a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil has about 120 calories. that is the number you came for, but on its own it says little: what matters is how much your spoon really holds, what you compare it with and how you use it. here are the numbers, once and for all.
how many calories does olive oil have?
Oil is almost pure fat, and every gram of fat gives about 9 calories. That is why food composition tables list extra virgin olive oil at roughly 880–900 kcal per 100 grams. There are no carbohydrates, no protein and practically no water.
The practical problem is that nobody weighs oil: we pour it. And a spoon can hold anything from 5 to 14 grams.
calories per teaspoon, tablespoon and millilitre
| amount | approximate weight | calories |
|---|---|---|
| 1 teaspoon (5 ml) | about 4.5 g | about 40 kcal |
| 1 tablespoon (15 ml) | about 13.5 g | about 120 kcal |
| a "drizzle" over a salad | 15–20 g | 135–180 kcal |
| 100 ml | about 91 g (oil is lighter than water) | about 810 kcal |
| 100 g | 100 g | about 880–900 kcal |
A useful test: pour your usual drizzle into a measuring tablespoon. Many people find they use two or three.
does olive oil have more calories than butter or seed oil?
Compared with seed oils, no: all oils have practically the same calories, because they are all fat. A "light" olive oil is light in flavour, not in calories.
Butter has fewer calories by weight, about 720 per 100 grams, but only because it is around 16% water. Gram of fat for gram of fat, the calories are the same. What changes is the kind of fat: butter is rich in saturated fat, while extra virgin olive oil is mostly oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat.
That difference is the basis of a health claim authorised in the European Union: replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats, such as oleic acid, contributes to the maintenance of normal blood cholesterol levels.
"olive oil does not have more calories than other fats. it just has more in it besides the calories."
does olive oil make you gain weight?
No single food makes you gain weight: the balance of the whole day does. Oil is very concentrated, though, and spoonfuls poured by eye add up quickly.
The most interesting evidence comes from PREDIMED, a Spanish trial with more than 7,000 people at high cardiovascular risk. One group followed a Mediterranean diet with about a litre of extra virgin olive oil a week per household; another followed a low-fat diet. After about five years, the olive oil group had not gained weight compared with the low-fat group: they had lost slightly more, and their waistline had grown less.
That does not mean more oil makes you slimmer. It means extra virgin olive oil, as part of a varied diet and in place of other fats, is not the enemy it is sometimes made out to be.
how much olive oil a day?
There is no single number: it depends on how much energy you need and what else you eat. In the Mediterranean diet, two or three tablespoons a day spread across meals is a common amount for an adult. A few practical tips:
- measure for one week with a spoon instead of pouring from the bottle;
- use it raw, at the end: on a hot dish, a little goes a long way;
- pick an oil that tastes of something: a fruity, bitter and peppery extra virgin satisfies in smaller amounts than a flat one.
Want to know what "extra virgin" actually guarantees? Read what extra virgin olive oil really means.
frequently asked questions
how many calories are in a tablespoon of olive oil?
A 15 ml tablespoon holds about 13.5 grams of oil, which is about 120 calories. A 5 ml teaspoon has about 40 calories.
how many calories are in 100 grams of olive oil?
About 880 to 900 calories, depending on the food composition table. 100 millilitres weigh about 91 grams, so about 810 calories.
does extra virgin olive oil have more calories than other oils?
No. All oils have practically the same calories, about 9 per gram, because they are all fat. The difference is the type of fat: extra virgin olive oil is rich in oleic acid and also contains polyphenols and vitamin E.
does olive oil make you gain weight?
No single food does: the balance of your whole diet does. In the PREDIMED trial, people following a Mediterranean diet rich in extra virgin olive oil did not gain weight compared with a low-fat diet. Oil is concentrated, though, so it is worth measuring.
which has fewer calories, olive oil or butter?
By weight butter has fewer, about 720 per 100 grams against about 880 to 900, but only because it contains water. Gram of fat for gram of fat they are the same, and butter is much richer in saturated fat.
sources
- Regulation (EU) No 432/2012 on permitted health claims (replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats; olive oil polyphenols): EUR-Lex.
- Estruch R. et al., effect of a high-fat Mediterranean diet on bodyweight and waist circumference, prespecified analysis of the PREDIMED trial, The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, 2016.
- USDA FoodData Central, nutrient values for olive oil and butter.