Herbs are versatile little plants that can be used in cooking, baking, and used to make herbal teas. Whether you’re counting calories, calorie conscious, or just plain curious – you might wonder which of these herbs have the lowest calories (and most)!
All herbs are very low in calories, both fresh and dried. The calories in herbs are so low that they’re considered negligible and aren’t reported on containers of fresh or dried herbs.
To prove this point, we gathered the (low) calorie amounts for some of the most popular herbs, both fresh and dried – check out the table below!
Quick recap – what are herbs?
Herbs are the green leafy part of certain plants used for their aromatic properties and flavor. Along with spices, herbs are used to flavor foods. Some of your most favorite foods might be your favorite because of the flavor of herbs. For example, pizza sauce contains oregano, which is a staple in Italian seasoning.
Herbs are different from spices in a few ways. First, herbs are from the leafy parts of the plant, while spices come from other parts like the roots, stems, bark, and seeds. Second, herbs are generally mild in flavor while spices are, well, just that – spicier. (That’s not always the case, but spices are more likely to be hot compared to herbs!)
Herbs can usually be found fresh or dried, but it’s most common to find them dried. Dried herbs have longer shelf lives and are convenient to have on hand since they last longer than fresh. Herbs can be dried whole (like oregano leaves) or ground, which creates more of a powder consistency.
Which herbs have the lowest calories?
Herbs are the leaves of plants, so they’re all low in calories since they don’t provide a significant amount of carbohydrates, fat, or protein. In fact, herbs are so low in calories that it’s not worth counting them in your daily calorie count (if you count calories).
If you’ve ever looked at a bottle of dried herbs or fresh herbs at the grocery store, you might have noticed that they don’t come with nutrition facts labels. That’s because the calories and other nutrients they provide are negligible given their typical serving size.
Since all herbs are very low in calories, it’s difficult to come up with a lineup of lowest-calorie herbs. Instead, we researched and will provide the calories for some of the more popular herbs.
A few housekeeping notes before we provide the data…
- We got all calorie data from the United States Department of Agriculture’s FoodData Central. The serving sizes for fresh herbs varied, so we used whichever ones were the closest to being consistent with the others.
- Keep in mind that dried herbs are more concentrated since the water is removed. For instance, one tablespoon of fresh cilantro would shrink down to around one teaspoon when dried.
Calories in popular herbs
Without further ado – the calorie data!
| Herb (fresh/dried) | Serving size | Calories |
| Basil – fresh | 2 tbsp. | 1.2 |
| Basil – dried | 1 tsp. | 1.6 |
| Cilantro – fresh | 0.25 cup | 0.9 |
| Cilantro – dried | 1 tsp. | 1.7 |
| Dill – fresh | 1 cup sprigs | 3.8 |
| Dill – dried | 1 tsp. | 2.5 |
| Oregano – fresh | Not available | Not available |
| Oregano – dried | 1 tsp. | 2.7 |
| Parsley – fresh | 1 tbsp. | 1.4 |
| Parsley – dried | 1 tsp. | 1.5 |
| Rosemary – fresh | 1 tbsp. | 2.2 |
| Rosemary – dried | 1 tsp. | 3.4 |
| Thyme – fresh | 1 tsp. | 0.8 |
| Thyme – dried | 1 tsp. | 2.8 |
Tbsp = tablespoon
Tsp = teaspoon
Are any herbs high in calories?
As you can see, herbs are very low in calories. Many recipes call for dried herbs in quantities even smaller than a teaspoon, so it’s hardly worth noting the calories you’d get from those herbs when eating a portion of that recipe. If you sprinkle herbs directly on food, like cilantro as a garnish for tacos – it’s also not likely to provide a significant number of calories.
Herbs are an ingredient in many seasoning blends like Italian seasoning and taco seasoning, among many others. Some of these seasoning mixes might contain added ingredients like sugar, which can increase their calorie content slightly.
Even with the addition of sugar, seasoning mixes with herbs are still very low in calories given the serving size.
FAQs:
Some herbs contain properties that might be beneficial for weight loss, according to studies. For instance, one study found that fenugreek (an herb) seed extract reduced weight gain in mice fed a high-fat diet. Herbs can also promote weight loss (along with other healthy lifestyle habits) when they’re used in place of higher-calorie flavorings like sugar.
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