We don’t tend to think about green tea calories, but depending on how you prepare the tea, you can actually end up with a lot of calories in a green tea.
In this article, we’re going to be talking about how many calories are in a green tea and how the calories of green tea can vary greatly depending on what you add to the drink.
Let’s get started! 🥗
Green Tea Calories Video
Green Tea Calories Explained
So you won’t be getting many green tea calories if you just drink the tea plain.
This is because the tea that you drink is 99% water and only 1% is leaf material.
That being said, that 1% still does contain some calories, but it is a very small amount.
In the rest of this article, we’ll be answering does green tea have calories, how many green tea calories are there and how different factors can influence how many calories in green tea.
Does green tea have calories
Technically all foods have some level of calories. A calorie is the amount of energy needed to raise 1 gram of water by 1 degree celsius. This serves as a measure for the energy that is contained in food.
All food contains some level of energy, but that level could be close to zero. Things like leaves (think salad) tend to be the least calorically dense foods and things like nuts, meats, oils and dairy tend to be the most calorically dense.
How many calories are in a green tea
So now that we’ve talked about the science behind green tea calories, let’s take a look at how many calories are in a green tea.
A typical cup 240ml of green tea is thought to contain approximately 2 calories, making the calories in green tea virtually zero.
While the calories for green tea are generally considered low, there are many different types of green tea drinks that can contain different caloric amounts.
Let’s get into some different types of green tea how many calories are in each one and why it matters.
Can the calories in a green tea vary?
The green tea calories in a typical cup may be close to 0 but that doesn’t mean that all green tea drinks are calorie free. In this section, we’re going to talk about how the calories of green tea can change depending on what you add to it.
Sweetener
This is one of the hidden traps when it comes to managing how many calories are in a green tea. Even a tablespoon of honey can add 64 calories in a green tea.
This means stirring in a spoonful of sweetener can make 32 times more green tea calories. We recommend you try using less sweetener each time you drink your green tea. Eventually you’ll be able to drink it without any sweetener at all!
Sweetening green tea can be a tricky business! If you want to learn how to do it just right, you may want to read this guide 👉 How to Sweeten Green Tea
Milk
Milk can contain 146 calories per cup, so even a little bit can increase how many calories in a green tea. This is something you’ll want to avoid when drinking green tea.
In general, if you need to add milk and sugar to your green tea, you are likely not drinking the right kind! A good quality green tea will be naturally smooth and complex in flavor, and it won’t contain much bitterness.
How many calories in green tea lattes
Now that we’ve talked about how additives can influence calories green tea has, let’s talk about how many calories in a green tea latte.
By the way, if you want to make the perfect matcha latte, we put together a guide just for you 👉 The Ultimate Matcha Latte Recipe
Matcha Lattes
For a matcha latte, we typically recommend using ¼ cup of milk and 1 teaspoon of sweetener. Although this is relatively modest, you are still adding 58 calories in green tea.
58 calories for green tea is actually quite a lot because the drink is meant to be almost calorie free. In the next section, we’ll show you what to do instead in order to reduce your green tea calories.
How to reduce the calories in a green tea
If you want to reduce how many calories in a green tea, you’ll need to reduce the additives you put in it.
The main reason people use these additives is to cope with the bitter flavor that most tea has, but if you drink the right ones you won’t need to add anything to it! These are some teas that have a naturally sweet or smooth flavor that you can enjoy nearly calorie free!
Saemidori Sencha
The saemidori sencha is a great solution to the green tea calories dilemma. It is made from a type of tea plant (saemidori) that has a naturally light and sweet flavor. This tea tastes like it was made with sweetener, but it still contains the same 2 calories.
The calories green tea has don’t vary much from type to type, but the flavor sure does! Drinking this saemidori sencha is a great way to enjoy a sweet cup of tea without the sugar.
Gyokuro Cha Meijin
The Gyokuro Cha Meijin is another naturally sweet saemidori tea, but it is even more extreme. This tea is shaded for 3 weeks before the harvest, and during that time all the bitterness is removed from the leaf.
This tea produces a thick, sweet and savory infusion that tastes unlike anything you’ve had before. Try this tea out and see how you like it, but definitely do not add sugar to it!
Matcha Washimine
The matcha washimine is another great tea to enjoy if you are trying to limit your green tea calories. This is a high quality matcha made from the okumidori cultivar, which is known for its smooth taste and lack of bitterness.
If you prepare this tea and froth it up nicely using your bamboo matcha whisk, you’ll end up with a tea that tastes almost like a latte but without the milk and sugar and without all the extra green tea calories.
Diet and pregnancy
Can you drink green tea while pregnant?
Green tea contains caffeine, albeit in lower amounts compared to coffee or black tea, and it also contains compounds called catechins, which can have both positive and potentially negative effects on pregnancy.
If you want to learn more about the topic, make sure to read the article 👉 Can You Drink Green Tea While Pregnant? Read This First
Green tea calories the final verdict
So when it comes to green tea how many calories it has all depends on what you add to it. If you want to limit your green tea calories, we suggest you go for a high quality, ceremonial grade matcha that is smooth enough to drink plain, without milk or sugar.
Does green tea have calories without these additives? Of course it will always have some level of calories, but it will be virtually zero, so you can enjoy green tea without getting any further away from your fitness goals!
