How many calories are in 3 cups of baby spinach?

December 17, 2025 •

4 min read

According to USDA data, 3 cups (90g) of raw baby spinach contains just 21 calories, making it an incredibly low-energy-dense food. This versatile leafy green allows you to significantly boost your nutrient intake without adding a substantial number of calories to your meal.

Quick Summary

Three cups of raw baby spinach contain a minimal calorie count, approximately 21, while delivering a wealth of essential vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber.

Key Points

Low Calorie: 3 cups of raw baby spinach contain approximately 21 calories, making it excellent for weight management.
Nutrient-Dense: Despite its low-calorie count, this serving size provides a rich source of vitamins A, K, and folate.
Rich in Fiber: With around 2 grams of fiber per 3 cups, it aids digestion and promotes satiety.
Cooking Increases Mineral Absorption: Sautéing or cooking baby spinach reduces oxalic acid, which improves your body's ability to absorb minerals like calcium and iron.
Versatile Ingredient: The mild flavor and tender leaves of baby spinach make it easy to incorporate into salads, smoothies, and cooked dishes.
Manage Portion Sizes: While healthy, individuals on blood thinners or prone to kidney stones should be mindful of consumption due to high vitamin K and oxalate content.

The Exact Calorie Count

Three cups of raw baby spinach, which is a surprisingly large volume before cooking, contains roughly 21 calories. This low number is primarily due to its high water content and minimal carbohydrate, fat, and protein makeup. Because of its low-calorie density, baby spinach is an excellent choice for those looking to manage or lose weight, as it can be consumed in large volumes to create a feeling of fullness without contributing significantly to daily energy intake.

A Complete Nutritional Profile for 3 Cups

While low in calories, 3 cups of baby spinach is packed with a wide array of vitamins and minerals crucial for optimal health.

Macronutrients

Protein: Approximately 2.6 grams. While not a complete protein source, it contributes to your daily intake.
Fat: A negligible 0.4 grams, primarily healthy fats.
Carbohydrates: About 3.3 grams. A significant portion of this is dietary fiber, which is important for digestive health.
Fiber: Around 2 grams. This aids in digestion and helps promote a feeling of satiety.

Micronutrients

Vitamin K: A single 3-cup serving provides over 300% of the recommended Daily Value. Vitamin K is essential for blood clotting and bone health.
Vitamin A: Rich in beta-carotene, which your body converts to Vitamin A, it supplies a high percentage of your daily needs. This is vital for vision and immune function.
Folate (Vitamin B9): A good source of folate, which is crucial for normal cellular function and tissue growth.
Iron: Contains roughly 2 mg of plant-based iron, which is better absorbed when paired with a source of vitamin C.
Potassium: Provides a significant amount of potassium, an important mineral for regulating blood pressure.
Magnesium: Supplies a dose of magnesium, involved in hundreds of biochemical reactions in your body.

Raw vs. Cooked: How Preparation Affects Nutrition

The way you prepare your baby spinach can influence its nutritional content. Both raw and cooked versions offer distinct benefits.

Nutritional Changes from Cooking

Cooking, such as steaming or sautéing, can reduce levels of certain heat-sensitive nutrients like Vitamin C and folate.
Conversely, cooking can increase the bioavailability of other nutrients. Heat helps break down oxalic acid, an anti-nutrient that can hinder the absorption of minerals like calcium and iron.
As spinach wilts down when cooked, you end up eating a larger quantity of leaves, which concentrates the minerals and other heat-stable nutrients in a smaller volume.


Feature	Raw Baby Spinach	Cooked Baby Spinach
Calories	~21 calories per 3 cups	Higher per cup due to volume reduction
Vitamin C & Folate	Retains higher levels	Some nutrients lost to cooking water
Calcium & Iron	Absorption is inhibited by oxalates	Increased bioavailability as oxalates are reduced
Volume & Serving Size	3 cups raw equals 1.5 vegetable servings	Wilts down significantly; a larger amount is consumed

Baby Spinach vs. Mature Spinach: What's the Difference?

Baby spinach and mature spinach are the same plant but harvested at different stages. The main difference lies in texture and flavor, not nutrition.

Taste and Texture: Baby spinach has smaller, more tender leaves with a milder, sweeter flavor. Mature spinach has larger, tougher leaves and a slightly more bitter, earthy taste.
Oxalic Acid: While mature spinach may contain slightly higher concentrations of oxalic acid, the difference is generally not significant enough to impact nutritional absorption for most individuals.
Use Cases: The tender leaves of baby spinach are ideal for salads, wraps, and smoothies, where they can be enjoyed raw. Mature spinach, with its sturdier texture, is better suited for cooking applications like sautéing, soups, and casseroles.

Incorporating Baby Spinach into Your Diet

Given its low-calorie count and high nutritional value, baby spinach is a versatile ingredient you can easily add to many meals. Try some of these simple ideas:

Blend into smoothies: A handful of baby spinach is virtually tasteless in a fruit smoothie but adds a powerful nutritional punch.
Create a robust salad base: Use 3 cups of baby spinach as the base for a hearty salad, adding other vegetables, lean protein, and a light vinaigrette.
Sauté as a side dish: Quickly wilt baby spinach with garlic and olive oil for a simple yet nutritious side dish.
Mix into sauces: Stir a few handfuls of baby spinach into pasta sauces or curries during the final minutes of cooking.
Add to sandwiches and wraps: Use baby spinach leaves instead of or in addition to lettuce for extra flavor and nutrients.

Conclusion

Three cups of baby spinach contain a minimal amount of calories, offering a highly nutrient-dense addition to your diet. With only around 21 calories, it provides significant amounts of Vitamins A and K, folate, and iron, among other vital nutrients. Whether enjoyed raw for its Vitamin C content or cooked to enhance mineral absorption, baby spinach is a beneficial and flexible food. For those with specific health concerns like kidney stones or who are on blood-thinning medication, it's wise to consult a healthcare provider regarding large quantities due to its oxalate and Vitamin K levels. For most, however, this leafy green is an exceptional and easy way to support overall health and weight management goals.

Potential Considerations

While generally healthy, baby spinach does contain high levels of oxalates, which can be a concern for individuals with a history of kidney stones. Additionally, the high concentration of Vitamin K in spinach can interfere with the effectiveness of blood-thinning medication like warfarin. It is always recommended to consult a healthcare professional before making significant changes to your diet, especially if you have pre-existing health conditions.

Frequently Asked Questions

While 3 cups of raw baby spinach seems like a large amount, it's actually only equivalent to about 1.5 vegetable servings. Its high water content and low-calorie density mean you can consume a significant volume to feel full without a high caloric intake. When cooked, the volume reduces drastically.

The number of calories in baby spinach does not change with cooking. However, since the spinach wilts and reduces in volume, the calories become more concentrated per cup. For instance, 3 cups of raw spinach might cook down to less than half a cup, but the total calorie count for that amount remains the same.

The main difference is the harvesting time, which affects taste and texture. Baby spinach is harvested early, resulting in smaller, more tender leaves and a sweeter, milder flavor. Mature spinach is harvested later, featuring larger, tougher leaves and a slightly more bitter taste.

Yes, baby spinach is an excellent food for weight management. It's very low in calories but high in nutrients and fiber, which helps you feel full longer. This allows you to eat a larger portion of nutrient-rich food for very few calories.

For most people, eating spinach in moderation is very safe. However, due to its high oxalate content, individuals prone to kidney stones should monitor their intake. Additionally, the high vitamin K content can interfere with blood-thinning medications, so those on such medication should consult their doctor.

For adults, the general recommendation for vegetable intake is two to three cups per day. Since two full cups of raw spinach count as one vegetable serving, consuming 3 cups of baby spinach would put you well on your way to meeting that target.

While raw spinach contains iron, it also has oxalates that inhibit mineral absorption. Cooking breaks down these oxalates, which actually increases the body's ability to absorb the iron and other minerals in the spinach.