Do Potatoes Get More Calories When Cooked? Separating Fact From Fiction

November 26, 2025 •

4 min read

A medium-sized, plain baked potato contains around 130-150 calories, but the widespread belief that do potatoes get more calories when cooked is a common misconception. The simple truth is that cooking a potato by itself does not magically generate new calories from heat. The perceived change in calories is heavily influenced by water loss, the addition of ingredients, and the chosen cooking technique.

Quick Summary

This article explores how different cooking methods and water content affect a potato's caloric density. It clarifies why some cooked potatoes seem to have more calories and reveals the significant impact of adding fats or other ingredients.

Key Points

No Calorie Increase: Cooking a potato on its own does not add calories to it; the total energy content remains the same.
Concentrated Calories: Baking or frying removes water, concentrating the existing calories into a smaller weight, which makes the calorie count per gram higher.
Added Ingredients Matter: Most calories are added through ingredients like oil, butter, cheese, or sour cream, not the cooking process itself.
Resistant Starch Bonus: Cooling a cooked potato creates resistant starch, a type of fiber that can reduce the calories your body absorbs.
Healthiest Cooking Methods: Boiling, steaming, and plain baking are the lowest-calorie methods for preparing potatoes.
Frying is Highest in Calories: Frying dramatically increases the fat and calorie content by absorbing cooking oil.
Nutrient Retention: Cooking with the skin on and using shorter, less intense cooking times can help retain more vitamins and minerals.

The Calorie Myth: A Matter of Concentration, Not Creation

At its core, a calorie is a unit of energy stored within food. The fundamental macronutrients—carbohydrates, proteins, and fats—contain a fixed number of calories per gram. Cooking a potato, whether through boiling, baking, or microwaving, does not introduce new macronutrients or energy into the food. The calories present in the raw potato's starch, protein, and trace fat are the same calories present in the cooked potato, unless external ingredients are added.

How Water Weight Affects Per-Gram Calories

The key factor behind the myth is how cooking changes a potato's water content. A raw potato is approximately 79% water. When you bake or fry a potato, water evaporates, and the potato's weight decreases. For example, a 100-gram raw potato might become a 75-gram baked potato. All the original calories are now concentrated into a smaller, lighter package. Conversely, boiling can cause a potato to absorb water, increasing its overall weight and thus reducing its caloric density per gram.

The Real Impact of Different Cooking Methods

Beyond water loss, the cooking method and any added ingredients are the primary determinants of a potato's final calorie count. The healthiest methods are those that use no or minimal added fats.

Boiling and Steaming: The Low-Calorie Route

Boiling: This method involves cooking potatoes in water. A boiled potato has a very similar moisture content to a raw one and remains naturally low in fat. Some water-soluble nutrients, like Vitamin C and potassium, may leach into the water, but the core caloric value remains stable. It's one of the best options for a low-calorie potato dish.
Steaming: Similar to boiling, steaming cooks the potato using moist heat. It preserves most of the nutrients better than boiling, and no extra calories are added during the process.

Frying and Roasting: The Calorie-Adding Culprits

Frying: Deep-frying is where calories are dramatically increased. The potato absorbs a significant amount of oil, a calorie-dense fat source. Studies show that frying can increase a potato's energy content by two or three times. For example, deep-fried chips can have 10-14g of fat per serving compared to just 0.2g for a boiled potato.
Roasting: While roasting uses less oil than deep-frying, it still involves adding fat. Roasting removes moisture and adds the calories from the oil, increasing the overall caloric value.

The Magic of Resistant Starch

A fascinating phenomenon occurs when starchy foods like potatoes are cooked and then cooled. The starches undergo a process called retrogradation, forming what is known as resistant starch.

Acts like fiber: Resistant starch is not fully digested in the small intestine, acting more like dietary fiber.
Lowered Glycemic Index: This delayed digestion can lower the food's glycemic index, helping to stabilize blood sugar levels.
Health Benefits: As a prebiotic, it feeds beneficial gut bacteria, promoting better digestive health.

So, a potato salad made from boiled and cooled potatoes can be lower in absorbable calories than one served hot. While reheating can decrease the resistant starch content, some benefits often remain.

Comparing Calories and Health Across Potato Cooking Methods

To illustrate the impact of different cooking methods, consider the following comparison based on a 100g serving of potato.


Cooking Method	Water Content Change	Effect on Calorie Density	Primary Calorie Source	Added Fat	Best for...
Raw	Unchanged	Baseline	Carbohydrates	None	Not recommended
Boiled	Increased	Lowered	Carbohydrates	None	Low-calorie, nutrient retention (with skin)
Baked	Decreased	Concentrated	Carbohydrates	Minimal (if plain)	Fiber retention (with skin), resistant starch
Fried (French Fries)	Heavily decreased	Significantly increased	Added Fat + Carbohydrates	High	High calories, satiety
Cooled After Cooking	Decreased	Varies (depends on initial method)	Resistant Starch	Varies	Reduced glycemic response

Making Healthier Choices with Potatoes

Enjoying potatoes healthily is all about preparation. The potato itself, particularly with its skin on, is a nutrient-dense food, providing fiber, potassium, and vitamin C. The healthiest preparation methods are those that do not involve adding large amounts of calorie-dense fat. Choose to boil, bake, or steam potatoes as often as possible. When you do add toppings, opt for healthier, lower-calorie options rather than drowning them in butter, sour cream, or cheese. The preparation and toppings, not the potato itself, dictate the final caloric impact.

Conclusion: The Final Verdict on Cooked Potato Calories

The question of "Do potatoes get more calories when cooked?" is officially debunked. The inherent energy of the potato remains constant. What changes is its caloric density per gram, primarily due to water loss, and its total calorie count, due to added fats and other toppings. Frying or topping with rich ingredients adds calories, while boiling or baking plain keeps the calorie count low. For an added health bonus, consider cooking and cooling your potatoes to increase the beneficial resistant starch content. Further insights on potato nutrition can be found in academic literature.

Frequently Asked Questions

Per gram, a baked potato will have more calories than a boiled one because it has lost water weight during cooking, concentrating its nutrients. However, a baked potato of the same initial size as a boiled one contains the same total number of calories, assuming no toppings are added to either.

No, boiling does not remove calories from a potato. It can, however, reduce the calorie density per gram because the potato absorbs water, increasing its weight while the calorie count stays the same. Some water-soluble vitamins may be lost, but not energy.

French fries have many calories because the deep-frying process causes the potato to absorb a large amount of cooking oil. Since oil is a calorie-dense fat, this significantly increases the total calorie count of the final dish.

Resistant starch is a type of carbohydrate that forms when cooked potatoes are cooled. It functions similarly to fiber, resisting digestion in the small intestine. This means your body absorbs fewer calories and benefits from increased gut health.

The healthiest ways to cook a potato are boiling, steaming, or baking without added fats. These methods preserve many of the potato's nutrients, such as fiber and potassium, especially when the skin is left on.

Reheating a cooled potato will reduce some of the resistant starch content, but not all of it. A portion of the resistant starch remains, meaning you can still benefit from some of its positive effects.

Yes, potatoes can be part of a healthy diet. If you're managing weight, opt for boiled, baked, or steamed potatoes without high-calorie toppings. Their high satiety index can help you feel full on fewer calories.