A cup of raw chopped broccoli contains just 31 calories. That makes it one of the lowest-calorie vegetables you can eat, delivering a large volume of food for very little energy. Whether you’re tracking calories or just curious, here’s what the numbers look like across different serving sizes and cooking methods.
Calories by Serving Size
One cup of raw chopped broccoli (about 91 grams) has 31 calories. Per 100 grams, raw broccoli comes in at 34 calories. A single medium stalk weighing roughly 150 grams has around 51 calories. Even a large portion of two full cups barely crosses 60 calories, which is less than a single apple.
Most of those calories come from carbohydrates, with a small contribution from protein. Broccoli has almost no fat. A one-cup serving provides about 6 grams of carbs (including 2.4 grams of fiber) and nearly 3 grams of protein, which is relatively high for a vegetable.
Raw vs. Cooked Calories
Cooking broccoli barely changes its calorie count. Per 100 grams, boiled and drained broccoli has about 35 calories compared to 34 calories raw. The tiny difference comes from water loss during cooking, which slightly concentrates the nutrients by weight. In practical terms, this difference is negligible.
What does change the calorie count significantly is what you add during cooking. A tablespoon of olive oil or avocado oil adds roughly 120 calories. If you roast a pan of broccoli with a tablespoon of oil, count the full tablespoon toward your total. Eating half the pan means logging half a tablespoon (about 60 calories of oil on top of the broccoli itself). Steaming is the simplest way to keep broccoli close to its baseline calorie count.
Stalks vs. Florets
If you’ve been tossing the stalks, you’re throwing away food that’s nutritionally almost identical to the florets. Research confirms that broccoli stalks have equivalent nutrient values to the florets, including vitamins, antioxidants, and protective plant compounds. Calorie-wise, there’s no meaningful difference between the two. Peeling the tough outer layer of the stalk and slicing it into coins or matchsticks gives you more food per head of broccoli for the same calorie cost.
Why Broccoli Is So Low in Calories
Broccoli is roughly 90% water by weight. That high water content, combined with its fiber, means it takes up a lot of space in your stomach relative to the energy it provides. Foods with this kind of low calorie density tend to increase feelings of fullness without adding many calories to your day. A full plate of steamed broccoli (around 300 grams) still comes in under 105 calories, which is less than a single slice of bread.
Nutrients You Get for Those 31 Calories
The calorie count alone undersells what broccoli delivers. A single one-cup serving of raw broccoli provides 90% of your daily vitamin C needs and 78% of your daily vitamin K needs. Vitamin C supports immune function and helps your body absorb iron from plant foods. Vitamin K is essential for blood clotting and bone health.
You’re also getting folate, potassium, and a range of protective plant compounds that belong to the same chemical family found in other cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage. Few foods pack this much nutrition into so few calories.
Quick Calorie Reference
- 1 cup raw chopped (91g): 31 calories
- 100 grams raw: 34 calories
- 100 grams boiled: 35 calories
- 1 cup roasted with 1 tsp oil: roughly 70 calories
- 1 medium stalk (~150g): about 51 calories