How Many Calories for Banana?
A medium banana contains around 105 calories, with 27g of carbohydrates. It's one of the most calorie-dense common fruits, but the fibre means it won't spike your blood sugar as fast as the sugar content suggests.
Nutrition per 100g
| Nutrient | Per 100g | Per serving |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 90 kcal / 380 kJ | 135 kcal |
| Protein | 1.2g | 1.8g |
| Carbohydrates | 20.3g | 30.5g |
| of which sugars | 18.1g | — |
| Fat | 0.1g | 0.2g |
| of which saturated | 0.1g | — |
| Fibre | 1.4g | — |
| Salt | 0.01g | — |
Serving size: 1 medium banana (~150g edible portion) · Source: Tesco product page, October 2025
Glucose impact
Medium
Glucose risk
Bananas have a medium glycaemic index of approximately 51, with a glycaemic load of around 13 per medium banana. The 18.1g of sugar per 100g is entirely natural fructose, glucose, and sucrose. While this is higher than most fruits, the fibre content (1.4g/100g) and the physical structure of the fruit slow digestion somewhat. Ripeness is the key variable — a green banana can have a GI as low as 30 due to resistant starch, while a very ripe banana with brown spots can reach GI 60+.
Processing level
A fresh banana is a single-ingredient whole fruit — completely unprocessed. Every fresh banana product at Tesco, whether loose, in packs, organic, or ripen-at-home, is NOVA 1. Banana-derived products like banana milk or banana-flavoured bars are entirely different products and score NOVA 3-4.
Banana at Tesco
Source: Tesco product page, October 2025
*Prices were correct at the time of collection and may have since changed. Check Tesco.com for current pricing.
What to watch for when shopping
Fresh bananas are always NOVA 1. The processed banana products to be cautious about are banana chips (often fried in palm oil with added sugar), banana-flavoured milk (contains sugar, flavourings, stabilisers), and dried banana bars. If you are watching blood sugar, choose slightly green bananas over very ripe ones — the resistant starch in greener bananas produces a significantly lower glucose response. Budget tip: Tesco Bananas Loose at 16p each is the cheapest option and nutritionally identical to every other fresh banana.
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