How many calories are in cos lettuce?
A 1-cup shredded serving of cos lettuce weighs 47 g and carries 8 calories. Raw leaves run 17 calories per 100 g. Cos and romaine are the same lettuce — cos is the older name, romaine the one printed on American bags — and even a whole 626 g head only reaches 106 calories.
On this page
- Cos lettuce quick facts
- US servings, from one leaf to a whole head
- Shredded, whole head, or single leaves
- Why USDA lists cos lettuce three times
- Fiber and potassium are the rows that matter
- How does cos lettuce compare?
- Most popular cos lettuce brands
- Cos lettuce FAQs
Cos lettuce quick facts
The record behind every number here is SR Legacy 169247, "Lettuce, cos or romaine, raw". USDA holds three entries for this lettuce and all three agree on 17 calories per 100 g, but only 169247 carries the full label profile — sugars, saturated fat, sodium, cholesterol — and only 169247 comes with household measures a shopper actually uses: a cup shredded, an outer leaf, a whole head.
That matters more than it sounds. Nobody weighs lettuce. The person searching this is holding a bag, a bowl, or a head, so the record with the cup and the head attached is the useful one.
| Nutrient | Per 100 g | Per 1 cup shredded (47 g) | % Daily Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 17 | 8 | — |
| Total fat | 0.3 g | 0.1 g | 0% |
| Saturated fat | 0.04 g | 0.0 g | 0% |
| Carbohydrate | 3.29 g | 1.5 g | 1% |
| Dietary fiber | 2.1 g | 1.0 g | 4% |
| Total sugars | 1.19 g | 0.6 g | — |
| Protein | 1.23 g | 0.6 g | 1% |
| Sodium | 8 mg | 4 mg | 0% |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | 0 mg | 0% |
| Potassium | 247 mg | 116 mg | 2% |
% 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 →
There is no added sugars row above because USDA does not publish added sugars for this record — raw lettuce has none to publish. The 1.19 g of total sugars per 100 g is what the leaves grew with, and total sugars have no Daily Value, which is why that cell is a dash. Trans fat is absent for the same reason: it isn't reported on this entry.
US servings, from one leaf to a whole head
| Serving | Weight | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| 1 oz | 28 g | 5 kcal |
| One outer leaf | 28 g | 5 kcal |
| 1 cup shredded | 47 g | 8 kcal |
| One NLEA serving | 85 g | 14 kcal |
| One whole head | 626 g | 106 kcal |
| Per 100 g | 100 g | 17 kcal |
The cup, the leaf, the NLEA serving and the head are all USDA household measures on record 169247. The 1 oz row is our own arithmetic from the USDA 100 g figure, not a USDA serving, and it lands on the same 5 calories as an outer leaf because an outer romaine leaf happens to weigh about an ounce.
Here is the trap worth knowing. A cup of shredded romaine weighs 47 g. A cup is a volume, and torn leaves are mostly air, so the cup holds far less lettuce than a cup of anything dense. That is why a cup of shredded romaine (8 calories) sits closer to an ounce of lettuce (5 calories) than most people expect. If you are logging a salad from a bag, weight beats cups every time.
The NLEA serving of 85 g is the one packagers use for a Nutrition Facts panel, and at 14 calories it is roughly a cup and three quarters of shredded leaves. Nothing in the range moves the needle: a single leaf is 5 calories and a whole 626 g head only reaches 106.
Shredded, whole head, or single leaves
| Version | Per 100 g | Typical piece | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shredded, by the cup | 17 kcal | 1 cup shredded, 47 g | 8 kcal |
| Outer leaves, for wraps | 17 kcal | 1 leaf, 28 g | 5 kcal |
| NLEA package serving | 17 kcal | 1 serving, 85 g | 14 kcal |
| Whole head | 17 kcal | 1 head, 626 g | 106 kcal |
Shredded is the form most people log, because it is what comes out of a bag and what goes under a Caesar or a taco filling. Eight calories a cup means a four-cup salad base is 32 calories before anything lands on it.
Leaves used whole are the second common form — romaine as a boat for tuna salad, or as the bun in a lettuce wrap. Five calories a leaf, so a wrap built on three leaves is 15.
The whole head is the number that surprises people: 626 g of lettuce, 106 calories. Buying a head instead of a bag does not change the calorie math, only the trimming. Cos lettuce has no cooked entry in USDA, and that is honest — this is a raw-eaten vegetable, and grilling a halved head does not add calories on its own, only whatever oil goes on it.
One caution, since romaine is the Caesar lettuce. The dressing, the cheese and the croutons carry a Caesar salad, not the leaves. USDA does not publish those on this record, so log them separately; the lettuce underneath is close to free.
Why USDA lists cos lettuce three times
Search FoodData Central for cos lettuce and three records come back, not one. The SR Legacy entry above, plus two Foundation entries with newer lab work: 327923 and its reissue 746769.
| USDA record | Per 100 g | Serving on file | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| SR Legacy 169247 (used here) | 17 kcal | 1 cup shredded, 47 g | 8 kcal |
| Foundation 327923 | 17 kcal | 1 bunch, 581 g | 99 kcal |
| Foundation 746769 | 17 kcal | 1 bunch, 581 g | 99 kcal |
All three land on 17 calories per 100 g, so the calorie question has one answer no matter which record you open. The differences are elsewhere. The Foundation entries put fiber at 1.8 g per 100 g against 2.1 g in SR Legacy — a different batch of samples, not a different vegetable — and they carry no sugar, saturated fat or sodium values at all. They also file their serving as a 581 g bunch rather than a 626 g head, which is why the bunch comes out at 99 calories instead of 106. The gap is packaging, not nutrition. We use the SR Legacy row because it is the only one that can fill a complete Nutrition Facts table.
Fiber and potassium are the rows that matter
At eight calories a cup, the interesting columns are not calories at all.
A whole head delivers 13.1 g of fiber, which is 47% of the 28 g Daily Value the FDA sets for fiber, for 106 calories. Very few foods pay that rate. A cup shredded is 1.0 g, or 4% — modest on its own, but a big salad stacks four or five cups without noticing.
Potassium runs 247 mg per 100 g against 8 mg of sodium. A whole head is 1,546 mg of potassium, about 33% of the 4,700 mg Daily Value, with 50 mg of sodium in the entire head. That ratio is the quiet argument for leafy greens, and it is why MyPlate counts 2 cups of raw leafy greens as one cup of vegetables — the agency is measuring volume, because volume is what romaine brings.
If you are watching sodium, this is a free ingredient: 4 mg in a cup shredded is a rounding error against the 2,300 mg Daily Value. What arrives on top of the leaves is where sodium enters a salad. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans keep pushing vegetables for exactly this reason — they buy you plate volume at almost no calorie cost.
Protein is the honest weak spot. A cup is 0.6 g, a whole head 7.7 g. Romaine is a base, not a main.
How does cos lettuce compare?
| Vegetable, raw | Per 100 g | Protein / carbs per 100 g | US serving | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cos lettuce | 17 kcal | 1.23 g / 3.29 g | 1 cup shredded, 47 g | 8 kcal |
| Endive | 17 kcal | 1.25 g / 3.35 g | 1 oz, 28 g | 5 kcal |
| Belgian endive (witloof chicory) | 17 kcal | 0.9 g / 4 g | 1 oz, 28 g | 5 kcal |
| Zucchini, with skin | 17 kcal | 1.21 g / 3.11 g | 1 oz, 28 g | 5 kcal |
Our take: all four tie at exactly 17 calories per 100 g, so choosing between them on calories is pointless — pick on texture and price, and romaine wins both for a daily salad. Witloof chicory is the only one of the four under a gram of protein per 100 g, and zucchini has the fewest carbs at 3.11 g. The 1 oz servings shown for the three neighbors are our own arithmetic from their USDA 100 g figures, not USDA household servings, which is exactly why romaine is easier to log: it comes with a cup and a head already measured.
Most popular cos lettuce 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) |
|---|---|
| Dole Chopped Romaine Lettuce | 18 cal |
| Dole Hearts of Romaine | 18 cal |
| Fresh Express Chopped Romaine Salad | 18 cal |
| Fresh Express Romaine Hearts | 18 cal |
| Taylor Farms Tender Romaine Lettuce | 18 cal |
| organicgirl Romaine | 18 cal |
Brand popularity: BodyPal food database. Nutrition: manufacturer labels / USDA FoodData Central.
Cos lettuce FAQs
How many calories are in cos lettuce?
Raw cos lettuce is 17 calories per 100 g, which makes a 1-cup shredded serving of 47 g just 8 calories. A whole 626 g head is 106 calories, and a single outer leaf is 5. By weight, this is one of the lightest foods you can put on a plate.
Is cos lettuce the same as romaine lettuce?
Yes, and USDA files both names on one record, 169247, "Lettuce, cos or romaine, raw," at 17 calories per 100 g. Cos is the older name, romaine the American one you see on bags and hearts. Same plant, same numbers, nothing to adjust when you log it.
How many calories in 1 cup of shredded romaine?
8 calories in 1 cup shredded, which USDA weighs at 47 g. That cup also carries 1.0 g of fiber, 0.6 g of protein, 1.5 g of carbohydrate and 4 mg of sodium. Two cups, a normal side-salad base, is 16 calories. The dressing will outweigh all of it.
How many calories in a whole head of romaine lettuce?
106 calories for a 626 g head, the USDA household measure for a full romaine. That head brings 13.1 g of fiber, 7.7 g of protein and 1,546 mg of potassium. Few people eat a whole head at once, but it shows how little the leaves cost you.
How much fiber is in cos lettuce?
2.1 g of fiber per 100 g, so a 1-cup shredded serving has 1.0 g, which is 4% of the 28 g Daily Value. A whole head reaches 13.1 g, or 47%. Fiber is the reason romaine feels like more food than 17 calories per 100 g suggests.
Does cos lettuce have protein?
1.23 g of protein per 100 g, which works out to 0.6 g in a 1-cup shredded serving and 7.7 g in a whole 626 g head. A cup covers 1% of the 50 g Daily Value. Romaine is a volume food, not a protein source, so build the protein on top.
How many carbs are in romaine lettuce?
3.29 g of carbohydrate per 100 g, of which 2.1 g is fiber and 1.19 g is sugar. A 1-cup shredded serving is 1.5 g of carbohydrate, 1% of the Daily Value. Even a whole head only reaches 20.6 g, so romaine fits almost any carb target.
Is cos lettuce good for weight loss?
At 17 calories per 100 g, cos lettuce is one of the cheapest ways to add volume to a meal, and a cup shredded costs 8 calories. There is no magic in it: the dressing, cheese and protein on top decide the total. Use it to make plates bigger, not smaller.
Similar foods
- Pico de gallo — 41 cal per cup
- Cucumber — 45 cal per whole cucumber
- Lettuce — 10 cal per cup shredded
- Mushrooms — 15 cal per cup sliced
- Salad — 23 cal per side salad
- Cabbage — 22 cal per cup chopped
Count it without the math
Point the camera at the bowl and BodyPal counts the leaves and everything you piled on them.
