Does Black Coffee Have Calories?

Author: Laura Myers

Updated: February 23, 2023

A lot of people love black coffee, but most need to add a little something to their cup, whether that’s milk, sugar, or a bit of flavored creamer.

The good news for black coffee lovers is that it offers the most health benefits and is the lowest in calories out of all coffee drinks.

Black coffee doesn’t just provide a boost of energy; it supports your overall health in multiple ways.

Health Benefits of Drinking Black Coffee

There are multiple health benefits to drinking black coffee. If you don’t add cream or sugar to your coffee, it may be able to help you manage certain symptoms and prevent some health problems from occurring. Health benefits include:

Preventing Alzheimer’s disease. Consuming black coffee can help reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. It has been estimated that coffee drinkers have a 16% lower risk than people who don’t drink coffee. However, further research is required to support this estimation.
Preventing cirrhosis. Studies have shown that consuming coffee may significantly reduce your risk of developing cirrhosis of the liver. Having about four cups of coffee each day has been shown to reduce the risk of alcoholic cirrhosis (liver damage from alcohol) by 80%. That much coffee also reduces the risk of non-alcoholic cirrhosis by 30%.
Reducing your risk of developing cancer. Coffee can help prevent certain kinds of cancer such as colorectal cancer, liver cancer, oral cancer, and prostate cancer. While it hasn’t been determined exactly how coffee helps, it’s believed that part of the reason is that coffee contains a high amount of antioxidants.
It improves your mood. Due to its stimulants, coffee provides a boost to energy and mood. Studies have found that consuming coffee may help reduce the risk of depression in people who consistently drink several cups of coffee each day.
It may help you manage diabetes. If you drink coffee regularly, you may have a lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, which is the kind of diabetes that impacts adults. Studies have found that coffee drinkers have a lower risk of diabetes than non-coffee drinkers.

Like anything else, it’s important to consume black coffee in moderation. Just because a cup of coffee has certain health benefits, remember not to overdo it and stick to no more than a few cups per day.

Calorie Count

One of the main reasons why coffee offers so many health benefits is because it is simple, pure coffee–without any additives such as cream and sugar. The moment you add anything to your coffee, you will increase the calorie count. However, if you simply drink it black, you’ll get this amount of calories in each cup, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA):

1 cup of regular black coffee has just 2 calories.
1 ounce of black espresso has only 1 calorie.

When you keep your coffee black, you’ll have a lot fewer calories on top of great flavor and your daily boost of caffeine. If you are looking to lose weight or maintain your health, black coffee is a great choice. It allows you to still have your daily cup of joe without compromising the health benefits of coffee.

If you want to keep your cup of coffee low in calories or want to be healthier overall, stay away from adding too much to your coffee. Sweeteners and flavors such as milk, sugar, flavored creamers, and syrups can add up to as much as 700 calories to each serving of your coffee. If you can’t stomach black coffee, keep yourself to a small amount of additives to ensure your cup of coffee is healthy for you.

How Much Caffeine Is In Black Coffee?

Caffeine is a natural stimulant that’s found in a variety of foods and drinks, including tea, chocolate, and soda. However, coffee is the main way that many people around the world consume caffeine. While caffeine helps your focus, boosts your energy, and aids your brain, take care not to overdo it and regulate your caffeine intake.

In a cup of black coffee, there is, on average, about 95mg of caffeine. This means that you can have 3-4 cups a day without going over the recommended limit of 400mg of caffeine that the FDA has established. Keep in mind, however, the caffeine count can be impacted by factors such as the bean type, roast level, and kind of coffee drink.

Black Coffee Vs. Black Tea

Some people enjoy having tea instead of coffee, and black tea is the closest you’ll get to a cup of coffee in terms of taste, flavor, calories, and health benefits. But how similar are they?

There are differences in the health benefits that black coffee and tea provide. For example, coffee is a diuretic–meaning that it dehydrates you, while tea provides hydration. Coffee also has an impact on your digestive system in a way that tea does not. However, both types of drinks support heart health, your brain, blood pressure and can help you maintain your weight.

The main difference between black coffee and black tea is the caffeine content: while black coffee has about 95mg of caffeine in a single cup, tea has about half as much–50mg to a cup. If you’re looking to get more caffeine from your drink, then coffee is the way to go.

Drink Coffee in Moderation

Whether you prefer your coffee black or like putting in a small spoonful of sugar, you will get some health benefits from your cup of coffee. Overall, coffee is low in calories and provides a boost of energy due to the high amount of caffeine it contains. However, as much as you enjoy your coffee, it’s important to consume it in moderation.

It’s easy to overdo it on caffeine if you drink more than a few cups of coffee each day. And, like anything else you eat or drink, you shouldn’t have too much of it. A general rule of thumb is to restrict yourself to no more than 3-4 cups of coffee each day. By regulating your intake, you can enjoy all the health benefits coffee has to offer without overdoing it.

The Benefits to Drinking Black Coffee

If you love drinking black coffee, there’s good news: It’s very low in calories, offers a variety of health benefits, and you can have a few cups each day. As long as you drink black coffee in moderation, you can support your overall health and get the health benefits you want from your daily cup of joe.