A medium stalk of raw broccoli (about 148 grams) contains roughly 45 calories. A one-cup chopped serving, which is smaller at 91 grams, comes in at just 31 calories. Either way, broccoli is one of the lowest-calorie vegetables you can eat while still getting a serious nutritional payoff.
Calories by Serving Size
The calorie count depends on how much broccoli you’re actually putting on your plate. Here’s how common portions break down for raw broccoli:
- 1 cup chopped (91 g): 31 calories
- 1 medium stalk (148 g): 45 calories
- 100 grams: about 34 calories
Most of those calories come from carbohydrates and a small amount of protein. A medium stalk has 8 grams of carbs, 4 grams of protein, and just half a gram of fat. Of those 8 grams of carbs, 3 grams are fiber and only 2 grams are sugar, which makes broccoli a popular choice for low-carb diets. A one-cup chopped serving has about 6 grams of total carbs and 2.4 grams of fiber, putting the net carbs at roughly 3.6 grams.
How Cooking Changes the Numbers
Cooking broccoli shifts the calorie count per serving, but not because the broccoli itself gains calories. When you boil or steam broccoli, the pieces soften and shrink, so you can fit more of it into a measuring cup. One cup of boiled, drained broccoli weighs about 156 grams (compared to 91 grams for a raw chopped cup) and contains around 55 calories. Gram for gram, the calorie density stays roughly the same.
Steaming is generally the better cooking method if you want to preserve nutrients. Boiling leaches water-soluble vitamins into the cooking water, which most people pour down the drain. Steaming keeps the broccoli above the water, so more of those vitamins stay in the vegetable. If you do boil your broccoli, keeping the cook time short helps limit nutrient loss.
Fresh vs. Frozen Broccoli
Frozen broccoli has essentially the same calorie content as fresh. The freezing process locks in nutrients at peak ripeness, and in some cases frozen broccoli retains more vitamins than fresh broccoli that has spent several days in transit and on store shelves. For calorie-tracking purposes, you can treat fresh and frozen as interchangeable. Just check the package label to confirm there are no added sauces or seasonings that bump up the count.
Florets vs. Stalks
Many people toss the thick broccoli stalk and eat only the florets, but the two parts are nutritionally similar in terms of calories. The main difference is fiber: stalks contain more insoluble fiber than the florets. Since the overall calorie and nutrient profiles are close, eating the whole stalk is an easy way to get more fiber and reduce food waste. Peel the tough outer layer, slice the stalk into coins or matchsticks, and cook it alongside the florets.
Why Broccoli Packs More Than Just Low Calories
The real reason broccoli shows up on nearly every “healthy foods” list isn’t the low calorie count alone. It’s what you get for those calories. A single cup of raw chopped broccoli delivers 90% of your daily vitamin C and 78% of your daily vitamin K. Vitamin C supports immune function and skin health, while vitamin K plays a key role in blood clotting and bone metabolism. Few foods deliver that kind of micronutrient density at such a low caloric cost.
The fiber content also matters beyond simple carb math. At 2 to 3 grams per cup, broccoli contributes meaningfully to the 25 to 30 grams of daily fiber most adults need but rarely hit. Fiber slows digestion, helps you feel full longer, and feeds beneficial gut bacteria. The stalks, with their higher insoluble fiber content, are especially useful on that front.
Keeping Broccoli Low-Calorie on Your Plate
Plain broccoli is almost negligible in calories, but what you add to it can change the picture quickly. A tablespoon of butter adds about 100 calories. A heavy pour of cheese sauce can triple or quadruple the calorie count of the entire serving. If you’re tracking calories closely, steaming broccoli and finishing it with a squeeze of lemon, a light drizzle of olive oil, or a sprinkle of garlic keeps things flavorful without a major caloric jump. Roasting with a teaspoon of oil at high heat caramelizes the edges and adds only about 40 calories per serving.