How much protein is in chia seeds?

Chia seeds has 16.5 g of protein per 100 g and 4.7 g per 1 oz (28 g). That is 3.4 g of protein per 100 kcal — a modest protein contribution.

Where do these calorie figures come from?

USDA FoodData Central record 170554, “Seeds, chia seeds, dried” (SR Legacy, FDC SR Legacy 2018-04 + FNDDS 2024-10-31). Energy is USDA nutrient 1008 (Energy, kcal); protein, fat and carbohydrate are read from the same record. USDA data is in the public domain, and the FDC ID above links straight to it.

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SeedsUSDA SR LegacyFDC 170554

Calories in chia seeds

USDA FoodData Central record for “Seeds, chia seeds, dried” — per 100 g, per every USDA serving size, and next to the other seeds rows.

The short answer

Chia seeds: 486 kcal per 100 g. 1 oz (28 g) is 138 kcal with 4.7 g of protein. Source: USDA FoodData Central record 170554, "Seeds, chia seeds, dried".

Per 100 g

Nutrient	Per 100 g	Share of energy
Energy	486 kcal	100%
Protein	16.5 g	13%
Fat	30.7 g	54%
Carbohydrate	42.1 g	33%

Chia seeds is 486 kcal per 100 g in USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy). Of that energy, about 13% comes from protein, 54% from fat and 33% from carbohydrate. That works out to 3.4 g of protein per 100 kcal — a modest protein contribution.

Per serving

The serving sizes USDA lists for this record, priced from the per-100 g figures above. Nothing here is rounded to a “portion” — the gram weight next to each label is what the calories are computed from.

Serving	Weight	Calories	Protein	Fat	Carbs
100 g	100 g	486	16.5 g	30.7 g	42.1 g
1 oz	28 g	138	4.7 g	8.7 g	12 g

Compared with other seeds

Food	kcal / 100 g	Protein / 100 g	Per serving
Chia seeds	486	16.5 g	138 kcal · 1 oz
Flaxseed	534	18.3 g	55 kcal · 1 tbsp, whole
Sunflower seeds	584	20.8 g	269 kcal · 1 cup, with hulls, edible yield

Worth knowing

Chia seeds are nearly 500 kcal per 100 g, but a typical serving is a tablespoon (~12 g) at about 60 kcal — and 34 g of fiber per 100 g means much of the carbohydrate is not digested as sugar.

Other tables in nut and seed products

The same numbers for the foods this one usually shares a plate — or a shopping list — with.

Calories in almonds579 kcal / 100 g

Questions about chia seeds

How many calories are in chia seeds?: Chia seeds: 486 kcal per 100 g. 1 oz (28 g) is 138 kcal with 4.7 g of protein. Source: USDA FoodData Central record 170554, "Seeds, chia seeds, dried".
How much protein is in chia seeds?: Chia seeds has 16.5 g of protein per 100 g and 4.7 g per 1 oz (28 g). That is 3.4 g of protein per 100 kcal — a modest protein contribution.
Where do these calorie figures come from?: USDA FoodData Central record 170554, “Seeds, chia seeds, dried” (SR Legacy, FDC SR Legacy 2018-04 + FNDDS 2024-10-31). Energy is USDA nutrient 1008 (Energy, kcal); protein, fat and carbohydrate are read from the same record. USDA data is in the public domain, and the FDC ID above links straight to it.

How calorie.one logs it

Type “chia seeds” into calorie.one and the app matches this exact record — “Seeds, chia seeds, dried” — estimates the grams, and shows the line with its USDA label. You correct the amount; the per-100 g figure is never guessed. That split between recognition and arithmetic is the whole methodology. For the numbers in context, read Calories in olive oil, butter and cooking fats.