Calories in a Tablespoon of Chia Seeds: 58 kcal [12 Min Walk]
58 calories in a tablespoon. That's the answer to how many calories in a tablespoon of chia seeds — 12 g of seeds, 58 kcal. Per 100 g, chia comes in at 486 kcal, which is nut territory, not vegetable territory. The redeeming feature: a third of every spoonful is pure fibre.
You'd need to walk about 12 minutes to burn the 58 calories in a tablespoon (12 g).
How long does it take to burn off a tablespoon of chia seeds?
A tablespoon (12 g) is 58 kcal. Enter your weight and the amount you ate to see how long it takes you to burn that off:
lb
| Activity | Time to burn 58 kcal |
|---|---|
| Walking, brisk | 12 min |
| Cycling, moderate | 7 min |
| Swimming, moderate | 8 min |
| Jogging | 7 min |
| Weight training, moderate | 13 min |
Times are for a 154 lb (11 st) adult at a steady pace; change the weight to see yours. The amount is set to the portion in the text (12 g); change it to what you actually ate. BodyPal works this out from your steps automatically.
On this page
- Quick facts
- How much is a tablespoon?
- Chia pudding calories
- A third of every spoonful is fibre
- How do chia seeds compare?
- The superfood catch
- Most popular chia seed brands
- FAQ
Quick facts
| Nutrient | Per 1 tbsp (12 g) | Per 100 g | RI%* (per 100 g) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 58 kcal (243 kJ) | 486 kcal (2,033 kJ) | 24% |
| Protein | 2.0 g | 16.5 g | 33% |
| Carbohydrates | 5.0 g | 42 g | 16% |
| Fat | 3.7 g | 30.7 g | 44% |
| — of which saturates | 0.4 g | 3.3 g | 17% |
| Fibre | 4.1 g | 34.4 g | – |
| Sugar | 0 g | 0 g | 0% |
| Salt | trace | 0.02 g | <1% |
*RI = reference intake for an average adult (2,000 kcal a day).
Verified nutrition data
Numbers on this page come from CoFID, the UK government’s Composition of Foods Integrated Dataset, and from manufacturer labels where a branded product is named. Last verified August 2026. How we verify our data →
How much is a tablespoon?
Chia portions are small for a reason. The seeds soak up liquid and swell, so a spoonful goes further than it looks.
- 1 tablespoon (~12 g) — 58 kcal
- 1 teaspoon (~4 g) — 19 kcal
- Chia pudding portion (25 g chia + 150 ml milk) — about 190 kcal
Sprinkling a teaspoon over cereal costs less than 20 calories. It's the recipes built around chia — puddings, energy balls, "chia bowls" — where the numbers climb.
Chia pudding calories
A standard chia pudding uses 25 g of seeds (two heaped tablespoons, 122 kcal) soaked in 150 ml of milk at roughly 46 kcal per 100 ml, adding about 69 kcal. Total: around 190 kcal before toppings.
That makes a plain chia pudding a sensible light breakfast. Add honey, granola and nut butter, though, and it can quietly double. The chia was never the problem; the toppings are.
A third of every spoonful is fibre
Chia's headline stat isn't the calories, it's the fibre: 34.4 g per 100 g. Of the 42 g of carbohydrate on the label, 34 g is fibre — there is essentially no sugar and no starch worth mentioning.
For scale, popcorn — a food sold on its fibre — carries 9 g per 100 g. Chia holds nearly four times that. One tablespoon delivers 4.1 g of fibre, a meaningful chunk of the 30 g a day the NHS recommends, which most UK adults don't reach.
That's the sensible case for chia: stirred into fibre-friendly breakfasts like porridge or Weetabix, it tops up fibre and protein for 58 kcal a spoon.
How do chia seeds compare?
| Food | Typical portion | kcal per portion | kcal per 100 g |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chia seeds | 1 tbsp (12 g) | 58 | 486 |
| Almonds | 30 g handful | 166 | 554 |
| Porridge | bowl | 168 | – |
| Greek yogurt | pot | 226 | – |
The verdict: as an add-on, chia is the best value here — 58 kcal buys more fibre than anything else on the list. As an actual breakfast, a bowl of porridge or a pot of Greek yogurt fills you up properly for a similar spend; a dry tablespoon of seeds does not.
The superfood catch
The myth is that "superfood" means eat freely. Calorie-wise, chia behaves like a nut: 486 kcal per 100 g, mostly from fat. Measured by the bowl rather than the spoon, it out-scores many desserts.
The fix is simple. Chia earns its place by the tablespoon — 58 kcal, 4 g of fibre, 2 g of protein. It stops earning it when it becomes the main ingredient.
Most popular chia seed brands in the United Kingdom
Ranked by how widely each product appears among foods sold in the United Kingdom, from the BodyPal food database of over 3.3 million products. Calories are the figures printed on each label.
| Product | Calories (per 100 g) |
|---|---|
| Nature's Intent Organic Chia Seeds | 500 kcal |
| Natural Happiness Chia Seeds | 455 kcal |
| Nature's Heart Chia Seeds | 418 kcal |
Brand popularity: BodyPal food database. Nutrition: manufacturer labels.
Chia seeds FAQ
How many calories are in 1 tbsp of chia seeds?
58 kcal in a level tablespoon (about 12 g). That spoonful also carries 4.1 g of fibre and 2 g of protein, with no sugar. A heaped tablespoon weighs more, so count it as closer to 80–90 kcal.
How many calories are in chia pudding?
About 190 kcal for a standard portion: 25 g of chia (122 kcal) soaked in 150 ml of milk (about 69 kcal). Toppings change the picture fast — honey, granola or nut butter can push a pudding well past 300 kcal.
Does chia water have calories?
Yes — the seeds keep their 58 kcal per tablespoon whether they're in water or not. Chia water is simply seeds soaked in water, so a glass made with one tablespoon is 58 kcal. The water adds nothing; the seeds count in full.
Do chia seeds help with weight loss?
No food causes weight loss on its own. Chia's 34.4 g of fibre per 100 g is genuinely useful — fibre-rich foods help you feel fuller, and the NHS recommends 30 g of fibre a day. At 58 kcal a tablespoon, chia fits a calorie deficit; by the bowl, it fights one.
How much chia should I eat a day?
One to two tablespoons (58–116 kcal) is the typical range; there's no official UK limit. Chia is very high in fibre, so if you're new to it, start with a tablespoon and drink plenty of water — a sudden fibre jump can be uncomfortable.
How many calories in a teaspoon of chia seeds?
19 kcal in a level teaspoon (about 4 g). That's the sprinkle-over-cereal dose: barely a rounding error in a day's eating, but it still adds just over 1 g of fibre. Three teaspoons make a tablespoon at 58 kcal.
How much protein is in chia seeds?
16.5 g of protein per 100 g, which works out at 2 g per tablespoon. Respectable for a seed, but at tablespoon doses it's a top-up, not a protein source — a pot of Greek yogurt does the heavy lifting far better.
Are chia seeds high in carbs?
On paper, 42 g of carbohydrate per 100 g — but 34 g of that is fibre, and sugar is zero. The digestible carbohydrate left over is small, which is why chia features in low-carb baking. A tablespoon carries about 5 g of total carbs, 4.1 g of it fibre.
Similar foods
- Almonds — 166 kcal per 30 g handful
- Cheddar cheese — 125 kcal per 30 g piece
- Caster sugar — 16 kcal per level teaspoon
- Granulated sugar — 16 kcal per level teaspoon
- Pistachios — 180 kcal per 30 g kernels
- Peanut butter — 97 kcal per tablespoon
Count it without the maths
Spoon sizes, soaked weights, milk ratios — chia maths gets fiddly. Snap your pudding with BodyPal and it logs the calories, fibre and protein from one photo.
