How Many Calories Are in a Vape?

The Surprising Question Everyone’s Asking

You’ve counted calories in coffee, snacks, smoothies—maybe even chewing gum. But now, you’re staring at your vape pen and wondering, “Wait… are there calories in this thing?”

It sounds strange at first, but it’s a fair question—especially with all those delicious-smelling vape flavors like vanilla custard, strawberry shortcake, or cinnamon roll. They smell like dessert, they taste sweet, so… do they sneak in a few extra calories with every puff?

Let’s clear the air and get to the bottom of this. Whether you’re a fitness buff, someone trying to lose weight, or just curious, we’ll break down the science behind vape ingredients, how your body processes them, and if you need to worry about vape calories at all.

Understanding the Basics of Vaping

What Is Vaping, Really?

Vaping is inhaling a vapor produced by an electronic device like an e-cigarette, vape pen, or pod system. Unlike smoking, which burns tobacco, vaping involves heating a liquid (e-liquid) to create a cloud of vapor.

People vape for different reasons: some are trying to quit smoking, others enjoy the flavors, and some just like the calming ritual of it. But what they’re all inhaling comes from that little bottle of vape juice.

What’s Inside That Cloud?

So what’s actually in vape juice?

Most e-liquids contain the following ingredients:

• Propylene Glycol (PG): A clear, odorless liquid that carries flavor well and produces a “throat hit.”
• Vegetable Glycerin (VG): Thicker than PG, VG helps create big, dense clouds.
• Flavorings: These are food-grade ingredients that make your vape taste like mango, strawberry cheesecake, mint, or any of the hundreds of other flavors out there.
• Nicotine (optional): Depending on the juice, it may or may not contain nicotine.

But none of these ingredients are food. You’re not drinking the e-liquid—you’re inhaling it. That makes a big difference when we start talking about calories.

Do Vapes Contain Calories? Let’s Break It Down

The Role of Propylene Glycol and Vegetable Glycerin

Let’s start with PG and VG—the two main ingredients in vape juice. Believe it or not, both of them do contain calories.

• PG (Propylene Glycol): Roughly 4 calories per gram
• VG (Vegetable Glycerin): Around 4.3 calories per gram

Sounds like a lot, right? But here’s the twist: those calories only matter if you consume them—as in, eat or drink them. And when you vape, you’re not digesting these ingredients. You’re heating them, turning them into vapor, and blowing them out.

Are Nicotine and Flavorings Caloric?

Nicotine itself doesn’t contain any calories. It’s a stimulant, not a nutrient. It may increase your heart rate and suppress your appetite, but it doesn’t provide energy the way carbs or fat do.

Flavorings? Also negligible. While they taste sweet, especially in dessert or fruit-flavored vapes, they contain no actual sugar or calories. These are aroma compounds, not food.

How About Sweet or Dessert-Flavored Vapes?

This is where people get confused. Your brain thinks “strawberry cheesecake vape = calories,” because it smells and tastes so real. But that’s just sensory trickery. There’s no butter, sugar, or flour in your vape pen.

Vape flavors are designed to simulate taste without adding nutritional content. So unless someone is adding literal syrup to their juice (please don’t do that), you’re not puffing on anything caloric.

Caloric Absorption: Inhaling vs. Ingesting

Can You Actually “Eat” Vape Calories?

Nope. There’s a big difference between ingesting something and inhaling it.

Your digestive system is designed to break down calories from food and absorb them into your bloodstream. Your lungs, on the other hand, are built to exchange gases—not to absorb nutrients.

So even though vape juice technically contains calories, your body doesn’t treat it like food. You inhale the vapor, your lungs absorb the nicotine (if present), and the rest gets exhaled or broken down in trace amounts.

The Science Behind Vapor and Your Body

A 2020 study looked at this question and concluded that the amount of PG or VG that actually gets absorbed into your body is so small, it’s basically unmeasurable in terms of calorie intake.

You’d need to vape like a dragon—nonstop, all day—to even get close to one or two calories total. And even then, your metabolism would burn those off before you finish the sentence you’re reading right now.

How Many Calories Are in a Vape Puff?

Estimating Calories Per Puff

Okay, let’s get nerdy.

One vape puff usually uses about 0.03 ml of e-liquid. If that liquid is a 50/50 blend of PG and VG, and we know each gram contains roughly 4 calories, then…

0.03 ml = ~0.03 grams

That means each puff is equal to about 0.1 calorie—maybe even less.

Is It Even Worth Counting?

Unless you’re tracking every molecule of everything you consume (and we salute your dedication), the calories in vape puffs are irrelevant for weight loss, fitness, or nutrition tracking.

They’re technically there in a chemistry-lab kind of way—but they don’t affect your body in any meaningful sense.

Different Vape Types, Different Calorie Content?

E-Liquids

Most bottled e-liquids contain similar ingredients—PG, VG, flavorings, and sometimes nicotine. The calorie count across different brands is virtually identical, and again, not absorbed into the body in any real way.

Disposables

Disposables are pre-filled, single-use vape devices. Their contents are the same: a PG/VG base, flavors, and optional nicotine. Despite how good they smell, you’re still not taking in measurable calories.

Nicotine Salts

Nicotine salts are designed for a smoother hit and often contain higher nicotine concentrations. But that doesn’t increase calorie content. Same PG/VG base, same negligible numbers.

Does Vaping Affect Your Diet or Weight?

Vaping and Appetite Suppression

Here’s where vaping could indirectly influence your weight.

Nicotine is a stimulant and has long been associated with appetite suppression. Many smokers report losing weight when they start using nicotine, and some vapers experience the same effect—less hunger, fewer snacks.

This is more behavioral than nutritional. You’re not losing weight because you’re inhaling calories—you might be losing it because you’re not eating those extra cookies.

Does It Replace Snacking?

This is especially true with sweet-flavored vapes. Craving dessert? Some people reach for their churro-flavored vape instead of raiding the pantry. It satisfies the flavor craving without the calories, even though the calorie part was never real to begin with.

For emotional eaters or mindless snackers, vaping can become a substitute behavior. It’s not a healthy snack replacement, per se—but it does fill the gap for some.

Calorie Myths in the Vaping World

The “Sugar Vape” Fallacy

Many people assume that sweet-tasting or dessert-inspired vapes must be loaded with sugar or calories. That’s not how it works.

Vape juices use artificial flavoring compounds that replicate sweetness without actual sugar content. Adding real sugar to vape juice wouldn’t work—it would burn, clog your device, and potentially be harmful to inhale.

“Zero Calorie” Labels—Are They Honest?

Technically, yes. Since the amount of calories in vape juice is so minuscule and not absorbed like food, calling it “zero calorie” is accurate in practice. It’s like how diet sodas have trace sweeteners but are still considered zero-cal.

So when a vape juice says “no calories” or “sugar-free,” it’s not a marketing gimmick. It’s fact-based.

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Inhaling Calories—Fact or Fiction?

Let’s put the rumor to rest: vaping does not add real calories to your diet. Sure, there are trace amounts on a molecular level, but they’re not absorbed the way food is. You’re not inhaling donuts—you’re enjoying flavors that mimic them.

So if you’re watching your waistline and wondering if your vape is sneaking in secret calories, you can breathe easy. Literally.

FAQs

1. Can vaping make me gain weight?
Not directly. Vaping has negligible calories. However, behavioral factors like replacing snacks or changing routines may influence weight over time.

2. Are dessert-flavored vapes high in sugar?
No. They taste sweet but don’t contain actual sugar. The flavorings are synthetic and calorie-free.

3. How many calories are in a disposable vape?
Close to zero. Even if you puff through the whole thing, the caloric content is insignificant.

4. Do nicotine-free vapes have fewer calories?
Not really. The nicotine doesn’t add calories. The PG and VG base stays the same.

5. Should I include vape calories in my food diary?
It’s not necessary. The calorie count is so low it won’t affect your diet tracking.