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Recipe Calorie & Nutrition Calculator

Add each ingredient and how much you use, then set the number of servings. The calculator estimates calories, protein, fat, carbohydrate, fiber, sugars and sodium for the whole dish and per serving, using values for 137 common ingredients from the USDA's FoodData Central database.

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Ingredients

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How the calculator works

For each ingredient, the amount you enter is converted to grams using the USDA's measured weight for that ingredient and unit (for example, USDA lists 1 cup of all-purpose flour as 125 g and 1 large egg as 50 g). The nutrients are then worked out from the USDA values per 100 g:

Worked example

Soft scrambled eggs for 2: 2 large eggs, 1 tablespoon of salted butter and ¼ cup of whole milk. Press Load example above to see it in the calculator.

IngredientWeight (USDA)kcal per 100 gCalories
2 large eggs2 × 50 g = 100 g143100 × 143 ÷ 100 = 143
1 tbsp salted butter14.2 g71714.2 × 717 ÷ 100 ≈ 102
¼ cup whole milk244 g ÷ 4 = 61 g6161 × 61 ÷ 100 ≈ 37
Total175 g≈ 282 kcal, or about 141 kcal per serving
USDA SR Legacy values; totals rounded.

Getting a more accurate result

  • Weigh ingredients when you can. Cup measures vary with how you fill them; grams do not.
  • Match the state of the food. Use "uncooked" rice or pasta if you measure it dry, and "cooked" if you measure it after cooking. 100 g of dry rice and 100 g of cooked rice are very different amounts.
  • Count the cooking fat you actually use, not the amount left in the pan. Some is absorbed, some is left behind; if you are unsure, count all of it.
  • Drain and rinse canned beans if you choose a "drained" entry; the liquid has extra sodium.
  • Pick the closest match. If your exact product is not listed (for example a particular brand of bread), the nutrition label on the package is more accurate than any general database.

What the calculator cannot tell you

  • It does not account for nutrients lost or concentrated during cooking, or for fat that drips away from meat.
  • Values are averages for each food. Real ingredients vary by variety, brand, season and how they are trimmed.
  • Some nutrients are not reported by USDA for every food. When that happens the calculator says so and shows the total as a minimum, rather than counting it as zero.
  • The source dataset (SR Legacy) was last updated by USDA in April 2018. It is still widely used for basic foods, but packaged products may have changed since.
  • It is not a substitute for a certified nutrition label or advice from a registered dietitian, especially if you manage a medical condition.

Frequently asked questions

Why do my results differ from another calorie counter?

Different tools use different databases, food entries and weights per cup. Sticking with the same tool and weighing ingredients gives the most consistent numbers.

How are calories calculated from protein, fat and carbs?

The calorie figure comes directly from USDA, which uses energy factors specific to each food. The percentage split shown under the results uses the general 4 kcal per gram for protein and carbohydrate and 9 kcal per gram for fat, so it is approximate.

Is my recipe saved?

Your last calculation is kept in your own browser so it is still there if you reload the page. It is never sent to us. Press Clear to remove it.

Data source: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center. FoodData Central (SR Legacy, April 2018). Public domain (CC0 1.0).

Sources

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