How much protein is in raw kale?

Raw kale has 2.9 g of protein per 100 g and 0.6 g per 1 cup (21 g). That is 8.3 g of protein per 100 kcal — a solid protein-per-calorie ratio for a whole food.

Should broccoli, spinach and other greens be weighed raw or cooked?

Weigh it in whichever state you log it, and use the row that matches — this page is the raw row. Cooking does not change how many calories are there, only how many grams they are spread across: meat loses water in the pan and gets denser, grains and pasta absorb it and get lighter per gram.

All foods

Broccoli, spinach and other greensUSDA SR LegacyFDC 168421

Calories in raw kale

USDA FoodData Central record for “Kale, raw” — per 100 g, per every USDA serving size, and next to the other broccoli, spinach and other greens rows.

The short answer

Raw kale: 35 kcal per 100 g. 1 cup (21 g) is 7 kcal with 0.6 g of protein. Source: USDA FoodData Central record 168421, "Kale, raw".

Per 100 g

Nutrient	Per 100 g	Share of energy
Energy	35 kcal	100%
Protein	2.9 g	27%
Fat	1.5 g	32%
Carbohydrate	4.4 g	41%

Raw kale is 35 kcal per 100 g in USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy). Of that energy, about 27% comes from protein, 32% from fat and 41% from carbohydrate. That works out to 8.3 g of protein per 100 kcal — a solid protein-per-calorie ratio for a whole food.

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	35	2.9 g	1.5 g	4.4 g
1 cup	21 g	7	0.6 g	0.3 g	0.9 g

Compared with other broccoli, spinach and other greens

Food	kcal / 100 g	Protein / 100 g	Per serving
Raw broccoli	34	2.8 g	31 kcal · 1 cup chopped
Cooked broccoli	35	2.4 g	27 kcal · 0.5 cup, chopped
Raw spinach	23	2.9 g	7 kcal · 1 cup
Cooked spinach	23	3 g	41 kcal · 1 cup
Raw kale	35	2.9 g	7 kcal · 1 cup
Raw cabbage	25	1.3 g	22 kcal · 1 cup, chopped
Raw cauliflower	25	1.9 g	27 kcal · 1 cup chopped (1/2" pieces)

The broccoli, spinach and other greens rows exist in more than one state because water moves during cooking: this is the raw row. Weigh the food in the state you log and pick the row that matches — the calories don’t change in the pan, the grams do. The mechanics are in cooked vs raw weights.

Other tables in vegetables and vegetable products

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

Questions about raw kale

How many calories are in raw kale?: Raw kale: 35 kcal per 100 g. 1 cup (21 g) is 7 kcal with 0.6 g of protein. Source: USDA FoodData Central record 168421, "Kale, raw".
How much protein is in raw kale?: Raw kale has 2.9 g of protein per 100 g and 0.6 g per 1 cup (21 g). That is 8.3 g of protein per 100 kcal — a solid protein-per-calorie ratio for a whole food.
Should broccoli, spinach and other greens be weighed raw or cooked?: Weigh it in whichever state you log it, and use the row that matches — this page is the raw row. Cooking does not change how many calories are there, only how many grams they are spread across: meat loses water in the pan and gets denser, grains and pasta absorb it and get lighter per gram.

How calorie.one logs it

Type “raw kale” into calorie.one and the app matches this exact record — “Kale, raw” — 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 How to track mixed meals accurately with AI.