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Meal Calorie Calculator

List what is on your plate with the amount of each food. You get the calories and macros of the whole meal, the share of the meal that each food supplies, and how the plate fits a daily calorie target split over your meals.

Updated 2026-10-28

Quick answer. List what is on your plate with the amount of each food. You get the calories and macros of the whole meal, the share of the meal that each food supplies, and how the plate fits a daily calorie target split over your meals. Do not forget the oil or butter used to cook.

What is on the plate

Use cooked weights for cooked foods. Do not forget the oil or butter used to cook.

Paste an ingredient list instead

One ingredient per line, for example "2 cups flour", "1 tbsp olive oil" or "2 eggs"

Daily calorie target (kcal)

Meals per day

Quick answer: calories in common plate portions

Household portions from the USDA records the calculator uses.

Portion	kcal	Protein g	Carbs g	Fat g
100 g cooked chicken breast	165	31.0	0.0	3.6
100 g cooked ground beef 80/20	254	25.8	0.0	16.7
100 g firm tofu	144	17.3	2.8	8.7
1 large egg (50 g)	72	6.3	0.4	4.8
1 cup cooked white rice (158 g)	205	4.3	44.6	0.5
1 cup cooked pasta (140 g)	183	7.0	35.1	1.5
1 cup baked potato (173 g)	161	4.3	36.7	0.2
1/2 cup black beans (128 g)	116	7.7	21.2	0.4
1 cup cooked broccoli (156 g)	55	3.7	11.2	0.6
1 cup raw spinach (30 g)	7	0.9	1.1	0.1
1 tbsp olive oil (13.5 g)	122	0.0	0.0	13.5
1 tbsp butter (14.2 g)	102	0.0	0.0	11.6
1 oz shredded cheddar (28 g)	114	7.1	0.4	9.4
1 cup whole milk (244 g)	149	8.1	11.0	7.8

How to count the calories in a meal

A home-cooked meal has no label, but you can count it from its parts. The method is the same one dietitians use for a food record: list each food, find its weight, look up its calories per 100 g, and add.

List each food on the plate, including cooking fat, sauces and toppings. A tablespoon of oil is about 120 kcal and is the item people forget most often.
Find the weight of each food. A kitchen scale is best. Without one, use cups and spoons; the calculator converts them with the USDA household weight for that food.
Calculate and add. Calories for a food = grams × kcal per 100 g ÷ 100. The meal is the sum.
Compare with your day. Divide your daily target by the number of meals to get a simple per-meal budget, and see what share of the day this plate uses.

Formulas

food kcal = grams × kcal per 100 g ÷ 100 meal kcal = Σ food kcal share of meal = food kcal ÷ meal kcal × 100 per-meal budget = daily target ÷ meals per day share of day = meal kcal ÷ daily target × 100

Worked example: chicken, rice and broccoli plate

Food	Grams	kcal	Share
150 g cooked chicken breast	150.0	247.5	45%
1 cup cooked white rice	158.0	205.4	37%
1 cup cooked broccoli	156.0	54.6	10%
1 tsp olive oil	4.5	40.5	7%
Meal	468.5	548.0	100%

The plate has about 548 kcal, with 55 g protein, 56 g carbs and 11 g fat. With a 2,000-kcal target and 3 meals, the per-meal budget is 2,000 ÷ 3 = 667 kcal, so this plate is 119 kcal under budget and uses 27% of the day. The chicken gives 45% of the calories even though the rice and broccoli weigh more. This meal loads in the calculator above.

Choosing a daily target

The 2,000-kcal default is the reference amount used for the Daily Values on US food labels, not a personal goal. Your own need depends on body size, age, sex and activity. Estimate it with the calorie and TDEE calculator, then enter it here. If you eat more at dinner than at breakfast, the per-meal budget is only a guide; the daily total is what counts.

Meals from a recipe

If the plate is one serving of a recipe you cooked, calculate the recipe first with the recipe nutrition calculator and use its calories per serving. To plan a whole week of meals against your target, use the weekly meal planner.

Frequently asked questions

How do I count calories in a homemade meal without a scale?

Use cups and spoons and choose the cooked food row. A cup of cooked rice is 158 g in the USDA record. Measuring cups are less exact than a scale, but they are much better than a guess.

How many calories should one meal have?

Divide your daily target by the number of meals. With 2,000 kcal and 3 meals, that is about 667 kcal per meal. Many people eat a smaller breakfast and a larger dinner; the daily total matters more than equal meals.

Do I count the oil used for cooking?

Yes, for the share that ends up on your plate. If you cook in 1 tablespoon of oil and eat half the pan, add 1/2 tbsp of oil to your meal.

Why does the chicken have more calories than the rice?

Calories depend on weight and energy density. In this example the 150 g of chicken (165 kcal per 100 g) gives more calories than the 158 g of rice (130 kcal per 100 g).

Can I save a meal?

The link under the result contains the foods and amounts. Bookmark it or send it to yourself; nothing is stored on a server.

Sources

USDA FoodData Central: nutrient values per 100 g and household cup and spoon weights. Each ingredient row links to its record in the ingredient reference table.
FDA, Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels: Daily Values for adults and children 4 years and older, based on 2,000 calories a day.
USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) portion weights for whole items: large egg 50 g, large egg white 33 g, medium banana 118 g, medium apple 182 g, garlic clove 3 g, medium onion 110 g, medium carrot 61 g, medium tomato 123 g, medium bell pepper 119 g.

Estimates for home cooking, not medical or dietary advice. Brands, cuts and cooking methods change the real values.