Calories in canned tuna in water.
86 kcal per 100 g.
Drained light tuna in water is the most protein-dense thing in most kitchens: about 19 g of protein for 86 kcal per 100 g. The same tuna canned in oil roughly doubles the calories unless you drain it hard.
Fish, tuna, light, canned in water, drained solids (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program) · SR Legacy (2018-04) · USDA FDC 173709
Nutrition for your portion
| Nutrient | Per 100 g | 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 86 kcal | 86 kcal |
| Protein | 19.4 g | 19.4 g |
| Carbohydrates | 0 g | 0 g |
| Fat | 0.96 g | 0.96 g |
| Fibre | 0 g | 0 g |
| Sugars | 0 g | 0 g |
| Saturated fat | 0.21 g | 0.21 g |
| Sodium | 247 mg | 247 mg |
| Salt (calculated from sodium) | 0.62 g | 0.62 g |
| Vitamin A (RAE) | 17 ug | 17 ug |
| Vitamin D (D2 + D3) | 1.2 ug | 1.2 ug |
| Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) | 0.33 mg | 0.33 mg |
| Vitamin K (phylloquinone) | 0.2 ug | 0.2 ug |
| Vitamin C | 0 mg | 0 mg |
| Thiamin | 0.03 mg | 0.03 mg |
| Riboflavin | 0.08 mg | 0.08 mg |
| Niacin | 10.1 mg | 10.1 mg |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.32 mg | 0.32 mg |
| Folate, total | 4 ug | 4 ug |
| Vitamin B12 | 2.55 ug | 2.55 ug |
| Potassium | 179 mg | 179 mg |
| Calcium | 17 mg | 17 mg |
| Phosphorus | 139 mg | 139 mg |
| Magnesium | 23 mg | 23 mg |
| Iron | 1.63 mg | 1.63 mg |
| Zinc | 0.69 mg | 0.69 mg |
| Selenium | 70.6 ug | 70.6 ug |
| Iodine | Unknown | Unknown |
| Copper | 0.05 mg | 0.05 mg |
Energy comes from USDA nutrient 1008. Salt is calculated as sodium × 2.5, with unit conversion to grams. It is not a separately measured salt value.
Preparation
Canned in water and drained, tuna is 86 kcal per 100 g with 1 g of fat — as lean as raw cod, already cooked, and shelf-stable. The water is not the point; the oil is. Tuna canned in oil carries whatever it was packed in, and draining it removes only part of that. This row is the water-packed version, drained, and nothing else has been done to it.
Logging this food
USDA lists several tins because tins vary: a standard can is 165 g and 142 kcal, a 12.5 oz can drained is 315 g and 271, and a cup of chunks is 154 g and 132. A 3 oz portion is 85 g and 73 kcal. Weigh drained. The mayonnaise in a tuna sandwich will normally be two or three times the tuna's calories.
Swaps and alternatives
Sardines canned in oil are 208 kcal per 100 g against this row's 86 — a real difference, and a real trade, since sardines bring calcium and omega-3 that water-packed tuna does not. Raw yellowfin is 109 per 100 g. For protein per calorie there is very little on this site to beat a drained tin of tuna.