Food calories
How many calories in a potato?
Last updated: July 10, 2026
Short answer: a medium baked potato with skin (173 g) has about 161 calories, with 4.3 g protein, 37 g carbs, and just 0.2 g fat, plus 3.8 g of fiber. Boiled without the skin is around 130 calories, and a cup of mashed potato with butter and milk is about 210. Potatoes are naturally low in fat — the toppings add most of the calories.
Potatoes get a bad reputation they don't really deserve. Plain, a potato is low in fat, high in fiber and potassium, and surprisingly filling for its calories. What turns it into a "fattening" food is almost always what goes on top — butter, oil, cheese, sour cream, or a deep fryer. Here's what the potato itself actually costs you.
Potato calories by serving
| Serving | Calories | Protein | Carbs | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baked, with skin (medium, 173 g) | 161 kcal | 4.3 g | 37 g | 0.2 g |
| Boiled, no skin (medium) | ~130 kcal | ~2.9 g | ~30 g | ~0.1 g |
| Mashed with butter & milk (1 cup) | ~210 kcal | ~4 g | ~35 g | ~6 g |
| Plain, per 100 g | 93 kcal | ~2.5 g | ~21 g | ~0.1 g |
The pattern is clear: a plain baked or boiled potato is nearly fat-free, while mashing it with butter and milk pushes both the fat and the calories up. The potato flesh barely changes — the dairy does the damage.
How a potato fits your calorie goal
At roughly 161 calories, a medium baked potato is an easy fit for most days. If you're losing weight, what matters is your overall total — find your target with thecalorie calculator, then keep an eye on the gap between what you eat and what you burn (see calorie deficit). A plain potato's high fiber and potassium make it filling, so it tends to work in your favor rather than against you.
Building muscle or just watching your macros? A potato is carb-dominant — about 37 g of carbs to 4.3 g of protein and near-zero fat — so it's a good training-day energy source, but you'll want to pair it with a protein like chicken, eggs, or fish. For a refresher on how each macro adds up, see calories in protein, carbs & fat.
Log your potato in seconds
The tricky part isn't the potato — it's the butter, oil, and sour cream you add without counting. The MyPlate app lets you log a meal by photo or barcode, so the potato and its toppings both get counted accurately instead of guessed. Snap it, confirm the portion, and move on. For more everyday numbers, browsecalories in common foods.
Frequently asked questions
How many calories in one potato?
A medium baked potato with the skin (about 173 g) has roughly 161 calories, with 4.3 g protein, 37 g carbs, and just 0.2 g fat. That is the whole potato, plain — before you add butter, oil, sour cream, or cheese, which is where most "potato calories" actually come from.
How many calories in a boiled potato vs a baked potato?
A boiled potato without the skin comes in a bit lower, around 130 calories for a medium one, because some nutrients and a little starch leach into the water and there is no skin. A medium baked potato with skin is about 161 calories. Both are naturally low in fat — the cooking method matters far less than what you top it with.
Is a potato good for weight loss?
Yes — a plain potato is naturally low in fat, high in fiber (about 3.8 g in a medium baked one) and potassium, and very filling for its calories, so it fits easily into a calorie deficit. The catch is the toppings: butter, oil, cheese, and sour cream can double or triple the calories. Bake or boil it and season with herbs, and a potato is a genuinely weight-loss-friendly food.
How many carbs and how much protein are in a potato?
A medium baked potato with skin has about 37 g of carbohydrates, 4.3 g of protein, and only 0.2 g of fat, along with 3.8 g of fiber. Potatoes are a carb-dominant food, but the fiber and potassium make them more than just starch.