Cooked Potatoes Calories & Nutrition Facts Calculator

A 100g serving of boiled potato (peeled, no salt) contains approximately 87 calories, 1.9g protein, 20.1g carbohydrates, 0.1g fat, and 1.8g dietary fiber ^[1]. One medium boiled potato (173g) provides roughly 150 calories — less than the same weight of cooked pasta (273 cal) or cooked rice (225 cal).

Calorie values shift depending on cooking method and what you add to the potato. A plain boiled or steamed potato is essentially fat-free. Baking concentrates nutrients slightly due to moisture loss (93 cal per 100g). Mashing with butter and whole milk raises the value to about 113 calories per 100g because of the added fat ^[1][3].

For consistent food logging, always note whether you're weighing raw or cooked potatoes and whether the skin is included. Raw potatoes contain about 77 calories per 100g; the increase to 87 after boiling reflects moisture loss and starch concentration during cooking.

Potatoes are often underestimated as a nutrient source. Beyond their carbohydrate content, a medium boiled potato (173g, with skin) delivers roughly 704 mg potassium — more than a medium banana — along with 22.5 mg vitamin C, 0.56 mg vitamin B6, and 43 mg magnesium ^[1][2].

The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans identified both potassium and dietary fiber as 'nutrients of concern' because most Americans fall short of recommended intakes. Potatoes are among the top dietary sources of potassium in the U.S. diet and contribute meaningfully to fiber intake, especially when eaten with the skin ^[2][3].

Compared to other starchy staples per 100g cooked, potatoes provide considerably more potassium (379 mg vs 44 mg in pasta, 29 mg in white rice) and are one of the few starchy foods that also deliver meaningful vitamin C — a nutrient completely absent from cooked grains ^[2].

When prepared simply — boiled, steamed, or baked without excess fat — potatoes are a low-fat, nutrient-contributing food that fits well within a varied dietary pattern. A review published in *Advances in Nutrition* noted that potatoes are a concentrated source of vitamin C and potassium while providing fewer calories per 100g than rice, pasta, or bread ^[2].

The critical distinction is between the potato itself and what gets added to it. A plain medium boiled potato delivers about 150 calories. French fries from a fast-food outlet deliver roughly 280 calories per 100g — more than triple the fat content — because of added cooking oil ^[3]. For informational logging purposes, choosing the correct variant in this calculator captures this difference accurately.

A position paper from the Alliance for Potato Research and Education emphasized that excluding potatoes from the vegetable group in dietary guidelines may be counterproductive, since potatoes contribute critical shortfall nutrients (potassium, fiber) that many people struggle to obtain from other foods ^[2][4].

Potatoes have a relatively high glycemic index (GI) compared to many other vegetables. Boiled peeled potatoes typically have a GI of about 78–82, placing them in the high-GI category. However, the glycemic response varies considerably by variety, cooking method, and what you eat alongside the potato ^[2][5].

One of the most notable findings in potato nutrition research is the effect of cooling after cooking. When a boiled potato is allowed to cool (as in a potato salad), a portion of its starch retrograde into resistant starch — a form that resists digestion in the small intestine and behaves more like fiber. This process can lower the effective GI by 20–30% compared to the same potato served hot ^[2][5].

Eating potatoes as part of a mixed meal — with protein, fat, and fiber from other foods — also substantially reduces the glycemic response. For individuals tracking GI for personal awareness, this calculator includes a 'cooled potato' variant that reflects the estimated resistant-starch shift.

Potatoes are sometimes perceived as a food that contributes to weight gain, but the evidence is more nuanced. A 1995 study measuring the satiety index of common foods found that boiled potatoes scored the highest of any food tested — producing a fullness response three times greater than the same calorie amount from white bread ^[6].

The association between potatoes and weight gain in some epidemiological studies is largely driven by fried forms (French fries, potato chips) and by the calorie-dense toppings and sides that frequently accompany potato dishes — not by the boiled or steamed potato itself ^[2][4].

From a calorie-density perspective, plain boiled potatoes are remarkably low — just 0.87 calories per gram — compared to cooked rice (1.30), cooked pasta (1.58), or bread (2.65). This low energy density, combined with their high satiety rating, makes plain cooked potatoes a filling option per calorie when tracked in a food log ^[1][6].

The way you cook potatoes significantly affects both their calorie content and micronutrient retention. Boiling leaches water-soluble nutrients (vitamin C, potassium, B vitamins) into the cooking water — keeping the skin on during boiling reduces this loss. Steaming preserves more nutrients than boiling because the potato doesn't sit in water ^[3][7].

Baking concentrates nutrients per gram because moisture evaporates, which is why baked potatoes show slightly higher calorie and potassium values per 100g (93 cal, 544 mg K) compared to boiled (87 cal, 379 mg K). Microwaving retains the most vitamin C of any cooking method because of the short cooking time and minimal water contact ^[1][3].

The variant you select in this calculator already reflects these cooking-method differences. For the most accurate journaling, choose the variant that matches your actual preparation method, and add toppings separately using the added-ingredient options.

Follow these steps: (1) select your potato preparation type (boiled, steamed, baked, mashed, etc.), (2) choose a serving size or enter custom grams, (3) optionally add toppings like butter, cheese, or sour cream, and (4) calculate. All nutrients scale proportionally from the per-100g base values.

The formula: Total calories = (calories per 100g × selected grams ÷ 100) + added ingredient calories. The same scaling applies to all macronutrients and tracked micronutrients.

A practical reference: 1 medium potato (173g) boiled and peeled provides about 150 calories. Add 1 tablespoon of butter (+102 cal) and you're at 252 calories. That same potato with 2 tablespoons of sour cream (+57 cal) instead comes to about 207 calories. This tool captures these differences precisely.