How Many Calories Are In An Egg? - Healthline

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Evidence BasedHow Many Calories Are in an Egg?

Medically reviewed by Jillian Kubala, MS, RD — Written by Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN, LD and Jacquelyn Cafasso — Updated on June 16, 2023

Calorie breakdown
Nutrition
Benefits
Downsides
Recipes
Bottom line

Eggs on their own are low in calories, but this value varies depending on size and what you prepare them with. They provide nutrients you don’t find in many other foods, like vitamin D.

Eggs are an incredibly versatile food. From scrambling to poaching, there are many ways to cook an egg to suit your taste preferences.

Although they’re a popular breakfast food, they’re also a fantastic addition to lunch and dinner meals like salads, soups, sandwiches, stir-fries, and more.

If you eat eggs often, you may wonder about their calorie content and nutritional profile. This article explains everything you need to know about egg nutrition.

cracking a hard-boiled egg over a bowl — Catherine Falls Commercial/Getty Images

Calorie breakdown

The number of calories in an egg depends on its size. Perhaps unsurprisingly, you can expect a small egg to have slightly fewer calories than a large one.

Here’s a general breakdown by size. The calories in each size are based on a large egg containing 72 calories per 50 grams (1):

Small egg (38 grams): 54 calories
Medium egg (44 grams): 63 calories
Large egg (50 grams): 72 calories
Extra-large egg (56 grams): 80 calories
Jumbo egg (63 grams): 90 calories

Keep in mind that this is for a whole, plain egg with no added ingredients.

Once you add oil or butter to a frying pan to cook the egg or serve it alongside bacon, sausage, or cheese, the calorie count increases.

For example, a large egg cooked in 1 tablespoon (14 grams) of butter has approximately 174 calories (1, 2).

An omelet with 3 eggs and cheese cooked in butter has about 400 calories. Eggs Benedict, comprising 2 poached eggs with an English muffin, Canadian bacon, and hollandaise sauce, has closer to 900 calories (3, 4).

Egg yolks also have a different calorie count than egg whites. The yolk of a large egg (17 grams) contains 56 calories, while the white of a large egg (34 grams) contains 18 calories (5, 6).

However, just because egg whites are lower in calories, they’re not necessarily healthier than egg yolks. Your body needs adequate calories every day to function optimally and help you feel your best.

Choosing foods based solely on their calorie content isn’t the way to approach healthy eating. Instead, prioritize foods based on their nutrient density, which is how nutrient-dense a food is in relation to its calorie content.

summary
A large egg has about 72 calories. Smaller eggs have slightly fewer calories, while larger eggs have more. Adding other ingredients during preparation, like cheese or butter, increases the calorie content.

Nutritional facts

An egg’s nutritional profile is about more than just the calorie count. In fact, eggs are an incredibly well-rounded food, providing a wealth of healthy nutrients.

Here’s the nutritional profile for a whole, large egg (63 grams) (1):

Calories: 72
Protein: 6 grams
Fat: 5 grams
Carbs: less than 1 gram
Choline: 31% of the Daily Value (DV)
Selenium: 28% of the DV
Vitamin B12: 21% of the DV
Vitamin B2 (riboflavin): 16% of the DV
Vitamin D: 6% of the DV
Iron: 5% of the DV

Eggs provide high quality protein alongside many important vitamins and minerals. They’re one of only a few foods that provide vitamin D, a nutrient that’s vital for healthy bones, immunity, cell growth, and more (7).

Selenium is another important nutrient found in eggs. Among other benefits, this trace mineral is important for reproductive health and the production of thyroid hormone (8).

Eggs also contain lutein and zeaxanthin, two compounds known as carotenoids. They act as antioxidants and help protect your eyes from damage and conditions like macular degeneration and cataracts (9).

Keep in mind that many of the nutrients in eggs are found in the yolk. Eating just egg whites won’t provide the same nutrients.

summary
Eggs provide protein, fat, many vitamins and minerals, and carotenoid compounds.

Benefits

Thanks to the variety of nutrients that eggs contain, eating them may be associated with benefits.

First, adding eggs to your diet is a great way to meet your protein needs. Eggs are considered a complete protein, meaning they contain all of the essential amino acids — the building blocks of protein — that your body needs for optimal growth, health, and repair (10).

Eating foods with protein can help keep you feeling full between meals and may support weight loss.

Some studies suggest that eating eggs at breakfast reduces hunger sensations more than eating cereal. It remains unclear whether this effect translates to weight loss (11).

Regularly adding eggs to your diet can also help you meet your nutrient needs. Eggs contain a variety of macro- and micronutrients that are important for growth and health (12).

One study found that adults who consumed whole eggs had greater intakes of protein, fats, zinc, selenium, and choline compared with those who didn’t eat eggs (12).

Similarly, a study in infants associated egg intake with higher consumption of selenium, choline, vitamin B12, and the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin (13).

Eating eggs to meet your choline needs may be particularly pertinent, considering that many people get too little of this nutrient (14).

This essential nutrient is vital for brain development, cell signaling, and the transmission of nerve impulses. It’s especially important that people who are pregnant and breastfeeding get enough choline for the healthy development of their baby (14, 15).

Overall, eggs are an excellent food to enjoy thanks to their variety of important nutrients.

summary
Eggs not only contain high quality protein but also many nutrients. Eating them can help you meet your needs for certain macronutrients, vitamins, and minerals.

Possible downsides

Although eating eggs has its benefits, there are also downsides to consider.

Eating too many could increase heart disease risk

For decades, eggs were considered dangerous for the heart due to their relatively high amounts of cholesterol.

It was believed that eating high cholesterol foods increased blood cholesterol levels. A high blood level of cholesterol — LDL (bad) cholesterol, in particular — is a risk factor for heart disease (16).

However, more recent research has not found a clear association between egg intake and heart disease risk (17).

Some studies suggest that eating up to one egg per day is not linked to an increased risk of heart disease. In fact, it may even reduce the risk of stroke (17, 18).

However, eating more than one egg per day might increase blood cholesterol levels and theoretically increase heart disease risk. In addition, some research has associated egg consumption with higher rates of death from heart disease (19, 20).

Moderate egg consumption, such as one egg per day or seven per week, is likely safe and healthy for most people. It’s unclear whether eating more poses risks to certain people, such as those at risk of heart disease.

Cholesterol is concentrated in the egg yolk. If you’re watching your cholesterol intake, mixing egg whites with whole eggs is one way to cut back on cholesterol from eggs.

It’s also worth noting that a small percentage of people known as hyper-responders are more affected by dietary cholesterol than others. For these individuals, eating eggs daily may lead to larger increases in blood cholesterol levels, compared with non-hyper-responders (21).

Regardless, keep in mind that overall diet quality and lifestyle are what matters most regarding the prevention of certain diseases. Typically, cholesterol and other individual nutrients are not solely to blame for disease progression.

Raw eggs can cause food poisoning

There are food safety concerns related to eating raw or undercooked eggs.

In fact, raw eggs aren’t considered safe to eat due to the risk of contamination with a harmful genus of bacteria called Salmonella.

Salmonella food poisoning can cause fever, cramps, and dehydration. Infants, older adults, those who are pregnant, and people with weakened immune systems are at an increased risk of serious illness.

The best way to prevent salmonella sickness is to refrigerate store-bought eggs as soon as you get home and make sure to cook them thoroughly before eating them. They should reach a core temperature of at least 160°F (71.1°C) (22).

If you’re going to use and eat raw or undercooked eggs, such as in some dessert recipes, opt for pasteurized versions to be safe.

summary
Since eggs are high in cholesterol, they’ve historically been claimed to raise blood cholesterol and increase heart disease risk. Today, moderate egg consumption appears to be safe. Eating raw or undercooked eggs can present food safety risks.

Recipes to try

You can cook eggs in many ways. For example, boil them in their shell to make a hard-boiled egg, fry them, make an omelet or frittata, or eat them scrambled, poached, or pickled.

They’re great in recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert, too. Here are a few of the countless ways to cook with eggs.

Green vegetable frittata

Frittatas are perfect for a quick dinner or weekend brunch. Include vegetables like spinach and zucchini to boost the nutrition content further, like in this recipe from Bowl of Delicious.

View the recipe.

Baked eggs in avocado with bacon

The combination of egg with avocado is pure bliss. Try this recipe for baked eggs in avocado with bacon from The Kitchen Magpie for your next hearty breakfast.

View the recipe.

Brussels sprouts and egg hash

Eggs are incredibly versatile — you can even crack them over a skillet of veggies for a quick meal that’s suitable for breakfast or dinner. This recipe from my blog features shredded Brussels sprouts, pears, and shallots topped with eggs.

View the recipe.

Jalapeño egg salad

Egg salads are a classic, but they can get old quickly. Go off the beaten path with this spiced-up version of the classic egg salad from Homesick Texan. It’s great for any time of the day.

View the recipe.

Three-ingredient flourless chocolate cake

No recipe list is complete without a dessert! This flourless chocolate cake from Kirbie’s Cravings is gluten-free and relatively high in protein. Plus, you only need three ingredients.

View the recipe.

summary
Enjoy eggs for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or dessert. Turn them into egg bakes, hashes, egg salad, or baked goods.

The bottom line

One large egg provides roughly 72 calories — but eggs are much more than their calorie content.

Whole eggs are a rich source of protein, choline, selenium, and several other nutrients and beneficial compounds. If you’re looking for a way to add these nutrients to your diet, eggs are an excellent choice.

Try eggs in frittatas or hashes for breakfast, egg salad for lunch or dinner, and baked goods for dessert.

Just one thing

Try this today: Prepping eggs in advance can be an easy way to add more of them to your diet. To hard-boil eggs, simply:

Place them in the bottom of a saucepan and cover them with water.
Bring the water to a boil and cook for 6–9 minutes.
Drain and transfer to cold water to cool.

You can store them for about a week in the fridge, where they’ll be ready to peel and pop into salads, sandwiches, or any other dishes you’d like.

Jacquelyn has been a writer and research analyst in the health and pharmaceutical space since she graduated with a degree in biology from Cornell University. A native of Long Island, NY, she moved to San Francisco after college, and then took a brief hiatus to travel the world. In 2015, Jacquelyn relocated from sunny California to sunnier Gainesville, Florida where she owns 7 acres and 58 fruit trees. She loves chocolate, pizza, hiking, yoga, soccer, and Brazilian capoeira.

How we reviewed this article:

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Evidence Based

This article is based on scientific evidence, written by experts and fact checked by experts.

Our team of licensed nutritionists and dietitians strive to be objective, unbiased, honest and to present both sides of the argument.

This article contains scientific references. The numbers in the parentheses (1, 2, 3) are clickable links to peer-reviewed scientific papers.

Medically reviewed by Jillian Kubala, MS, RD — Written by Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN, LD and Jacquelyn Cafasso — Updated on June 16, 2023

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Nutrition

Nutrition

Calorie breakdown

Nutritional facts

Benefits

Possible downsides

Eating too many could increase heart disease risk

Raw eggs can cause food poisoning

Recipes to try

Green vegetable frittata

Baked eggs in avocado with bacon

Brussels sprouts and egg hash

Jalapeño egg salad

Three-ingredient flourless chocolate cake

The bottom line

Just one thing

How we reviewed this article:

Evidence Based

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