How many calories are in a can of soda?
A 12 fl oz can of regular cola holds 156 calories. The liquid weighs 372 g and runs 42 calories per 100 g, which sounds trivial until you see how much of it a cup holds. Nothing in the can is fat, fiber or protein worth counting. It is sugar and water, 37 g of the first.
You'd need to walk about 31 minutes to burn the 156 calories in one 12 fl oz can (372 g).
How long does it take to burn off soda?
One 12 fl oz can (372 g) is 156 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 156 kcal |
|---|---|
| Walking, brisk | 31 min |
| Cycling, moderate | 20 min |
| Swimming, moderate | 22 min |
| Jogging | 18 min |
| Weight training, moderate | 35 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 (372 g); change it to what you actually ate. BodyPal works this out from your steps automatically.
On this page
- Soda quick facts
- Soda servings from a can to a large fountain cup
- Diet cola cream soda and the versions people actually order
- Sugar is the row to watch not the carb percentage
- How does soda compare?
- Most popular soda brands
- FAQ
Soda quick facts
The row used here is FNDDS 2710541, "Soft drink, cola", the generic full-sugar cola in USDA's survey database. Someone typing "calories in soda" is holding a can, a bottle or a fountain cup of ordinary sweetened soda, and this is the record that carries all three of those household measures. Cream soda, lemon-lime and the diet formulas are real, but they are variations on the theme, so they sit further down the page with their own numbers instead of being blended into the headline figure.
| Nutrient | Per 100 g | Per 1 can, 12 fl oz (372 g) | % Daily Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 42 | 156 | — |
| Total fat | 0.25 g | 0.9 g | 1% |
| Saturated fat | 0 g | 0 g | 0% |
| Carbohydrate | 10.36 g | 38.5 g | 14% |
| Dietary fiber | 0 g | 0 g | 0% |
| Total sugars | 9.94 g | 37.0 g | — |
| Protein | 0 g | 0 g | 0% |
| Sodium | 3 mg | 11 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 →
Two rows you would see on a real can are missing here. USDA's survey entry does not publish an added-sugars figure or a trans fat figure for this record, so neither row is shown rather than being guessed at. Cholesterol is 0 mg and potassium is 19 mg in the can, both too small to matter. The 11 mg of sodium is worth a mention only because people assume soda is salty: it is under half a percent of what the FDA's Daily Value chart sets as a day's 2,300 mg.
Soda servings from a can to a large fountain cup
| Serving | Weight | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| 1 oz | 28.4 g | 12 kcal |
| 1 can, 12 fl oz | 372 g | 156 kcal |
| 1 bottle, 16.9 fl oz or 500 ml | 524 g | 220 kcal |
| 1 bottle, 20 fl oz | 620 g | 260 kcal |
| 1 large fountain drink | 744 g | 312 kcal |
| Per 100 g | 100 g | 42 kcal |
The can, both bottles and the large fountain drink are USDA household measures attached to that cola record. The 1 oz line is our own arithmetic from the USDA 100 g figure, not a USDA serving, and it is there mainly so you can price a splash in a mixed drink.
Look at the top and bottom of that table together. The large fountain cup is exactly two cans of soda, 744 g against 372 g, 312 calories against 156, and free refills are not in that number. The 20 oz bottle is the sneakier one: it is the default size in most coolers, it does not look twice the size of a can, and it is 260 calories, two-thirds more than the can. Nobody drinks half a bottle and screws the cap back on.
Diet cola cream soda and the versions people actually order
| Version | Per 100 g | Typical serving | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular cola | 42 kcal | 1 can, 12 fl oz (372 g) | 156 kcal |
| Diet cola | 2 kcal | 1 can, 12 fl oz (360 g) | 7 kcal |
| Cream soda | 51 kcal | 1 can, 12 fl oz (372 g) | 190 kcal |
| Diet cream soda | 0 kcal | 1 can, 12 fl oz (360 g) | 0 kcal |
| Vodka and soda | 59 kcal | 1 drink (225 g) | 133 kcal |
| Whiskey and soda | 59 kcal | 1 drink (225 g) | 133 kcal |
| Fruit punch with soda | 44 kcal | 1 fl oz, no ice (31 g) | 14 kcal |
Diet cola is the cheapest swap on this page. At 2 calories per 100 g it comes to 7 calories a can, so trading one regular cola a day for a diet one takes 149 calories out of the day without changing anything else you eat. Diet cream soda is a flat 0.
Cream soda goes the other way. It is 51 calories per 100 g and 13.3 g of sugar, more sugar per 100 g than any other soda on this page, which puts a can at 190 calories. Decaffeinated cola sits at 41 calories per 100 g and lemon-lime soda with no caffeine at 41 as well, so caffeine and flavor barely move the number. Sweetening does.
The two highball entries are worth reading carefully. Vodka and soda and whiskey and soda are both 59 calories per 100 g and 133 calories a drink, and none of that is sugar, since club soda contributes nothing. That is alcohol you are counting, not soda.
Branded cans track the generic row closely. In USDA's branded data a 12 fl oz Coca-Cola is 138 calories, Pepsi 151, Mtn Dew 169, and the zero-sugar versions of both Coke and Mtn Dew are 0. A 16.9 fl oz Mtn Dew bottle is 240. Sugared cans run from 138 to 169, and the generic 156 sits in the middle of that spread; the zero-sugar cans are 0.
Sugar is the row to watch not the carb percentage
The %DV column plays a trick on soda drinkers. Carbohydrate in one can shows as 14% of the Daily Value, which reads like a modest snack. Total sugars show a dash, because sugars other than added sugars have no Daily Value on the Nutrition Facts label. So the one number that describes what a soda actually is, 37 g of sugar in a single can, is the only number in the table with nothing to compare it against.
Here is the comparison the label would give you if USDA's survey record carried it. FDA sets the Daily Value for added sugars at 50 g on a 2,000-calorie diet, and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans advise keeping added sugars under 10% of calories. USDA does not publish an added-sugars figure for this cola record, so we are not putting a percentage on the can. On a regular cola, though, the sugar in the bottle is sugar somebody put there.
Sodium is the opposite surprise. A can is 11 mg, roughly nothing next to what even a pinch of table salt would give you. Club soda is the mineral-heavy one at 21 mg of sodium per 100 g and zero calories, and it is the only line in this whole page that reaches zero without a sweetener doing the work.
How does soda compare?
| Drink | Per 100 g | US serving | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cola, regular | 42 kcal | 1 can, 12 fl oz (372 g) | 156 kcal |
| Cola, diet | 2 kcal | 1 can, 12 fl oz (360 g) | 7 kcal |
| Cream soda | 51 kcal | 1 can, 12 fl oz (372 g) | 190 kcal |
| Vodka and soda | 59 kcal | 1 drink (225 g) | 133 kcal |
Our take: if you are cutting calories, soda is the easiest thing on your list to fix, because nothing is lost when it goes. There is no protein, no fiber and no fat to replace, so a can swapped for a diet version or plain club soda takes 149 to 156 calories out of the day and leaves your meals untouched. If you want to keep the real thing, keep it in the can. The 12 oz can is a portion; the 20 oz bottle and the large fountain cup are the same drink sold in a size nobody chose deliberately, at 260 and 312 calories. And do not let the vodka and soda fool you into thinking mixers are the problem there.
Most popular soda 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) |
|---|---|
| Coca-Cola Zero Sugar | 0 cal |
| Coca-Cola Cola | 39 cal |
| Pepsi | 42 cal |
| Mtn Dew | 47 cal |
| Mtn Dew Bottle | 48 cal |
| Diet Mtn Dew | 0 cal |
Brand popularity: BodyPal food database. Nutrition: manufacturer labels / USDA FoodData Central.
Soda FAQs
How many calories are in a can of soda?
A standard 12 fl oz can of regular cola holds 156 calories. That is 372 g of liquid at 42 calories per 100 g. Almost all of it is sugar: 37 g of sugar inside 38.5 g of total carbohydrate. There is no fiber, no protein and only 11 mg of sodium.
How many calories are in a 20 oz soda?
A 20 fl oz bottle is 260 calories. It weighs 620 g, two-thirds more liquid than a can, and carries about 62 g of sugar at the same 9.94 g per 100 g. Because the bottle rarely gets closed halfway through, it is the size that quietly does the most damage to a daily total.
How much sugar is in one can of soda?
37 g of sugar in a 12 fl oz can, from 9.94 g per 100 g. FDA sets the Daily Value for added sugars at 50 g, but USDA does not publish an added-sugars figure for this record, and total sugars have no Daily Value on the label, so the can shows a dash instead of a percentage.
How many calories are in diet soda?
Diet cola is 7 calories a can, from 2 calories per 100 g across 360 g. Diet cream soda is 0. Swapping one regular cola for a diet one saves 149 calories a day, and it is the rare swap that costs you nothing nutritionally, since regular soda supplies no protein, fat or fiber.
Does club soda have calories?
None: club soda is 0 calories per 100 g, so a 12 oz glass is 0 either way you measure it. It does carry 21 mg of sodium per 100 g, about 78 mg in a 12 oz pour by our own arithmetic from the USDA figure, which is still only 3% of a day's 2,300 mg Daily Value.
How many calories are in a large fountain soda?
A large fountain cola is 744 g and 312 calories, exactly double a 12 oz can. That is before any refill. Ice changes it, because ice takes up volume the soda would otherwise fill, so a heavily iced cup lands lower than 312 while a lightly iced one lands right on it.
Is cream soda higher in calories than cola?
Yes, by about a fifth: cream soda is 51 calories per 100 g against cola's 42, which makes a 12 fl oz can 190 calories instead of 156. The gap is sugar: 13.3 g per 100 g in cream soda against 9.94 g in cola. Diet cream soda erases the difference entirely at 0.
How many calories does ice add to a glass of soda?
Zero: ice is frozen water at 0 calories, but it does displace soda, which lowers the calories in the cup. If ice fills a third of a large 744 g fountain cup, you are drinking roughly 496 g of cola, about 208 calories instead of 312. That is our own arithmetic from the USDA 100 g figure.
Similar foods
- Root beer — 152 cal for 12 fl oz glass
- Apple cider — 114 cal per cup
- Tonic Water — 124 cal per can or bottle (12 fl oz)
- Sweet tea — 119 cal for 12 fl oz glass
- Bubble Tea — 239 cal per drink
- Cappuccino — 65 cal per cup (8 fl oz)
Count it without the math
Point the camera at the cup and BodyPal counts it for you, ice and all.
