A medium apple contains about 95 calories. That’s for a whole, raw apple weighing roughly 182 grams (about 6.4 ounces), skin included. Most of those calories come from natural sugars and carbohydrates, with virtually no fat and only 1 gram of protein.
Calories by Apple Size
Apple size makes a noticeable difference in calorie count. A medium apple has about 95 calories, 25 grams of carbohydrate, 19 grams of naturally occurring sugar, and 3 grams of fiber. Scaling up or down from there, a small apple (around 149 grams) lands closer to 77 calories, while a large one (around 223 grams) pushes toward 116 calories. Per 100 grams of raw apple flesh with skin, the count is roughly 52 calories, which is a useful baseline if you’re weighing your fruit on a kitchen scale.
Do Different Varieties Have Different Calories?
Fuji, Gala, Honeycrisp, Granny Smith: they all fall in the same general calorie range. The differences come down to sugar content. Sweeter varieties like Fuji and Gala have slightly more sugar than a tart Granny Smith, but the gap is small, typically only 5 to 10 calories per fruit. If you’re choosing between varieties, pick the one you enjoy eating. The calorie difference is negligible.
What Makes Up Those 95 Calories
Almost all of an apple’s energy comes from carbohydrates, specifically the natural sugars fructose and glucose. A medium apple delivers about 25 grams of carbs, with 19 grams of that as sugar. Before that number alarms you, consider the packaging: those sugars arrive alongside roughly 3 to 4 grams of fiber, water content above 85%, and a cell structure your body has to break down gradually. This is why whole fruit behaves very differently in your body than the same amount of sugar dissolved in a drink.
Apples have a glycemic index of about 44 and a glycemic load of 7. Both numbers fall in the “low” category, meaning a whole apple raises blood sugar slowly and modestly compared to bread, rice, or other carbohydrate-rich foods.
Whole Apples vs. Apple Juice
One cup (248 grams) of unsweetened apple juice contains about 114 calories. A medium apple, at roughly 85 to 95 calories, delivers fewer calories in a package that keeps you fuller for longer. The fiber difference is dramatic: a medium apple with the peel has about 4.2 grams of fiber, while a cup of juice has just 0.5 grams.
That fiber matters more than you might think. In a study published through the National Institutes of Health, researchers gave participants equal-calorie preloads of whole apple, applesauce, and apple juice (with and without added fiber) before a meal. Whole apple reduced hunger significantly more than every other form. Fullness ratings were also highest after eating the whole fruit. Interestingly, adding a fiber supplement back into the juice didn’t restore the satiety effect, suggesting that the physical structure of the fruit, not just its fiber content, plays a role in how satisfying it feels.
The practical takeaway: if you’re eating an apple partly to manage hunger between meals, eat it whole. Blending or juicing it strips away much of the benefit.
Why Apples Work Well for Snacking
At roughly 95 calories, a medium apple is one of the lowest-calorie snacks that still feels substantial. The combination of water, fiber, and the simple act of chewing slows you down and sends stronger fullness signals to your brain than softer or liquid foods do. That 4-plus grams of fiber also contributes to your daily intake (most adults need 25 to 30 grams per day and fall well short).
Eating the skin matters. The peel contains a significant share of the fiber and many of the beneficial plant compounds. Peeling your apple doesn’t change the calorie count much, but it does reduce the fiber from about 4.2 grams to closer to 2 grams, cutting into the fullness and digestive benefits.