Coconut Calories & Nutrition Calculator

Fresh coconut meat contains 29.7g saturated fat per 100g out of 33.49g total fat — meaning 88.7% of all fat is saturated. No other common whole food comes close to this ratio: butter is 63% saturated, cheese 56%, beef 40%, and even palm kernel oil is 82%. Coconut's extreme saturated fat dominance is unique in the food supply ^[1][2].

The saturated fatty acids break down as: lauric acid (C12:0) at 14.86g, myristic acid (C14:0) at 5.87g, palmitic acid (C16:0) at 2.84g, caprylic acid (C8:0) at 2.35g, capric acid (C10:0) at 1.86g, and stearic acid (C18:0) at 1.73g. Monounsaturated fat is minimal at 1.43g (oleic acid), and polyunsaturated just 0.37g (linoleic) ^[1][3].

Per piece of fresh coconut (~45g): 13.4g saturated fat (67% DV). Per cup fresh shredded (80g): 23.8g (119% DV). For food journaling, coconut is the single most saturated-fat-dense whole food you're likely to encounter. The form matters enormously — desiccated coconut concentrates this to 57.2g per 100g.

Lauric acid — a 12-carbon saturated fatty acid — is the dominant fat in coconut at 14.86g per 100g of raw meat, constituting 44.4% of total fat. The classification of lauric acid as 'medium-chain' (MCT) vs. 'long-chain' is debated: by carbon count (C12) it is technically medium-chain, but its metabolic behavior shares characteristics with longer chains. This distinction drives much of the scientific discussion around coconut fat ^[2][3].

Coconut also contains genuine short/medium-chain fatty acids: caprylic acid (C8:0) at 2.35g and capric acid (C10:0) at 1.86g — these are unambiguously MCTs at 4.21g combined. The sum of C8 + C10 + C12 fatty acids is 19.07g per 100g — representing 57% of coconut's total fat ^[1].

For food journaling, standard nutrition panels report 'saturated fat' as one category. They don't distinguish lauric (C12) from palmitic (C16) or stearic (C18). If individual fatty acid tracking matters to your journal, coconut's breakdown is: 44% lauric, 18% myristic, 8% palmitic, 7% caprylic, 6% capric, 5% stearic.

Coconut meat provides just 3.33g protein per 100g — the lowest among all common nuts by a wide margin: almonds 21.2g, cashews 18.2g, pistachios 20.2g, and even macadamia (the fattiest other nut) has 7.9g. Calcium at 14mg is similarly minimal: almonds have 269mg and sesame seeds 975mg ^[1][2].

The explanation is compositional: coconut meat is 47% water and 33.5% fat, leaving only 19.5% for everything else (carbs, protein, fiber, minerals). By contrast, almonds are 4.4% water and 50% fat, with 45.6% available for other nutrients. Coconut's high water content further dilutes its non-fat nutrients ^[1].

Where coconut does deliver: 9g fiber (36% DV), 1.5mg manganese (65% DV), 10.1mcg selenium (18% DV), and 356mg potassium (7.6% DV). These aren't market-leading values among nuts, but they're meaningful in the context of coconut's role as a cooking ingredient used in larger quantities than most nuts.

Raw coconut meat is 47% water; desiccated coconut is 3% water. This difference concentrates every nutrient: 354 → 660 kcal, 33.5 → 64.5g fat, 29.7 → 57.2g saturated fat, 9.0 → 16.3g fiber, and 14 → 26mg calcium. Using raw coconut values for desiccated (or vice versa) introduces an error of nearly 2x ^[1].

Coconut cream adds another dimension: at 230 kcal per 100g, it's between raw meat and desiccated, but with 2.2g fiber (vs. 9.0g for meat) because the extraction process discards much of the fiber. Cream retains most of the fat (23.84g) but loses fiber and concentrates liquid-extractable nutrients ^[1].

For food journaling, always identify which coconut form you're using: fresh meat (354 kcal/100g), desiccated (660 kcal/100g), coconut cream (230 kcal/100g), or coconut milk (~150-180 kcal/100g). A tablespoon of desiccated coconut (5g) has 33 kcal; a tablespoon of fresh grated coconut (5g) has 18 kcal.

One cup of fresh shredded coconut (80g) delivers: 283 kcal, 2.66g protein, 12.2g carbs, 26.8g fat (23.8g saturated), 7.2g fiber, 11.2mg calcium, 1.9mg iron, 285mg potassium, and 1.2mg manganese (52% DV). One cup of desiccated (93g): 614 kcal with 53.2g saturated fat ^[1].

In cooking, coconut is often used in larger quantities than other nuts: a South Indian curry may use 1/2 cup grated coconut, and a batch of coconut ladoo might use 2 cups desiccated. These are 142 kcal and 1,228 kcal respectively before any added sugar — the coconut alone contributes substantially to the dish's calorie profile ^[1].

For food journaling, measure coconut carefully, especially desiccated. It's lightweight and easy to overpour: 1/4 cup desiccated (23g) looks small but delivers 152 kcal and 13.2g saturated fat. Weigh desiccated coconut rather than eyeballing cup measurements for accurate logging.