Skim milk calories come to 83 for one cup (245 g) and 34 per 100 g. The split is what stands out: 40% of those calories come from protein, so one cup delivers 8.3 g of protein, 17% of the daily value, for just 4% of a day's calories. Fat barely registers at 0.2 g.
83kcal
1 cup · 245 g, fluid, fat free
40%protein
8.3 gProtein
12 gCarbs
0.2 gFat
How to burn off 83 kcal
—Walking, brisk
—Jogging
—Cycling, moderate
—Swimming
Skip the math. BodyPal counts these calories from your steps and workouts automatically.
Nutrition facts
Fluid, fat free · per 245 g
Calories
83 kcal
Protein
8.3 g
Carbohydrate
12.2 g
Fat
0.2 g
Saturated fat
0.1 g
Cholesterol
5 mg
Sodium
103 mg
Potassium
382 mg
Iron
0.1 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 →
Skim milk: 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 (245 g)
83
8.3 g
12.2 g
0.2 g
103 mg
4%
100 g
34
3.4 g
5 g
0.1 g
42 mg
2%
1 quart (980 g)
333
33 g
48.6 g
0.8 g
412 mg
17%
3 × 1 cup (245 g)
250
24.8 g
309 mg
5 × 1 cup (245 g)
417
41.3 g
515 mg
A quart of skim milk is 333 calories
The default cup of skim milk weighs 245 g and carries 83 calories, 8.3 g of protein and 103 mg of sodium. That is a small number on its own, which is exactly why it gets underestimated. Milk is poured, not plated, and refills add up quietly.
Two cups bring the total to 167 calories and 16.5 g of protein. Three cups reach 250 calories and 24.8 g of protein, and five cups land at 417 calories with 41.3 g of protein. Sodium climbs alongside: 206 mg for two cups, 309 mg for three and 515 mg for five.
A full quart (980 g) holds 333 calories, 33 g of protein and 412 mg of sodium. That covers 17% of daily calories and 66% of the daily value for protein. If you drink straight from the carton through the day, the quart figure is the honest one to log, not the single cup. Guessing one cup when the real number is three means missing well over a hundred and fifty calories.
Carbs supply most of the calories, protein the rest
Per 100 g, skim milk has 34 calories, 3.4 g of protein, 5 g of carbohydrate and 0.1 g of fat. In the calorie split, carbs account for 58% of the energy, protein for 40% and fat for just 2%. Taking the fat out leaves a drink that is essentially protein plus carbohydrate.
The carbohydrate shows up on the label as sugars: 5.1 g per 100 g, with 0 g of fiber. Per cup that is 12.2 g of carbohydrate and 12.5 g listed as sugars, and no fiber at all. Saturated fat sits at 0.1 g per 100 g and cholesterol at 2 mg, both close to nothing.
The protein is what makes skim milk more than a beverage. A cup supplies 17% of the daily value for protein while using only 4% of the calorie budget. That gap between protein share and calorie share is the main argument for choosing it over richer dairy, and it holds at every portion size on this page.
Sugar is the row to watch, not fat
With the fat gone, the line that stands out on the label is sugars: 12.5 g in one cup and 49.9 g in a quart. That is the largest single number in the macro rows, bigger than protein or carbs per cup. If you track sugar, milk belongs in that tally, especially across several cups a day.
Sodium is modest by comparison. One cup has 103 mg, 4% of the daily value, and a quart reaches 412 mg, or 18%. Potassium comes in at 156 mg per 100 g, which is more than three times the sodium in the same amount.
Store brands such as Good & Gather, Mayfield Dairy Farms and Kleinpeter sell plain skim milk, and plain versions are what this page describes. Flavored milks are a different product with a different sugar line, so log them separately rather than as skim milk. Read the label before assuming a carton matches these numbers.
Skim milk works best as a protein base
At 83 calories a cup, skim milk is easy to fit around other foods. Poured over cereal, blended into a smoothie or stirred into oats, it adds 8.3 g of protein without meaningful fat. That makes it a practical way to lift the protein of a carb-heavy breakfast.
Because it has 0 g of fiber and almost no fat, it pairs well with foods that bring those: fruit, whole grains, nuts or seeds. Coffee is the other common use, and there the swap matters more than the amount. Choosing skim over half and half in a daily coffee is one of the simplest calorie trims available.
Logging milk accurately is mostly about measuring the pour. BodyPal can log the food from a photo, but checking your usual glass against a measuring cup once shows how big it really is. Many glasses hold far more than one cup.
How does skim milk compare?
Here is how skim milk stacks up against half and half and an almond milk latte, per 100 g and per usual serving.
Verdict: For coffee and cereal, skim milk is the clear pick over half and half, which has 131 calories and 11.5 g of fat per 100 g against 34 and 0.1. The almond milk latte is lighter at 20 calories per 100 g, but with only 0.5 g of protein it cannot match the 3.4 g in skim milk.
Most popular skim milk brands in the United States
Ranked by popularity in the BodyPal database
# Productkcal / 100 g
1365 Everyday Value Skim Milk1 cup · 240 ml33 kcal
2Good & Gather Skim Milk1 cup · 240 ml38 kcal
3Super 1 Foods Skim Milk1 cup · 240 ml38 kcal
4McNamara Dairy Skim Milk1 cup · 236 g38 kcal
5Mayfield Dairy Farms Skim Milk1 cup · 240 ml38 kcal
6Kleinpeter Skim Milk1 cup · 236 ml38 kcal
Cartons are labeled per rounded 240 ml cup, so they read slightly higher per 100 g than the USDA figure above. Source: manufacturer labels / USDA FoodData Central.
Skim milk FAQs
How many calories are in a cup of skim milk?
A cup of skim milk (245 g) has 83 calories. A full quart is 333 calories.
Is skim milk good for weight loss?
A cup is 83 calories with only 0.2 g fat, and it carries 8.3 g protein. The same cup also has 12.5 g of natural milk sugar.
Does skim milk have fewer calories than half-and-half?
Yes. Per 100 g skim milk has 34 calories against 131 for half-and-half, so a cup is 83 calories instead of about 321.
How much protein is in skim milk?
Skim milk has 3.4 g of protein per 100 g, which is 8.3 g in a 245 g cup.
How many calories are in a glass of skim milk?
A glass holding one cup (245 g) of skim milk has 83 calories. Bigger glasses scale up quickly: two cups come to 167 calories and three cups to 250, so measure your usual glass once.
How many carbs are in skim milk?
One cup of skim milk has 12.2 g of carbohydrates, and 100 g has 5 g. Carbs supply 58% of its calories, and with 0 g of fiber, essentially all of it is listed as sugars.
How many calories are in 100 g of skim milk?
100 g of skim milk has 34 calories, with 3.4 g of protein, 5 g of carbohydrate and 0.1 g of fat. That is 2% of daily calories and 7% of the daily value for protein.
What are the nutrition facts for one cup of skim milk?
One cup (245 g) of skim milk has 83 calories, 8.3 g of protein, 12.2 g of carbs, 0.2 g of fat, 12.5 g of sugars and 103 mg of sodium, which is 4% of the daily value.
