In this article (5 sections)
Why Does Cooked Pasta Have Fewer Calories Than Raw?
Added water has no calories, so water absorption spreads the pasta's energy across a larger weight. Some solids may be lost in cooking water, while sauces or oil add energy. Log those separately where relevant.
| Ingredient (Danish Food Database) | Calories per 100 g |
|---|---|
| Pasta, raw | 361 |
| Pasta, cooked | 128 |
| Rice, polished, raw | 354 |
| Rice, cooked | 171 |
Historical source: FRIDA 6.1, DTU Food Institute (CC-BY 4.0). Pasta records 305 and 1296; rice records 1252 and 1973. These figures are retained from the Danish article, not relabeled as USDA.
The ratio 361 ÷ 128 is about 2.8. That illustrates the difference between these entries, but it does not measure how much your pasta weighs after cooking. Weigh the finished batch when you need its actual yield.
A 100 g portion is about 3.5 oz by weight. Dry cups and cooked cups are not interchangeable: use a matching food-specific serving weight if measuring by volume.
What Is the Most Common Mistake?
A common error is mixing the two states. In the example below, entering 280 g against the dry record gives about 1,010 kcal, while the cooked record gives about 358 kcal. These figures demonstrate lookup consistency, not a measured before-and-after batch.
| You Weigh | You Look Up | You Log | Matching Reference Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 280 g cooked | raw | approx. 1,010 kcal | approx. 360 kcal |
| 100 g raw | cooked | approx. 128 kcal | approx. 360 kcal |
| 100 g raw | raw | approx. 360 kcal | ✓ |
| 280 g cooked | cooked | approx. 360 kcal | ✓ |
For chicken, mixed dishes and a measured-batch portion example, see cooked versus raw weights. That broader guide uses separate USDA reference examples; they should not be mixed with the historical FRIDA values here.
Should I Weigh Raw or Cooked?
Either can work if the entry matches. Weighing dry ingredients avoids uncertainty about water uptake; weighing cooked portions is convenient when serving from a shared pot. For your own recipe, you can total the dry ingredients and divide by the measured finished weight, accounting for added or discarded ingredients.
Water uptake depends on the food and cooking method. Porridge is another example where water content changes the cooked weight substantially. See oatmeal with water.
How Do I Do It in Calorie.one?
Search for the food and choose the preparation state that matches your weight. Current searches use USDA FoodData Central, so results may differ from this article's historical FRIDA examples. Check the source and portion before saving. For a saved recipe, use its portion calculation and container/tare controls where available.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Many Calories Are in 100 Grams of Cooked Pasta?
The historical FRIDA entry used here contains about 128 kcal per 100 grams, giving about 256 kcal for 200 grams. Your pasta and water content may differ; use a matching entry or your recipe calculation.
How Much Does 100 Grams of Pasta Weigh When Cooked?
There is no fixed conversion. Pasta shape, cooking time and draining affect the result. Weigh your cooked batch to establish its yield rather than deriving it from two separate database records.
Does the Same Apply to Rice?
Yes: match dry or cooked weight to the right rice entry. The historical reference values here are 354 and 171 kcal per 100 grams, but their ratio is not a universal cooking-weight conversion.