Nutrition facts · Sauces and condiments
Calories in Capers
Capers have 23 calories per 100 g, and a drained tablespoon (8.6 g) has about 2 calories. Most of those calories come from carbohydrates, at 4.9 g per 100 g, much of which is fiber (3.2 g), with smaller amounts of protein and very little fat.
Calories come from: Carbs 53% · Fat 22% · Protein 25%
Common servings
| Serving | Weight | Calories | Protein | Carbs | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per 100 g | 100 g | 23 kcal | 2.4 g | 4.9 g | 0.9 g |
| 1 tbsp, drained | 8.6 g | 2 kcal | 0.2 g | 0.4 g | 0.1 g |
Full nutrition (Per 100 g)
| Calories | 23 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 2.4 g |
| Carbohydrates | 4.9 g |
| of which sugars | 0.4 g |
| Fiber | 3.2 g |
| Fat | 0.9 g |
| of which saturated | 0.2 g |
| Sodium | 2,348 mg |
What changes the calories
- Draining matters: the brine adds weight, so weighing capers undrained can make a portion look larger than what you actually eat.
- Salt-packed capers are usually rinsed before use, which changes their weight compared with capers straight from the jar.
- Frying capers until crisp adds the calories of the oil they absorb, which can be far more than the capers themselves.
- Capers are usually eaten in small amounts, so the calories in the dish around them, such as butter or oil in a sauce, often matter much more.
Tips for logging it accurately
- Drain capers before measuring or weighing, so your entry matches the drained serving.
- Log the sauce or dressing ingredients separately, especially oil or butter, since those carry most of the calories in caper dishes.
- In BerryFit, you can scan a photo of your meal and then adjust the capers and any added fats to match what you used.
Log Capers in seconds
Snap a photo of your meal or search for Capers in BerryFit to track calories and macros against your own daily target.
Frequently asked questions
How many calories are in a tablespoon of capers?
A drained tablespoon of capers (8.6 g) has about 2 calories, with 0.4 g of carbs, 0.2 g of protein and 0.1 g of fat.
Are capers low in calories?
Yes, capers have 23 calories per 100 g, similar to other pickled foods and condiments like pickled ginger (20) or pickled jalapeños (27).
Do capers have carbs?
Capers have 4.9 g of carbs per 100 g, including 3.2 g of fiber and 0.4 g of sugar. In a typical tablespoon serving, that comes to about 0.4 g of carbs.
Do fried capers have more calories?
Yes. Frying adds the calories of the oil the capers absorb, so fried capers have noticeably more calories than drained canned capers.
Similar foods
Calories in common foodsValues per 100 g from USDA FoodData Central (Capers, canned, FDC ID 172238); servings use USDA portion weights. Real foods vary by variety, ripeness and preparation.
The text on this page was written with the help of AI (Anthropic's Claude) and checked against the numbers in a separate review. The numbers themselves come only from USDA.
