How many calories are in iceberg lettuce?
One cup of shredded iceberg lettuce weighs 72 g and carries 10 calories. Per 100 g the raw leaf runs 14 calories, and a whole medium head, all 539 g of it, comes to just 75. Iceberg is roughly water with a little fiber, and the numbers below show where the only real calories hide.
On this page
- Iceberg lettuce quick facts
- US servings, from one leaf to a whole head
- Bagged shreds, garden blends and whole heads
- Fiber is the row worth reading
- How does iceberg lettuce compare?
- Most popular iceberg lettuce brands
- FAQ
Iceberg lettuce quick facts
The row used on this page is SR Legacy 169248, "Lettuce, iceberg (includes crisphead types), raw". It is the head and the shreds people actually put on a plate, and it is the only record with the full picture: fiber, sugars, saturated fat, potassium, and the household measures that let you weigh a cup instead of guessing at it.
There is a second USDA entry, Foundation 2346388, from a newer lab sample. It reads 17.1 calories per 100 g instead of 14, with 0.74 g protein and 3.37 g carbohydrate. That gap is a method gap, not a lettuce gap: the Foundation energy figure is calculated by Atwater factors rather than measured, and the sample set is smaller. Three calories per 100 g is a rounding error on a food this light, so the older record with the fuller profile wins.
| Nutrient | Per 100 g | Per 1 cup shredded (72 g) | % Daily Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 14 | 10 | — |
| Total fat | 0.14 g | 0.1 g | 0% |
| Saturated fat | 0.02 g | 0.0 g | 0% |
| Carbohydrate | 2.97 g | 2.1 g | 1% |
| Dietary fiber | 1.2 g | 0.9 g | 3% |
| Total sugars | 1.97 g | 1.4 g | — |
| Protein | 0.9 g | 0.6 g | 1% |
| Sodium | 10 mg | 7 mg | 0% |
% 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 here, because the SR Legacy edition does not publish one and raw lettuce has no added sugar to publish. Cholesterol is 0 mg. Potassium is the one mineral worth naming: 141 mg per 100 g, or 102 mg in a cup of shreds, which is 2% of the 4,700 mg Daily Value set by the FDA.
US servings, from one leaf to a whole head
| Serving | Weight | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| 1 leaf, large | 15 g | 2 kcal |
| 1 oz raw | 28 g | 4 kcal |
| 1 cup, chopped, loosely packed | 57 g | 8 kcal |
| 1 cup shredded | 72 g | 10 kcal |
| 1 head, medium, 6-inch | 539 g | 75 kcal |
| Per 100 g | 100 g | 14 kcal |
Four of those are USDA household measures straight off the record: the large leaf, both cups, and the medium head. The 1 oz line is our own arithmetic from the USDA 100 g figure, not a USDA serving, and it is there because deli counters and meal-prep scales still speak in ounces.
Now the trap. A cup is not a weight, and iceberg proves it harder than most foods. Shredded, USDA calls a cup 72 g. Chopped into half-inch pieces and dropped in loosely, the same cup holds 57 g. That is a 15 g swing on the identical vegetable, which is why one cup can be 8 calories or 10 depending on how the knife went through it. Bagged shreds add a third answer: the label counts 85 g as "about 1 1/2 cups."
None of this matters much at 14 calories per 100 g. It matters enormously when you carry the habit over to something dense, which is the real reason to notice it here first.
Bagged shreds, garden blends and whole heads
| Version | Per 100 g | Typical serving | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shredded iceberg, bagged | 12 kcal | 85 g, about 1 1/2 cups | 10 kcal |
| Garden salad blend with carrots and red cabbage | 18 kcal | 85 g | 15 kcal |
| Whole head, medium 6-inch | 14 kcal | 539 g | 75 kcal |
| Chopped, loosely packed | 14 kcal | 1 cup, 57 g | 8 kcal |
Bagged shreds land a touch lower than the fresh head, at 12 calories per 100 g against 14. Marketside, Dole, Little Salad Bar, True Leaf Farms and Signature Farms all list 12; Good & Gather is the outlier at 18 per 100 g, which is 15 calories in its 85 g serving. Trimming and moisture explain the spread. Nobody is adding anything to a bag of cut lettuce.
The garden salad blend is a different food, and the label proves it: 18 calories per 100 g because shredded carrot and red cabbage ride along with the iceberg. Fifteen calories for an 85 g serving is still nothing, but if you log a blend as plain iceberg you are off by half.
The whole head deserves its own line. A medium 6-inch head is 539 g and 75 calories, and by our own arithmetic from the 100 g row it also carries about 6.5 g of fiber, 760 mg of potassium, 16 g of carbohydrate and 54 mg of sodium. Eating an entire head in a day is unusual. Buying one and finishing it across three days is not, and that is the frame worth keeping.
Fiber is the row worth reading
Iceberg gets called nutritionally empty. The Daily Values say something more specific than that. A cup of shreds delivers 3% of the fiber DV and 2% of the potassium DV for 10 calories, which is a good exchange rate per calorie and a terrible one per cup.
Run it to the end and the point lands. To reach 100% of the 28 g fiber Daily Value from iceberg alone you would need roughly 2,333 g of it, more than four medium heads in a single day. That is our own arithmetic from the USDA 1.2 g per 100 g figure. Lettuce is not where your fiber comes from. It is where your volume comes from, and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans count it fully toward the vegetable group either way, as does MyPlate.
Sodium is the other quiet win. Seven milligrams in a cup, 0% of the DV, and 54 mg in a whole head. Whatever sodium ends up in your salad arrived in the dressing, the cheese or the croutons. The leaf brought almost none of it.
How does iceberg lettuce compare?
| Vegetable, raw | Per 100 g | US serving | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iceberg lettuce | 14 kcal | 1 cup shredded, 72 g | 10 kcal |
| Celery | 14 kcal | 1 cup chopped, 101 g | 14 kcal |
| New Zealand spinach | 14 kcal | 1 cup chopped, 56 g | 8 kcal |
| White icicle radishes | 14 kcal | 1/2 cup slices, 50 g | 7 kcal |
All four sit at exactly 14 calories per 100 g, which is the most useful thing on this table. Per gram they are interchangeable. Per cup they are not, and the only variable is how tightly the vegetable packs: celery's chopped cup weighs 101 g and lands at 14 calories, while a cup of New Zealand spinach weighs 56 g and lands at 8.
Our take: at this altitude, calorie counting is theater. Pick iceberg when you want crunch and a vehicle for something else, celery when you want the same crunch in a heavier cup, greens when you want the nutrient density. If you are trying to make a meal feel bigger without moving the total, iceberg does that job as well as anything in the produce section, and the only number that will actually change your day is whatever you pour over it.
Most popular iceberg 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) |
|---|---|
| Marketside Shredded Iceberg Lettuce | 12 cal |
| Dole Shredded Iceberg Lettuce | 12 cal |
| Good & Gather Shredded Iceberg Lettuce | 18 cal |
| Little Salad Bar Finely Chopped Iceberg Lettuce | 12 cal |
| True Leaf Farms Iceberg Lettuce Shreds | 12 cal |
| Signature Farms Iceberg Lettuce Shreds | 12 cal |
Brand popularity: BodyPal food database. Nutrition: manufacturer labels / USDA FoodData Central.
Iceberg lettuce FAQs
How many calories are in 1 cup of shredded iceberg lettuce?
10 calories, for the 72 g that USDA counts as one cup of shreds, which works out to 14 calories per 100 g. A cup of chopped leaves loosely packed weighs less, 57 g, so it lands at 8 calories. Same lettuce, different cup, two calories apart.
How many calories are in a whole head of iceberg lettuce?
75 calories for a medium 6-inch head, which USDA weighs at 539 g. That is the whole thing, core included, raw and undressed. Quartered, each wedge is about 19 calories, our own division of that USDA figure. Most of what you are lifting is water, which is why the number stays this small.
How many carbs does iceberg lettuce have?
2.1 g of carbohydrate in a 72 g cup of shreds, and 2.97 g per 100 g, which is 1% of the Daily Value. Fiber accounts for 0.9 g of that cup, so the digestible part is nearer 1.2 g. A whole 539 g head holds about 16 g by our own arithmetic.
Does iceberg lettuce have any fiber?
0.9 g in a cup of shreds and 1.2 g per 100 g, which is 3% of the 28 g Daily Value. It is real fiber, but it arrives slowly. Reaching 100% from lettuce alone would take roughly 2,333 g, more than four medium heads in a day, so treat it as a bonus.
How much sodium is in bagged shredded iceberg lettuce?
7 mg per 72 g cup of raw shreds, and 10 mg per 100 g. USDA's branded records for bagged shredded iceberg publish calories rather than a sodium figure we can quote here, and plain shreds are only cut lettuce, so the raw row is the one to use. Dressing is what moves sodium.
Is bagged shredded iceberg lettuce the same as a fresh head?
12 calories per 100 g on most bags against 14 for a fresh head, so an 85 g serving labeled about 1 1/2 cups is 10 calories. One store brand is listed at 18 per 100 g, or 15 per serving. Trimming and moisture explain the spread, not a different vegetable.
How much does one iceberg lettuce leaf weigh?
15 g for one large leaf, which USDA scores at 2 calories. That is the size you would use as a burger wrap or a taco shell. Three large leaves come to 45 g and 6 calories, our own arithmetic from the 100 g row. Smaller inner leaves weigh far less than that.
Does iceberg lettuce have sugar?
1.4 g of total sugars in a 72 g cup and 1.97 g per 100 g. These are the sugars naturally in the leaf, so there is no added sugars line: the USDA record does not publish one and raw lettuce has none to publish. Total sugars carry no Daily Value on the label.
Similar foods
- Lettuce — 10 cal per cup shredded
- Cucumber — 45 cal per whole cucumber
- Pico de gallo — 41 cal per cup
- 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 lettuce for you, shreds, wedges and whole head alike.
