Calories in 1 tbsp of oil: every common oil compared
There are about 120 calories in 1 tbsp of oil, whichever oil you choose, because every oil is almost pure fat. Here are the grams and calories per spoon for each oil and ghee, and why labels differ.
There are about 120 calories in 1 tbsp of oil, whichever cooking oil you use, and about 40 in a level teaspoon. Every oil is almost pure fat, at about 884 kcal per 100 g, and a US tablespoon of oil weighs about 13.5 to 14 g. Ghee is close behind, at about 112 kcal per level tablespoon in USDA data.
So groundnut, mustard, sesame, coconut and safflower oil all land within a few calories of each other. What changes the number on your plate is not which oil you buy but how much you pour, and a free pour from the bottle can easily be two or three tablespoons.
At a glance
- 1 tablespoon of oil (about 13.6 g) gives about 120 kcal; 1 teaspoon (about 4.5 g) gives about 40 kcal.
- Groundnut, sesame, mustard, safflower, flaxseed, almond and coconut oil are all within a few kcal per spoon.
- Ghee gives about 112 kcal per level tablespoon (12.8 g in USDA data); butter about 102 kcal, because it holds up to 16% water.
- Oils differ in the type of fat, not in calories.
- In Australia a tablespoon is 20 ml, so one spoon of oil there is about 160 kcal.
How many calories are in 1 tbsp of oil?
About 120 kcal. Fat gives about 9 kcal per gram, and food tables list most oils at about 884 kcal per 100 g, because they are essentially 100% fat. Oil weighs about 0.92 g per ml, so a US tablespoon of 14.8 ml holds about 13.6 g: 13.6 × 8.84 is about 120 kcal.
The calories in 1 tsp of oil come to about 40 kcal, because a teaspoon (about 5 ml) holds about 4.5 g. A cup (about 240 ml) holds about 218 g, or roughly 1,930 kcal.
Do all cooking oils have the same calories?
For practical purposes, yes. The small differences in food tables come from the weight assigned to a spoon and from rounding, not from one oil being lighter. Here are USDA FoodData Central figures for oils found in Indian kitchens.
| Oil or fat | Grams per tbsp | kcal per tbsp | kcal per tsp |
|---|---|---|---|
| Groundnut (peanut) | 13.5 g | 119 | 40 |
| Sesame, white or black | 13.6 g | 120 | 40 |
| Mustard, black or yellow | 14.0 g | 124 | 40 |
| Safflower | 13.6 g | 120 | 40 |
| Flaxseed | 13.6 g | 120 | 40 |
| Almond | 13.6 g | 120 | 40 |
| Coconut | 13.6 g | 121 | 40 |
| Olive, for comparison | 13.5 g | 119 | 40 |
| Ghee (butter oil) | 12.8 g | 112 | 37 |
| Butter, for comparison | 14.2 g | 102 | 34 |
Mustard oil looks slightly higher only because USDA weighs its tablespoon at 14 g rather than 13.6 g; per gram, the oils are the same. Black and white sesame share the same values, as do black and yellow mustard.
Ghee calories in 1 tbsp: more or less than oil?
About the same, gram for gram. Ghee has about 876 kcal per 100 g against about 884 for oil. Per level tablespoon, USDA lists ghee lower, at 112 kcal, simply because it weighs its tablespoon of ghee at 12.8 g. A heaped spoon of grainy ghee can easily weigh more than a level spoon of oil.
Butter is the one that is genuinely lower. Under the Codex standard it can hold up to 16% water, so a tablespoon of butter has about 102 kcal. Ghee is what you get when that water is cooked away, which is why a spoon of ghee has more calories than a spoon of the butter it came from.
How many grams is one tablespoon of oil?
About 13.5 to 14 g. The exact figure depends on which tablespoon you use and on the oil's density, around 0.91 to 0.93 g per ml.
| Spoon | Volume | Weight of oil | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| US tablespoon | 14.8 ml | about 13.6 g | about 120 kcal |
| Metric tablespoon (UK, India and most countries) | 15 ml | about 13.8 g | about 122 kcal |
| Australian tablespoon | 20 ml | about 18.4 g | about 163 kcal |
| Teaspoon | 5 ml | about 4.6 g | about 40 kcal |
Household spoons in Indian kitchens vary a lot, and a spoon of oil poured into a kadhai is rarely level. If you are counting closely, weigh it: put the kadhai on a kitchen scale, zero it and pour.
For the bigger picture, a 1 litre bottle of oil weighs about 910 to 920 g, holds about 8,100 kcal and contains roughly 67 level tablespoons. Divide that by the days a bottle lasts in your home, and by the people at your table, to see your daily share.
Mustard oil calories: how many in a spoon?
About 40 kcal in a teaspoon and about 124 kcal in a 14 g tablespoon, the same per gram as any other oil. A family dal tadka often uses 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil, so 120 to 240 kcal shared across the pot. Deep-fried snacks are harder to count, because food absorbs a varying amount of oil depending on the food, the batter, the oil temperature and how well it drains. For a cleaner fry, see our guide to which oil to deep-fry in.
Why do calorie labels on oil bottles differ?
Because of rounding and serving sizes, not because one oil is lighter. US labels round calories above 50 to the nearest 10, so anything from 115 to 124 kcal prints as 120. Some labels use a 14 g or 15 ml serving and show 120 to 130 kcal. Indian labels usually give values per 100 g, often somewhere between about 860 and 900 kcal, depending on the reference figures the maker used.
If every oil has the same calories, what is the difference?
The type of fat. Mustard oil is rich in monounsaturated fat, groundnut sits in the middle, safflower and flaxseed are high in polyunsaturated fat, and coconut oil and ghee are mostly saturated. That shapes how they behave in cooking and how they fit a heart-healthy diet, but not the calorie count. Our explainer on MUFA, PUFA, omega-3 and omega-6 covers this in plain language.
How much fat to eat overall is a separate question. WHO advises keeping total fat to 30% or less of daily energy and saturated fat under 10%; on a 2,000 kcal diet, that is about 65 g of fat a day from all foods, and cooking oil is only one part of it. For a household view, see how much cooking oil a family needs each month.
Our oils and ghee, spoon for spoon
Our Truly Cold Pressed groundnut oil and black mustard oil carry the same calories as any oil, about 120 kcal a tablespoon. What differs is flavour: they are pressed slowly in wooden ghaanis and left unrefined, so they taste of the seed. Our A2 Gir cow ghee, slowly simmered from bilona butter, is about the same per spoon.
The bottom line
Count about 120 kcal for every level tablespoon of oil and about 40 kcal per teaspoon, whichever oil you use; ghee is about the same. Choose oils for flavour and fat type, and measure the pour if you are watching calories.
Frequently asked questions
Is cold pressed oil lower in calories than refined oil?
No. Cold pressed and refined versions of the same oil have essentially the same calories, about 884 kcal per 100 g, because both are almost pure fat. Pressing and refining change the flavour, colour, aroma and some minor nutrients, not the energy in a spoon.
How many calories are in 1 tablespoon of coconut oil?
About 120 kcal. USDA lists coconut oil at 892 kcal per 100 g, so a 13.6 g tablespoon gives about 121 kcal, and a teaspoon about 40 kcal. Labels often round this to 120 or 130 kcal, depending on the serving size they use.
Does heating oil change its calories?
No. Heating does not add or remove calories from oil. What changes the calories on your plate is how much oil the food soaks up. Shallow frying, deep frying and the batter you use change how much ends up in the food, not the calories in the oil itself.
How many calories are in 1 tsp of ghee?
About 37 kcal for a level teaspoon of about 4.3 g. Because ghee is grainy and often scooped heaped, a real teaspoon may hold 5 to 6 g, which is closer to 45 to 50 kcal. If you add ghee to dal or rotis every day, weigh your usual spoonful once to see what it really holds.
Is light olive oil lower in calories?
No. On olive oil, light describes a milder flavour and paler colour, not fewer calories. It has the same 119 to 120 kcal per tablespoon as any other oil. Whatever the front of a bottle says, check the calories per 100 g on the nutrition panel.
