Calculate nutrition of a whole recipe.
A recipe's calorie count is not an independent number — it is fully determined by its macronutrients through the Atwater factors: 4 kcal per gram of protein and digestible carbohydrate, 9 for fat, and about 2 for fiber, which is only partly fermented to usable energy. Building the total from the macros rather than adding up label calories catches arithmetic errors and shows the macro split as a share of energy, which is the form dietary guidelines use.
Atwater energy from macronutrients
Calories = protein x 4 + (carbohydrate - fiber) x 4 + fiber x 2 + fat x 9
These figures are population-average estimates for general planning only and are not medical or dietetic advice. Individual energy and nutrient needs vary widely with body composition, activity, medication and health status. Consult a qualified health professional or registered dietitian before making significant changes to what you eat, and especially if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, are under 18, or have a medical condition or a history of disordered eating.
Fiber is not digested in the small intestine, but gut bacteria ferment part of it into short-chain fatty acids the body absorbs. EU labelling regulation uses 2 kcal/g for this, while US labelling generally counts fiber at the full 4 kcal/g.
Most sites use rounded per-ingredient database values and some apply the US convention for fiber. Differences of a few percent are expected; differences above about 15 percent usually mean an ingredient quantity is wrong somewhere.
Yes if the recipe retains it — alcohol supplies 7 kcal per gram. Simmered dishes lose most of it, but an uncooked dessert or cocktail keeps nearly all of it, and it is not captured by the protein, carbohydrate or fat fields.