A large hard-boiled egg (50 g) contains 78 calories, 6.3 g protein, 5.3 g fat, 0.6 g carbohydrate, and 186 mg cholesterol. It’s also a meaningful source of choline, selenium, vitamin B12, riboflavin, vitamin D and vitamin A — most of it in the yolk.
Where these numbers come from
All figures derive from USDA FoodData Central, “Egg, whole, cooked, hard-boiled”, scaled to a 50 g large egg. Percentages are of the FDA Daily Values used on US nutrition labels. Micronutrient content varies with hen diet — vitamin D and omega-3 content especially — so treat these as typical rather than exact.
What we haven’t done: no registered dietitian or physician has reviewed this page. It reports nutrient data; it isn’t dietary or medical advice.
Macronutrients
| Nutrient | Amount | % Daily Value |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 78 kcal | 4% |
| Protein | 6.3 g | 13% |
| Total fat | 5.3 g | 7% |
| — Saturated | 1.6 g | 8% |
| — Monounsaturated | 2.0 g | — |
| — Polyunsaturated | 0.7 g | — |
| Carbohydrate | 0.6 g | <1% |
| Fibre | 0 g | 0% |
| Sugars | 0.6 g | — |
| Cholesterol | 186 mg | 62% |
| Sodium | 62 mg | 3% |
Two things stand out. Eggs are essentially carbohydrate-free, which is why they anchor low-carb eating patterns. And most of the fat is unsaturated — about 2.7 g unsaturated against 1.6 g saturated.
The cholesterol figure is the one that gets attention, and it deserves a fuller answer than a percentage. The health benefits and risks page covers how official guidance on dietary cholesterol has changed and where the evidence currently sits.
Vitamins and minerals
| Nutrient | Amount | % Daily Value |
|---|---|---|
| Choline | ~147 mg | 27% |
| Selenium | ~15 mcg | 28% |
| Vitamin B12 | ~0.6 mcg | 25% |
| Riboflavin (B2) | ~0.26 mg | 20% |
| Pantothenic acid (B5) | ~0.7 mg | 14% |
| Vitamin A | ~75 mcg RAE | 8% |
| Vitamin D | ~1.1 mcg (44 IU) | 6% |
| Folate | ~22 mcg DFE | 6% |
| Phosphorus | ~86 mg | 7% |
| Iron | ~0.6 mg | 3% |
| Zinc | ~0.5 mg | 5% |
| Lutein + zeaxanthin | ~250 mcg | no DV set |
The ones worth knowing about
Choline. The standout. Eggs are among the richest common dietary sources, and choline is a nutrient many people fall short on — the Dietary Guidelines for Americans has identified it as under-consumed. It’s used in cell membranes and in making acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter. Nearly all of it is in the yolk.
Vitamin D. Eggs are one of very few foods that contain it naturally rather than through fortification. The amount is modest and varies substantially with what the hens were fed and whether they had outdoor access — pasture-raised eggs typically test higher.
Selenium and B12. A quarter of the Daily Value each, from 78 calories. That density is what “nutrient-dense” actually means in the case of eggs.
Lutein and zeaxanthin. Carotenoids that concentrate in the retina. The amount per egg is smaller than in leafy greens, but the fat in the yolk appears to make them unusually well absorbed. Content varies widely with hen diet.
What’s in the yolk versus the white
The split is stark. The white is essentially protein, water, riboflavin and a little selenium. Nearly everything else — the choline, the vitamin D, the vitamin A, the lutein, the iron, all the fat and all the cholesterol — is in the yolk.
So egg whites give you protein at a third of the calories and none of the micronutrient payload. Neither choice is wrong; it depends what you want from the egg. The protein page has the fuller comparison.
Does boiling change the nutrition?
Very little, and what it changes it mostly improves. Heat denatures the proteins so they’re digested more completely, and neutralises avidin in the white, which otherwise binds biotin. Some heat-sensitive nutrients decline slightly with prolonged cooking — but eleven minutes in boiling water is gentle compared with frying or long baking.
What boiling doesn’t do is add anything. That’s the practical case for a boiled egg over a fried one: same nutrition, no cooking fat.
Nutrition facts questions
What are the nutrition facts for one boiled egg?
A large hard-boiled egg has 78 calories, 6.3 g protein, 5.3 g fat (1.6 g saturated), 0.6 g carbohydrate and 186 mg cholesterol, per USDA data. It also supplies roughly a quarter of the Daily Value for choline, selenium and vitamin B12.
How much cholesterol is in a boiled egg?
About 186 mg in a large egg, all of it in the yolk — 62% of the FDA Daily Value. How much dietary cholesterol matters for blood cholesterol has been substantially revised in recent years; the health benefits and risks page covers what current guidance says.
Do boiled eggs have carbs?
Essentially none — about 0.6 g per large egg, and no fibre. That’s why eggs feature so heavily in low-carb and ketogenic eating patterns.
Are boiled eggs a good source of vitamin D?
A modest one, but notable because very few foods contain vitamin D naturally rather than by fortification. A large egg supplies around 1.1 mcg (44 IU), roughly 6% of the Daily Value, and the amount varies with hen diet and outdoor access.
What nutrients are in the egg yolk?
Nearly all of them. The yolk holds the choline, vitamin D, vitamin A, lutein, iron, all the fat and all the cholesterol. The white is essentially protein, water and riboflavin — so discarding yolks removes most of the egg’s micronutrient content.
Sources
- USDA FoodData Central — Egg, whole, cooked, hard-boiled. Per 100 g: 155 kcal, 12.58 g protein, 10.61 g fat, 1.12 g carbohydrate, 373 mg cholesterol.
- FDA — Daily Values used in nutrition labelling, for the % DV column.
- Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020–2025 — identification of choline as an under-consumed nutrient.
Figures last checked against source: August 8, 2026.