Calories in olive oil

Extra virgin. 884 kcal (3,699 kJ) per 100 g. Choose a portion below and every figure on the page updates.

Olive oil is pure fat, which makes it the most calorie-dense food most people cook with: 884 kcal per 100 g and about 119 kcal per tablespoon. It is also the single ingredient most likely to be under-counted when people estimate a meal's calories.

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

• A generous glug when frying is easily 2 to 3 tablespoons, or 240 to 360 kcal, added invisibly to a dish.
• All culinary oils sit within a few kcal of each other, between 880 and 900 kcal per 100 g. Choosing a different oil changes the fat profile, not the calories.
• About 73 percent of olive oil fat is monounsaturated, mostly oleic acid, and only about 14 percent is saturated.
• Extra virgin olive oil retains polyphenols that refined olive oil loses. These are the compounds behind most of its studied health effects.

Converting these figures

One 1 tbsp of olive oil is 119 kcal, which is 499 kJ. To convert any other figure, divide kilojoules by 4.184 for calories, or use the converter on the home page.

It takes 27 g of olive oil to reach 1,000 kJ (239 kcal). See how that compares with other foods on the 1000 kJ to calories page.