How many calories are in potatoes: boiled, fried, baked and chips
Boiled potatoes have 86 kcal per 100 g, potatoes baked in their skin 93, pan-fried around 265, fast-food French fries 312, crisps about 530. The potato itself barely changes between them: the difference is the water that evaporates and the oil that is absorbed. Below is a table by cooking method and a rule for logging a portion.
Potato calories by cooking method
All values are from USDA FoodData Central, per 100 g of the prepared food:
| Potatoes | USDA entry | kcal per 100 g | Fat, g |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raw, with skin | SR Legacy 170026 | 77 | 0.1 |
| Boiled, without skin | SR Legacy 170440 | 86 | 0.1 |
| Baked, with skin | SR Legacy 170093 | 93 | 0.1 |
| Frozen fries, oven-heated | SR Legacy 169264 | 158 | 5.5 |
| Hash browns, home-prepared | SR Legacy 170036 | 265 | 12.5 |
| Fast-food fries, deep-fried | SR Legacy, "Fast foods, potato, french fried in vegetable oil" | 312 | 15 |
| Crisps, salted | SR Legacy 169677 | 532 | 34 |
Boiled and baked potatoes are close to raw in calories. Fried potatoes have three times the calories of boiled, crisps six times.
Where the difference comes from: water and oil
Water. Raw potato is 79% water. When baked, part of it evaporates, the piece gets lighter, and the calories stay — hence 93 kcal per 100 g against 77 raw. The potato did not gain calories; they are now in a smaller weight.
Oil. When fried, potato loses water and absorbs fat. Boiled potatoes have 0.1 g of fat per 100 g, hash browns 12.5 g, fast-food fries 15 g. Every gram of fat is 9 kcal, so the oil makes most of the difference. Crisps have 34 g of fat per 100 g: almost no water is left in them, and oil has taken its place. Frozen fries baked in the oven are half as caloric as deep-fried ones: 158 kcal against 312.
If you fry at home, it is more accurate to count the oil separately: weigh the bottle before and after, or measure with a spoon. How much oil stays in food after frying is covered in the article on cooking oil calories.
Calories in a portion
The formula is the same as for any food: portion weight × kcal per 100 g ÷ 100. The weight and the calorie value just have to refer to the same state.
| 150 g portion | kcal |
|---|---|
| Boiled potatoes | 129 |
| Baked in skin | 140 |
| Oven fries | 237 |
| Hash browns | 398 |
| Fast-food fries | 468 |
The most common mistake is to weigh cooked fried potatoes and log them as raw: 150 g × 77 ÷ 100 = 116 kcal instead of 398. The reverse mistake is to weigh them raw and use the cooked value. The rule is simple: choose the entry that matches what you weighed. It is covered in detail in the article on raw and cooked weight.
Mash and potatoes with toppings
In mashed potatoes the calories are set by the milk, butter and cream, not the potato. How much they add is covered in the article on mashed potato calories. Sour cream, sauce and crackling on boiled or baked potatoes are logged as separate lines.
Cooled potatoes and resistant starch
When potatoes cool, part of the starch turns into resistant starch — starch not digested in the small intestine. In the study by Raatz and colleagues (Food Chemistry, 2016), there was more resistant starch in baked potatoes than in boiled, and more in chilled potatoes than in hot or reheated ones. The variety made no difference.
For calorie counting this changes nothing: food tables and labels do not distinguish between hot and cold potatoes. Log cold potatoes the same way as hot ones.
Browning and acrylamide
When potatoes are fried or baked to a dark crust, acrylamide forms in them. What is known about it and how to reduce it at home is covered in the article on acrylamide.
How to log potatoes
Log the cooking method and the weight of the cooked portion: "potatoes, fried, 150 g". If you photograph the plate, the picture shows the potatoes, the oil on their surface and the sauce beside them.
Frequently asked questions
- How many calories are in boiled potatoes?
- According to USDA, 100 g of boiled potatoes without skin have 86 kcal. A 150 g portion is about 129 kcal.
- How many calories are in fried potatoes?
- Home-prepared hash browns have 265 kcal per 100 g according to USDA, fast-food fries 312 kcal. Almost all the difference from boiled potatoes is oil.
- How many calories are in a baked potato?
- A potato baked in its skin has 93 kcal per 100 g. That is slightly more per 100 g than raw, because water evaporates during baking.
- Why do fried potatoes have so many calories?
- When fried, potato absorbs oil: boiled potatoes have 0.1 g of fat per 100 g, fast-food fries 15 g. Every gram of fat gives 9 kcal.
- Do cold potatoes have fewer calories?
- Cooled potatoes contain more resistant starch, but food tables do not account for this difference. Log cold potatoes the same way as hot ones.
Read next
- Mashed potato calories: what milk, butter and cream add — Mashed potatoes do not have one calorie value.
- How many calories does frying add — The cooking method adds more calories to a dish than any choice between "healthy" and "unhealthy" foods.
- Raw or cooked weight: how to count grains, pasta, and meat — "100 g of buckwheat" can mean 346 kcal or 92, depending on the state of the grain.
This article is for general information. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a prescription for treatment or a diet, and it does not replace a consultation with your doctor. If you have a health condition, are pregnant, take medication, or follow a diet prescribed to you, decisions about food belong with your doctor.
Figures from regulations, guidelines and studies are given as they stood when this article was prepared and may since have changed; check them against the primary sources. This article is not advertising, an offer, or individual advice, and neither the author nor the site owner is responsible for decisions taken on the basis of it.