities. Check sodium on packaged vegetables as a separate step, since a fresh tomato contains little unless it has been salted or packed in brine.

Added ingredients create a much larger difference than the vegetable itself. One tablespoon of oil supplies about 120 calories, while butter, cheese, and creamy dressings raise the total further. A plain medium tomato remains near 22 calories, but a heavily dressed salad can exceed 200 calories with the same tomato amount.

Your comparison should separate the base vegetable from its toppings. Log the tomato first, then measure each oil, dressing, or cheese addition separately. That method makes your calorie total easier to review and adjust than combining every ingredient into one entry.

Once ingredient weights are tracked separately, cooking reveals how moisture loss concentrates their calories and how additions alter the total.

Cooking Changes Concentration and Added Calories

Plain cooking concentrates a tomato by removing water, so calories rise per 100 grams even though the cooking step itself adds no calories. Steamed or boiled tomatoes without oil retain the same total as the original edible weight, but their final weight is lower after water loss.

One tablespoon of oil adds about 120 calories to a tomato dish. Butter contributes roughly 100 calories per tablespoon, while sugar and creamy sauces raise the total further. These additions change the meal more than a difference between 100-gram and 150-gram fresh tomatoes.

Canned tomato products vary by type and Serving Size. Diced tomatoes in liquid may contain about 30 to 40 calories per half cup, while sauce can contain more. Read the Nutrition Facts panel for the exact amount per serving and count the number of listed servings you eat.

Sun-dried tomatoes have a much higher Calorie Density because most of their water has been removed. A small portion can contain hundreds of calories, making its listed Serving Size especially important. Oil-packed varieties also include added fat, so their total differs from a fresh red tomato.

You can compare raw and cooked forms by weight or by the portion actually served. A 123-gram raw tomato has about 22 calories before water leaves during cooking. The same edible mass still contains about 22 calories, but 100 grams of finished cooked tomato can contain more.

A Repeatable Method Supports Accurate Nutrition Logs

Accurate tracking starts with a few consistent choices. Use raw edible weight for fresh produce, include the portions you plan to eat, and separate sauces from the tomato’s base count.

• ▸Weigh before cutting. A kitchen scale gives you the closest estimate for a whole tomato.
• ▸Use the calorie multiplier. Multiply edible grams by 0.18 for a quick raw-tomato calculation.
• ▸Use the medium estimate. A tomato weighing about 123 grams contains roughly 22 calories.
• ▸Count a chopped cup. A standard 149-gram Serving Size supplies about 27 calories.
• ▸Track toppings separately. Record oil, dressing, butter, cheese, or sauce on their own lines.
• ▸Read packaged labels. Use the listed serving size instead of the fresh-tomato baseline.

Your record does not require perfect measurements to be useful. A close estimate based on weight is stronger than assigning a fixed number to fruit that may be larger or smaller. The 18-calorie-per-100-gram baseline handles most fresh tomato portions.

Consistency matters more than a tiny rounding difference. Record weights to the nearest gram and calories to the nearest whole number. That approach makes separate entries easier to compare and keeps your serving estimates grounded in the same raw-tomato baseline.

You can also check your result against the package or your own kitchen scale. A medium tomato should fall near 22 calories, while a one-cup chopped serving should land near 27. A large result may reflect extra weight, retained pulp, oil, or another ingredient in the dish.

Your Best Estimate Starts with Weight

The most useful baseline is 18 calories per 100 grams of raw edible tomato. Multiplying your measured weight by 0.18 lets you estimate any fresh piece, while 22 calories covers a typical medium tomato and 27 calories covers a cup of chopped tomato.

Weigh the edible portion for your most precise entry. Without a scale, use 22 calories for a medium tomato and adjust upward or downward for visibly larger or smaller pieces. Keep oil, dressing, canned liquid, and other additions outside the raw tomato figure.

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