How Many Calories Are In Cabbage? | Low-Cal Superfood

Most people picture cabbage as the watery, bland base of coleslaw or the limp leaves floating in soup. They don’t expect it to carry much nutritional weight. But that’s the surprise: that same near-empty calorie count comes packed with fiber, vitamin C, and vitamin K — nutrients many calorie-dense foods lack.

So how many calories are actually in cabbage, across different servings and preparations? The short answer: it’s consistently low, but the exact number depends on whether you’re measuring raw, cooked, shredded, or by the leaf.

Cabbage Calorie Counts by Serving Size

The calorie range for cabbage is narrow, but knowing the common serving sizes helps with meal planning. Raw cabbage is the reference point; cooking reduces water content and slightly concentrates calories per volume.

Serving Size	Weight	Calories
1 cup chopped raw	89 g	22
1 cup shredded raw	70 g	18
1 large leaf raw	33 g	8
1 medium leaf raw	23 g	6
1 cup cooked, boiled, drained (shredded)	varies	~17
1 large head raw (7-inch diameter)	~1,248 g	300

These numbers are drawn from USDA-affiliated nutrition databases and major medical institutions, so you can count on them for tracking. A single large leaf, the kind you’d use for a cabbage wrap, adds negligible calories but lots of crunch.

Why Cabbage Calories Matter So Little

When people ask about cabbage calories, they’re usually looking for a way to eat more volume without busting their daily budget. Cabbage delivers that, but its real value is what you get alongside the low number. The fact doc highlights several benefits:

• Fiber fueling your gut: One cup of raw cabbage supplies 2.2 grams of fiber, which helps feed the gut microbiome and promotes regular bowel movements.
• Vitamin C boost: That same cup delivers 36% of the Daily Value for vitamin C, a nutrient most people associate with oranges, not a head of cabbage.
• Vitamin K for bone health: Cabbage also provides 36% of the DV for vitamin K, which supports blood clotting and bone metabolism.
• Anti-inflammatory compounds: The sulfur compounds in cabbage leaves are believed to help reduce pain and swelling through capillary dilation and decreased edema, per a registered clinical trial.
• Heart health antioxidants: The antioxidants in cabbage help reduce inflammation, which is linked to a lower risk of heart disease and stroke.

In other words, you’re not just eating empty water. Each forkful brings a package of vitamins and plant compounds that contribute to overall health — something many low-calorie foods can’t claim.

Nutrition Beyond the Calorie Number

Cabbage is a member of the Brassica family, which also includes broccoli, kale, and Brussels sprouts. These vegetables share a reputation for being nutrient-dense. According to the USDA, the shredded cabbage calories figure of just 18 per cup means you can eat a generous portion without worrying about overrunning your daily intake.

Beyond calories, cabbage contributes 5.5 grams of carbohydrate per cup, with 2.2 grams of that coming from fiber — so net carbs are low. It also contains small amounts of protein (1.1 g) and almost no fat (0.1 g). The vitamin profile includes folate (10% DV), B6, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, iron, and magnesium, according to an Illinois Extension fact sheet.

That combination makes cabbage useful for weight management, yes, but also for anyone looking to bump up their micronutrient intake without adding many calories. A single cup covers more than one-third of your daily vitamin C and K needs.

How Cooking Changes Cabbage’s Calorie Count

Raw cabbage is the baseline, but most people cook it at some point. The question is whether that changes the calorie number meaningfully. Here are the main factors:

1. Water loss concentrates nutrients: Boiling or steaming causes the cabbage to shrink. A cup of cooked cabbage weighs roughly half what a raw cup weighs, so the calorie count per cup appears slightly lower (around 17 calories per cooked cup). Per gram, calories are actually a bit higher, but you end up eating less volume.
2. Added fats increase calories fast: Sautéing cabbage in butter or oil adds 40–120 calories per tablespoon of fat. That can turn a 22-calorie side into a 200-calorie dish. If you’re tracking, account for the cooking fat.
3. Acid and salt don’t add calories: A splash of vinegar or a pinch of salt changes flavor but not the calorie count. That’s why many low-cal recipes pair cabbage with acidic dressings instead of creamy ones.
4. Fermentation preserves the calorie profile: Sauerkraut and kimchi start with raw cabbage, and the fermentation process doesn’t add significant calories. However, check labels for added sugar or oil.
5. Blending into soup spreads the volume: Adding cabbage to broth-based soups keeps the calorie density low while bulking up the meal. Half a cup of cooked cabbage in soup still contributes fewer than 10 calories per serving.

The takeaway: cabbage is flexible. You can eat it raw for maximum volume, cook it without fat for a slightly different texture, or add it to dishes where it soaks up flavors without adding many calories.

Beyond Calories: Why Cabbage Earns a Spot on Your Plate

Calories are only part of the story. Cabbage’s fiber helps with satiety and gut health, and its antioxidants may reduce chronic inflammation. The Illinois Extension document on cabbage family vegetables notes that these foods provide a wide range of vitamins and minerals — A, C, K, B6, folates, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, iron, and magnesium — all at a very low caloric cost.

To put it in context, here’s how cabbage compares with other low-calorie vegetables per cup raw:

Vegetable	Calories	Fiber (g)
Cabbage (chopped)	22	2.2
Lettuce (iceberg, shredded)	10	0.9
Spinach (raw)	7	0.7
Broccoli (chopped)	31	2.4
Cauliflower (chopped)	25	2.0

Cabbage sits comfortably in the middle — more fiber than lettuce or spinach, fewer calories than broccoli, and a much better vitamin K and C profile than iceberg. It’s a quiet workhorse in the vegetable aisle.

The Bottom Line

Cabbage delivers what diet-conscious eaters want: a very low calorie count (22 per cup raw) paired with fiber, vitamins, and anti-inflammatory compounds. It works as a base for salads, a wrap substitute, a stir‑fry addition, or a fermented side. The exact calorie figure depends on serving size and cooking method, but in every form it remains one of the most nutrient‑efficient foods you can buy.

For specific dietary needs — whether you’re on a low‑FODMAP plan, managing kidney disease, or tracking carbs for diabetes — a registered dietitian can help you fit cabbage into your individual targets. The numbers here are general guidelines, not a substitute for personalized advice.