How Many Calories in Lingonberries? Nutrition & Macros

Fresh lingonberries have 54 calories per 100 g (228 kJ). A handful of about 40 g is 22 calories and a cupful of 100 g is 54. That puts them at the light end of the berry shelf — under blueberries (57 kcal) though above strawberries (32 kcal) — with 10.38 g of carbohydrate and 0.5 g of fat.

They are close relatives in the same genus, and they are often treated as interchangeable, but the numbers differ: 54 kcal against 46 per 100 g, 10.38 g of carbohydrate against 11.97 g, and more protein (0.75 g against 0.46 g) and fat (0.5 g against 0.13 g) in the lingonberry. Cranberries are the North American berry and the larger of the two; lingonberries grow wild across northern Europe and Scandinavia and are smaller and firmer.

Moderately. 10.38 g of carbohydrate less 2.5 g of fibre leaves 7.88 g of net carbs per 100 g, so a 40 g handful costs about 3.2 g — which fits a strict 20 g day, but a full cup does not leave much room. Raspberries (5.44 g net) and blackberries (4.31 g net) are the easier berries on keto. Lingonberry jam is out: at 37 g of carbohydrate per 100 g it is a different proposition entirely.

Vitamin C is the main one at 11 mg per 100 g, with 1.6 mg of vitamin E alongside it. The mineral worth noting is manganese, 3.2 mg per 100 g, which is high for a fruit; then potassium (89 mg), calcium (20 mg), phosphorus (16 mg), magnesium (9 mg) and iron (0.4 mg). Sodium is negligible at 2 mg. The deep red comes from anthocyanins, the pigment family the berry shares with blackcurrants and blackberries.

They suit a deficit well. 54 kcal per 100 g, 85.57 % water and 2.5 g of fibre make a cupful filling for what it costs, and the berry is tart enough that nobody eats it by the bowlful the way they might grapes. The catch is the form most people meet it in: the jam runs to 156 kcal per 100 g with 30.8 g of sugar, roughly three times the fresh berry.

Raw they are very tart, so they are usually cooked or sweetened — the jam beside meatballs and pancakes is the classic, and a lightly stirred raw preserve (rårörda lingon) is the Swedish alternative. They also make a sharp sauce for game and reindeer, go into porridge and compotes, and freeze well. Because of the benzoic acid, fresh berries keep for weeks in the fridge, far longer than raspberries or strawberries.