Olives, ripe black (canned)
Lower in calories than you might expect, but salty. Rinse them to reduce sodium.
1 Amount
How it fits your macros
Get your daily targets with the macro calculator to see what share of your day this portion covers.
Olives, ripe black for gym-goers
Per 100 g, olives, ripe black (canned) provides 115 kcal, 0.8 g protein, 6.3 g carbohydrate (3.2 g fiber, 0 g sugars) and 10.7 g fat (1.4 g saturated). Most of what it brings is fat. Add a protein source to turn it into a balanced meal.
A typical serving (10 large olives, about 44 g) comes to roughly 51 kcal and 0.4 g protein.
These are typical averages. Brand, variety, ripeness and cooking method all shift the numbers, so weigh food in the same state (raw or cooked) as the entry you log.
About Olives, ripe black
These are canned ripe black olives, drained: the mild kind you find on pizza and in salads. For a fat source they're surprisingly low in calories, roughly 115 kcal per 100 g, because they're mostly water. The fat is largely the same monounsaturated oleic acid as in olive oil. Canned ripe olives are usually treated with an iron salt to fix the black color, which explains the fairly high iron figure.
In a gym diet
Ten large olives come to only about 50 kcal, so they're a cheap way, calorie-wise, to add flavor and a little fat on a cut. They have very little protein. Use them as a topping or alongside a snack, not as the base of a meal.
Preparation and cooking
Rinse canned olives under cold water after draining to wash off some of the brine and cut the sodium. Weigh them pitted, or remember that the stones add weight if you log whole olives.
Buying and storage
Sodium varies widely between brands, so compare. Pitted ones are easier to portion. After opening, keep them in their brine in a covered container in the fridge and use them within about a week or two.
Things to watch
Sodium is the clear issue: 100 g carries well over a third of a typical daily limit, so if you've been asked to cut salt, follow your clinician's guidance. Otherwise they're low risk, apart from how easy it is to graze straight from the tin.
Meal ideas
- Mediterranean bowl: chicken breast, bulgur, cucumber, tomato and a few sliced black olives.
- Tuna pasta with rinsed black olives, cherry tomatoes, capers and fresh basil.
- Snack plate: ten olives, a hard-boiled egg and some carrot sticks.
Nutrient highlights
Good source (10–19% DV per 100 g): Iron (18%).
How it ranks among 12 Fats & Oils
| Protein per 100 kcal | 0.7 g | #4 of 12 |
| Protein per 100 g | 0.8 g | #6 of 12 |
| Fiber per 100 g | 3.2 g | #2 of 12 |
| Lowest calories per 100 g | 115 kcal | #1 of 12 |
Ranked within this category of the gym.diet food database (1 = best for that measure).
Similar foods
Heavy whipping cream
340 kcal · P 2.8 · C 2.8 · F 36.1
→Coconut milk, canned (full-fat)
197 kcal · P 2 · C 2.8 · F 21.3
→Mayonnaise, regular
680 kcal · P 1 · C 0.6 · F 74.9
→Avocado, Hass (raw)
160 kcal · P 2 · C 8.5 · F 14.7
→Butter, salted
717 kcal · P 0.9 · C 0.1 · F 81.1
→Ghee / clarified butter
876 kcal · P 0.3 · C 0 · F 99.5
Source
Approximate per-100 g values compiled from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy / Foundation Foods), rounded. Daily Values are the U.S. FDA reference amounts for adults (2,000 kcal diet).
Frequently asked questions
How many calories are in olives, ripe black?
Olives, ripe black (canned) has about 115 kcal per 100 g, or roughly 51 kcal per 10 large olives (44 g).
How much protein is in olives, ripe black?
About 0.8 g of protein per 100 g and 0.4 g per 10 large olives. That works out to 0.7 g per 100 kcal, so it's not primarily a protein source.
Is olives, ripe black good for cutting or bulking?
It works in either phase. What matters is how it fits into your total calories and protein for the day.
Why are black olives so high in sodium?
Raw olives are very bitter, so they're cured and stored in salty brine to make them edible and keep them. Some of that salt stays in the fruit. Rinsing removes part of the surface salt.
Are black olives as healthy as olive oil?
The fat profile is similar, and whole olives add fiber and fewer calories per bite. They're much saltier, though, and canned ripe olives lose some polyphenols in processing. Both can fit a balanced diet.
Nutrition Facts
* The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. Values approximate.