Fruit cocktail calories come to 181 for 1 cup (248 g) canned in heavy syrup, or 73 per 100 g. The figure that matters most is sugar. That cup holds 44.4 g, and 97% of its calories come from carbs. Fat and protein barely register, so the syrup and the fruit sugar make up almost the whole total.
181kcal
1 cup · 248 g, canned in heavy syrup
2%protein
1 gProtein
47 gCarbs
0.2 gFat
How to burn off 181 kcal
—Walking, brisk
—Jogging
—Cycling, moderate
—Swimming
Skip the math. BodyPal counts these calories from your steps and workouts automatically.
Nutrition facts
Canned in heavy syrup · per 248 g
Calories
181 kcal
Protein
1 g
Carbohydrate
47 g
Fat
0.2 g
Saturated fat
0 g
Cholesterol
0 mg
Sodium
15 mg
Potassium
218 mg
Iron
0.7 mg
Source: USDA FoodData Central
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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 →
Fruit cocktail: 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 cup (248 g)
181
1 g
46.9 g
0.2 g
15 mg
9%
Juice pack (237 g)
109
1.1 g
28.1 g
0 g
9 mg
5%
4 oz cup (113 g)
82
0.4 g
21.4 g
0.1 g
7 mg
4%
100 g
73
0.4 g
18.9 g
0.1 g
6 mg
4%
3 × 1 cup (248 g)
543
2.9 g
45 mg
5 × 1 cup (248 g)
905
4.8 g
74 mg
A cup is 181 calories, a snack cup is 82
The portion you open decides the total more than anything else. A full cup of fruit cocktail in heavy syrup weighs 248 g and lands at 181 calories, about 9% of the daily value. The single-serve 4 oz cup (113 g) is the smaller and more common pick for lunch boxes, at 82 calories and 20.2 g of sugar.
Pack type matters as much as size. A juice pack of 237 g comes to 109 calories with 25.7 g of sugar. That is nearly the same weight as the syrup cup, with far fewer calories. If you buy fruit cocktail often, reading the label for juice or syrup changes the total more than trimming your spoonful does.
Servings stack up quickly because the fruit goes down so easily. Two cups (496 g) reach 362 calories, three cups (744 g) reach 543, and a full five cups (1,240 g) add up to 905. At that point you are eating a meal's worth of energy that brings only 4.8 g of protein.
Nearly every calorie is carbohydrate
The calorie split is about as lopsided as food gets: 97% carbs, 2% protein, 1% fat. Per 100 g you get 18.9 g of carbohydrate, of which 17.9 g is sugar. Protein sits at 0.4 g and fat at 0.1 g, with no saturated fat and no cholesterol.
That means fruit cocktail works as a sweet carbohydrate and nothing else. It will not hold you over the way a food with protein or fat would. The 1 g of fiber per 100 g, or 2.5 g in a full cup, adds a little bulk, but it is modest next to the sugar load.
Potassium shows up at 88 mg per 100 g, and sodium is just 6 mg. Neither number is large enough to plan around. The story of this food is the carbs, and specifically how much of them arrive as sugar.
Sugar is the row to watch
Of the 46.9 g of carbohydrate in a cup of the heavy syrup version, 44.4 g is sugar. Some of it comes from the peaches, pears, pineapple, grapes and cherries themselves. The rest comes from the syrup, which is why the juice pack drops to 25.7 g of sugar at a similar weight.
If sugar is the number you track, the fix is simple. Choose fruit packed in juice, or drain the syrup before serving. The 4 oz cup also keeps sugar to 20.2 g, which is less than half of what the full syrup cup delivers.
Sodium, by contrast, is a non-issue. A cup has 15 mg, about 1% of the daily value, and the smaller packs round to 0%. You can ignore that row and keep your attention on sugar and portion size.
Pair it with protein to make it last
A cup of fruit cocktail gives you 1 g of protein, just 2% of the daily value. On its own it is a quick, sweet snack that tends to leave you hungry again soon. Spooning it over plain yogurt or cottage cheese, or eating it next to eggs or nuts, turns it into something that lasts longer.
As a dessert, the 4 oz cup at 82 calories is a reasonable way to end a meal on a sweet note. As a side at breakfast, the juice pack at 109 calories gives you the fruit flavor with less sugar than the syrup version. Brands such as Del Monte, S&W and Meijer sell both styles, so check the label for juice or syrup.
If you are tracking intake, log the pack size you actually opened rather than a generic cup. BodyPal can log fruit cocktail from a photo, which helps when the portion is a bowl rather than a sealed cup.
How does fruit cocktail compare?
Here is how fruit cocktail in heavy syrup compares with fruit cup, fruit salad and a fresh fruit bowl, per 100 g and per usual serving.
Verdict: For the fewest calories, pick the fruit bowl at 47 per 100 g, or fruit cup and fruit salad at 59, instead of syrup-packed cocktail at 73. Keep fruit cocktail for when convenience matters, and choose the juice pack over heavy syrup.
Most popular fruit cocktail brands in the United States
Ranked by popularity in the BodyPal database
# Productkcal / 100 g
1Island Sun Fruit Cocktail1/2 cup · 140 g73 kcal
2Del Monte Fruit Cocktail in 100% Juice1/2 cup · 124 g48 kcal
3Meijer Fruit Cocktail1/2 cup · 128 g78 kcal
4Meijer Fruit Cocktail in Pear Juice1/2 cup · 124 g48 kcal
5Del Monte Fruit Cocktail1/2 cup · 121 g33 kcal
6Essential Everyday Fruit Cocktail1/2 cup · 128 g78 kcal
7S&W Fruit Cocktail1/2 cup · 126 g63 kcal
8Pampa Fruit Cocktail1/2 cup · 140 g71 kcal
Label numbers follow the packing liquid: cans in juice read around 48 calories per 100 g, cans in syrup closer to 73. Source: manufacturer labels / USDA FoodData Central.
Fruit cocktail FAQs
How many calories are in a cup of fruit cocktail?
A cup of canned fruit cocktail in heavy syrup is 181 calories. Per 100 g it is 73 calories.
Is fruit cocktail good for weight loss?
A cup in syrup is 181 calories with 2.5 g fiber, while the same cup packed in juice is 109 calories.
Fruit cocktail vs fruit cup: which is lower in calories?
Fruit cup comes in at 59 calories per 100 g against 73 for fruit cocktail canned in heavy syrup.
How much sugar is in canned fruit cocktail?
In heavy syrup it has 17.9 g sugars per 100 g, or 44.4 g in a cup. The juice pack has 10.9 g sugars per 100 g.
How many calories are in a 4 oz cup of fruit cocktail?
A 4 oz cup (113 g) of fruit cocktail in heavy syrup has 82 calories. It also carries 20.2 g of sugar and 0.4 g of protein, which makes it a small, sweet snack rather than a filling one.
Does fruit cocktail in juice have fewer calories than in heavy syrup?
Yes. A juice pack of 237 g has 109 calories, while 1 cup (248 g) in heavy syrup has 181. Sugar drops too, from 44.4 g to 25.7 g, so the juice pack is the lighter pick.
How much fiber is in fruit cocktail?
A cup of fruit cocktail in heavy syrup has 2.5 g of fiber, or 1 g per 100 g. That is modest next to its 44.4 g of sugar, so it adds a little bulk but not much staying power.
Is fruit cocktail high in sodium?
No. A cup of fruit cocktail has 15 mg of sodium, about 1% of the daily value, and 100 g has just 6 mg. If you watch sodium, this is one food you do not need to worry about.
How much protein does fruit cocktail have?
A cup of fruit cocktail has 1 g of protein, 2% of the daily value, and only 2% of its calories come from protein. Pair it with yogurt, cottage cheese or eggs if you want the snack to keep you full.
