How many calories are in flour?

Plain white flour contains around 340 kcal per 100g, with wholemeal flour slightly higher at around 350 kcal per 100g due to retained bran and germ. Self-raising flour is similar at approximately 340 kcal per 100g. The calorie density is high because flour is very low in water — almost all of the weight is starch and protein.

Under the NOVA classification, plain flour is NOVA 1 — minimally processed. Milling wheat into flour is considered a basic food preparation step, not industrial processing. This applies to all plain flour varieties: white, wholemeal, strong, self-raising, and organic. However, flour is a key ingredient in many ultra-processed foods (NOVA 4) like industrial bread, biscuits, and cakes.

Is wholemeal flour better than white flour?

Wholemeal flour retains the bran and germ, providing around 10g of fibre per 100g compared to about 3g in white flour. It also has a slightly lower GI (~69 vs ~71). However, the difference in glucose impact is modest — both are high-GI, high-carb ingredients. The main advantage of wholemeal is the extra fibre, which supports gut health and provides slightly more sustained energy release.

Glucose: HighNOVA 1

Nutritional Information for Flour

Plain white flour is a pantry staple delivering around 340 kcal per 100g, with high carbohydrate content (~70g) and moderate protein (~10g). From a SpikeSaver perspective, white flour has a high GI of around 71 and is rapidly converted to glucose during digestion. It is rarely consumed on its own — flour is an ingredient in bread, cakes, pastry, and batter — so the glucose impact depends heavily on what you make with it. Wholemeal flour has more fibre and a slightly lower GI, but the difference is modest.

Nutrition per 100g

Nutrient	Per 100g	Per serving
Energy	340 kcal / 1443 kJ	340 kcal
Protein	10g	10g
Carbohydrates	70g	70g
of which sugars	1.5g	—
Fat	1.3g	1.3g
of which saturated	0.2g	—
Fibre	3.1g	—
Salt	0.01g	—

Serving size: 100g (typical recipe portion) · Source: Tesco product page, October 2025

Glucose impact

Glycemic Index

High

Glucose risk

White flour has a high glycaemic index (~71) because the starch in refined wheat is rapidly digested into glucose. Wholemeal flour is slightly better (~69) due to retained fibre, but still high. Since flour is almost never consumed raw, the real glucose risk depends on the end product — white bread (GI ~75), cake, pastry, and batter all deliver rapid glucose spikes. Using flour in combination with fat, protein, and fibre slows the glucose response somewhat.

Processing level

NOVA 1 (unprocessed)

Plain flour — whether white, wholemeal, or strong bread flour — is NOVA 1 (minimally processed). It is simply milled wheat grain. Self-raising flour is also NOVA 1 under the NOVA framework as the added raising agent (sodium bicarbonate) is considered a culinary ingredient. Flour becomes a concern only when it is used as an ingredient in ultra-processed products like industrial bread, cakes, and biscuits.

Flour at Tesco

Source: Tesco product page, October 2025

Tesco Plain Flour 1.5Kg

£0.75*NOVA 1 (unprocessed)

Tesco Self Raising Flour 1.5Kg

£0.75*NOVA 1 (unprocessed)

Tesco Strong White Flour 1.5Kg

£1.30*NOVA 1 (unprocessed)

Allinson's Plain Wholemeal Baking Flour 1kg

£2.30*NOVA 1 (unprocessed)

Tesco Organic Plain Flour 1Kg

£1.70*NOVA 1 (unprocessed)

*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

All plain flour at Tesco is NOVA 1 — white, wholemeal, self-raising, strong, and organic varieties are all just milled wheat (sometimes with raising agent). The glucose risk is not in the flour itself but in what you bake with it. Wholemeal flour (Allinson's at £2.30/kg) has 10g fibre per 100g versus ~3g for white, which slows glucose absorption slightly. Budget tip: Tesco Plain Flour 1.5Kg at £0.75 (£0.50/kg) is the cheapest option by far.

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