How Many Calories Are in a Strawberry?

It's officially summertime once cartons of strawberries hit farmers markets and grocery store shelves—and that access to fresh fruit should be more than enough reason to put strawberries in every recipe you can. But if you really need another excuse to add strawberries to all of the things you eat this season, you should know that strawberries are some of the healthiest fruits you can eat. What makes strawberries so good for you? Let's take a quick look at strawberry nutrition, shall we? Starting with the easiest question: How many calories are in a strawberry?

According to the US Department of Agriculture's National Nutrient Database, a single, large strawberry has six calories. Yes, six calories. That's about as many calories as a stick of sugar-free gum—but a strawberry is way more satisfying than a stick of gum. A full cup of halved strawberries has 49 calories, which is about half the number of calories in a single banana, making it a reasonable low-calorie snack, too.

Strawberries are also relatively low-in-sugar fruits. That same cup of halved strawberries has fewer than eight grams of sugar. To put that number in some perspective, a cup of raw grapes has 24 calories and a single raw fig has 11 calories.

But nutrition isn't just about sugar content or number of calories. Strawberries are packed with vitamins. In fact, according to the USDA, a cup of sliced strawberries has more vitamin C than a large, raw orange. They're also a good source of magnesium, potassium (just like a banana), and folic acid.

Rumor also has it that you can use strawberries to whiten your teeth, though be careful as researchers from the University of Iowa have concluded that the acid from strawberries as a DIY tooth whitening agent causes more damage to your teeth than cosmetic good. So it's probably best to just stick to eating strawberries, rather than use them in your beauty routine. It's definitely a healthier way to use the summertime fruit—and infinitely more delicious.