How many calories are in corn nuts?
A 1 oz serving of plain corn nuts weighs 28.4 g and carries 126 calories. Per 100 g the toasted kernels run 446 calories, which puts them in the same weight class as most bagged snacks. The catch is the shape: they are dense and small, so an ounce looks like almost nothing in a bowl.
You'd need to walk about 25 minutes to burn the 126 calories in a 1 oz serving (28.4 g).
How long does it take to burn off corn nuts?
A 1 oz serving (28.4 g) is 126 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 126 kcal |
|---|---|
| Walking, brisk | 25 min |
| Cycling, moderate | 16 min |
| Swimming, moderate | 18 min |
| Jogging | 15 min |
| Weight training, moderate | 28 min |
Times are for a 155 lb adult at a steady pace; change the weight to see yours. The amount is set to the portion in the text (28.4 g); change it to what you actually ate. BodyPal works this out from your steps automatically.
On this page
- Corn nuts quick facts
- US servings, from a 1 oz bag to a full cup
- Barbecue, ranch and the rest of the flavors
- Sodium is the row that moves fastest
- How do corn nuts compare?
- Most popular corn nuts brands
- FAQ
Corn nuts quick facts
The numbers below come from USDA SR Legacy record 167950, "Snacks, KRAFT, CORNNUTS, plain". That is the actual product most people are holding when they look this up: the original salted kernels in the yellow bag. USDA also carries a generic entry for the same snack, and the two agree to the decimal, so the choice changes the serving sizes on offer rather than the nutrition.
One thing to know before reading the table: an ounce of corn nuts is a small handful, not a bowl. The kernels are heavy for their size because they are dried field corn, soaked and then roasted, so they pack into a measuring cup far tighter than a puffed snack does.
| Nutrient | Per 100 g | Per 1 oz (28.4 g) | % Daily Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 446 | 126 | — |
| Total fat | 15.64 g | 4.4 g | 6% |
| Saturated fat | 2.43 g | 0.7 g | 3% |
| Carbohydrate | 71.86 g | 20.4 g | 7% |
| Dietary fiber | 6.9 g | 2.0 g | 7% |
| Total sugars | 0.61 g | 0.2 g | — |
| Protein | 8.5 g | 2.4 g | 5% |
| Sodium | 564 mg | 160 mg | 7% |
% Daily Value is based on a 2,000-calorie diet.
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 →
Two rows you would see on a package are missing here on purpose. USDA does not publish added sugars or trans fat for this record, so rather than guess at them we left them out. Cholesterol is zero, as it is for any plain plant food, and an ounce supplies 79 mg of potassium, about 2% of the Daily Value. Total sugars have no Daily Value of their own, which is why that cell is blank.
The sugar row is worth a second look anyway. At 0.61 g per 100 g, corn nuts are effectively a sugar-free snack, which separates them from granola clusters and yogurt-coated mixes that sit next to them on the shelf.
US servings, from a 1 oz bag to a full cup
| Serving | Weight | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| 1/3 cup, label serving | 28 g | 125 kcal |
| 1 oz, single-serve bag | 28.4 g | 126 kcal |
| 2 oz | 57 g | 254 kcal |
| 1 cup | 85 g | 379 kcal |
| Per 100 g | 100 g | 446 kcal |
The 1 oz and 1 cup rows are USDA household measures for this record. The 1/3 cup line matches the serving the bag itself prints, though its 125 calories and the entire 2 oz row are our own scaling of the USDA 100 g figure rather than USDA servings; the 2 oz row is there because the bigger convenience-store bags are sold in that size and people eat them in one sitting.
Here is the trap. A cup of corn nuts is 379 calories, three times the ounce, and it does not look like three times as much food. Where the numbers really diverge is between USDA's two entries: SR Legacy weighs a cup at 85 g, while the generic FNDDS record weighs the same cup at 95 g, which works out to 424 calories. If you scoop rather than weigh, treat 380 to 425 as the honest range for a cup and log the higher end when the kernels are packed in tight.
Barbecue, ranch and the rest of the flavors
| Version | Per 100 g | Typical serving | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Original, plain | 446 kcal | 1 oz (28.4 g) | 126 kcal |
| Barbecue flavor | 436 kcal | 1 oz (28.4 g) | 124 kcal |
| Generic bag, cup measure | 446 kcal | 1 cup (95 g) | 424 kcal |
| Ranch, branded label | 464 kcal | 1/3 cup (28 g) | 130 kcal |
| BBQ, branded label | 464 kcal | 1/3 cup (28 g) | 130 kcal |
| Lemon chili, branded label | 464 kcal | 1 oz (28 g) | 130 kcal |
| Roasted salted, other brands | 467 kcal | 1/4 cup (30 g) | 140 kcal |
Flavored corn nuts are not the calorie problem people expect them to be. Barbecue is the lowest of the lot per 100 g at 436, because the seasoning blend displaces a little of the oil: 14.3 g of fat per 100 g against 15.64 g plain. What it adds instead is salt, 600 mg per 100 g versus 564 mg, and a surprising amount of fiber at 8.4 g per 100 g.
The branded labels above sit higher than USDA's generic figures, at 464 to 467 calories per 100 g. That gap is normal. Manufacturers round and reformulate, and USDA's laboratory record is an average of the category rather than a copy of one bag. When a specific brand is in front of you, log the label; when you are eating loose kernels from a bulk bin, the 446 figure is the safer default. The roasted salted kernels sold by smaller brands are the densest of the group, and their 1/4 cup serving of 30 g comes to 140 calories.
Sodium is the row that moves fastest
Calories scale with portion size in a straight line. Sodium feels different, because the number climbs past a threshold that matters. An ounce delivers 160 mg, a modest 7% of the FDA Daily Value of 2,300 mg, and the FDA's Daily Value reference treats 5% or less as low. A cup delivers 479 mg, or 21%, from a single bowl. In salt terms, that bowl is roughly a fifth of a teaspoon of table salt on top of everything else in the day.
Barbecue pushes it further: at 600 mg per 100 g, an ounce is about 170 mg. If you are watching sodium, the plain kernels are the better pick, and the fix that works best is portioning into a small bowl instead of eating from the bag.
The fiber is the compensating virtue. Two grams per ounce is 7% of the Daily Value, which beats most crunchy snacks of the same weight and comes from whole corn kernels rather than an additive. MyPlate's grains guidance counts whole corn among whole grains, and corn nuts are one of the few snack-aisle items that genuinely qualifies.
How do corn nuts compare?
| Snack | Per 100 g | US serving | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corn nuts, plain | 446 kcal | 1 oz (28.4 g) | 126 kcal |
| Popcorn chips, plain | 438 kcal | 1 oz (28.4 g) | 124 kcal |
| Cheese corn snacks, reduced fat | 432 kcal | 1 oz (28.4 g) | 122 kcal |
| Tortilla chips, plain | 472 kcal | 1 oz (28.4 g) | 134 kcal |
Our take: at equal weight these four snacks are within 12 calories of each other, so the calorie question is nearly a tie and the texture question is not. Corn nuts beat plain tortilla chips by 8 calories and by 1.5 g of fat per ounce, because the kernel is roasted instead of fried. Where corn nuts lose is volume. An ounce of popcorn chips or cheese puffs fills a bowl and takes minutes to eat; an ounce of corn nuts is a handful you can finish in thirty seconds, which is why the cup, not the ounce, is the serving that actually gets eaten. For weight loss, pour the ounce and put the bag away. For satiety per calorie, the airy snacks win on volume, and popcorn chips even edge corn nuts on protein, at 10.19 g per 100 g against 8.5 g.
Most popular corn nuts brands in the United States
Ranked by how widely each product appears among foods sold in the United States, from the BodyPal food database of over 3.3 million products. Calories are the figures printed on each Nutrition Facts label, checked against USDA FoodData Central.
| Product | Calories (per 100 g) |
|---|---|
| CORN NUTS Original Crunchy Corn Kernels | 464 cal |
| CORN NUTS BBQ Crunchy Corn Kernels | 464 cal |
| CORN NUTS Ranch Crunchy Corn Kernels | 464 cal |
| Setton Farms Roasted Salted Corn Nuts | 467 cal |
| Ava's Natural Corn Nuts | 467 cal |
| Nature's Harvest Roasted & Salted Corn Nuts | 433 cal |
Brand popularity: BodyPal food database. Nutrition: manufacturer labels / USDA FoodData Central.
Corn nuts FAQs
How many calories are in corn nuts?
Corn nuts run 446 calories per 100 grams, and 126 calories in the 1 oz portion USDA lists for the plain kernels. That ounce also carries 4.4 g of fat, 20.4 g of carbohydrate and 160 mg of sodium. A full cup weighs 85 g and lands at 379 calories.
How many calories in a 1 oz bag of corn nuts?
126 calories for a 1 oz (28.4 g) serving of plain corn nuts, the size of the small single-serve bag sold at gas stations. The branded label says 130 calories for its 1/3 cup, 28 g scoop, because that record runs 464 calories per 100 g instead of USDA's 446.
How many calories in a cup of corn nuts?
379 calories in a 1 cup serving, which USDA weighs at 85 g for the plain kernels. That is three ounces of snack in one grab: 13.3 g of fat, 61.1 g of carbohydrate and 479 mg of sodium, or 21% of the Daily Value for sodium from a single bowl.
Are corn nuts high in sodium?
Yes: a 1 oz serving carries 160 mg of sodium, 7% of the FDA Daily Value, and a 1 cup bowl carries 479 mg, or 21%. Barbecue corn nuts are saltier still at 600 mg per 100 g, about 170 mg per ounce. The kernels are salted after roasting.
How much protein is in corn nuts?
2.4 g of protein per 1 oz serving, which is 5% of the Daily Value; per 100 g corn nuts hold 8.5 g. That is real protein for a crunchy snack but not a protein food. The barbecue version is a touch higher at 9 g per 100 g.
How many carbs are in corn nuts?
20.4 g of carbohydrate in a 1 oz serving, 7% of the Daily Value, of which 2.0 g is fiber and only 0.2 g is sugar. Per 100 g that is 71.86 g of carbohydrate with 6.9 g of fiber. Corn nuts are a starchy snack, not a sweet one.
Are corn nuts healthier than chips?
Per ounce, plain corn nuts are 126 calories against 134 for plain tortilla chips, with 4.4 g of fat versus 5.9 g. Popcorn chips are lighter still at 124 calories. The kernels are roasted rather than fried, so the fat is lower, though corn nuts still carry 160 mg of sodium per ounce.
Are BBQ corn nuts more calories than original?
No: USDA's barbecue corn nuts are 436 calories per 100 g against 446 for plain, so an ounce is 124 calories instead of 126. The seasoning trades fat for salt and fiber: 600 mg of sodium and 8.4 g of fiber per 100 g, versus 564 mg and 6.9 g plain.
Similar foods
- Cornmeal — 581 cal per cup
- Potato wedges — 138 cal for 3 oz
- Ear of Corn — 99 cal per medium ear
- Sweet Potato — 103 cal per medium, baked
- Papaya salad — 190 cal per plate
- Carrot — 53 cal per cup chopped
Count it without the math
Point the camera at the bowl and BodyPal counts the corn nuts for you, flavor and all.
