Last reviewed on 11 September 2026.
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What follows gives the numbers by size and variety, then takes the questions people actually ask about bananas: whether they are fattening, whether they suit a workout or diabetes, and why kidney patients are told to be careful with them.
How many calories does a medium banana have?
About 90 to 110 kcal. USDA FoodData Central lists raw banana at 89 kcal per 100 g of flesh, and a medium banana yields roughly 100 to 120 g once peeled. The whole fruit, skin included, usually weighs 150 to 180 g, because the peel accounts for about a third of the weight. Almost all the energy comes from carbohydrate, around 23 g per 100 g, with barely any fat or protein. If you want one number to remember, 100 kcal for an ordinary medium banana is close enough for any food diary.
What about elaichi, Nendran and other Indian varieties?
The small elaichi banana, called yelakki in Karnataka, has about 50 to 70 kcal each, simply because there is less of it. Robusta and Grand Naine, the common market types, behave like the medium figure above. Poovan and Rasthali are usually medium-sized too. The Nendran of Kerala is another matter: it is large, firm and starchy, often eaten steamed or made into chips, and a single ripe one can reach 150 kcal or more. Red bananas are similar in calories to yellow ones of the same weight. In every case, the weight of the flesh is what counts; the variety mostly tells you the size.
| Variety | Roughly |
|---|---|
| Elaichi, or yelakki in Karnataka | 50 to 70 kcal each |
| Robusta and Grand Naine, the common market types | 90 to 110 kcal |
| Poovan and Rasthali | medium-sized too, so much the same |
| Nendran of Kerala, large and starchy | 150 kcal or more when ripe |
| Red bananas | similar to yellow ones of the same weight |
The variety mostly tells you the size. It is the weight of the flesh that sets the number.
Does a ripe banana have more calories than a green one?
Barely. Ripening changes the form of the carbohydrate, not the total. A green banana is mostly starch, and a large share of it is resistant starch, which escapes digestion in the small intestine and feeds gut bacteria instead. As the fruit ripens, enzymes convert that starch into sugars, so a spotty yellow banana is sweeter and softer. Because resistant starch yields fewer usable calories, a green banana may give the body slightly less energy, but the gap is small. The bigger difference is in blood sugar, which rises faster after a very ripe banana.
How much sugar is in one banana?
About 12 to 15 g in a medium ripe banana, according to USDA data, made up mostly of glucose, fructose and sucrose. That sugar sits inside the fruit's cells, and the WHO does not count it towards its limit on free sugars, unlike the sugar stirred into chai. A greener banana has less sugar and more starch; a very ripe, freckled one has more sugar and less starch. The total carbohydrate stays around 25 to 27 g in a medium fruit either way.
Is banana fattening?
No. At around 100 kcal, a banana is a modest snack, and no single food causes weight gain on its own; a steady surplus of energy across weeks does. A banana is also reasonably filling for its size, with about 3 g of fibre. Where bananas can feed weight gain is in their processed forms: a banana shake made with sugar and full-cream milk, batter-fried fritters, or chips. Banana chips, with the water fried out and oil taken up, carry around 500 kcal per 100 g in USDA data, so a 100 g packet holds about as much energy as five fresh bananas. For the wider question of which foods genuinely help with weight, see the evidence review of foods for weight loss.
Should you eat a banana before a workout?
A banana 30 to 60 minutes before exercise is a sensible choice for most people. A medium one supplies around 25 g of easily digested carbohydrate, little fat to slow the stomach, and some potassium. A study of trained cyclists found that bananas supported performance about as well as a carbohydrate sports drink during long rides. For a 30-minute walk or a light gym session you do not need extra fuel at all. For a long run, a match, or heavy training several hours after your last meal, a banana, perhaps with a little curd or a few nuts, is simple and cheap.
Can people with diabetes eat bananas?
Yes, most can, in controlled portions and with a little planning. A medium banana carries about 25 to 27 g of carbohydrate, so treat it as a carbohydrate serving rather than a free food. Choose a smaller or slightly less ripe banana, since green-tinged fruit raises blood sugar more slowly, and eat it with protein or fat, such as a handful of peanuts or a bowl of curd, rather than alone or straight after a rice-heavy meal. The glycaemic index of banana climbs as it ripens, as the page on the glycaemic index of Indian foods explains.
Why are kidney patients told to be careful with bananas?
Because bananas are rich in potassium, about 420 mg in a medium one, and damaged kidneys may not clear potassium efficiently. When blood potassium climbs too high it can disturb the rhythm of the heart. Not everyone with kidney disease needs to restrict it; the advice depends on the stage and on blood results, and some blood pressure medicines also push potassium up. If you have chronic kidney disease or take such medicines, ask your nephrologist what your potassium limit is before adding or cutting bananas. The kidney disease diet guide covers the wider picture.
How many calories are in a banana with milk?
A medium banana with a 200 ml glass of toned milk comes to roughly 220 kcal, and to about 280 kcal with full-cream milk. Two teaspoons of sugar add another 40 kcal. As a breakfast or a drink after exercise, that is reasonable: the milk brings protein to sit beside the banana's carbohydrate. The milk half of the sum is worked through on the page about protein and calories in milk. Ayurvedic tradition lists banana with milk as an unsuitable pairing; no good research shows harm in healthy people, but if the combination feels heavy, take them at different times.
What does one banana give you apart from calories?
A medium banana provides roughly a quarter of an adult's daily vitamin B6, about 3 g of fibre and around 10 mg of vitamin C, according to USDA data, along with small amounts of magnesium and manganese. Its potassium is useful for most people, since diets high in potassium and low in salt support healthy blood pressure. It is not a notable source of protein, iron or calcium. Its real strengths are convenience and cost: it comes in its own wrapper, needs no preparation, and is sold in almost every market in the country.
Is it bad to eat a banana on an empty stomach or at night?
No, for most people either time is fine. Claims that a morning banana on an empty stomach causes a dangerous surge of magnesium or potassium are not supported; a healthy body regulates both without trouble. Some people with acid reflux find a banana alone in the morning settles well, while others find it sits uncomfortably, and that is individual. At night, a banana is a lighter choice than most desserts. The one real consideration is total intake: a banana eaten out of habit after a full dinner is still 100 kcal added to the day.
How can a banana fit into a weight-loss day?
As the fruit serving, not as an extra. A medium banana at breakfast in place of a second slice of bread, or as a mid-afternoon snack instead of biscuits, swaps processed calories for fibre and potassium at roughly the same energy. Sliced into a bowl of curd, or into a fruit chaat with apple, papaya and a squeeze of lime, it stretches further and is eaten more slowly. One or two bananas a day fit comfortably into most eating plans; five a day on top of everything else is where the calories quietly accumulate.
Where a banana fits in a weight-loss day
Count it as the fruit serving, not an extra
One or two a day fit comfortably into most eating plans. Five a day on top of everything else is where the calories quietly accumulate.
Put it where something processed used to be
At breakfast in place of a second slice of bread, or mid-afternoon instead of biscuits, at roughly the same energy.
Slice it into something else
Into a bowl of curd, or a fruit chaat with apple, papaya and a squeeze of lime, so it stretches further and gets eaten more slowly.
Keep the fried forms out of it
Chips and fritters multiply the energy, which is the one way a banana genuinely adds up on you.
Take the size seriously
A small elaichi and a large Nendran are not the same snack, so judge the fruit in your hand rather than the word banana.
Learning to advise on everyday fruit
Working out where a banana belongs in someone's day, rather than banning or blessing it, is the kind of judgement a weight-management course is meant to train. NNWA's five-week Weight Management and Obesity Care course covers energy balance, sustainable diets, behaviour change and plateaus at beginner level, for 8,999 rupees with EMI of 1,500 rupees a month. It suits anyone who wants to give sensible weight advice, including to themselves.
Banana, in one paragraph
A medium banana is about 100 kcal, a small elaichi about 50 to 70, and a big Nendran 150 or more; the weight of the flesh decides it. Ripening turns starch into sugar without changing the calories much. Bananas are not fattening, make a good pre-workout snack, and can fit a diabetic diet in smaller, less ripe portions eaten with protein. The two genuine cautions are fried forms, which multiply the calories, and potassium, for anyone with kidney disease.