In this article
- Does kale have fiber raw and cooked? The numbers
- Myth vs fact: kale is the fiber champion of leafy greens
- Kale among other high fiber vegetables
- Vitamin K, vitamin C and calcium in kale
- Kale fiber and your digestion
- Three ways to build a kale meal
- How much kale it takes to make a dent
- One kale habit to start this week
- Questions people ask about fiber in kale
- Sources
A 100 gram pile of raw kale, several loose cups of leaves, has only 35 calories. It also carries 4.1 grams of fiber and more than a full day’s vitamin C, according to USDA FoodData Central.
So does kale have fiber? Plenty, for what it costs you in calories. A cup of cooked kale brings about 4.7 grams, which puts it among the better leafy greens, though not quite at the top of the list.
Does kale have fiber raw and cooked? The numbers
Kale keeps almost exactly the same fiber per gram whether it’s raw or boiled. USDA lists raw kale at 4.1 grams per 100 grams and boiled, drained kale at 4.0 grams.
| Kale | Amount | Fiber | % Daily Value | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raw | 100 g | 4.1 g | 15% | 35 |
| Raw | 5 oz container (142 g) | 5.8 g | 21% | 50 |
| Boiled, drained | 100 g | 4.0 g | 14% | 36 |
| Boiled, drained | 1 cup (118 g) | 4.7 g | 17% | 43 |
The Daily Value for fiber is 28 grams, per the FDA. A whole 5 ounce container of raw kale clears the FDA’s 20% line for a high source, and a single cooked cup comes close.
Why the cup matters more than the method
Raw kale leaves are airy and curly, so a cup of them holds far less food than a cup of cooked kale. Heat collapses the leaves, which is how a cooked cup ends up weighing 118 grams.
That weight is what drives the fiber number. The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements lists 113 µg of vitamin K in a cup of raw kale, and at USDA’s 390 µg per 100 grams, that works out to a cup weighing only about 29 grams.
A loose cup of raw kale, then, holds roughly 1.2 grams of fiber. You’d need about four cups of raw leaves to match the fiber in one cup of cooked kale.
If you want a measurable amount from raw kale, think in big handfuls and grams rather than a single loose cup. A salad built on 100 grams of leaves gets you to about 4 grams.
Myth vs fact: kale is the fiber champion of leafy greens
Myth: Kale’s reputation as a superfood means it must beat every other leafy green on fiber.
Fact: Per cooked cup, turnip greens and collards edge it out in the Dietary Guidelines’ fiber table. Kale still finishes ahead of spinach and Swiss chard.
| Cooked vegetable (1 cup) | Fiber | Calories | Fiber per 100 calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broccoli | 5.2 g | 54 | 9.6 g |
| Turnip greens | 5.0 g | 29 | 17.2 g |
| Collard greens | 4.8 g | 63 | 7.6 g |
| Kale | 4.7 g | 43 | 10.9 g |
| Spinach | 4.3 g | 41 | 10.5 g |
| Swiss chard | 3.7 g | 35 | 10.6 g |
Collards also beat kale on vitamin K. ODS lists 530 µg in half a cup of boiled frozen collards, more than four times the Daily Value in a half portion.
The gaps in fiber are small, a few tenths of a gram per cup. Any of these greens makes a solid contribution, so the best choice is whichever one you’ll actually cook.
Kale does shine on fiber per calorie. At about 11 grams per 100 calories, it trails only turnip greens in this group and beats broccoli and collards.
Kale among other high fiber vegetables
Step outside the leafy greens and the field gets wider. The Dietary Guidelines list cooked artichokes at 9.6 grams per cup, green peas at 8.8 grams and Brussels sprouts at 6.4 grams.
Even among cooked vegetables you might eat as a side, kale sits in the middle. Cooked carrots and cauliflower come in at 4.8 and 4.9 grams per cup, green beans at 4.0 and asparagus at 2.9.
Kale’s strength isn’t raw fiber volume. It’s how much fiber and nutrition it packs into very few calories, which makes it easy to add to meals that already have a bigger fiber source.
Wondering where your own daily fiber number lands? Our fiber calculator works it out from a few details about you.
Vitamin K, vitamin C and calcium in kale
Fiber is only part of the story. A cooked cup of kale delivers about 494 µg of vitamin K, more than four times the 120 µg Daily Value.
A cooked cup and 100 grams of raw kale line up like this on a few other nutrients:
| Nutrient | Raw (100 g) | Cooked (1 cup, 118 g) |
|---|---|---|
| Vitamin C | 93 mg (104% DV) | 21 mg (23% DV) |
| Vitamin A | 241 µg (27% DV) | 172 µg (19% DV) |
| Calcium | 254 mg (20% DV) | 177 mg (14% DV) |
| Manganese | 0.92 mg (40% DV) | 0.64 mg (28% DV) |
| Folate | 62 µg (16% DV) | 77 µg (19% DV) |
| Protein | 2.9 g | 3.5 g |
Vitamin C is the one that drops hard. Per 100 grams, boiled kale has about 18 mg compared with 93 mg raw, a loss of roughly 80%.
The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements explains that vitamin C dissolves in water and breaks down with heat. It notes that steaming or microwaving may lessen those losses compared with boiling.
A little fat helps the vitamin K
Vitamin K is fat soluble, and ODS notes that eating vegetables with some fat improves how much of it you absorb. The vitamin helps make proteins involved in blood clotting and bone metabolism.
That’s a good reason to dress raw kale with oil, avocado or seeds, or to cook it in a soup with a drizzle of olive oil.
Fiber doesn’t behave that way. It survives the pot, so you can cook kale however you like for fiber and keep some raw in the mix if vitamin C matters to you.
Kale fiber and your digestion
Mayo Clinic explains that fiber adds bulk to stool and helps it pass more easily, and that insoluble fiber in vegetables helps move material through your digestive system. A cooked cup of kale adds nearly 5 grams toward that.
Kale’s fiber comes packaged with lots of water, about 90% of the leaf by weight in USDA data. Even so, Mayo Clinic notes that fiber works best when it absorbs water, so a glass alongside a big plate of greens still matters.
If you’re new to eating greens in quantity, a sudden jump can bring gas or bloating. Mayo Clinic suggests raising fiber gradually over a few weeks and drinking plenty of water as you go.
If more greens tend to leave your stomach unsettled, our gut health guides show you how to build up slowly.
Three ways to build a kale meal
Kale works best as part of a team. Pair it with a bean or a richer topping and a single bowl can cover a big share of your day.
| Meal | What’s in it | Fiber | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kale and white bean soup | 1 cup cooked kale + ½ cup navy beans | 14.3 g | 171 |
| Kale salad bowl | 100 g raw kale + ½ cup avocado + 1 oz sunflower seeds | 12.2 g | 320 |
| Kale grain bowl | 1 cup cooked kale + ½ cup bulgur + ½ cup chickpeas | 15.1 g | 254 |
The soup reaches about 51% of the Daily Value for well under 200 calories, mostly thanks to navy beans at 9.6 grams per half cup. The salad gets there with fat rich toppings that also help you absorb kale’s vitamin K.
The grain bowl is the fiber leader of the three at 15.1 grams, more than half the Daily Value. Bulgur adds 4.1 grams per half cup and chickpeas add 6.3, while the kale brings color, vitamin K and bulk for very few calories.
Hunting for soups, salads and skillet dinners that use up a whole bunch of kale? Our recipe eBooks have high-fiber ideas ready to go.
How much kale it takes to make a dent
Mayo Clinic recommends 25 grams of fiber daily for women and 38 grams for men up to age 50, and 21 and 30 grams after 50. One cooked cup of kale covers about 19% of the women’s target and 12% of the men’s.
Reaching the full 28 gram Daily Value from kale alone would take about six cooked cups. A more realistic two cups, one at lunch and one at dinner, gives you about 9.4 grams, roughly a third of the Daily Value. That’s why kale works best alongside beans, whole grains and fruit.
One kale habit to start this week
Fiber doesn’t care about the method, but your appetite might. If raw kale salads feel like a chore, cooked kale lets you eat four times the leaves in the same bowl.
Pick one soup, pasta sauce or skillet dinner you already make and stir in a cooked cup of kale at the end. That single change adds about 4.7 grams of fiber for 43 calories.
Do it three nights this week and you’ve added roughly 14 grams of fiber without changing the rest of your menu. Keep it going for a month and the habit adds about 56 grams, two full days’ worth of the Daily Value, from a vegetable that barely moves your calorie count.
Questions people ask about fiber in kale
How much fiber is in a cup of kale?
A cup of cooked kale has about 4.7 grams of fiber. Raw kale has about 4.1 grams per 100 grams, but a loose cup of raw leaves weighs much less, so it gives you less.
Is kale high in fiber?
It’s close. A cooked cup gives you about 17% of the Daily Value, just under the FDA’s 20% mark for a high source, while a 5 ounce container of raw kale reaches about 21%.
Does raw or cooked kale have more fiber?
Neither, gram for gram. USDA lists raw kale at 4.1 grams and boiled kale at 4.0 grams per 100 grams, but cooked kale packs more into each cup.
Is kale good for constipation?
It can help. Fiber adds bulk and softens stool, and a cooked cup of kale adds nearly 5 grams, so pair it with plenty of water.
Do collard greens have more fiber than kale?
Slightly. A cooked cup of collards has about 4.8 grams compared with 4.7 grams for kale, but kale has fewer calories, about 43 versus 63.
Does kale lose nutrients when you cook it?
Some. Boiling cuts kale’s vitamin C by about 80% per 100 grams, but the fiber stays almost exactly the same.
How many calories are in a cup of cooked kale?
About 43 calories. That same cup brings 4.7 grams of fiber and 3.5 grams of protein.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. “Kale, raw (168421); Kale, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt (169238).” FoodData Central, SR Legacy. 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov
- U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “Food Sources of Dietary Fiber.” Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020 to 2025. dietaryguidelines.gov
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. “Vitamin C: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals.” 2025. ods.od.nih.gov
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. “Vitamin K: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals.” 2026. ods.od.nih.gov
- Mayo Clinic Staff. “Dietary fiber: Essential for a healthy diet.” Mayo Clinic, 2025. www.mayoclinic.org
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels.” 2024. www.fda.gov
