How many calories is one cup of average cranberries?

How many calories is one cup of average cranberries? One cup contains about 50 calories. Nutrition references commonly give approximately 46 calories for 1 cup, or about 100 grams, of raw whole cranberries; that figure is routinely rounded to 50 calories for a general-knowledge answer.

Cranberries are unusually light in calories because they contain a great deal of water and relatively little fat. Their sharp, tart flavour comes from organic acids, especially citric, malic, and quinic acids, rather than from a high sugar content. A cup of raw berries also supplies dietary fibre and small amounts of vitamin C and vitamin E.

The biggest nutritional mix-up is between fresh and dried cranberries. Drying removes water and concentrates the fruit’s sugars, so sweetened dried cranberries contain far more calories per cup. Cranberry sauce is different again: many commercial versions add substantial sugar. The roughly 50-calorie figure applies to fresh, raw, unsweetened cranberries, not juice, sauce, or dried fruit.