Onion powder calories come to 8 for one teaspoon (2.4 g) and 341 per 100 g. That per-100 g number looks heavy, but it only reflects how dry the powder is. Nobody eats onion powder by the 100 g. A teaspoon registers 0% of the daily value for calories, so how much you shake into the pot is what moves the total.
8kcal
1 teaspoon · 2 g, dried, ground
11%protein
0.2 gProtein
2 gCarbs
0 gFat
How to burn off 8 kcal
—Walking, brisk
—Jogging
—Cycling, moderate
—Swimming
Skip the math. BodyPal counts these calories from your steps and workouts automatically.
Nutrition facts
Dried, ground · per 2 g
Calories
8 kcal
Protein
0.2 g
Carbohydrate
1.9 g
Fat
0 g
Saturated fat
0 g
Cholesterol
0 mg
Sodium
2 mg
Potassium
24 mg
Iron
0.1 mg
Source: USDA FoodData Central
🛡️
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 →
Onion powder: 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 teaspoon (2.4 g)
8
0.2 g
1.9 g
0 g
2 mg
0%
1 tablespoon (6.9 g)
24
0.7 g
5.5 g
0.1 g
5 mg
1%
100 g
341
10.4 g
79.1 g
1 g
73 mg
17%
3 × 1 teaspoon (2.4 g)
25
0.7 g
5 mg
5 × 1 teaspoon (2.4 g)
41
1.2 g
9 mg
A tablespoon is still only 24 calories
The label you see most is 1 teaspoon (2.4 g), and it carries 8 calories. Step up to 1 tablespoon (6.9 g) and you reach 24 calories, which is 1% of the daily value. Even generous seasoning stays small. That is the whole story for most home cooks.
Here is how the total climbs if you keep adding teaspoons. Two teaspoons (5 g) bring 16 calories. Three teaspoons (7 g) land at 25, roughly the same as a level tablespoon. Five teaspoons (12 g), the kind of amount that goes into a big batch of chili or a dry rub for a whole chicken, come to 41 calories.
Split that batch across several plates and each serving picks up only a few calories from the onion powder. The rest of the recipe, the oil, the meat, the cheese, will decide the number on your plate. If you log meals carefully, count the powder when you use a tablespoon or more. A pinch on eggs is not worth the effort.
Carbs supply 86% of the calories
Onion powder is dried, ground onion, so almost all of its energy comes from carbohydrate. Carbs account for 86% of the calories, protein for 11% and fat for just 3%. Per 100 g that works out to 79.1 g of carbs, 10.4 g of protein and 1 g of fat.
A good chunk of those carbs is fiber. There are 15.2 g of fiber per 100 g, more than half of the 28 g daily value, while sugars sit at 6.6 g. At real serving sizes the numbers shrink fast: a teaspoon holds 1.9 g of carbs, 0.4 g of fiber and 0.2 g of sugars. A tablespoon holds 5.5 g of carbs and 1 g of fiber.
Protein follows the same pattern. On paper, 100 g would cover 21% of the daily value, but a teaspoon gives you 0.2 g and a tablespoon 0.7 g. Treat onion powder as a flavor ingredient, not a source of any macro. If you are tracking carbs closely, the tablespoon figure is the one to remember.
Sodium is not the row to worry about
Plain onion powder is low in sodium. Per 100 g it has 73 mg, which is 3% of the 2300 mg daily value. A teaspoon adds 2 mg and a tablespoon 5 mg, both rounding to 0% of the daily value. Even five teaspoons stop at 9 mg.
That makes it a useful swap if you watch sodium and still want savory depth. It brings onion flavor to soups, dips, burgers and roasted vegetables without adding salt. The catch is the jar: check the label, because a seasoning blend is not the same product as the single-ingredient spice listed here.
The other rows are just as quiet. Saturated fat is 0.2 g per 100 g and cholesterol is 0. Potassium is the standout on paper at 985 mg per 100 g, set against a 4700 mg daily value, though at teaspoon scale you get only a small fraction of that. Read the per-100 g column as a description of the spice, not of what you eat.
Where onion powder earns its place
Onion powder works best where fresh onion would be awkward. It blends into dry rubs, spice mixes, ranch-style dips and salad dressings without leaving chunks or extra water. It also dissolves into sauces and gravies, so you get even flavor in every bite.
For anyone counting calories, it is one of the cheapest flavor upgrades in the pantry. A tablespoon costs 24 calories and almost no fat, while it can make plain chicken, beans, eggs or steamed vegetables taste finished. Pair it with garlic, paprika and black pepper for a savory blend, or with dill and parsley for a dip base. The calories you need to watch come from what you mix it into, like sour cream or butter.
Brands such as Archer Farms, Stonemill, Adams and Marcum sell it as a single-ingredient spice, and the numbers on this page describe that plain dried, ground product. If you cook a dish heavy on seasoning, BodyPal can log the meal from a photo so the whole plate is counted, not just the spice jar.
How does onion powder compare?
Here is onion powder next to garlic clove, chocolate powder and matcha powder, per 100 g and per usual serving.
Verdict: For the lightest savory flavor, a garlic clove at 149 calories per 100 g and 4 per clove beats onion powder at 341, though both are trivial at kitchen portions. Chocolate powder is the one to measure, with 372 calories and 636 mg of sodium per 100 g, while matcha powder brings the most protein at 33.3 g.
Most popular onion powder brands in the United States
Ranked by popularity in the BodyPal database
# Productkcal / 100 g
1Marcum Onion Powder1 tsp · 2.4 g417 kcal
2Archer Farms Onion Powder1 tsp · 2.4 g417 kcal
3Stonemill Onion Powder1 tsp · 2.4 g417 kcal
4Adams Onion Powder1/4 tsp · 0.9 g556 kcal
Spice labels are built on quarter to one teaspoon servings, so their per 100 g figures are rounded up and read higher than the USDA average of 341. Source: manufacturer labels / USDA FoodData Central.
Onion powder FAQs
How many calories are in a teaspoon of onion powder?
About 8 calories per teaspoon (2.4 g) and 24 calories per tablespoon (6.9 g). Onion powder is 341 calories per 100 g.
Is onion powder good for weight loss?
A teaspoon adds 8 calories and 1.9 g of carbs, so the amounts used for seasoning barely move a daily total. Even a full tablespoon is 24 calories.
Onion powder vs garlic powder calories?
Onion powder is 341 calories per 100 g and garlic powder 331, so a teaspoon of either is about 8 calories. Garlic powder has more protein, 16.6 g per 100 g against 10.4 g.
How many carbs are in onion powder?
Onion powder is 79.1 g of carbs per 100 g, including 6.6 g sugars and 15.2 g fiber. A teaspoon works out to 1.9 g of carbs and 0.2 g of sugars.
What is the nutritional value of onion powder per 100 g?
Per 100 g, onion powder has 341 calories, 10.4 g of protein, 79.1 g of carbs and 1 g of fat. It also carries 15.2 g of fiber, 6.6 g of sugars and 73 mg of sodium.
Does onion powder have calories?
Yes, but very few at normal portions: 8 calories per teaspoon and 24 per tablespoon. The 341 calories per 100 g figure only looks high because the onion is dried and concentrated.
Do onion and garlic add many calories to a dish?
No. A teaspoon of onion powder adds 8 calories and a garlic clove adds 4. Even five teaspoons of onion powder come to 41 calories, so the fats and proteins in the dish matter far more.
How many calories are in a tablespoon of onion powder?
One tablespoon (6.9 g) of onion powder has 24 calories, 1% of the daily value. It also holds 5.5 g of carbs, 0.7 g of protein, 0.1 g of fat and 5 mg of sodium.
