Calories in air-popped popcorn, by the cup
3 cups of air-popped popcorn have 93 calories
3 cups of air-popped popcorn have 93 calories, and a single cup has 31.
A cup of popped corn weighs just 8 g, so a bowl that looks big doesn't weigh much.
USDA FoodData Central. Snacks, popcorn, air-popped. Source checked September 29, 2026.
By the cup, the ounce or the bag
An ounce of air-popped popcorn is 28.35 g and 110 calories, a bit more than 3 cups. Popcorn you buy in a bag usually lists its serving in grams or ounces, so match the weight rather than the cups.
| Portion | Weight | Calories kcal | Protein g | Carbs g | Fat g | Fiber g | Sugar g | Sodium mg | Caffeine mg | Portion source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 cups air-popped popcorn | 24 g | 93 | 3.1 | 18.7 | 1.1 | 3.5 | 0.2 | 1.9 | 0 | 3 cups, computed from USDA's 1 cup |
| 1 cup air-popped popcorn | 8 g | 31 | 1 | 6.2 | 0.4 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 0 | USDA portion, 1 cup |
| 1 oz air-popped popcorn | 28.35 g | 110 | 3.7 | 22.1 | 1.3 | 4.1 | 0.2 | 2.3 | 0 | USDA portion, 1 oz |
| 3 cups oil-popped popcorn | 24 g | 120 | 2.2 | 13.9 | 6.7 | 2.4 | 0.1 | 0.7 | 0 | 3 cups, computed from USDA's 1 cup |
| 1 bag microwave butter popcorn | 87 g | 465 | 7.3 | 49.8 | 26.3 | 8.7 | 0.3 | 663.8 | 0 | USDA portion, 1 bag |
USDA FoodData Central. Snacks, popcorn, air-popped. USDA FoodData Central. Snacks, popcorn, home-prepared, oil-popped, unsalted. USDA FoodData Central. Popcorn, microwave, regular, butter flavor, made with palm oil. Source checked September 29, 2026.
Air-popped popcorn nutrition
Most of the calories in plain popcorn come from carbs. 3 cups have 18.7 g of carbs, 3.5 g of fiber, 3.1 g of protein and 1.1 g of fat.
It's not much protein for a snack. If you're pairing it with something that has more, eggs, chicken breast, salmon and ground beef each have a page. Drinks, dips and the rest of a movie night are in the full list of calorie references.
| Nutrient | 3 cups air-popped popcorn | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 93 kcal | 387 kcal |
| Protein | 3.1 g | 12.9 g |
| Carbs | 18.7 g | 77.8 g |
| Fat | 1.1 g | 4.5 g |
| Fiber | 3.5 g | 14.5 g |
| Sugar | 0.2 g | 0.9 g |
| Sodium | 1.9 mg | 8 mg |
- Calories in eggs
- Calories in chicken breast
- Calories in salmon
- Calories in ground beef
- All calorie references
USDA FoodData Central. Snacks, popcorn, air-popped. Source checked September 29, 2026.
Air-popped, oil-popped or microwave
USDA lists 500 calories per 100 g for home oil-popped popcorn and 387 for air-popped, so 3 cups come to 120 instead of 93.
Microwave butter popcorn has 535 calories per 100 g. USDA's regular bag is 87 g, 465 calories in all, with 763 mg of sodium per 100 g against 8 mg for air-popped.
| Preparation | Weight | Calories kcal | Protein g | Carbs g | Fat g | Fiber g | Sugar g | Sodium mg | Caffeine mg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air-popped popcorn | 100 g | 387 | 12.9 | 77.8 | 4.5 | 14.5 | 0.9 | 8 | 0 |
| Popped at home in oil, unsalted | 100 g | 500 | 9 | 58.1 | 28.1 | 10 | 0.5 | 3 | 0 |
| Microwave popcorn, butter flavor | 100 g | 535 | 8.4 | 57.3 | 30.2 | 10 | 0.3 | 763 | 0 |
USDA FoodData Central. Snacks, popcorn, air-popped. USDA FoodData Central. Snacks, popcorn, home-prepared, oil-popped, unsalted. USDA FoodData Central. Popcorn, microwave, regular, butter flavor, made with palm oil. Source checked September 29, 2026.
Weigh the bowl, not the cups
Cups of popcorn are hard to measure the same way twice. Pop it, put the bowl on a scale, subtract the bowl and enter the grams below. Butter or oil you add after popping isn't included.
Sharing a tub at the movies? Tell TrueCal the size and roughly how much you ate, then review the estimate.
24 g has about 93 calories.
USDA FoodData Central. Snacks, popcorn, air-popped. Source checked September 29, 2026.
Is 100 g of popcorn a lot?
Yes. 100 g of air-popped popcorn has 387 calories, and since a cup weighs 8 g, that's a very big bowl.
USDA FoodData Central. Snacks, popcorn, air-popped. Source checked September 29, 2026.
How many carbs are in a cup of air-popped popcorn?
A cup has 6.2 g of carbs, including 1.2 g of fiber. It has 1 g of protein and 0.4 g of fat.
USDA FoodData Central. Snacks, popcorn, air-popped. Source checked September 29, 2026.
Log the portion you ate
Add food from a photo or a sentence, then check the portion before saving.
USDA FoodData Central. Snacks, popcorn, air-popped. USDA FoodData Central. Snacks, popcorn, home-prepared, oil-popped, unsalted. USDA FoodData Central. Popcorn, microwave, regular, butter flavor, made with palm oil. Source checked September 29, 2026.