Vegetables

Garlic nutrition, every number, sourced.

Weigh out 1 clove of garlic and you are looking at 4 calories, with 0.2 g of protein inside them. In USDA’s database this is “Garlic, raw”. The panel underneath takes any serving and any amount, and the vitamin and mineral table tracks what you pick.

By Alen Yaco · Updated 20 September 2026

Every value traces to USDA FoodData Central (169230); Daily Values follow the FDA label rules.

Garlic calories by portion

USDA puts 1 clove of garlic at 4 calories and 100 g at 149. Other household measures follow, each with its weighed gram figure.

How much protein is in garlic?

There are 0.2 g of protein in 1 clove of garlic, or 0 percent of the 50 g the FDA uses as a daily reference. 17 percent of the energy in garlic is protein, which is too little to plan around.

Divide its calories by source and you get 16 percent from protein, 3 percent from fat and 82 percent from carbohydrate.

What to know before you cook garlic

Garlic is an allium sold as whole dry bulbs, peeled loose cloves, or paste. You will find hardneck varieties with a woody central stem and softneck types which are easier to braid. Choose bulbs that feel heavy and firm when squeezed. Avoid any with damp spots, powdery grey mould, or green shoots emerging from the tips.

Chopping or crushing garlic releases the enzymes that create its pungent flavour. Raw garlic is sharp and hot. Cooking softens the sulphur compounds, making the taste sweeter and milder. The most common error is burning minced garlic in hot oil. This happens quickly and makes the garlic taste incredibly bitter.

Garlic underpins savoury dishes globally. It is fried with ginger for Chinese stir-fries, simmered in French stews, and pounded with basil and pine nuts for Italian pesto. It pairs naturally with tomatoes, olive oil, and butter. Rubbing a cut clove over toasted bread gives a subtle, fragrant warmth.

The complete garlic breakdown

Nothing in garlic reaches a large share of a Daily Value per serving. The full record is tabulated below and follows the panel.

Fibre runs to 2.1 g per 100 g, or 8 percent of the Daily Value.

Putting garlic into a day of eating

1 clove of garlic uses 0 percent of a 2,000 calorie day and returns 0 percent of the protein reference. Your own budget is probably not 2,000; the TDEE calculator works it out, and the macro calculator splits it into protein, carbs and fat.

Three recipes built around garlic

From the Calorie Counter Team: three dishes built around garlic, with per-serving nutrition calculated from the USDA data for every ingredient that goes in.

Lunch · Spanish

Spanish Garlic Soup

A traditional peasant soup made with fried garlic, stale bread, and poached eggs.

30 min · serves 2

380kcal

13gprotein

22gfat

33gcarbs

Ingredients

• Garlic cloves 50 g
• Olive oil 30 g
• Stale white bread 100 g
• Smoked paprika 5 g
• Water 750 g
• Salt 6 g
• Eggs 100 g

Method

1. Slice the garlic thinly and cut the bread into 20-millimetre cubes.
2. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat and fry the garlic for 2 minutes until lightly coloured.
3. Add the bread cubes and paprika, stirring for 1 minute to coat the bread in the oil.
4. Pour in the water and salt, bring to a simmer, and cook for 15 minutes.
5. Crack the eggs directly into the simmering soup and cook for 3 minutes until the whites are set.

Built from 7 USDA ingredient records. A cooked dish never matches its raw sum exactly, but it stays close.

Snack · French

Roasted Garlic Spread

Whole garlic bulbs roasted with olive oil until soft and spreadable.

50 min · serves 4

116kcal

3.3gprotein

5.2gfat

14gcarbs

Ingredients

• Garlic bulbs 200 g
• Olive oil 20 g
• Salt 3 g
• Black pepper 1 g

Method

1. Heat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius.
2. Cut the top 10 millimetres off the garlic bulbs to expose the cloves.
3. Place the bulbs on a sheet of aluminium foil, pour the olive oil over the exposed cloves, and sprinkle with the salt and black pepper.
4. Wrap the foil tightly around the garlic and roast in the oven for 40 minutes until the cloves are soft.
5. Squeeze the warm garlic cloves out of their skins into a small bowl and mash with a fork.

Nutrition per serving, calculated across 4 USDA ingredient records. Expect small differences once cooked.

Dinner · Italian

Spaghetti with Garlic and Chilli

A quick pasta dish using sliced garlic cooked gently in olive oil with dried chilli.

20 min · serves 2

537kcal

13gprotein

22gfat

72gcarbs

Ingredients

• Dry spaghetti 180 g
• Garlic cloves 30 g
• Olive oil 40 g
• Dried red chilli flakes 2 g
• Fresh parsley 10 g
• Salt 10 g

Method

1. Boil the spaghetti in 2 litres of water with 8 grams of the salt for 9 minutes.
2. Slice the garlic cloves thinly and finely chop the parsley.
3. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over low heat, add the garlic and chilli flakes, and cook for 3 minutes without colouring the garlic.
4. Drain the pasta, reserving 50 grams of the cooking water.
5. Add the pasta, reserved water, parsley, and the remaining 2 grams of salt to the pan, then toss for 1 minute over medium heat.

Per serving, from 6 USDA FoodData Central records. Cooking changes weight and some nutrients; treat these as close rather than exact.

Calorie Counter Team, food critic

What a meal with garlic adds up to

A sample plate, not a prescription: garlic plus two sides, each line sourced and the sum shown.

Garlic or something else?

Same weight for every row, 100 g, so differences are not portion effects. The form column shows whether a row is raw, cooked or as sold.

Common questions on garlic

What is the calorie count for 1 clove of garlic?

Count 4 calories. The source is the USDA record “Garlic, raw” (FDC 169230), which lists 149 calories per 100 g.

Is there much protein in garlic?

6.4 g per 100 g, so 1 clove of garlic supplies 0.2 g. Against the Daily Value that is 0 percent.

Can you eat garlic when trying to lose weight?

Weight change comes from the whole week’s intake. 1 clove of garlic contributes 4 calories and 0.2 g of protein (17 percent of its energy), useful alongside a protein source rather than as one.

Is garlic high in carbs?

1 clove of garlic contains 1 g of carbohydrate. Fibre makes up 0.1 g of that and sugar 0 g.

Should I remove the green germ from the middle of a clove?

Yes. The green shoot, or germ, has a bitter taste, particularly in raw dishes. Slice the clove lengthways and use the tip of a knife to lift the shoot out. This leaves you with the sweeter outer flesh.

Why did my garlic turn blue when pickled?

This is a natural reaction between the sulphur compounds in garlic and trace metals in your utensils or vinegar. The blue colour does not affect the flavour, and you can prevent it by using distilled water and non-reactive cookware.

Sources

• Garlic, raw — USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 169230
• Daily Values for nutrition labelling, 21 CFR 101.9