Turkey Calories Calculator
See calories and macros per serving by cut — breast, dark meat, skin on or off, and common prep styles.
Understand the recommendation
Read the complete guide for assumptions, safety notes, examples, and practical decisions behind this calculator.
Read the related guide →Macros per serving
Free · instantTurkey nutrition by cut (per 3 oz / 85g)
- Breast, skinless — 125 cal, 26g protein, 2g fat. The leanest option.
- Breast, skin on — 160 cal, 26g protein, 6g fat. Skin adds flavor and juiciness.
- Dark meat, skinless — 155 cal, 22g protein, 7g fat. Higher in iron and zinc.
- Dark meat, skin on — 190 cal, 23g protein, 10g fat. Richer taste, more calories.
- Turkey is naturally low in carbs (0g) and an excellent source of B vitamins and selenium.
How the calories calculator works
- Choose the cut you're actually eating — breast or dark meat, skin on or skin off. Skin is what moves the numbers most.
- Each cut carries a per-3-oz baseline for roasted turkey: 125 cal for skinless breast, 160 with skin, 155 for skinless dark meat, 190 for dark meat with skin.
- Enter your serving size in ounces. The calculator scales the baseline by your ounces divided by 3.
- You get calories, protein, and fat for that exact portion, so a 6 oz plate of breast reads 250 cal rather than the standard 3 oz figure.
- Carbohydrates stay at zero — plain roasted turkey has none, so anything carb-heavy on the plate comes from stuffing, gravy, or sides.
Calorie examples
6 oz of skinless turkey breast
Double the 3 oz baseline: 250 calories, 52 g of protein, and just 4 g of fat — a genuinely lean, high-protein plate.
4 oz of dark meat with skin
190 cal × (4 ÷ 3) = about 253 calories, with 30.7 g protein and 13.3 g fat. The skin roughly triples the fat vs. skinless breast.
A typical holiday plate: 5 oz of dark meat, skinless
155 cal × (5 ÷ 3) = about 258 calories, 36.7 g protein, and 11.7 g fat — before gravy, stuffing, or sides are added.
Turkey nutrition by cut and serving size
| Cut | 3 oz | 4 oz | 6 oz | Protein per 3 oz | Fat per 3 oz |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breast, skinless | 125 cal | 167 cal | 250 cal | 26 g | 2 g |
| Breast, skin on | 160 cal | 213 cal | 320 cal | 26 g | 6 g |
| Dark meat, skinless | 155 cal | 207 cal | 310 cal | 22 g | 7 g |
| Dark meat, skin on | 190 cal | 253 cal | 380 cal | 23 g | 10 g |
Common turkey nutrition mistakes
- Underestimating the portion. A restaurant or holiday serving of turkey is usually 5–8 oz, not the 3 oz reference portion the label figures are based on.
- Forgetting that skin counts. Leaving the skin on breast meat adds about 35 calories and 4 g of fat per 3 oz — small per slice, meaningful across a plate.
- Assuming deli turkey matches roasted turkey. Processed slices carry added water, sugar, and a lot of sodium, so the macros don't transfer.
- Blaming the turkey for a heavy plate. Roasted turkey has zero carbs; the calories on a holiday plate come mostly from stuffing, gravy, butter, and sides.
- Skipping dark meat to save calories. The gap is only about 30 calories per 3 oz skinless, and dark meat brings noticeably more iron and zinc.
Turkey Calories Calculator FAQ
How many calories in turkey breast?
A 3 oz (85g) serving of roasted, skinless turkey breast has about 125 calories and 26g of protein. With skin on, it's closer to 160 calories.
Is turkey dark meat higher in calories?
Yes — a 3 oz serving of roasted dark meat with skin has about 175–190 calories vs. 125 for skinless breast. Dark meat is higher in fat but also richer in iron and zinc.
How does turkey compare to chicken nutritionally?
Very similar. Turkey breast is slightly leaner than chicken breast (~125 cal vs. ~140 cal per 3 oz). Turkey dark meat is comparable to chicken thighs. Both are excellent lean-protein sources.
How much protein is in a holiday serving of turkey?
A realistic 6 oz plate of skinless breast delivers about 52 g of protein — roughly a full day's requirement for many adults in a single serving. The same portion of dark meat provides about 44 g.
Does brining or the cooking method change the calories?
Brining barely changes calories but raises sodium substantially. Cooking method matters more: deep-frying and butter-basting add fat, while plain roasting on a rack lets fat drip away.
Is turkey a good choice for a low-carb or keto diet?
Yes. Plain roasted turkey has 0 g of carbohydrate in any cut. Dark meat with skin fits a keto macro split especially well at 190 cal and 10 g of fat per 3 oz.
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