How Many Calories in Bacon? 43 a Slice Cooked, 110 Raw
A cooked bacon slice is 43 kcal in USDA FDC 167712: reduced-sodium pork bacon, 541 kcal/100 g and an 8 g cooked slice. Raw pork bacon is 110 kcal for a 28 g slice at 393 kcal/100 g (FDC 168277). These are separate records and portion weights, not a measured before-and-after of the same rasher. Preparation and slice size must accompany the number.
Cooked reference: 541 × 8 ÷ 100 = 43.28 kcal → 43 kcal (FDC 167712, reduced sodium). Raw reference: 393 × 28 ÷ 100 = 110.04 kcal → 110 kcal (FDC 168277). Every value starts with the record’s own slice weight.
What USDA means by a slice of bacon
An 8 g cooked slice and a 28 g raw slice share a name, not a measured identity. Raw bacon has a lower energy value per 100 g in these records, yet its recorded slice has more calories because the slice weighs much more. Selecting “one slice” without its preparation silently selects the weight as well.
| Food and USDA portion (FDC ID) | Energy (kcal/100 g) | Portion weight (g) | Portion calculation (kcal) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pork bacon, unprepared: 1 raw slice (FDC 168277) | 393 | 28 | 393 × 28 ÷ 100 = 110 |
| Pork bacon, reduced sodium, cooked, broiled, pan-fried or roasted: 1 cooked slice (FDC 167712) | 541 | 8 | 541 × 8 ÷ 100 = 43 |
| Pork bacon, baked: 1 cooked slice (FDC 167914) | 548 | 8.1 | 548 × 8.1 ÷ 100 = 44 |
| Pork bacon, microwaved: 1 cooked slice (FDC 168321) | 476 | 9.1 | 476 × 9.1 ÷ 100 = 43 |
| Pork bacon, pre-sliced, pan-fried: 1 slice (FDC 168322) | 468 | 11.5 | 468 × 11.5 ÷ 100 = 54 |
The 43-calorie record is reduced sodium. FDC 167712 explicitly says cooked, broiled, pan-fried or roasted, reduced sodium. It is not an unqualified measurement of every ordinary pan-fried slice. The pre-sliced pan-fried record FDC 168322 has a different slice weight, 11.5 g, and gives 54 kcal.
Why the egg article says 44, not 43
The bacon cell in our egg breakfast table uses FDC 167914, baked bacon: 548 × 8.1 ÷ 100 = 44.388 kcal, rounded to 44 kcal a slice. This is the same baked row above. The 43-calorie figure uses reduced-sodium cooked FDC 167712 instead; neither number corrects the other.
For a plate of bacon, count the slices only after choosing the appropriate preparation and slice reference. If you have the cooked weight, use a compatible cooked entry; if the weight came from the raw pack, keep it attached to the raw entry. Neither the raw nor cooked row determines how much rendered fat ended up in another part of your meal.
The pan does not supply a conversion percentage
Cooking can leave rendered fat in the pan and remove water from the bacon. The two slice weights do not measure how much of each left the same slice. Subtracting 8 g from 28 g and calling the entire difference grease would turn separate database portions into an experiment USDA did not report here.
The raw record also lists a 442 g package. Its uncooked contents calculate as 393 × 442 ÷ 100 = 1737 kcal, rounded at the end. That is not a cooked-package total. It does not tell you the weight or calories of the bacon served after draining, or of any pan fat used in the rest of breakfast.
Turkey bacon and reduced-sodium bacon still need a portion
Switching the meat name is not enough. USDA’s unprepared turkey bacon even has separate slice weights for two package sizes. Those package labels identify the recorded portions; they are not a rule that every packet sold in that size has identical slices.
| Food and USDA portion (FDC ID) | Energy (kcal/100 g) | Portion weight (g) | Portion calculation (kcal) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turkey bacon, microwaved: 1 slice (FDC 171639) | 368 | 8.1 | 368 × 8.1 ÷ 100 = 30 |
| Turkey bacon, unprepared: slice from 6 oz package (FDC 174592) | 226 | 9.8 | 226 × 9.8 ÷ 100 = 22 |
| Turkey bacon, unprepared: slice from 12 oz package (FDC 174592) | 226 | 16 | 226 × 16 ÷ 100 = 36 |
| Pork bacon, pre-sliced, reduced/low sodium, unprepared: 1 slice (FDC 168382) | 407 | 26 | 407 × 26 ÷ 100 = 106 |
The raw reduced/low-sodium pork record gives 407 kcal/100 g and a 26 g slice, or 106 kcal. “Reduced sodium” describes a sodium comparison; it does not mean a fixed calorie saving. Its sodium is 470 mg/100 g, compared with 751 mg/100 g in raw FDC 168277. Keep those comparisons per the same weight and state.
How to describe bacon in a food diary
- Name pork or turkey. The entries are different foods, not aliases.
- Name raw, baked, microwaved or pan-fried. Preparation is part of the reference.
- Add slice count and weight when available. A thick rasher is not automatically the 8 g cooked portion.
- Keep additions separate. If pan fat becomes another ingredient, describe that use rather than treating all fat in the pan as discarded.
PlateLens can log a photo or the words you write or dictate. Add the preparation and portion in the description, or correct the amount with Fix it. For a related weighing-state problem, read the steak cut and trim guide.
Where these numbers come from
USDA FoodData Central records retrieved on 7 September 2026; each record below lists its own last update as 1 April 2019. Retrieval confirms the published record, not a new laboratory analysis. All nutrient values are per 100 g. Portion calories multiply that value by the record’s own portion weight in grams and divide by 100; totals are rounded only at the end.
- FDC 168277: Pork, cured, bacon, unprepared.
- FDC 167712: Pork, cured, bacon, cooked, broiled, pan-fried or roasted, reduced sodium.
- FDC 167914: Pork, cured, bacon, cooked, baked.
- FDC 168321: Pork, cured, bacon, cooked, microwaved.
- FDC 168322: Pork, cured, bacon, pre-sliced, cooked, pan-fried.
- FDC 168382: Bacon, pre-sliced, reduced/low sodium, unprepared.
- FDC 171639: Bacon, turkey, microwaved.
- FDC 174592: Bacon, turkey, unprepared.
Keep the bacon’s preparation with its portion
Describe the bacon and the slices you ate in PlateLens. A photo or voice description can start the log; Fix it lets you adjust the amount.
Frequently asked questions
How many calories are in one cooked slice of bacon?
USDA FDC 167712 gives 541 kcal/100 g and an 8 g cooked slice: 541 × 8 ÷ 100 = 43 kcal. The description specifically names reduced-sodium pork bacon, cooked, broiled, pan-fried or roasted. Ordinary baked bacon has a separate 8.1 g, 44 kcal slice in FDC 167914, so retain the entry’s preparation.
How many calories are in a raw slice of bacon?
USDA FDC 168277, pork bacon unprepared, gives 393 kcal/100 g and a 28 g raw slice. The calculation is 393 × 28 ÷ 100 = 110 kcal. This raw reference does not establish the eventual cooked slice weight or the calories discarded in the pan; use the actual weighing state when logging.
Why does the egg breakfast table use 44 calories for bacon?
The egg article uses baked pork bacon, USDA FDC 167914, at 548 kcal/100 g and 8.1 g per cooked slice. The calculation 548 × 8.1 ÷ 100 = 44.388 rounds to 44 kcal. The 43 kcal reference comes from reduced-sodium cooked FDC 167712 with an 8 g slice, so the entries differ.
Can I calculate bacon grease loss from raw and cooked slice weights?
The verified USDA records do not provide a grease-retention percentage. Raw FDC 168277 lists a 28 g slice, while cooked reduced-sodium FDC 167712 lists 8 g. Those are separate portion references, not paired measurements of the same slice. Their weight difference cannot identify how much fat or water left your bacon during cooking.
How many calories are in a slice of turkey bacon?
Microwaved turkey bacon in USDA FDC 171639 gives 368 kcal/100 g and an 8.1 g slice: 368 × 8.1 ÷ 100 = 30 kcal. Unprepared turkey bacon in FDC 174592 uses 226 kcal/100 g with 9.8 g and 16 g slice references, giving 22 and 36 kcal. State preparation and slice size.