How Many Calories Are In Small Red Potatoes? | Smart Serving

Calories In A Small Red Potato: By Size And Cooking

A small round red potato is lean on fat and dense with water and starch. The calorie number comes mostly from carbohydrates. When you match the common market sizes, you’ll land near ~120 kcal for a small one, ~150 kcal for a medium, and ~260 kcal for a large. Those figures track with federal nutrient datasets that count energy per 100 g and then map it to typical produce sizes.

Why The Same Potato Can Show Different Numbers

Two things move the number: size and water. Cooking drives off moisture, so the calories per 100 g shift. Boiling keeps more water in the flesh than roasting, so boiled pieces show fewer calories per 100 g than roasted or baked. Salt, butter, oil, cheese, and sour cream are add-ons; they can double the number in a hurry.

Quick Reference Table: Sizes, Weights, Calories (Raw, With Skin)

Use this table when you’re eyeballing whole potatoes. Values reflect raw, unseasoned tubers with skin.

Market Size	Typical Weight	Calories
Small (about 1¾″–2¼″ across)	~170 g	~119–122 kcal
Medium (about 2¼″–3¼″ across)	~210–215 g	~150–155 kcal
Large (about 3″–4¼″ across)	~360–370 g	~260–270 kcal

Portion planning gets smoother once you set your daily calorie intake. With that number in mind, it’s easy to decide whether one small potato fits your plate or if you’re better off splitting a large one.

Per 100 Grams: Raw Versus Cooked

Nutrient tables often list values per 100 g. That’s handy for recipes and for weighing cooked portions. Here’s how energy density shifts with common methods:

Raw Flesh And Skin

Red types clock in near the low 70s kcal per 100 g before cooking. That’s a baseline you can scale by weight: 150 g raw is roughly the low-100s in calories. Skin carries fiber and some potassium, so keeping it on helps the nutrition side without moving calories much.

Boiled Or Steamed

Wet cooking keeps the calorie density modest. Per 100 g, plain boiled potato flesh sits in the mid-60s to low-70s kcal range, depending on variety and how much water it holds after cooking. Drain well, and if you add butter or oil, count those extras.

Baked Or Roasted

Dry heat drives off more moisture. Per 100 g, baked red potatoes run in the upper-80s kcal range. Tossing pieces with oil adds energy fast: each level teaspoon of oil contributes ~40 kcal to the batch; split that across the servings you plate.

Method Matters: Calories Per 100 g And What Affects Them

Cooking Method	kcal / 100 g	What Changes It
Raw, With Skin	~72	Variety, water content
Boiled, No Fat Added	~65–70	Drain time, peel on/off
Baked/Roasted	~85–90	Moisture loss, added oil

How To Weigh Or Estimate Your Portion

No Scale? Use Size Cues

One small round red potato is about the size of a golf ball plus a bit. Two smalls usually match one medium. If you’re dicing for a skillet or salad, a packed half-cup of cooked cubes is in the 60–80 kcal range when no fat is added.

With A Scale

Weigh the cooked portion you’re eating. If it’s boiled, multiply grams by ~0.67–0.70 kcal per gram. If it’s baked, use ~0.87–0.90 kcal per gram. Seasonings like herbs, lemon, or vinegar are freebies; fats and cheese are not.

Smart Adds And Swaps

Keep The Skin

Leaving the thin red skin on preserves fiber and minerals. That doesn’t shift energy much, but it does improve the nutrition picture per bite.

Use Oil Lightly

Measure oil instead of pouring. A teaspoon goes a long way on a sheet pan. If you want crisp edges, spread pieces out, crank the heat near the end, and let airflow do the work.

Season Big, Not Heavy

Lean on paprika, garlic, cracked pepper, rosemary, mustard, citrus zest, and a pinch of salt. You’ll get plenty of flavor without piling on calories.

Blood Sugar Considerations

Starchy vegetables can nudge glucose up, and serving style changes that impact. Baking and roasting tend to raise density per bite because of water loss. Cooling cooked potatoes in the fridge and serving as a salad increases resistant starch, which digests slowly and may soften the post-meal rise. For a primer on how this class of foods behaves, see the Nutrition Source overview on potatoes and the glycemic index guide, then fit portions into your plan.

How Cooking Changes The Count (With Examples)

Boiled, Skin-On Salad

Take two small red potatoes (~340 g raw). Boil until tender. Drained and cooled, that’s roughly 220–240 kcal total. Toss with chopped herbs, scallions, pickles, vinegar, and a spoon of yogurt. If you add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, add ~120 kcal across the bowl and divide by servings.

Sheet-Pan Wedges

Two mediums (~425 g raw) cut into wedges, tossed with 2 teaspoons oil, roasted hot. Potato base gives ~300 kcal; oil adds ~80 kcal; total ~380 kcal for the pan. Split it four ways for a ~95-kcal side.

Microwave Short-Cut

Prick a small one, microwave 3–4 minutes, rest, then finish under the broiler for color. You’ll hit the same ~120 kcal without extra fat.

Nutrition Beyond Calories

Potassium And Vitamin C

Red varieties bring useful potassium and vitamin C. A medium baked red potato can land near 900+ mg of potassium and >20 mg vitamin C, with just a trace of fat. That’s a lot of nutrition for the energy cost.

Protein And Fiber

Protein sits in the low single digits per 100 g. Fiber improves when you keep the peel. Pairing with a protein-rich main and a leafy side balances the plate.

FAQ-Style Clarifications, Without The FAQ Section

Do Baby Reds Differ From Standard Smalls?

Baby reds are just smaller; the math per 100 g doesn’t change. You’ll simply eat fewer grams per piece.

Are Fries Comparable?

Deep-fried potatoes include a lot of oil. Energy density jumps, often more than doubling per 100 g. That’s a different food choice than a boiled or baked side.

Cooking Tips That Keep Calories In Check

Steam Or Boil First, Then Crisp

Par-cook in water, drain, then finish in a hot oven with a light brush of oil. You’ll use less fat and still get texture.

Chill For Salad

Cooked-then-cooled potatoes develop resistant starch. That won’t make calories vanish, but it can be a helpful strategy for a steadier meal.

Make It Fit Your Day

For a hearty dinner, one medium red plus a big pile of greens and a palm-size protein often lands in a sweet spot. For a smaller lunch, half a medium or one small with a protein-rich topping works well. If you’re tracking, weigh once or twice at home; you’ll get the hang of eyeballing outside the kitchen.

Want a step-by-step walkthrough? Try our daily calorie intake guide.