A medium apple contains about 95 calories. That’s for a whole raw apple with the skin on, weighing roughly 182 grams (about 6.4 ounces). Most of those calories come from natural sugars and carbohydrates, with virtually no fat and only 1 gram of protein.
Calories by Apple Size
Not all apples are the same size, and the calorie count scales pretty directly with weight. A small apple (about 150 grams) has around 77 calories, while a large one (about 223 grams) comes in closer to 116. If you’re slicing an apple and only eating half, you’re looking at roughly 47 calories for a medium-sized fruit. The variety matters less than the size: a Fuji, Gala, Granny Smith, and Honeycrisp of the same weight will all land in a similar calorie range.
What’s Actually in Those Calories
A medium apple packs 25 grams of carbohydrates, 19 of which are naturally occurring sugars. The dominant sugar in apples is fructose, which accounts for roughly half the total sugar content. The rest is a mix of sucrose and a smaller amount of glucose. Sweeter varieties like Golden Delicious tend to have more fructose, while tart varieties like Granny Smith have less.
The remaining 6 grams of carbohydrates come mostly from fiber, with a medium apple providing about 3 grams. That fiber is a mix of soluble and insoluble types, including pectin, which slows digestion and helps you feel full longer. Pectin forms a gel-like substance in your gut that delays stomach emptying and smooths out blood sugar spikes after eating. This is one reason an apple tends to feel more satisfying than 95 calories of juice or candy.
Why the Skin Matters
Peeling an apple doesn’t dramatically change the calorie count, but it does strip away a significant chunk of the nutrition. Up to one-third of an apple’s total fiber sits in and just beneath the skin. A peeled apple also loses up to 115% of its vitamin C, 142% of its vitamin A, and 332% of its vitamin K compared to eating it with the skin on. If you’re eating apples for the fiber and fullness benefits, keeping the skin on makes a real difference.
How Apples Compare to Other Fruits
At 95 calories, a medium apple sits in the middle of the fruit calorie spectrum. A medium banana runs about 105 calories, a medium orange about 62, and a cup of grapes around 104. What sets the apple apart is its fiber-to-calorie ratio and its portability. Three grams of fiber for under 100 calories is a solid return, and the firm texture means you chew longer, which itself contributes to feeling satisfied.
Dried, Juiced, and Cooked Apples
How you prepare an apple changes the calorie picture significantly. A cup of apple juice contains about 114 calories but almost no fiber, so it won’t keep you full the way a whole apple does. Dried apple rings are even more calorie-dense: a cup of dried apples has roughly 209 calories because removing the water concentrates the sugars. Applesauce falls somewhere in between, with unsweetened varieties running about 100 calories per cup, though sweetened versions can hit 170 or more.
Baking or cooking an apple doesn’t change its calorie content on its own. The calories shift when you add butter, sugar, or pastry. A plain baked apple stays close to 95 calories, but one with brown sugar and butter can easily triple that.