It's a common question, especially among calorie-conscious vapers: do vapes actually have calories? The short answer is that e-liquid ingredients technically contain calories, but inhaling vapor delivers effectively zero calories to your body. Your lungs don't absorb nutrients the way your digestive system does, so vaping won't contribute to your daily caloric intake in any meaningful way.
That said, vaping is not risk-free. If you don't currently smoke or vape, there's no reason to start. This article is purely informational for those curious about what's in their vape juice.
What's Actually in Your Vape Juice?
To understand whether vapes have calories, you need to know what e-liquid is made of. Most vape juice contains four main ingredients:
Vegetable Glycerin (VG) is a thick, sweet liquid derived from vegetable oils. It's responsible for producing dense vapor clouds. VG contains approximately 4.32 calories per gram and typically makes up 50-80% of an e-liquid formula.
Propylene Glycol (PG) is a thinner liquid that carries flavor more effectively and produces a stronger throat hit. PG contains about 4 calories per gram and makes up 20-50% of most e-liquids.
Flavorings are food-grade compounds that give vape juice its taste. These contribute trace calories, but the amounts used are so small that they're nutritionally insignificant.
Nicotine contains zero calories regardless of concentration.
Here's a quick comparison:
| Ingredient | Calories per Gram | Typical % of E-Liquid | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vegetable Glycerin (VG) | ~4.32 | 50-80% | Vapor production |
| Propylene Glycol (PG) | ~4.0 | 20-50% | Flavor carrier, throat hit |
| Flavorings | Trace | 5-15% | Taste |
| Nicotine | 0 | 0-5% | Stimulant |
Both VG and PG are recognized as caloric substances when consumed orally - they're actually used in many foods, medications, and cosmetics. But the key word here is "consumed orally."
How Many Calories Are in a Vape?
Let's do the math. A typical disposable vape or refillable pod holds about 2ml of e-liquid. E-liquid has a density slightly higher than water, so 2ml weighs roughly 1.5-2 grams depending on the VG/PG ratio.
Using a common 70/30 VG/PG ratio:
- VG portion: 1.4ml × ~1.26 g/ml = ~1.76g × 4.32 cal = ~7.6 calories
- PG portion: 0.6ml × ~1.04 g/ml = ~0.62g × 4.0 cal = ~2.5 calories
- Total: ~10 calories per 2ml pod (if ingested)
For a 10ml bottle of e-liquid, you're looking at roughly 40-50 calories total - if you were to drink it (which you absolutely should not do).
To put this in perspective, a single medium apple contains about 95 calories. An entire 10ml bottle of vape juice, consumed orally, would contain fewer calories than half an apple.
But here's the critical point: these numbers only matter if you're eating the liquid. You're not - you're inhaling it.
Do You Actually Absorb Those Calories?
This is where the distinction between ingestion and inhalation becomes important.
When you eat or drink something, it passes through your digestive system where your body breaks it down, absorbs nutrients (including calories), and converts them to energy or stores them as fat. Your stomach and intestines are specifically designed for this job.
Your lungs are not. The respiratory system is built for gas exchange - pulling oxygen in and pushing carbon dioxide out. It is not designed to process nutrients or absorb caloric energy from substances that pass through it.
When you inhale vapor:
- Most of the VG and PG is exhaled back out
- A small amount may be absorbed into the bloodstream through the lung tissue
- Any absorbed VG/PG is metabolized by the liver, but in quantities so small they're physiologically insignificant
- The process is fundamentally different from digestion
No published studies have demonstrated measurable caloric absorption from vaping. The scientific consensus is that any caloric intake from inhaling vapor is effectively zero - certainly not enough to register on any nutritional scale or affect your body weight.
Vaping, Nicotine, and Weight
While vaping itself doesn't add calories, there's a related concern worth addressing: the relationship between nicotine and body weight.
Nicotine is a known appetite suppressant. It can:
- Reduce hunger signals
- Increase metabolic rate slightly
- Decrease food cravings, particularly for sweets
This is why many smokers and vapers notice weight gain when they quit. It's not that the nicotine was burning calories - it's that the absence of nicotine removes the appetite suppression, leading to increased food intake.
If you're concerned about weight changes when reducing or quitting nicotine, consider:
- Gradually reducing nicotine strength rather than stopping abruptly
- Keeping healthy snacks available for when cravings hit
- Staying physically active during the transition
- Consulting a healthcare provider for personalized advice
Important: Vaping is not a weight management tool. It carries its own health risks and should never be started for the purpose of appetite suppression or calorie avoidance. If you're struggling with weight management, speak with a healthcare professional about evidence-based approaches.
Does Vape Juice Contain Sugar?
Another common question, especially from those watching their sugar intake. The answer: most e-liquids do not contain actual sugar (sucrose).
The sweet flavors you taste in dessert, fruit, and candy-flavored vapes come from:
- Sucralose - an artificial sweetener with zero calories
- Ethyl maltol - a flavor compound that produces a sweet, cotton-candy-like taste
- Other food-grade flavorings - designed to mimic sweetness without sugar
These compounds deliver sweetness to your taste buds without the caloric content of real sugar. However, it's worth noting that sweeteners like sucralose are notorious for gunking up coils faster, requiring more frequent coil replacements.
Some cheaper or less reputable e-liquid brands may use ingredients that aren't clearly disclosed, so it's always best to buy from established manufacturers that provide full ingredient transparency.
The Bottom Line
E-liquid ingredients like VG and PG technically contain calories - about 4 calories per gram when ingested orally. A full 2ml pod contains roughly 5-10 calories worth of these ingredients. However, since you're inhaling vapor rather than eating liquid, your body absorbs effectively zero calories from vaping.
Vaping will not affect your daily caloric intake, contribute to weight gain, or impact your diet in any measurable way. The calories-in-vape-juice question is more of a chemistry curiosity than a practical health concern.
That said, remember:
- Vaping is not risk-free and non-smokers should not start
- Vaping is not a weight management or appetite control tool
- Nicotine withdrawal (not vaping itself) can affect appetite and weight
- If you have concerns about weight or nutrition, consult a healthcare professional
Sources
- Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Elements Within the Nutrition Facts Table - Official energy conversion factor for glycerol: 4.32 Calories per gram.
- U.S. FDA. 21 CFR 184.1666 - Propylene Glycol - Propylene glycol affirmed as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) for use in food.
- U.S. FDA. 21 CFR 182.1320 - Glycerin - Glycerin recognized as safe when used in accordance with good manufacturing practice.
- Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). Toxicological Profile for Propylene Glycol - No kinetic data for caloric absorption of propylene glycol after inhalation exposure were found.
- National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Toxicology of E-Cigarette Constituents - Comprehensive federal review of PG/VG in e-cigarettes; no caloric contribution identified as a physiological effect.
- Mineur YS, et al. "Nicotine Decreases Food Intake Through Activation of POMC Neurons." Science, 2011;332(6035):1330-1332 - Nicotine suppresses appetite via hypothalamic alpha-3-beta-4 nicotinic receptors.
- Aubin HJ, et al. "Weight Gain in Smokers After Quitting Cigarettes: Meta-Analysis." BMJ, 2012;345:e4439 - Mean weight gain of 4.67 kg at 12 months post-cessation across 62 studies.
- NHS Better Health. Vaping Myths and the Facts - Vaping poses a small fraction of the risks of smoking.
Related: Benefits of Vaping Over Smoking