Crumpet vs Toast: Which Has Fewer Calories?
On calories this one is a tie, and the tie surprises people: a toasted crumpet is 95 kcal and a medium slice of white toast is 85 kcal, ten calories apart. Per 100 g the crumpet is the lighter of the two, 207 kcal against 236, because the holes are air. Where they genuinely part company is salt.
Crumpet vs toast, side by side
| Nutrient | Crumpet, toasted | White toast |
|---|---|---|
| Typical item | 1 crumpet, 46 g | 1 medium slice, 36 g |
| Energy per item | 95 kcal / 397 kJ | 85 kcal / 356 kJ |
| Energy per 100 g | 207 kcal / 866 kJ | 236 kcal / 988 kJ |
| Protein | 3.2 g (6.9 g per 100 g) | 3.1 g (8.7 g per 100 g) |
| Carbohydrate | 20.9 g (45.4 g) | 17.5 g (48.7 g) |
| of which sugars | 1.4 g (3.1 g) | 1.1 g (3.0 g) |
| Fat | 0.5 g (1.0 g) | 0.8 g (2.1 g) |
| Fibre | 1.4 g (3.1 g) | 1.0 g (2.9 g) |
| Salt | 1.2 g (2.6 g) | 0.36 g (1.0 g) |
Figures in brackets are per 100 g. Salt is in grams, the way UK labels print it, against a 6 g daily reference intake.
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 →
The calorie gap is smaller than the shelf suggests
A crumpet looks like the indulgent choice and toast like the sensible one. The numbers do not agree. Ten calories separate them, less than the gap between a thick slice and a thin one off the same loaf.
The per 100 g figures explain why. Gram for gram the crumpet is 12% lighter than white bread, because it is an aerated batter rather than a solid baked dough. It only pulls level per item by being the bigger object: 46 g against 36 g.
So if you are choosing between them on calories alone, choose on which one you would rather eat. Full numbers for each are on the crumpet page and the white bread page.
Salt is where they actually separate
One crumpet carries 1.2 g of salt. One slice of toast carries 0.36 g. That is more than three times as much in the thing most people file under "sweet teatime treat".
Scale it to a real breakfast and the gap stops being academic. Two crumpets is 2.4 g of salt, 40% of the day's 6 g reference intake, gone before the butter. Two slices of toast is 0.72 g, or 12%. Same calories, a third of a day's salt between them.
The NHS advises adults to stay under 6 g of salt a day, and crumpets are one of the quiet ways that total climbs.
When to pick the crumpet
Pick the crumpet for texture. The holes hold butter, melted cheese or a poached egg in a way flat toast cannot, at effectively the same calorie cost as a slice.
It also has more fibre per item, 1.4 g against 1.0 g, and it is easier to log. Crumpets come in a fixed size, so 95 kcal is right every time, while a slice depends on how the loaf was cut.
When to pick toast
Pick toast if you are watching salt. That is the single reason, and it is a strong one: a crumpet breakfast spends nearly half an adult's daily allowance, a toast breakfast spends an eighth.
Toast also brings more protein per 100 g, 8.7 g against 6.9 g, though per item the two are level at roughly 3 g. Neither is a protein breakfast. What goes on top decides that.
Most popular crumpet and bread 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) |
|---|---|
| Kingsmill Thick Soft White | 238 kcal |
| Hovis Soft White Medium | 233 kcal |
| Warburtons Giant Crumpets | 180 kcal |
| Warburtons Crumpets | 176 kcal |
| M&S Ultimate Crumpets | 168 kcal |
Brand popularity: BodyPal food database. Nutrition: manufacturer labels.
Frequently asked questions
Are crumpets healthier than toast?
On calories they are level, 95 kcal a crumpet against 85 kcal a slice, and the crumpet has more fibre per item. Toast wins on salt by a wide margin: 0.36 g a slice against 1.2 g a crumpet. If salt is what you are managing, toast is the better pick.
Crumpet vs bread: which has more calories?
Per 100 g white bread has more, 236 kcal against 207 kcal for a toasted crumpet. Per item the crumpet edges ahead at 95 kcal to 85, because it weighs 46 g against a 36 g slice. Ten calories is the whole difference.
Do crumpets have more salt than bread?
Yes, and by more than most people expect: 2.6 g of salt per 100 g against 1.0 g in white bread. In real portions that is 1.2 g in one crumpet and 0.36 g in a slice of toast, so a crumpet carries over three times the salt.
Crumpet or toast for breakfast?
Calories will not decide it, at 95 against 85 per item. Take the crumpet if you want something that holds butter or a poached egg. Take the toast on a weekday habit, since two crumpets use 40% of the 6 g daily salt reference intake and two slices use 12%.
Are crumpets fattening?
A plain crumpet is 95 kcal with 0.5 g of fat, one of the lighter items on the bakery shelf and within ten calories of a slice of toast. Nothing that size decides a diet on its own. What goes on top is what moves the total, and butter moves it fast.
More comparisons
- Bagel vs bread — the unit is the trap
- Wrap vs bread — which has fewer calories
- Chicken vs duck eggs — 66 vs 106 kcal each
- Chicken vs turkey — 147 vs 155 kcal per 100 g
Count it without the maths
BodyPal logs the crumpet, the toast and the butter that went on either one from a single photo.
