Cauliflower head calories come to 147 for one medium head (588 g) and 25 per 100 g of raw cauliflower. The thing to notice is how little head size changes the picture: even a large 840 g head lands at only 210 calories, and it brings 16.8 g of fiber along with it.
147kcal
1 medium head · 588 g, raw
26%protein
11.3 gProtein
29 gCarbs
1.6 gFat
How to burn off 147 kcal
—Walking, brisk
—Jogging
—Cycling, moderate
—Swimming
Skip the math. BodyPal counts these calories from your steps and workouts automatically.
Nutrition facts
Raw · per 588 g
Calories
147 kcal
Protein
11.3 g
Carbohydrate
29 g
Fat
1.6 g
Saturated fat
0.8 g
Cholesterol
0 mg
Sodium
176 mg
Potassium
1758 mg
Iron
2.5 mg
Source: USDA FoodData Central
🛡️
Verified nutrition data
Numbers on this page come from USDA FoodData Central, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s food composition database, and from manufacturer labels where a branded product is named. Last verified September 2026. How we verify our data →
Cauliflower head: calories, protein and sodium by serving
Percent of daily value uses the FDA reference of 2,000 kcal a day.
Serving
kcal
Protein
Carbs
Fat
Sodium
% DV kcal
1 medium head (588 g)
147
11.3 g
29.2 g
1.6 g
176 mg
7%
1 large head (840 g)
210
16.1 g
41.7 g
2.4 g
252 mg
11%
1 small head (265 g)
66
5.1 g
13.2 g
0.7 g
80 mg
3%
1 cup chopped (107 g)
27
2.1 g
5.3 g
0.3 g
32 mg
1%
3 × 1 medium head (588 g)
441
33.9 g
529 mg
5 × 1 medium head (588 g)
735
56.4 g
882 mg
A medium head is 147 calories, a large one 210
Head size is the biggest variable, and store heads vary a lot. A small head of about 265 g carries 66 calories, a medium head at 588 g carries 147, and a large 840 g head reaches 210. The large head is more than three times the weight of the small one, yet it still sits at just 11% of a 2000-calorie daily value.
Most people never eat a whole head in one sitting, so the cup is the more useful unit at the table. One cup chopped (107 g) is 27 calories, with 2.1 g of protein and 2.1 g of fiber. A typical side for one person is a cup or two, which keeps the vegetable itself a small line in your log.
Batch cooking scales cleanly. Two medium heads come to 294 calories and 22.6 g of protein, three come to 441, and five heads, roughly 2,940 g of raw vegetable, still total only 735 calories. Few foods let you roast a full sheet pan for the week at that cost. The vegetable is rarely where a cauliflower dish gets its calories.
Two thirds of the calories are carbs, and fiber is a big slice
Per 100 g, raw cauliflower has 5 g of carbohydrate, 1.9 g of protein and 0.3 g of fat. In calorie terms that splits into 66% carbs, 26% protein and 8% fat. The fat share barely matters: a whole medium head holds just 1.6 g.
The carbs deserve a closer look. Of the 5 g per 100 g, 2 g is fiber and 1.9 g is sugars, so very little starch is left over. Across a medium head that adds up to 29.2 g of carbs, 11.8 g of fiber and 11.2 g of sugars. That low-starch profile is why riced products such as Via Emilia Organic Riced Cauliflower show up as a stand-in for rice.
Protein is a real contributor for a vegetable. A medium head supplies 11.3 g, or 23% of the daily value, and a large head reaches 16.1 g, which is 32% of it. Cauliflower is not a protein source on its own, but beside a main dish it adds up quietly, and a quarter of all its calories come from protein.
Fiber is the standout row, sodium barely registers
With 2 g of fiber per 100 g, a medium head provides 11.8 g and a large head 16.8 g. Against the 28 g daily value used on this page, even a single cup chopped gives 2.1 g. That is a lot of fiber for 27 calories, and it is the main reason a plate of cauliflower feels substantial for so little energy.
Sodium is not a concern in the raw vegetable. There are 30 mg per 100 g, so a medium head carries 176 mg, 8% of the daily value, and a cup chopped has 32 mg, just 1%. If you watch sodium, the salt you add while roasting can easily outweigh what the cauliflower brings.
Potassium is the other row worth a glance at 299 mg per 100 g, with 0 mg of cholesterol and only 0.1 g of saturated fat. Sauced products change the picture. Green Giant Cauliflower & Cheese Sauce, for example, adds cheese sauce the raw vegetable does not have, so read that label rather than relying on these raw numbers.
Cauliflower works best as the bulk, not the whole meal
Because a cup chopped is only 27 calories, cauliflower is a smart way to stretch a plate. Folding it into rice, mashed potatoes or pasta raises the volume while the calorie total barely moves. Riced and frozen versions make this easy on busy weeknights.
It needs company to become a meal. On its own it has little fat and modest protein, so pairing it with eggs, chicken, beans or tofu rounds it out. Oil, butter and cheese are where cauliflower dishes pick up most of their calories, so measure those carefully and worry less about the vegetable.
If you track food, the head is easy to log by weight or by the cup. BodyPal can log it from a photo, which helps when you are eating roasted florets straight off a sheet pan rather than a weighed cup.
How does cauliflower head compare?
Here is raw cauliflower next to broccoli, cabbage and lettuce heads, compared per 100 g and per usual whole-head serving.
Verdict: For the fewest calories per bite pick lettuce at 14 per 100 g, but cauliflower at 25 gives you a sturdier vegetable you can roast, mash or rice for not much more. If you want more protein, broccoli wins with 2.8 g per 100 g at 34 calories, about 1.4 times the energy of cauliflower.
Most popular cauliflower head brands in the United States
Ranked by popularity in the BodyPal database
# Productkcal / 100 g
1Via Emilia Organic Riced Cauliflower3/4 cup · 85 g24 kcal
These packs are riced or cheese-sauced cauliflower, so the sauced ones read higher per 100 g than the plain raw head above. Source: manufacturer labels / USDA FoodData Central.
Cauliflower head FAQs
How many calories are in a whole head of cauliflower?
A medium head (588 g) is about 147 calories. A large head (840 g) is 210 calories and a small head (265 g) is 66.
Is cauliflower good for weight loss?
Raw cauliflower is 25 calories per 100 g, with 2 g of fiber and 0.3 g of fat, so a full cup chopped (107 g) is 27 calories.
Cauliflower or cabbage: which has fewer calories?
Both are 25 calories per 100 g raw. Cauliflower has slightly more protein, 1.9 g per 100 g against 1.3 g for cabbage.
How many carbs are in a head of cauliflower?
Raw cauliflower has 5 g of carbs per 100 g, 2 g of it fiber. A medium head (588 g) works out to about 29 g of carbs and 11.8 g of fiber.
How many calories are in a large head of cauliflower?
A large head of cauliflower, about 840 g, has 210 calories. It also carries 16.1 g of protein, 41.7 g of carbs and 16.8 g of fiber, with only 2.4 g of fat and 252 mg of sodium.
How many calories are in a medium head of cauliflower?
A medium head of cauliflower weighs about 588 g and has 147 calories, which is 7% of a 2000-calorie daily value. For comparison, a small 265 g head has 66 calories.
What is the nutrition breakdown of a head of cauliflower?
A medium head (588 g) of raw cauliflower provides 147 calories, 11.3 g of protein, 29.2 g of carbs, 1.6 g of fat and 176 mg of sodium. Per 100 g, that is 25 calories with 299 mg of potassium.
How much fiber and sugar is in a head of cauliflower?
A medium head of cauliflower has 11.8 g of fiber and 11.2 g of sugars. A large head has 16.8 g of fiber and 16 g of sugars, while one cup chopped has 2.1 g of fiber and 2 g of sugars.
