How much protein is in granulated sugar?

Granulated sugar has 0 g of protein per 100 g and 0 g per 1 tsp (4 g). That is 0 g of protein per 100 kcal — essentially not a protein source.

Where do these calorie figures come from?

USDA FoodData Central record 169655, “Sugars, granulated” (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.

All foods

Sugar, honey, chocolate and treatsUSDA SR LegacyFDC 169655

Calories in granulated sugar

USDA FoodData Central record for “Sugars, granulated” — per 100 g, per every USDA serving size, and next to the other sugar, honey, chocolate and treats rows.

The short answer

Granulated sugar: 387 kcal per 100 g. 1 tsp (4 g) is 16 kcal with 0 g of protein. Source: USDA FoodData Central record 169655, "Sugars, granulated".

Per 100 g

Nutrient	Per 100 g	Share of energy
Energy	387 kcal	100%
Protein	0 g	0%
Fat	0 g	0%
Carbohydrate	100 g	100%

Granulated sugar is 387 kcal per 100 g in USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy). Of that energy, about 0% comes from protein, 0% from fat and 100% from carbohydrate. That works out to 0 g of protein per 100 kcal — essentially not a protein source.

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	Carbs
100 g	100 g	387	100 g
1 serving packet	2.8 g	11	2.8 g
1 tsp	4.2 g	16	4.2 g
1 cup	200 g	774	200 g
1 serving 1 cube	2.3 g	9	2.3 g

Compared with other sugar, honey, chocolate and treats

Food	kcal / 100 g	Protein / 100 g	Per serving
Granulated sugar	387	0 g	16 kcal · 1 tsp
Honey	304	0.3 g	64 kcal · 1 tbsp
Dark chocolate (70–85%)	598	7.8 g	170 kcal · 1 oz
Vanilla ice cream	207	3.5 g	137 kcal · 1 serving 1/2 cup
Granola	489	13.7 g	597 kcal · 1 cup

Worth knowing

Sugar is pure carbohydrate at just under 4 kcal per gram: a teaspoon is 16 kcal, a tablespoon 48. Two sugars in each of four coffees is about 130 kcal a day that rarely gets logged.

Questions about granulated sugar

How many calories are in granulated sugar?: Granulated sugar: 387 kcal per 100 g. 1 tsp (4 g) is 16 kcal with 0 g of protein. Source: USDA FoodData Central record 169655, "Sugars, granulated".
How much protein is in granulated sugar?: Granulated sugar has 0 g of protein per 100 g and 0 g per 1 tsp (4 g). That is 0 g of protein per 100 kcal — essentially not a protein source.
Where do these calorie figures come from?: USDA FoodData Central record 169655, “Sugars, granulated” (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 “granulated sugar” into calorie.one and the app matches this exact record — “Sugars, granulated” — 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 accurate is calorie counting, really?.