List of 20 Low Calorie Vegetables for Weight Loss

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List of 20 Low Calorie Vegetables for Weight Loss

Apart from water and some very thin soups, vegetables are the lowest calorie food group. While nearly every vegetable is low in calories, some are lower than others.

To keep vegetables low in calories and retain the most nutrients, it is best to eat them raw or steamed.

Low-calorie vegetables include watercress, lettuce, arugula, sprouts, napa cabbage, cucumber, and celery. Below are the 20 lowest calorie vegetables. For more see the full ranking of over 200 low-calorie vegetables.

For more low calorie foods, see the article on foods low in calories.

List of Low Calorie Vegetables

Watercress1 Watercress
Calories per CupCalories per 100g
4 calories11 calories
Arugula2 Arugula
Calories per Cup FreshCalories per 100g
5 calories25 calories
A head of lettuce3 Lettuce
Calories per CupCalories per 100g
5 calories15 calories
Alfalfa Sprouts4 Alfalfa Sprouts
Calories per Cup RawCalories per 100g
8 calories23 calories
Napa Cabbage5 Napa Cabbage
Calories per Cup CookedCalories per 100g
13 calories12 calories
Sliced Cucumber6 Cucumber
Calories per Cup RawCalories per 100g
16 calories15 calories
Stalks of Celery7 Celery
Calories per Cup RawCalories per 100g
14 calories14 calories
Red Radishes8 Radishes
Calories per Cup SlicedCalories per 100g
19 calories16 calories
Bok Choy9 Pak-Choi (Bok Choy)
Calories per Cup CookedCalories per 100g
20 calories12 calories
Cabbage10 Cabbage
Calories per Cup RawCalories per 100g
22 calories25 calories
White Button Mushrooms11 Mushrooms
Calories per Cup CookedCalories per 100g
28 calories26 calories
Eggplants12 Eggplant
Calories per Cup CookedCalories per 100g
35 calories35 calories
Swiss Chard13 Swiss Chard
Calories per Cup CookedCalories per 100g
35 calories20 calories
Asparagus14 Asparagus
Calories per Cup CookedCalories per 100g
40 calories22 calories
A Bowl of Spinach15 Spinach
Calories per Cup CookedCalories per 100g
41 calories23 calories
Summer Squash16 Summer Squash
Calories per Cup CookedCalories per 100g
34 calories19 calories
Tomatoes17 Tomato
Calories per Cup CookedCalories per 100g
43 calories18 calories
Green Beans18 Green (Snap) Beans
Calories per Cup CookedCalories per 100g
44 calories35 calories
Pumpkins19 Pumpkin
Calories per Cup CookedCalories per 100g
49 calories20 calories
Broccoli Stalk20 Broccoli
Calories per Cup CookedCalories per 100g
55 calories35 calories

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A printable list of vegetables low in calories.

About the Data

Data for the curated food lists comes from the USDA Food Data Central Repository.

You can check our data against the USDA by clicking the (Source) link at the bottom of each food listing.

Note: When checking data please be sure the serving sizes are the same. In the rare case you find any difference, please contact us and we will fix it right away.

About Nutrient Targets

Setting targets can provide a guide to healthy eating.

Some of the most popular targets include:
  • Daily Value (%DV) - The daily value (%DV) is a general guideline for consumption that will prevent deficiency of a particular nutrient in most people. The %DV refers to the percentage of an amount that's found in a single serving of a food. It also accounts for absorption factors. It is set by the U.S. FDA.
  • Recommended Dietary Allowance (%RDA) - The RDA sets an average daily dietary intake level that is sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of nearly all (97.5%) healthy individuals. It's more specific than the daily value, and varies by age and gender. The RDA is set by the US National Instutites of Health.
  • Reference Dietary Intake (%RDI) -The reference dietary intake is similar to the recommended daily allowance, but is specific to age and gender. The RDI for amino acids is set by the U.N. World Health Organization.
  • Adequate Intake (%AI) - This value is primarily used in reference to omega-3 and omega-6 fats. The Adequate Intake is set by the U.S. Institute of Medicine. Because there is less evidence to determine the ideal targets for consumption of these nutrients, the specific amount is considered to be less reliable. Using the term Adequate Intake, rather than one of the other terms, helps to emphasize that the ideal intake of that particular nutrient has not yet been scientifically determined.

See the Guide to Recommended Daily Intakes for more information.

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Use the ranking tool links below to select foods and create your own food list to share or print.


View more nutrients with the nutrient ranking tool, or see ratios with the nutrient ratio tool.

Data Sources and References

  1. U.S. Agricultural Research Service Food Data Central
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