Nutrition facts · Beans, nuts and seeds
Calories in Sesame seeds
Sesame seeds have 573 calories per 100 g, and a 1 tbsp serving (9 g) has 52 calories. Most of those calories come from fat, with 49.7 g of fat per 100 g, while carbs (23.5 g, much of it fiber) and protein (17.7 g) make up the rest.
Calories come from: Carbs 15% · Fat 73% · Protein 12%
Common servings
| Serving | Weight | Calories | Protein | Carbs | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per 100 g | 100 g | 573 kcal | 17.7 g | 23.5 g | 49.7 g |
| 1 tbsp | 9 g | 52 kcal | 1.6 g | 2.1 g | 4.5 g |
| 1 cup | 144 g | 825 kcal | 25.5 g | 33.8 g | 71.5 g |
Full nutrition (Per 100 g)
| Calories | 573 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 17.7 g |
| Carbohydrates | 23.5 g |
| of which sugars | 0.3 g |
| Fiber | 11.8 g |
| Fat | 49.7 g |
| of which saturated | 7 g |
| Sodium | 11 mg |
What changes the calories
- Toasting sesame seeds dry barely changes their calories, but toasting them in oil adds the calories of the oil they absorb.
- Sesame seeds are often used as a sprinkle, so the amount that actually sticks to a dish can be much less, or more, than a measured spoonful.
- Products made from sesame, such as tahini, sesame oil or sesame snack bars, have different calorie counts from whole seeds because of processing and added ingredients.
- Because the seeds are so small and calorie-dense, a heaped tablespoon can weigh noticeably more than a level one.
Tips for logging it accurately
- Weigh sesame seeds on a kitchen scale when you can, since small differences in spoon size add up quickly with a food this calorie-dense.
- Log the whole dried seeds for plain or dry-toasted sesame, and log tahini, sesame oil or sesame bars as their own foods rather than as seeds.
- In BerryFit, add sesame seeds as a separate item when they top a meal like a salad, stir-fry or bagel so they are not missed in the photo scan.
Log Sesame seeds in seconds
Snap a photo of your meal or search for Sesame seeds in BerryFit to track calories and macros against your own daily target.
Frequently asked questions
How many calories are in a tablespoon of sesame seeds?
One tablespoon (9 g) of sesame seeds has 52 calories, with 4.5 g of fat, 2.1 g of carbs and 1.6 g of protein.
How many calories are in a cup of sesame seeds?
A cup of sesame seeds (144 g) has 825 calories, along with 71.5 g of fat, 33.8 g of carbs and 25.5 g of protein.
Are sesame seeds high in protein?
Sesame seeds have 17.7 g of protein per 100 g, but fat is their main source of calories at 49.7 g per 100 g. In a typical 1 tbsp serving you get 1.6 g of protein.
How do sesame seeds compare to other seeds and nuts in calories?
They are very similar: sesame seeds have 573 calories per 100 g, compared with 572 for pistachios, 579 for almonds, 582 for sunflower seeds and 559 for pumpkin seeds.
Similar foods
Calories in common foodsValues per 100 g from USDA FoodData Central (Seeds, sesame seeds, whole, dried, FDC ID 170150); 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.
