Does tea have calories? Barely. A plain cup of brewed tea has only about 2 calories. The calories come from what you add: sugar, honey, milk, cream, or the sweeteners in bottled and instant teas.
Whether you want a refreshing drink in hot weather or a warm mug on a cold day, tea suits every occasion. Some people drink four cups a day without thinking about it, and those cups can add up, which may make you wonder how many calories are in tea.
The good news is that tea itself has very few. Keep reading to see how the number changes when you add milk or sugar.
Quick Look
- ☕ Plain Brewed Tea: about 2 calories per 8 ounce cup
- 🌿 Herbal and Fruit Tea: usually under 5 calories per cup
- 🍵 Matcha: about 6 calories per teaspoon
- 🍯 Add Sugar or Honey: about 16 or 21 calories per teaspoon
- 🥛 Add Milk: about 18 calories per ounce of whole milk
- 🧃 Bottled Sweet Tea: often over 150 calories a bottle
Quick Answer
Plain brewed tea has almost no calories, about 2 calories in an 8 ounce cup, whether it is black, green, white, or herbal. The calories come from add ins: a teaspoon of sugar adds about 16 calories, a teaspoon of honey about 21, and an ounce of whole milk about 18. Sweetened bottled and instant teas are the highest, often over 150 calories a bottle.
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How Many Calories Are in Tea?
Click to see the numbers
- Pure tea: 100 g of brewed tea with no extras has around 1 calorie, so a 250 to 300 ml mug has around 2 to 3.
- Loose leaf or tea bags: less than 1 calorie per 100 ml. Herbal tea is about the same.
- Fruit and flower teas: slightly more, usually under 5 calories per 100 ml, and rarely more than 10 a cup. See my favorite fruit teas.
- Matcha: about 6 calories per teaspoon, because you drink the whole ground leaf.
- Instant or granulated tea: around 80 calories a cup, because it is mostly sugar.
Why Tea Is a Great Low Calorie Drink
- Almost calorie free on its own, even if you drink several cups a day.
- So many flavors, from black and green to herbal and fruit.
- Hot or iced. Try my cold brew iced tea or hibiscus iced tea.
- You control the add ins, so you choose how sweet or creamy it is.
Calories by Type of Tea
Loose leaf tea or pure tea in tea bags has less than 1 calorie per 100 ml, and herbal tea is similar, so you could call them calorie free.
Fruit and flower teas have slightly more. It’s hard to know exactly how many, because the brewing method, steeping time, and the fruit itself all play a part. As the tea brews, a little natural sugar comes out of the fruit, but you’re unlikely to find a fruit tea with more than 10 calories a cup.
The count goes up a little for matcha, which is green tea in powdered form. A teaspoon has roughly 6 calories. Learn more in my posts on matcha and the oat milk matcha latte.
Yerba mate is still low in calories when brewed, though packaged yerba mate drinks can add sugar. The teas with the most calories are labeled instant or granulated. These are mostly sugar with a little tea, at around 80 calories a cup.
Calories in Sweet Tea and Tea with Milk
Sugar and honey. A teaspoon of sugar adds about 16 calories. Drink 3 cups a day with 2 teaspoons in each, and that’s close to 100 calories. A teaspoon of honey has about 21 calories, a little more than sugar.
Other sweeteners. Syrups and fruit add anywhere from about 15 to 150 calories, depending on how much you use. Low calorie sweeteners vary by brand, and some people notice an aftertaste.
Milk and cream. Whole milk has about 18 calories per ounce, but most people add far less than an ounce. Skim milk has about 10 calories per ounce. Light cream has about 55 calories per ounce and heavy cream about 100, though most people use just a dash. Milk also adds a little protein, about 1 gram per ounce, along with calcium.
Bottled teas. Ready to drink teas are usually sweetened, often heavily. Many contain over 10 teaspoons of sugar a bottle, which is over 150 calories. Choose unsweetened varieties, or make your own, like this iced chai latte where you control the sweetness.
How to Start Liking Unsweetened Tea
- Take a small sip before you sweeten it, every time.
- Cut back a little at a time, using a bit less sugar each week.
- Brew it well. Don’t over steep, which makes tea bitter. Here is how to make a pot of tea.
- Try naturally sweet teas, like fruit, chai spice, or rooibos, that taste good plain.
- Keep trying. Tastes adapt, and many people come to enjoy tea unsweetened.
Tips for Lower Calorie Tea
- Measure your sugar instead of pouring; a heaping spoon can be double.
- Use skim or a splash of milk instead of cream.
- Add flavor without calories, with lemon, mint, cinnamon, or a slice of ginger.
- Read bottled tea labels. Look for unsweetened or lightly sweetened.
- Keep your tea fresh so it tastes good plain. Here is how to store loose leaf tea.
More Tea Articles
- Butterfly Pea Flower Tea
- Turmeric Tea
- Pu’erh Tea Benefits
- Beginner’s Guide to Herbal Tea
- How Tea Is Made
Browse all my Tea Guides for more.
Tea Calories FAQs
About 2 calories in an 8 ounce cup of plain brewed black tea. Green, white, and herbal tea are about the same.
About 16 calories per teaspoon. Two teaspoons in each of 3 cups a day adds close to 100 calories.
A little. A teaspoon of honey has about 21 calories, compared with about 16 for a teaspoon of sugar.
Whole milk has about 18 calories per ounce and skim about 10. Most people add less than an ounce, so it’s usually just a few calories.
Very few. Herbal tea is nearly calorie free, and fruit teas are usually under 5 calories per 100 ml.
Most bottled teas are sweetened. Many have over 10 teaspoons of sugar a bottle, which is more than 150 calories.
The Bottom Line
Plain tea has almost no calories. Sugar, milk, and cream add some, but in small amounts you don’t need to worry much. Bottled and instant teas can have a lot of sugar, so if you want fewer calories, try learning to love your tea unsweetened.
How do you take your tea, plain, with milk, or a little sweet? Tell me in the comments, and come say hello on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook.
