Does Water Have Calories?

Why does water have no calories?

Calories in food and drink come from four things: carbohydrate (4 calories per gram), protein (4), fat (9) and alcohol (7). Water contains none of them. It's just hydrogen and oxygen, which your body can't break down for energy. So how many calories are in water? Zero, even though you can't live without it.

Is water 0 calories exactly, or just close? Exactly zero for plain water: how many kcal in water comes to 0 per glass, bottle or liter. The only things in it are small amounts of minerals such as calcium and sodium, and minerals don't have calories either. That's why water in calories terms is the one drink you never need to count. The calorie converter explains how calories per gram work for the nutrients that do have them.

How many calories in a bottle of water?

A standard 16.9 fl oz (500 ml) bottle of water has 0 calories. So does a 1-liter bottle, or a gallon. How many calories are in a water bottle doesn't depend on the brand either: USDA lists generic bottled water and several brands at 0 calories, with only small amounts of calcium and sodium.

Water bottle nutrition facts

When a bottle of plain water carries a Nutrition Facts label, it shows 0 calories, 0 g total fat, 0 g total carbohydrate, 0 g total sugars and 0 g protein. Bottled water nutrition facts might also list a few milligrams of sodium. If a bottle's label shows calories or sugar, it's a flavored or sweetened water, not plain water.

Does water have carbs or sugar?

No. Water has 0 g of carbohydrate and 0 g of sugar, so it fits every diet, including keto and low-carb plans. Is there sugar in water from the tap? No; tap water has trace minerals but no sugar. Are there calories in water sold as mineral or spring water? No; the minerals don't add any. Does water have any calories when it's cold, hot or filtered? No. Temperature and filtering don't add anything to it.

Sparkling water, lemon water and flavored water

• Sparkling water and club soda: 0 calories. Club soda has a little added sodium, about 75 mg in a 12 fl oz can.
• Lemon water: a squeeze of lemon adds only a few calories. A whole lemon without its peel has about 17.
• Flavored and vitamin waters: some have no calories, others have added sugar. The label tells you.
• Tonic water: sweetened, so it has calories, much like soda.

Water vs other drinks

Drinks are where calories add up without filling you up. Here's how plain water compares with other drinks per 12 fl oz, from USDA data:

Soda nutrition label: 12 oz and 20 oz cola

A 12 fl oz can of regular cola (370 g) has about 155 calories and 37 g of sugar. If you're reading a 20 oz Coke nutrition label, USDA's numbers for regular cola tell the same story: a 20 fl oz bottle has about 258 calories and 61 g of sugar. Regular cola also has about 9 mg of caffeine per 100 g, or about 33 mg a can. Swapping one 20 oz soda a day for water saves about 258 calories a day.

Lemonade nutrition and juice kcal

Lemonade made from frozen concentrate has 40 calories per 100 g, about 99 calories and 25 g of sugar per cup. Juice kcal values sit in the same range: orange juice has 49 per 100 g, so an 8 oz glass has about 122 calories. See navel orange nutrition for how a whole orange compares with its juice. Coconut water is lighter at 19 calories per 100 g, with 250 mg of potassium.

Water and weight loss

Because it has no calories, water is the easiest swap when you're cutting calories. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030, say to choose water, still or sparkling, and unsweetened drinks, and to avoid sugar-sweetened ones like soda, fruit drinks and energy drinks. Replacing sugary drinks with water lowers your daily calories without changing what you eat. To see how a daily swap adds up over weeks, try the weight loss simulator, or work out your daily target with the TDEE calculator. Sugary drinks are the first thing our no sugar diet plan cuts for 14 days.

Water doesn't cancel calories from food. Its value is in what it replaces. If you log your drinks in the calorie counter, water is the one you can add for free.

Water calories FAQ