A large egg contains about 72 calories. That’s for a whole egg weighing roughly 50 grams, with the calories split unevenly between the white and the yolk. Most of those calories come packed alongside a surprisingly dense mix of protein, healthy fats, and vitamins.
Calories by Egg Size
Nutrition labels and recipes almost always refer to large eggs, but eggs come in several standard sizes. A dozen large eggs weighs about 24 ounces, which works out to roughly 50 grams per egg. Medium eggs weigh about 44 grams each (a dozen weighs 21 ounces), while extra-large eggs come in around 56 grams (27 ounces per dozen) and jumbo eggs at 63 grams or more (30 ounces per dozen).
Since the calorie content scales with weight, you can estimate accordingly:
- Medium egg: about 63 calories
- Large egg: about 72 calories
- Extra-large egg: about 80 calories
- Jumbo egg: about 90 calories
The differences are small, but they add up if you’re eating three or four eggs at a time or baking with several.
Yolk vs. White
The yolk carries the bulk of the calories. In a large egg, the yolk contains about 55 calories while the white adds roughly 17. That’s because nearly all of the fat, about 4.5 grams per egg, lives in the yolk. Fat is calorie-dense at 9 calories per gram, so even a small amount drives up the total.
Protein is split between both parts but not evenly. A large egg has 6 grams of protein total: 3.6 grams in the white and 2.4 grams in the yolk. The white is almost pure protein and water, which is why it’s so low in calories. The yolk, on the other hand, contains the protein plus all the fat, cholesterol, and the vast majority of the egg’s vitamins and minerals.
If you eat only egg whites, you’re cutting calories significantly but also losing most of the nutritional value. The yolk is where you’ll find vitamins A, D, E, B12, and folate, along with minerals like iron, zinc, selenium, and iodine.
How Cooking Changes the Count
A plain egg is about 72 calories no matter how you cook it, but the moment you add fat to the pan, the number climbs. Per 100 grams of cooked egg, here’s how the methods compare:
- Hard-boiled: 155 calories per 100g
- Scrambled: 149 calories per 100g
- Fried: 196 calories per 100g
Hard-boiled and scrambled look similar on a gram-for-gram basis, but the practical difference is bigger than it appears. Scrambled eggs typically include milk or butter, which adds volume and dilutes the calorie density per 100 grams. A single fried egg, cooked in butter or oil, picks up an extra 20 to 40 calories depending on how much fat you use. Poaching works like boiling, cooking the egg in water with nothing added, so the calorie count stays at baseline.
The simplest rule: if you’re watching calories, the cooking fat matters more than the egg itself. A teaspoon of butter adds about 34 calories. A tablespoon of olive oil adds 119. The egg stays roughly the same either way.
What You Get for 72 Calories
Eggs are one of the most nutrient-dense foods relative to their calorie count. For just 72 calories, a single large egg delivers 6 grams of complete protein (containing all essential amino acids), meaningful amounts of vitamin D, vitamin B12, riboflavin, and selenium, plus smaller contributions of iron, zinc, folate, and vitamin A.
Vitamin D is worth highlighting because relatively few foods contain it naturally. A large egg provides roughly 1.6 micrograms, which covers about 10% of the daily recommended intake. Selenium, important for thyroid function and immune health, comes in at about 12 micrograms per egg, roughly 20% of what most adults need daily. Vitamin B12, which supports nerve function and red blood cell production, is also well represented at over 1 microgram per egg.
Eggs contain about 186 milligrams of cholesterol, all of it in the yolk. Dietary cholesterol raises blood cholesterol less than once thought, and current dietary guidelines no longer set a specific daily cholesterol limit. For most people, eating one to three eggs per day has no measurable negative effect on heart disease risk. People with existing heart disease or diabetes may want to pay closer attention to their overall saturated fat and cholesterol intake.
Eggs Compared to Other Protein Sources
At 72 calories for 6 grams of protein, eggs land in the middle of the pack for calorie efficiency. A 100-gram chicken breast delivers about 31 grams of protein for 165 calories, making it leaner per gram of protein. Greek yogurt offers roughly 10 grams of protein per 100 calories. On the other hand, eggs are cheaper than most animal proteins, require no seasoning to taste good, and cook in minutes.
Where eggs stand out is convenience and nutrient variety. Few single foods deliver protein, fat, and a broad vitamin and mineral profile in one small, inexpensive package. Two large eggs, at 144 calories, give you 12 grams of protein along with a significant portion of your daily needs for several hard-to-get micronutrients. That’s a lot of nutrition for not many calories.