Calories in green tea

Brewed. 1 kcal (4 kJ) per 100 g. Choose a portion below and every figure on the page updates.

Green tea, brewed with water, is essentially calorie-free at about 1 kcal (4 kJ) per 100 g, because it is 99.9% water. The tea leaves contribute traces of protein and minerals, most notably manganese, along with caffeine and plant compounds called catechins. Any meaningful calories in a cup of green tea come from what is added, such as honey, sugar or milk.

Where the energy comes from

Share of total energy contributed by each macronutrient, using the standard 4/4/9 kcal per gram factors:

Things worth knowing

• One 8 fl oz cup (245 ml) has about 2 kcal / 10 kJ, and a 12 fl oz mug about 4 kcal / 15 kJ.
• Caffeine is moderate: about 29 mg per cup of green tea, compared with about 49 mg in the same cup of brewed black tea.
• A teaspoon of honey or sugar adds far more energy than the tea itself, and bottled or sweetened green teas can carry as much sugar as soft drinks.
• Matcha is different: you drink the powdered whole leaf rather than an infusion, so it supplies more caffeine per serving than steeped green tea.

Converting these figures

One 1 cup (8 fl oz) of green tea is 2 kcal, which is 10 kJ. To convert any other figure, divide kilojoules by 4.184 for calories, or use the converter on the home page.

It takes 23,901 g of green tea to reach 1,000 kJ (239 kcal). See how that compares with other foods on the 1000 kJ to calories page.