Cabbage is one of the lowest-calorie vegetables you can add to a meal, but the exact numbers depend on how much you eat and which variety you choose. This cabbage calorie calculator converts your portion—whether measured in grams, ounces, cups chopped or shredded, or whole heads—into total calories plus the key macronutrients and vitamin C content.
Use it when you are meal prepping, tracking calories in a food diary, or simply curious about the nutrition in a bowl of coleslaw or a bed of sautéed cabbage. The calculator covers raw green, cooked green, red, savoy, and napa cabbage, so you can match your measurement to the cabbage actually on your plate instead of guessing.
Just enter an amount, pick a unit and a variety, and press Calculate. The result panel shows a quick calorie summary and a full nutrient breakdown, with a step-by-step note explaining how the numbers were worked out.
🥬 Cabbage Calorie Calculator
Estimate calories, carbs, protein, fat, fiber, and vitamin C for any cabbage portion.
Step-by-Step Guide
Using the calculator takes only a few seconds:
- Enter the amount of cabbage in the number field. The default is 100 grams, but you can type any value.
- Choose the unit that matches how you measured your cabbage: grams, ounces, cups chopped or shredded, or whole heads.
- Select the variety and form of cabbage. Raw green is the default, but cooked green, red, savoy, and napa each have different nutrition profiles.
- Press Calculate. The result area shows total calories and a breakdown of carbohydrates, protein, fat, fiber, and vitamin C, plus a step-by-step note showing how the numbers were derived from the per-100 g reference data.
Formula Explained
All the calculations start with a reference table of nutrient values per 100 grams of edible cabbage. For any portion, the calculator first converts your chosen unit to grams, then multiplies by the nutrient values:
Calories = (portion in grams ÷ 100) × calories per 100 g
The same formula applies to carbohydrates, protein, fat, fiber, and vitamin C. For example, raw green cabbage provides about 25 kcal, 5.8 g carbohydrates, 1.3 g protein, 0.1 g fat, 2.5 g fiber, and 36.6 mg vitamin C per 100 g. A 250 g portion simply multiplies each value by 2.5.
Unit conversions are based on typical kitchen measurements. One cup of chopped raw cabbage weighs about 89 grams, while one cup of finely shredded cabbage weighs closer to 70 grams because smaller pieces pack less densely. Whole-head estimates use a small head at 450 g, a medium head at 900 g, and a large head at 1,350 g—useful when you are buying a whole cabbage at the market but still want a rough calorie estimate.
For cooked green cabbage, the USDA reference value is 23 kcal per 100 g, slightly lower than raw because boiling leaches some sugars and water-soluble nutrients. Vitamin C also drops in cooked cabbage, which is why this calculator shows a separate cooked-green option rather than simply subtracting water weight.
Worked Examples
Example 1: Shredded coleslaw portion. You add 1.5 cups of shredded raw green cabbage to a salad. One cup shredded = 70 g, so 1.5 cups = 105 g. Calories = (105 ÷ 100) × 25 = 26.25 kcal. Carbohydrates: 1.05 × 5.8 = 6.1 g. Fiber: 1.05 × 2.5 = 2.6 g.
Example 2: Half a medium head of red cabbage. A medium head is about 900 g, so half is 450 g. Red cabbage has 31 kcal per 100 g, so total = 4.5 × 31 = 139.5 kcal. It also provides 4.5 × 7.4 = 33.3 g carbohydrates and 4.5 × 57 = 256.5 mg vitamin C—more than the daily recommended intake for many adults.
Example 3: 6 oz of cooked green cabbage. 6 oz × 28.35 g/oz = 170.1 g. Cooked green cabbage has 23 kcal per 100 g, so the portion contains about 1.701 × 23 = 39.1 kcal, 9.4 g carbohydrate, and 2.2 g protein.
Tips for Accurate Tracking
- Weigh cabbage on a food scale whenever possible. Cup measurements can vary significantly depending on how finely you chop or shred.
- Remove the tough core before weighing. The edible portion is the leaves, not the central stem.
- If you cook cabbage in oil or butter, add those calories separately. This calculator only reflects the cabbage itself.
- Track dressings and sauces separately too. A spoonful of mayonnaise or vinaigrette can add more calories than a whole bowl of cabbage.
- Use the USDA entry for packaged coleslaw mix if your mix includes carrots or other vegetables.
Reference Data: Cabbage Varieties Compared
Values below are per 100 g of edible cabbage, based on USDA FoodData Central standard references.
| Variety / Form | Calories | Carbs (g) | Protein (g) | Fiber (g) | Vitamin C (mg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green cabbage, raw | 25 | 5.8 | 1.3 | 2.5 | 36.6 |
| Green cabbage, cooked (boiled) | 23 | 5.5 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 24.6 |
| Red cabbage, raw | 31 | 7.4 | 1.3 | 2.1 | 57.0 |
| Savoy cabbage, raw | 27 | 6.1 | 2.0 | 3.1 | 31.0 |
| Napa cabbage, raw | 12 | 2.2 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 27.0 |
Note: Values are rounded approximations. Vitamin C is highly sensitive to storage time and cooking method.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is cabbage actually low in calories?
Yes. Raw green cabbage is about 25 kcal per 100 g, which makes it one of the least energy-dense vegetables. A full cup of shredded cabbage has only about 17 kcal before dressing or cooking fat is added. That makes it a useful volume food for weight management because it adds bulk and water without many calories.
Why is cooked cabbage sometimes lower in calories?
Boiling can leach some sugars and water-soluble vitamins into the cooking water. Per 100 g, cooked green cabbage has slightly fewer calories and less vitamin C than raw. The difference is small; what matters more is what you add to the cooked cabbage—butter, bacon, cream sauce, or oil—which can dramatically raise the calorie total.
Which cabbage variety has the most vitamin C?
Raw red cabbage stands out with about 57 mg of vitamin C per 100 g, which is roughly 63% of the Daily Value based on a 90 mg reference. Savoy cabbage also has a good amount of fiber at 3.1 g per 100 g, while napa cabbage is the lightest option at only 12 kcal per 100 g.
Where can I find the original nutrient data?
The values in this calculator are based on standard entries from the USDA FoodData Central, the primary nutrient database used by dietitians and food-labeling systems in the United States. For guidance on how cabbage fits into a balanced plate, see the MyPlate Vegetable Group recommendations.