How many calories are in croutons?
One cup of packaged seasoned croutons weighs 40 g and carries 186 calories, which works out to 465 calories per 100 g. That is a lot for something people scatter on a salad without thinking. The sodium is the bigger surprise: 533 mg in that same cup, 23% of a day's limit.
You'd need to walk about 37 minutes to burn the 186 calories in a 1-cup (40 g) serving.
How long does it take to burn off croutons?
A 1-cup (40 g) serving is 186 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 186 kcal |
|---|---|
| Walking, brisk | 37 min |
| Cycling, moderate | 23 min |
| Swimming, moderate | 27 min |
| Jogging | 22 min |
| Weight training, moderate | 41 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 (40 g); change it to what you actually ate. BodyPal works this out from your steps automatically.
On this page
- Croutons quick facts
- Crouton servings from a packet to a full cup
- Seasoned croutons are the packaged standard
- Plain croutons cut 64 calories a cup
- Croutons in the US diet survey
- Sodium is the row to watch
- How do croutons compare?
- Most popular croutons brands
- FAQ
Croutons quick facts
The record that matches the bag in an American pantry is SR Legacy 172752, "Croutons, seasoned". Retail croutons in the salad aisle are tossed in oil and dusted with garlic, cheese powder or herbs before they are baked dry, so they are not simply cubes of stale bread. USDA also carries a plain record and a survey record, and both get their own sections below.
| Nutrient | Per 100 g | Per 1 cup (40 g) | % Daily Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 465 | 186 | — |
| Total fat | 18.3 g | 7.3 g | 9% |
| Saturated fat | 5.25 g | 2.1 g | 10% |
| Carbohydrate | 63.5 g | 25.4 g | 9% |
| Dietary fiber | 5 g | 2.0 g | 7% |
| Total sugars | 4.41 g | 1.8 g | — |
| Protein | 10.8 g | 4.3 g | 9% |
| Sodium | 1333 mg | 533 mg | 23% |
| Cholesterol | 7 mg | 3 mg | 1% |
| Potassium | 181 mg | 72 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 →
Two rows you would see on a bag are missing here: added sugars and trans fat. USDA does not publish either value for this record, so nothing is guessed in their place. Total sugars have no Daily Value, which is why that cell is left blank rather than filled with a percentage.
Crouton servings from a packet to a full cup
| Serving | Weight | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| One fast-food packet | 10 g | 47 kcal |
| Half an ounce, about a handful | 14.2 g | 66 kcal |
| Half a cup | 20 g | 93 kcal |
| 1 oz | 28.35 g | 132 kcal |
| 1 cup | 40 g | 186 kcal |
| Per 100 g | 100 g | 465 kcal |
The packet, the half ounce and the cup are USDA household measures for this record. The half cup and the ounce are our own arithmetic from the USDA 100 g figure, not USDA servings, because those are the two amounts people actually reach for at a salad bar.
Weight is what makes croutons deceptive. They are mostly air, so a cup looks like a generous pile and weighs only 40 g. An ounce, which sounds like a snack-sized portion, is 28.35 g of the same croutons and comes to 132 calories, or about 70% of the whole cup. Measure croutons by the handful and you will underestimate them; measure them by weight and the number stops moving around.
Seasoned croutons are the packaged standard
| Version | Per 100 g | Typical serving | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seasoned croutons | 465 kcal | 1 cup (40 g) | 186 kcal |
| Plain croutons | 407 kcal | 1 cup (30 g) | 122 kcal |
| Croutons, survey record | 465 kcal | 1 packet (12 g) | 56 kcal |
Seasoned is the default because that is what the bags contain. At 465 calories and 18.3 g of fat per 100 g, roughly one calorie in three comes from the oil the cubes were tossed in before baking. Saturated fat lands at 5.25 g per 100 g, which is 2.1 g in a cup, or 10% of a day.
Protein is not the reason to eat them, but a cup does carry 4.3 g, more than most people expect from a bread product, along with 2.0 g of fiber. Croutons are a refined grain, so they count toward the grains group on your plate rather than toward vegetables, no matter what they are sitting on.
Plain croutons cut 64 calories a cup
Plain croutons, SR Legacy 172751, run 407 calories per 100 g. That is 58 calories less than seasoned, which sounds modest until you pour a cup. A cup of plain croutons weighs 30 g rather than 40 g, because there is no oil coating adding weight and density, so the cup comes to 122 calories against 186. The gap per cup, 64 calories, is bigger than the gap per 100 g.
The difference is fat, not bread. Plain croutons carry 6.6 g of fat per 100 g against 18.3 g, while protein barely moves, 11.9 g against 10.8 g, and carbohydrate actually rises to 73.5 g because the bread makes up more of what is left. Fiber is essentially the same, 5.1 g against 5 g. USDA does not publish a total sugars figure for the plain record, so that comparison cannot be made honestly.
Sodium is where the two records part company hardest: 698 mg per 100 g plain, or 209 mg in a 30 g cup, against 533 mg in the seasoned cup. That is roughly two and a half times more salt for the seasoned version, for 64 extra calories.
Homemade croutons sit somewhere between the two, and USDA publishes no record for them. Cut bread, toast it dry and you are near the plain number; toss it in oil first and you move toward the seasoned one or past it, depending on how heavy your hand is with the bottle. The honest answer is that the oil you pour is the whole variable, so measure that rather than the bread.
Croutons in the US diet survey
The survey record used to code what Americans report eating, FNDDS 2707697, reuses the same nutrient profile as the seasoned record: 465 calories, 18.3 g of fat and 1,333 mg of sodium per 100 g. It is the same food, not a second opinion, so the two should never be averaged.
What differs is the portion grid. The survey record counts a fast-food crouton packet at 12 g, which is 56 calories, while the SR Legacy record puts a packet at 10 g, or 47 calories. Nine calories is nothing on its own, but it explains why two apps citing "USDA" can show different numbers for the same little packet on the side of a salad bowl. Neither is wrong. They are describing packets of different weights.
Sodium is the row to watch
Sodium, not calories, is the reason to think twice about the crouton bag. One cup delivers 533 mg, 23% of the 2,300 mg Daily Value, which is about a quarter teaspoon of table salt sitting on top of a salad. Per 100 g the figure is 1,333 mg, 58% of a day.
Put that beside the calories and the ratio is lopsided. A cup is 9% of a day's calories and 23% of a day's sodium. Very few foods people think of as a garnish push that hard on the salt line, and the dressing has not even gone on yet.
There is a straightforward fix if that matters to you. The plain record at 209 mg a cup gets you the crunch for well under half the sodium, and it saves 64 calories at the same time. If sodium is not your concern, the seasoned version is the better-tasting choice and 186 calories is a defensible spend on a salad you will actually finish.
How do croutons compare?
| Food | Per 100 g | US serving | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Croutons, seasoned | 465 kcal | 1 oz (28.35 g) | 132 kcal |
| Fish-shaped flavored crackers | 463 kcal | 1 oz (28.35 g) | 131 kcal |
| Cream crackers | 464 kcal | 1 oz (28.35 g) | 132 kcal |
| Peanut butter sandwich crackers | 465 kcal | 1 oz (28.35 g) | 132 kcal |
Our take: croutons are crackers wearing a salad costume. All four foods above land between 463 and 465 calories per 100 g, and per ounce they are indistinguishable, 131 to 132 calories. The difference is behavior, not nutrition. Nobody eats a handful of sandwich crackers and forgets about it, but croutons vanish into a bowl of greens and get logged as part of "salad." If you would count the crackers, count the croutons the same way, and if you want the crunch for fewer calories, plain croutons are the only version here that meaningfully undercuts the group.
Most popular croutons 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) |
|---|---|
| Mrs. Cubbison's Butter & Garlic Croutons | 429 cal |
| New York Bakery Texas Toast Seasoned Croutons | 500 cal |
| Hidden Valley Salad Crispins Bac'n & Onion Croutons | 500 cal |
| Fresh Gourmet Cheese & Garlic Premium Croutons | 429 cal |
| Rothbury Farms Seasoned Croutons | 429 cal |
| Marzetti Cheese & Garlic Croutons | 500 cal |
Brand popularity: BodyPal food database. Nutrition: manufacturer labels / USDA FoodData Central.
Croutons FAQs
How many calories are in croutons?
Seasoned croutons carry 465 calories per 100 g, and the cup most people pour weighs 40 g, so that scoop is 186 calories. Plain croutons are lighter at 407 per 100 g. Both figures come from USDA SR Legacy, which lists the seasoned version as the retail standard.
How many calories in 1 cup of croutons?
186 calories for a cup of seasoned croutons, which USDA weighs at 40 g. A cup of plain croutons is lighter in both senses, 30 g and 122 calories. The cup is the trap here, because the same measure holds different weights depending on how the pieces are cut and coated.
How many calories in a handful of croutons?
A half-ounce handful is 14.2 g and 66 calories, roughly a third of a cup. Two handfuls put you at 132 calories, the same as a full ounce. Croutons are light and airy, so a handful looks like far more food than 66 calories usually buys you.
How much sodium is in croutons?
533 mg in a 1-cup serving, 23% of the 2,300 mg Daily Value, and 1,333 mg per 100 g. That single cup carries about a quarter teaspoon's worth of table salt. Plain croutons are much lower, 698 mg per 100 g, or 209 mg in a 30 g cup.
Are croutons healthy?
At 186 calories a cup, croutons are a refined grain topping, a garnish rather than a planned serving of grains. A cup gives 2.0 g of fiber, 7% of the Daily Value, and 4.3 g of protein, alongside 533 mg of sodium. If you are watching sodium, plain croutons at 209 mg a cup are the better pick.
Plain vs seasoned croutons: which has fewer calories?
Plain, by 58 calories per 100 g, 407 against 465. Per cup the gap is wider still, 122 against 186, because a cup of plain croutons weighs 30 g and a cup of seasoned ones weighs 40 g. The difference is oil, not bread: 6.6 g of fat against 18.3 g.
How many calories do croutons add to a Caesar salad?
About 93 calories for a half-cup scatter of 20 g, or 186 if you empty a full cup over the bowl. The half cup is our own arithmetic from the USDA 100 g figure. Restaurant Caesars tend to be generous, so budget closer to the full cup than the half.
Are croutons keto friendly?
No, a cup carries 25.4 g of carbohydrate with only 2.0 g of fiber, so about 23 g of it is net carbohydrate from a salad topping alone. Per 100 g croutons are 63.5 g carbohydrate. Even a half-cup scatter, around 12 g of net carbs, is a heavy spend on a ketogenic plan.
Similar foods
- Chia Seeds — 138 cal per oz
- S'more — 210 cal per s'more
- Falafel Ball — 87 cal per ball
- Prime Rib — 340 cal for 3 oz slice
- Torta — 215 cal per serving
- Salami — 102 cal for 3 slices
Count it without the math
Point the camera at the bowl and BodyPal counts the croutons along with the rest of the salad.
