Nutrition facts · Beans, nuts and seeds
Calories in Flaxseed
Flaxseed has 534 calories per 100 g, and 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed (7 g) has 37 calories. Most of those calories come from fat, at 42.2 g per 100 g. Much of the 28.9 g of carbs is fiber (27.3 g), so only a small share of the carbs is sugar.
Calories come from: Carbs 20% · Fat 67% · Protein 13%
Common servings
| Serving | Weight | Calories | Protein | Carbs | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per 100 g | 100 g | 534 kcal | 18.3 g | 28.9 g | 42.2 g |
| 1 tbsp, ground | 7 g | 37 kcal | 1.3 g | 2 g | 3 g |
| 1 tsp, ground | 2.5 g | 13 kcal | 0.5 g | 0.7 g | 1.1 g |
| 1 tbsp, whole | 10.3 g | 55 kcal | 1.9 g | 3 g | 4.3 g |
| 1 cup, whole | 168 g | 897 kcal | 30.7 g | 48.5 g | 70.8 g |
Full nutrition (Per 100 g)
| Calories | 534 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 18.3 g |
| Carbohydrates | 28.9 g |
| of which sugars | 1.6 g |
| Fiber | 27.3 g |
| Fat | 42.2 g |
| of which saturated | 3.7 g |
| Sodium | 30 mg |
What changes the calories
- A tablespoon of whole flaxseed weighs more than a tablespoon of ground flaxseed, so the whole version has more calories per spoon (55 vs 37).
- Heaped or rounded spoonfuls can hold noticeably more than a level measure, which adds up quickly with a calorie-dense seed.
- Flaxseed oil is pure fat and much more calorie-dense than the seeds, so it should not be logged as flaxseed.
- Flaxseed is often mixed into baked goods, smoothies or cereal with other ingredients, so the total calories depend on everything else in the dish.
Tips for logging it accurately
- Weigh flaxseed on a kitchen scale when you can, since small spoon differences make a real difference for such a calorie-dense food.
- Log the form you actually used: choose ground or whole to match your spoon measurement, because their weights per tablespoon differ.
- In BerryFit, add flaxseed as its own item when you sprinkle it on yogurt, oatmeal or smoothies so it is not missed in a photo scan.
Log Flaxseed in seconds
Snap a photo of your meal or search for Flaxseed in BerryFit to track calories and macros against your own daily target.
Frequently asked questions
How many calories are in 1 tablespoon of flaxseed?
One tablespoon of ground flaxseed (7 g) has 37 calories. One tablespoon of whole flaxseed (10.3 g) has 55 calories because it weighs more.
How many calories are in a teaspoon of ground flaxseed?
One teaspoon of ground flaxseed (2.5 g) has 13 calories, with 1.1 g of fat, 0.7 g of carbs and 0.5 g of protein.
Is flaxseed high in protein?
Flaxseed has 18.3 g of protein per 100 g, but fat is its main calorie source at 42.2 g per 100 g. A tablespoon of ground flaxseed provides 1.3 g of protein.
How does flaxseed compare to other seeds and nuts in calories?
At 534 calories per 100 g, flaxseed is slightly lower than pumpkin seeds (559), sesame seeds (573) and almonds (579). All of these are calorie-dense foods, so portion size matters.
Similar foods
Calories in common foodsValues per 100 g from USDA FoodData Central (Seeds, flaxseed, FDC ID 169414); 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.
