How many calories are in ham?
Ham has 139 calories per 3 oz (85 g) — that's 164 calories per 100 g, roughly 7% of a 2,000-calorie day. Most of those calories come from fat.
USDA FoodData Central · sliced, regular · FDC 173864
Calories by portion
| Portion | Calories | Protein | Carbs | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 oz (85 g) | 139 | 14.1 g | 3.1 g | 7.5 g |
| 100 g | 164 | 16.6 g | 3.6 g | 8.8 g |
| 1 oz (28 g) | 46 | 4.7 g | 1 g | 2.5 g |
Where the calories come from
Protein 42% Carbs 9% Fat 50%
Calories computed from USDA per-100 g data (FDC 173864, SR Legacy). sliced, regular. The macro split uses general Atwater factors (protein and carbs ≈ 4 cal/g, fat ≈ 9 cal/g) and is approximate.
Ham is one of the easier proteins to reach for — no cooking, just slice and stack — and on calories it’s reasonable for a deli meat. A standard 3 oz serving (85 g) runs about 139 calories, which works out to 164 calories per 100 g, or roughly 47 calories per ounce. For those calories you get about 14.1 g of complete protein, so the protein-per-calorie ratio holds up well. The reason ham isn’t the leanest option on the deli counter — and why the calorie number moves around depending on which ham you buy — is sitting in the fat line.
Where the calories come from
Ham splits its calories fairly evenly between protein and fat. Run regular sliced ham through the standard Atwater factors (protein and carbs ≈ 4 cal/g, fat ≈ 9 cal/g) and you get roughly 41% protein calories and 51% fat, with only a small share — about 9% — from the carbohydrate that curing adds. The driver of the fat side is the 8.8 g of total fat per 100 g: modest for a cured pork product, but enough that fat, at 9 calories a gram, carries just over half the total. That’s the structural difference between ham and the very leanest deli proteins — turkey breast spends almost nothing on fat, while ham carries a real fat load alongside its protein. What you get for those calories is a complete protein with all nine essential amino acids, ready to eat.
The type of ham is the whole calorie story
The lever you control is which ham you put in the cart, because “ham calories” isn’t a single number. This 164-per-100 g figure is for regular sliced ham at about 11% fat. Move off that and the math shifts: extra-lean and 96–98% fat-free deli hams trim the fat and land lower per ounce, while honey-glazed, brown-sugar, or spiral hams add sugar calories on top and read higher. Country and dry-cured hams are denser still. So if calories are the thing you’re managing, the move is to read the label rather than assume — the leaner the cut and the lighter the glaze, the fewer calories ride along with the protein. None of this makes ham a high-calorie food; it makes it a food where the version matters more than the meat itself.
For the full protein side of the same ham — and why the sodium, not the calories, is the number to watch — see protein in ham.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many calories are in a 3 oz serving of ham?
About 139 calories in a 3 oz serving (85 g) of regular sliced ham, based on 164 calories per 100 g (USDA FDC 173864). That serving carries roughly 14.1 g of complete protein, so the calories come at a favorable protein-per-calorie ratio.
How many calories are in ham per 100 g or per ounce?
164 calories per 100 g, which is about 47 calories per ounce (28 g) — so a standard 3 oz portion lands near 139 calories. This is for regular sliced ham at roughly 11% fat; leaner deli hams labeled 96–98% fat-free run lower, and honey-glazed or country hams run higher.
Where do the calories in ham come from?
A roughly even split between protein and fat. By Atwater factors, regular ham is about 41% protein calories and 51% fat, with only a small slice (~9%) from carbohydrate. The 8.8 g of fat per 100 g is what lifts it above the leanest deli meats — fat carries 9 calories a gram, so it drives most of the gap over turkey breast.
Is ham high or low in calories?
Moderate. At 164 calories per 100 g it sits below most red meat and well below cheese or salami, but above the very leanest poultry like turkey breast. For a deli protein it's reasonable on calories — the number that actually sets ham apart isn't calories, it's the sodium, which is high because the meat is cured.
Does the calorie count change with the type of ham?
Yes, noticeably. This 164-per-100 g figure is for regular sliced ham. Extra-lean and 'fat-free' deli hams trim the fat and land lower; honey or brown-sugar glazed hams add sugar calories on top; and country or spiral hams can run higher still. The label is the reliable guide once you move off plain sliced ham.
When was this data last verified?
2026-06-18, against USDA FoodData Central FDC 173864 (Ham, sliced, regular, approximately 11% fat; SR Legacy). We re-verify reference pages periodically and update when USDA revises its data.
Whole-food values are USDA reference data, not a Labelgrade (that score is for branded packaged products). See our methodology and the TDEE calculator to turn this into a daily target.