Is a tomato a fruit or a vegetable? You have probably wondered before. But what about the calories in a tomato? If that is your question today, you are in the right place.
We have the answer, along with plenty of reasons to make room for tomatoes in your life.
And yes, botanically speaking, a tomato is a fruit.
How many calories are in 100 grams of tomato?
When discussing tomato calories, we mean the edible portion, including the skin but excluding the stalk.
Tomato calories
100 grams of tomato contain 20 calories.
Tomato macronutrients
100 grams of tomato provide the following macros:
- Protein: 1 g – 4 kcal – (20 %)
- Carbohydrate: 4 g – 16 kcal – (80%)
- Fat: 0 g – 0 kcal – (0 %)
Tomato micronutrients
100 grams of tomato provide the following micronutrients.
Vitamins
- Vitamin B1 (thiamin): 0.037 mg
- Vitamin B2 (riboflavin): 0.019 mg
- Vitamin B3 (niacin): 0.594 mg
- Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid): 0.089 mg
- Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine): 0.08 mg
- Vitamin B9 (folic acid): 15 micrograms
- Vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin): 0 micrograms
- Vitamin C: 12.7 mg
- Vitamin A: 42 micrograms
- Vitamin D: 0 micrograms
- Vitamin E: 0 mg
- Vitamin K: 7.9 micrograms
Minerals
- Calcium: 10 mg
- Iron: 0.27 mg
- Magnesium: 11 mg
- Zinc: 0.17 mg
- Sodium: 5 mg
- Potassium: 237 mg
- Phosphorus: 24 mg
- Selenium: 0 micrograms
How much does a tomato weigh?
A medium tomato weighs around 200–250 g and provides roughly 40–50 calories. However, size varies considerably across varieties such as Canarian, Valencian, raf, kumato and cherry tomatoes.
Imagine a 250-gram cherry tomato! You could almost play tennis with it. That is not the tomato we mean here.
Tomatoes are low-calorie foods, so differences in energy content between varieties are not enormous.
Why are tomatoes good for you?
As you have seen, tomatoes contain virtually no fat and very little protein. They supply carbohydrates, including starch, fibre, fructose and glucose.
With little energy, they are a useful way to add fibre and micronutrients. Notable compounds include vitamins C, A, E and K, potassium and lycopene, the tomato’s best-known pigment.
Lycopene is a carotenoid plant pigment responsible for the red colour. It helps combat oxidative stress and has been studied for roles in protecting the intestinal lining, supporting digestion and cardiovascular health.
Tomatoes also support eye health through their beta-carotene content, also called provitamin A because it can be converted into vitamin A.
Is fried tomato sauce healthy?
Cooking tomatoes brings both losses and benefits.
Some water-soluble vitamins, such as vitamin C, decrease during cooking. As tomatoes are heated and lose water, some of these vitamins can be lost too.
On the other hand, water loss can increase the concentration of pigments and fat-soluble compounds, which dissolve in fat, including lycopene.
Lycopene is an antioxidant whose availability can improve with heating, potentially enhancing its benefits compared with raw tomato.
Preparing fried tomato sauce can both concentrate lycopene and help it be absorbed. Because it is fat soluble, adding oil for cooking improves lycopene absorption.
How many tomatoes can you eat each day?
There is no fixed daily number of tomatoes. They can feature in several meals, or you can go several days without them: tomatoes are not an essential individual food. We could live without them, but would we want to?
What is the best time of day to eat tomatoes?
Your body does not announce a cut-off time for tomatoes, and no particular hour makes a tomato salad universally more beneficial.
Their vitamins and minerals make them useful in a meal after training, with their antioxidant activity contributing to recovery.
3 tomato recipes
Now you know more about tomato benefits and calories, you may want to add them to your meals. Here are three ideas:
- Bean salad with lettuce, cherry tomatoes and walnuts
- Baked falafel with cucumber, tomato, lamb’s lettuce and red onion salad
- Multigrain toast with cottage cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and capers
Want to make dried tomatoes at home? Try the air fryer. This Cosori model is a team favourite, although others swear by their Cecotec air fryer. Cut each tomato into around 8 pieces, sprinkle with salt and air-fry at 80ºC for 2 hours. Check every half-hour to prevent burning.
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