Alcohol calorie calculator
This alcohol calorie calculator shows the calories in a drink: amount and alcohol by volume give the grams of pure alcohol, and that plus the sugar gives the energy. It also lists typical glasses side by side. It has nothing to do with blood alcohol levels.
Example: Amount unit: US fluid ounces (fl oz) · Drink: Beer (5% ABV) · Amount per drink (ounces) 16 fl oz · Number of drinks 1 → Calories in the drink: 191 kcal. Source: FAO 2003, FAO (2003): Food energy – methods of analysis and conversion factors, Chapter 3 (Atwater factors: alcohol 29 kJ/g or 7.0 kcal/g; carbohydrates 17 kJ/g). Updated: .
How it is calculated
How alcohol calories are calculated
Alcohol (ethanol) provides 7 kcal per gram (29 kJ), carbohydrates 4 kcal per gram. These are the standard energy factors used for food labelling calculations. The amount of pure alcohol follows from the alcohol content: grams of alcohol = amount in ml × ABV ÷ 100 × 0.789, because one millilitre of alcohol weighs 0.789 g.
Example: half a litre of beer at 5% ABV: 500 × 0.05 × 0.789 = 19.7 g alcohol = 138 kcal. Add about 16 g of carbohydrates (3.2 g per 100 ml) = 64 kcal. Together roughly 202 kcal.
How to calculate alcohol calories
- Choose a drink or enter your own alcohol content and sugar.
- Enter the amount per glass and the number of drinks.
- Read calories, grams of alcohol, the share from alcohol and the comparison table.
Typical glasses compared
The calculator’s table shows beer, alcohol-free beer, red and white wine, sparkling wine, spirits and liqueur in usual glasses. In wine, sparkling wine and spirits nearly all the energy comes from alcohol; in beer and liqueur carbohydrates add noticeably. Alcohol-free beer has hardly any alcohol but still has calories from its sugar.
The values agree with the USDA FoodData Central database (public domain, CC0): there regular beer is 43, red wine 85 and 40% spirits about 231 kcal per 100 g.
Notes
- The calculator gives only energy and grams of alcohol. It is not a blood alcohol calculator and says nothing about whether you are fit to drive.
- The WHO states that no amount of alcohol is safe for health.
- Cocktails and mixed drinks often contain a lot of sugar; enter their values as your own figures.
Related: your daily energy needs are in the TDEE calculator, exercise use in the calories burned calculator and walking in the steps to calories calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How many calories are in a gram of alcohol?
Pure alcohol provides 7 kcal per gram (29 kJ), more than carbohydrates or protein at 4 kcal each and less than fat at 9 kcal.
How many calories are in a beer?
Half a litre of 5% beer has about 200 kcal: roughly 138 kcal from alcohol and 64 kcal from carbohydrates.
How many calories are in a glass of wine?
A glass of red wine (200 ml, 13% ABV) has about 165 kcal, a small glass of sparkling wine (125 ml, 11.5% ABV) about 90 kcal. Sweet wines are higher.
Does alcohol-free beer have fewer calories?
Yes, but fewer than you might think: half a litre has about 70 kcal, almost all from carbohydrates, compared with about 200 kcal in regular beer.
How much alcohol is safe?
The WHO says there is no entirely safe amount. The calculator therefore sets no limits, only energy and grams of alcohol.
Sources and legal basis
- FAO 2003: FAO (2003): Food energy – methods of analysis and conversion factors, Chapter 3 (Atwater factors: alcohol 29 kJ/g or 7.0 kcal/g; carbohydrates 17 kJ/g)
- USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy (2018): beer, wine, spirits – cross-check of the energy values; public domain, CC0 1.0
- WHO Regional Office for Europe (2023): No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health
As of: · Editorial policy
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