Three tablespoons (30 g) of hemp hearts contain about 166 calories, 9.5 g of protein, 14.6 g of fat and 2.6 g of carbohydrate, 1.2 g of which is fibre, leaving about 1.4 g of net carbs. One tablespoon (10 g) is about 55 calories and 3.2 g of protein. The figures come from USDA FoodData Central's entry for hulled hemp seed, scaled to the portions people actually use.
What are the macros in hemp hearts?
Per 100 g, hemp hearts (hulled hemp seed) have 553 calories, 31.6 g of protein, 48.8 g of fat and 8.7 g of carbohydrate, including 4.0 g of fibre. Here are the same hemp seed macros by portion:
| Nutrient | 1 tbsp (10 g) | 2 tbsp (20 g) | 3 tbsp (30 g) | 100 g |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 55 | 111 | 166 | 553 |
| Protein (g) | 3.2 | 6.3 | 9.5 | 31.6 |
| Carbohydrate (g) | 0.9 | 1.7 | 2.6 | 8.7 |
| Fibre (g) | 0.4 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 4.0 |
| Net carbs (g) | 0.5 | 0.9 | 1.4 | 4.7 |
| Fat (g) | 4.9 | 9.8 | 14.6 | 48.8 |
| of which omega-6 LA (g) | 2.7 | 5.5 | 8.2 | 27.4 |
| of which omega-3 ALA (g) | 0.9 | 1.7 | 2.6 | 8.7 |
Source: USDA FoodData Central, "Seeds, hemp seed, hulled" (FDC ID 170148), per-100 g values scaled by weight. USDA lists 3 tablespoons as 30 g, and Health Canada's Canadian Nutrient File lists 30 mL (2 tablespoons) as 20.3 g, so 10 g per level tablespoon is a sound working figure. Net carbs means total carbohydrate minus fibre. LA is linoleic acid and ALA is alpha-linolenic acid. For magnesium, iron and zinc, see the minerals in hemp hearts.
How many calories are in 1 tablespoon of hemp hearts?
A level tablespoon of hemp hearts (10 g) has about 55 calories. Two tablespoons are about 111 calories, three tablespoons about 166, and a quarter cup (60 mL, about 40 g) about 220. That works out to roughly 5.5 calories per gram, so a rounded spoonful adds up faster than it looks. If you are tracking closely, weigh your portion rather than measuring by volume.
How much protein is in hemp hearts?
One tablespoon of hemp hearts has about 3.2 g of protein, two tablespoons about 6.3 g, and three tablespoons (30 g) about 9.5 g. That is 31.6 g per 100 g. You will often see "10 g per 30 g" quoted instead; that is within the normal spread between sources, explained below. Lysine is the amino acid hemp protein is shortest on, so it works best alongside lysine-rich foods such as legumes, dairy or eggs. Whether that still counts as a complete protein is covered separately.
How many carbs are in hemp hearts?
Three tablespoons (30 g) of hemp hearts contain about 2.6 g of carbohydrate, of which 1.2 g is fibre, leaving about 1.4 g of net carbs. A single tablespoon has under 1 g of total carbohydrate and about 0.5 g net. Sugars are low as well: USDA lists 1.5 g per 100 g, under half a gram in a 30 g serving.
What is the macro split of hemp hearts?
By calories, hemp hearts are about 74% fat, 20% protein and 6% carbohydrate, using the energy factors USDA applies to this food.
If you add the macros up yourself with the usual 9-4-4 calories per gram, you get about 600 calories per 100 g rather than 553, and a split of about 73% fat, 21% protein and 6% carbohydrate. That gap is not an error. USDA uses food-specific factors for this entry (8.37 calories per gram of fat, 3.47 per gram of protein and 4.07 per gram of carbohydrate), so an app that rebuilds calories from macros may show a slightly higher number.
Most of the fat is polyunsaturated: 38.1 g of the 48.8 g per 100 g. Linoleic acid (omega-6) and alpha-linolenic acid (omega-3) make up the bulk of it, at roughly 3 to 1. Saturated fat is 4.6 g per 100 g, under 1.5 g in a 30 g serving.
Portioning for keto, weight management and muscle gain
- Keto or low-carb: hemp hearts fit easily. Three tablespoons add about 1.4 g of net carbs, and even a quarter cup (about 40 g) adds under 2 g, while supplying about 1.5 g of fat for every gram of protein.
- Weight management: the protein and fat make a meal more filling, but the calories add up. Two tablespoons give about 6 g of protein for about 110 calories. They are easiest to fit into a calorie budget when they replace another topping, such as croutons or cheese, rather than being added on top of it. Measure rather than free-pour.
- Muscle gain: spread larger amounts across meals rather than eating one big serving. A quarter cup contributes about 12.6 g of protein toward a daily target, at about 220 calories. Treat it as one protein source among several rather than the main one.
Hemp hearts vs whole hemp seed
Whole hemp seed still has its fibrous hull, which dilutes the kernel. In a University of Manitoba analysis of commercial samples grown in Western Canada, whole seed averaged 24.0% protein and 30.4% fat, against 35.9% protein and 46.7% fat for dehulled seed (House et al., 2010). The hull is mostly fibre: an analysis of whole seed of the Finola variety found 27.6% total dietary fibre (Callaway, 2004), where USDA lists 4% for hulled seed.
Gram for gram, then, whole seed gives less protein and fat and far more fibre. The Manitoba study also found that removing the hull made the protein more digestible, raising its protein quality score (PDCAAS) from 49–53% for whole seed to 63–66% for dehulled seed.
Why the numbers differ between sources
Reference databases do not agree exactly. Health Canada's Canadian Nutrient File lists hulled hemp seed at 584 calories, 32.7 g of protein, 47.0 g of fat, 8.1 g of carbohydrate and 5.1 g of fibre per 100 g, against USDA's 553, 31.6, 48.8, 8.7 and 4.0. Method matters too: USDA converts the seed's measured nitrogen to protein with a factor of 5.3 for this food, while the Manitoba study used the general factor of 6.25, which on its own makes a protein figure about 18% higher. Processing plays a part as well; in that study, one dehulled sample that the authors judged had kept more hull carried more fibre and less fat and protein than the others.
For everyday tracking, the USDA figures above are close enough. If you need precision for a specific product, use the Nutrition Facts table on the bag, which applies to that product.