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A plain baked potato is about 93 kcal per 100 g in the USDA reference used here. A weighed 299 g edible portion (about 10.5 oz) calculates to about 278 kcal before butter, sour cream, cheese or oil.
"One potato" is less precise than a weight: size, variety, skin and cooking method vary. For a specific product or prepared dish, check its label or recipe.
Calories in raw, boiled and baked potatoes
The following are rounded generic USDA FoodData Central examples. Each row describes a separate food record, so their differences do not measure the cooking yield of one batch.
| Potato preparation | Kcal per 100 g (3.5 oz) | Kcal for a 200 g example (7.1 oz) |
|---|---|---|
| Raw potato, flesh and skin | 77 | 154 |
| Boiled potato, without skin | 86 | 172 |
| Baked potato, flesh and skin | 93 | 186 |
| Raw sweet potato | 86 | 172 |
| Boiled sweet potato | 76 | 152 |
| Baked sweet potato | 90 | 180 |
These are plain-food values. Do not use them for fries, mashed potatoes with milk and butter, or a loaded baked potato without accounting for the other ingredients.
Should you weigh potatoes raw or cooked?
Either can work when the weight matches the food entry. A raw weight belongs with a raw record; a baked weight belongs with a baked record.
Baking changes water content, affecting calories per 100 g. Boiling, peeling and discarding food can also change the relationship between the starting potato and the amount eaten. Separate raw and cooked database rows cannot show how much your own potato shrank.
For a home recipe, one option is to total the ingredients and divide by the measured finished weight or portions, accounting for discarded ingredients. The raw-versus-cooked guide gives a worked example.
Are sweet potatoes lower in calories?
It depends on the preparation and portion. In this table, raw sweet potato is higher than raw regular potato, while the boiled sweet-potato example is lower than the boiled regular-potato example. The baked entries are close at 90 and 93 kcal per 100 g.
That is why a blanket claim that one type is always lower is unhelpful. Compare matching preparation states and actual portions. Nutrient composition can also differ; a calorie comparison alone does not establish overall nutritional value or blood-glucose response.
How much do butter and oil add?
For an explicit example, a 299 g plain baked portion at 93 kcal/100 g gives 278.1 kcal. Adding 14 g salted butter at 717 kcal/100 g contributes 100.4 kcal, making the combined total about 378 kcal before other toppings.
A different butter amount changes that total. Roasted potatoes need their oil included, and mashed potatoes need the actual milk, cream or butter recipe. See calories in cooking fats.
How do you log a potato meal?
Record the preparation, edible amount and additions. If you weigh with skin but leave the skin uneaten, the consumed weight differs. A prepared-food entry can already include fat, so check it before adding the same oil again.
In Calorie.one, review the selected food state and portion. A database match does not validate a photograph's weight estimate. The food calculator can help organize ingredients, with amounts and source labels still needing review.
Frequently asked questions
How many calories are in a large baked potato?
A 299 g example is about 278 kcal at 93 kcal/100 g. "Large" is not a fixed weight, and toppings are extra.
How many calories are in boiled potatoes?
The plain, skinless reference here is 86 kcal per 100 g, or 172 kcal for 200 g. Your preparation or database entry may differ.
Are potatoes fattening?
No single food determines weight change. Portion, preparation, additions and the overall pattern of intake and expenditure matter. A plain potato and fries are different entries, but calorie content alone does not judge whether a food fits your needs.