Beverages
Green Tea
Overview
Why drink green tea?
Green tea is essentially calorie-free water carrying catechins, a modest dose of caffeine, and a trace of B vitamins. At about 2 kcal per cup, it is an easy way to enjoy a warm, flavorful drink without sugar or calories, which makes it a useful stand-in for sweetened beverages.
Good to know: Tea contains compounds that can reduce absorption of non-heme iron from plant foods, so if your iron is low it may help to drink it between meals rather than with them.
Hydration without calories
A cup supplies roughly 2.45 kcal and just 2.45 mg of sodium, so it hydrates much like water while offering more flavor than plain water.
Gentle caffeine lift
With about 29 mg of caffeine per cup, green tea gives a milder alertness boost than coffee, which suits people sensitive to stronger doses.
Some riboflavin
One cup provides 0.14 mg of riboflavin, about 11% of the Daily Value, a B vitamin your cells use to release energy from food.
Overview drafted with AI from USDA FoodData Central figures. For education, not medical advice.
Nutrition facts
What’s in green tea?
Calories
1kcal
Protein
0.22g
Carbs
0g
Fat
0g
Fiber
0g
Sugars
0g
Minerals
- Iron0.02 mg0%
- Magnesium1 mg0%
- Potassium8 mg0%
- Sodium1 mg0%
- Zinc0.01 mg0%
- Copper<0.01 mg0%
Vitamins
- Thiamin (B1)<0.01 mg1%
- Riboflavin (B2)0.06 mg4%
- Niacin (B3)0.03 mg0%
- Vitamin B6<0.01 mg0%
Other compounds
- Caffeine12 mg
% Daily Value is based on FDA reference amounts for adults. Bars cap at 100%.
Side by side, per 100 g
Green Tea vs Black Tea
| Nutrient | Green Tea | Black Tea |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 1 kcal | 1 kcal |
| Protein | 0.22 g | 0 g |
| Saturated fat | 0 g | <0.01 g |
| Iron | 0.02 mg | 0.02 mg |
| Magnesium | 1 mg | 3 mg |
| Potassium | 8 mg | 37 mg |
| Caffeine | 12 mg | 20 mg |
| Theobromine | 0 mg | 2 mg |
People asked
Questions about green tea
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More Beverages
Source: USDA FoodData Central, “Beverages, tea, green, brewed, regular” (SR Legacy, FDC ID 171917).View the USDA record ↗ (opens in a new tab).