How Many Calories And Carbs In A Tomato? | Fast Facts

Tomatoes keep things light. They’re mostly water, with modest carbohydrate and a sprinkle of natural sugars. If you’re tracking macros or managing blood sugar, it helps to know the numbers for a typical piece and a few common kitchen measures.

Tomato Calorie And Carb Counts By Size

Here’s a quick table you can use while cooking, shopping, or logging a meal. It pulls from standard USDA servings and common weights, which keeps the math consistent across brands and varieties.

Serving	Weight (g)	Calories | Carbs (g)
100 g raw	100	18 kcal | 3.9 g
1 medium whole	123	22 kcal | 4.8 g
1 small whole	91	16 kcal | 3.6 g
1 large whole	182	33 kcal | 7.1 g
1 plum/Roma	62	11 kcal | 2.4 g
1 cherry	17	3 kcal | 0.7 g
1 cup, chopped/sliced	180	32 kcal | 7.0 g
1 cup cherry tomatoes	149	27 kcal | 5.8 g

Portion picks change totals fast because the fruit is light. Once you know your daily calorie needs, it’s easy to fit tomatoes into breakfast, lunch, or a late snack without blowing the budget.

What Counts As “Carbs” In Tomatoes

Carbohydrate in fresh fruit here comes mostly from natural sugars and fiber. A standard 100-gram portion lands near 3.9 grams of carbohydrate with about 1.2 grams as fiber, based on USDA data for raw red fruit. That’s why a medium piece still sits near ~5 grams of carbohydrate and keeps calories low.

Net Carbs, Fiber, And Satiety

Some folks track “net carbs” (total carbs minus fiber). With a medium piece, that’s roughly 3.3 grams. The fiber adds bulk and helps a salad, salsa, or sandwich feel more filling without many calories.

Why The Weight Matters

Labels rarely match your exact produce piece. Using a kitchen scale or the common weights above makes the math simple. For raw fruit, the calorie count scales linearly with weight, so doubling the grams roughly doubles calories and carbohydrate.

How Garden Fresh Compares To Sauces And Paste

Fresh fruit gives you volume for very few calories. Sauces and concentrates squeeze water out, so numbers climb per spoonful. That doesn’t make them off-limits; it just means portions matter.

Product & Serving	Typical Weight	Calories | Carbs (g)
Fresh, raw (1 cup chopped)	180 g	~32 kcal | ~7 g
Tomato sauce (½ cup)	~120–125 g	~30–60 kcal | ~9–13 g
Tomato paste (2 tbsp)	~28–33 g	~20–30 kcal | ~4–6 g

Numbers for fresh portions come from USDA’s raw entry and standard servings; packaged products vary with recipes and salt. A quick scan of the label helps, or you can use a reliable database based on USDA entries for a closer estimate.

Blood Sugar And The “Light” Carb Profile

Fresh fruit here falls under non-starchy vegetables, which carry fewer carbohydrates per bite. That’s why plates for blood sugar management often lean heavily on them. The American Diabetes Association’s carbohydrate guidance groups tomatoes with low-carb vegetables that have a smaller impact on glucose.

Glycemic Picture In Plain Terms

Because the fruit is mostly water and fiber, the glycemic load for a typical serving stays low. Pairing it with protein or a drizzle of oil keeps meals steady and adds flavor without much extra carbohydrate.

Practical Ways To Log And Swap

When You Want More Volume

Go fresh. Slice into salads, pile on sandwiches, spoon over eggs, or layer into grain bowls. You get crunch and color for very few calories and a modest carb hit.

When You Want Rich Flavor

Use paste. A spoon or two brings depth to soups and stews. Because it’s concentrated, keep portions small if you’re counting carbs closely.

When You Want Speed

Reach for sauce. Look for jars or cans without added sugar. Stir into whole-grain pasta or simmer with beans for a fast dinner. A standard half-cup lands around 9–13 grams of carbohydrate depending on the brand, with calories still modest.

Simple Math For Common Recipes

Chopped Salad Bowl

2 cups chopped raw fruit (~360 g) bring ~64 calories and ~14 grams of carbohydrate to the bowl. Add greens and protein, and you’ve built a big plate that still stays friendly to a calorie budget.

Quick Pasta Night

Using 1 cup of sauce adds roughly 18–26 grams of carbohydrate from tomatoes alone, before pasta. If you’re aiming lower, mix in chopped raw fruit to stretch the sauce while keeping calories closer to a fresh baseline.

Stew Or Chili

Two tablespoons of paste add a rich base for ~4–6 grams of carbohydrate. Thin with broth and pile in vegetables and beans to hit your macros.

Picking Varieties And Watching Sodium

Cherry types are bite-size and snackable. Roma and plum types roast well and make tidy slices for sandwiches. Large rounds shine on burgers and sheet-pan roasts. Canned products can spike sodium, so rinse diced styles or pick “no salt added” when you can.

How The Numbers Were Chosen

Weights and per-serving totals mirror standard entries used by nutrition pros. The medium piece (123 g) and other common measures match widely used USDA serving weights, while per-100-gram data keeps math easy across brands and varieties. For packaged items like sauce and paste, values reflect typical label ranges tied to USDA-based databases.

Quick Reference: What To Remember

For Everyday Meal Planning

• Fresh, raw: ~18 calories and ~4 grams of carbohydrate per 100 g.
• Medium fruit: ~22 calories and ~5 grams of carbohydrate (about 3 grams net).
• Half-cup sauce: roughly 30–60 calories and ~9–13 grams of carbohydrate.
• Two tablespoons paste: roughly 20–30 calories and ~4–6 grams of carbohydrate.

For Grocery Trips

• Pick firm fruit with bright skin; store at room temp for peak taste.
• Scan labels on sauces and pastes for sodium and added sugars.
• Keep small cans of paste on hand for big flavor without many calories.

Source Notes You Can Trust

Standard weights and per-serving counts for raw fruit are drawn from a USDA-based database entry for “Tomatoes, red, ripe, raw, year round average,” which lists common household measures (including small, medium, large, cup chopped, and cherry cup). Medium fruit nutrition (123 g) aligns with the USDA’s produce guide entry and shows the ~22-calorie, ~5-gram carbohydrate baseline used throughout this page.

Final Bite

Fresh fruit gives you lots of plate space for very few calories. Sauces and pastes pack more punch in a smaller scoop, so you get to choose: volume or intensity. Want a deeper dive on fiber across your day? Try our recommended fiber intake guide.

References embedded above: USDA raw entry with serving weights and nutrition for 100 g and a medium piece, and the ADA’s guidance on carbohydrates and non-starchy vegetables.