Calories in a Tablespoon of Cream and Milk Powder

By NYUS Inc. · Published 27 October 2026

Cream, half and half, sour cream and milk powder are used by the spoonful, and the number depends on which record you mean. This guide gives seven records from the SR Legacy table of USDA FoodData Central, each with the tablespoon, fluid ounce or cup weight printed on its record page. IFCT 2017, the Indian Food Composition Tables from ICMR-NIN, has no cream, malai, sour cream or milk powder row (we searched all 585 PDF pages), so its two whole-milk rows (cow and buffalo, 6 regions each) are shown only as a comparison. IFCT prints energy in kilojoules, so the kcal for those rows are our conversion. Our existing spoon guide covers ghee, oil, butter, sugar, jaggery and honey.

The short answer

By the SR Legacy records, 1 tablespoon (15 g) of heavy whipping cream is 51.0 kcal, of light whipping cream 43.8 kcal, of light (coffee or table) cream 29.3 kcal and of half and half 19.7 kcal; 1 tablespoon (12 g) of cultured sour cream is 23.8 kcal. For the milk powders the records print a quarter cup, not a tablespoon: 0.25 cup (32 g) of whole milk powder is 158.7 kcal and 0.25 cup (30 g) of nonfat milk powder 108.6 kcal. Our reading: the cream records run from 131 to 340 kcal per 100 g, so the type of cream changes a tablespoon by more than half.

SR Legacy: per printed portion

Each figure is our arithmetic on exact weights: kcal per 100 g times the grams, divided by 100, with the exact product written in the sums line and the kcal shown to 0.1 with half rounding up. Every weight is printed on the SR Legacy record page, none is ours. The record names are the dataset's own.

The sums: heavy whipping cream 340 × 15 / 100 = 51, so 51.0 kcal; light whipping cream 292 × 15 / 100 = 43.8, so 43.8 kcal; light cream 195 × 15 / 100 = 29.25, so 29.3 kcal; half and half 131 × 15 / 100 = 19.65, so 19.7 kcal; sour cream 198 × 12 / 100 = 23.76, so 23.8 kcal; whole milk powder 496 × 32 / 100 = 158.72, so 158.7 kcal; nonfat milk powder 362 × 30 / 100 = 108.6, so 108.6 kcal. Protein, fat and carbohydrate are the same arithmetic on the per 100 g figures, rounded to 0.1 g with half rounding up.

Other portions printed on the SR Legacy records

The sums: heavy whipping cream 340 × 29.8 / 100 = 101.32, so 101.3 kcal; heavy whipping cream 340 × 238 / 100 = 809.2, so 809.2 kcal; heavy whipping cream 340 × 120 / 100 = 408, so 408.0 kcal; light whipping cream 292 × 239 / 100 = 697.88, so 697.9 kcal; light whipping cream 292 × 120 / 100 = 350.4, so 350.4 kcal; light cream 195 × 11.1 / 100 = 21.645, so 21.6 kcal; light cream 195 × 30 / 100 = 58.5, so 58.5 kcal; light cream 195 × 240 / 100 = 468, so 468.0 kcal; half and half 131 × 15 / 100 = 19.65, so 19.7 kcal; half and half 131 × 30.2 / 100 = 39.562, so 39.6 kcal; half and half 131 × 242 / 100 = 317.02, so 317.0 kcal; sour cream 198 × 230 / 100 = 455.4, so 455.4 kcal; whole milk powder 496 × 128 / 100 = 634.88, so 634.9 kcal; nonfat milk powder 362 × 120 / 100 = 434.4, so 434.4 kcal; nonfat milk powder 362 × 23 / 100 = 83.26, so 83.3 kcal.

Two example amounts that are ours

The two amounts below are our own examples, not dataset values and not measurements: 2 tablespoons of heavy whipping cream (twice the printed 15 g) and 20 g of whole milk powder. Weigh yours and scale from the per 100 g column.

The sums: heavy whipping cream 340 × 30 / 100 = 102, so 102.0 kcal; whole milk powder 496 × 20 / 100 = 99.2, so 99.2 kcal.

IFCT 2017: whole milk, for comparison

IFCT 2017, Table 1 (Proximate Principles), per 100 g, PDF p. 57. Both rows average 6 regions. IFCT 2017 says all its data except poultry and egg pertains to raw food (PDF p. 27). IFCT prints energy in kilojoules; kcal is our conversion at 1 kcal = 4.184 kJ, shown to 0.1 kcal with half rounding up. These are plain milk rows, not cream or powder, and we do not combine them with the SR Legacy records.

The conversions: L002 305 / 4.184 = 72.8967, so 72.9 kcal; L001 449 / 4.184 = 107.3136, so 107.3 kcal.

What stands out in the numbers

• Fat per 100 g, SR Legacy: 170859 (heavy whipping cream) 36.1 g, 170858 (light whipping cream) 30.9 g, 171257 (sour cream) 19.4 g, 170857 (light cream) 19.1 g and 171255 (half and half) 11.5 g.
• Per 100 g, SR Legacy: 173454 (whole milk powder) 496 kcal, 170877 (nonfat milk powder) 362, 170859 (heavy whipping cream) 340, 170858 (light whipping cream) 292, 171257 (sour cream) 198, 170857 (light cream) 195 and 171255 (half and half) 131.
• Protein per 100 g: SR Legacy 170877 (nonfat milk powder) 36.2 g and 173454 (whole milk powder) 26.3 g, against 2.17 g to 3.13 g for the five cream records.
• A cup is not a tablespoon: SR Legacy 170859 prints 238 g for a cup of fluid heavy whipping cream, which is 809.2 kcal by the same arithmetic, against 51.0 kcal for its 15 g tablespoon.

Why these are reference rows, not your pack or your malai

• Names are the records'. We do not say that malai, fresh cream (taaza malai), cooking cream or a branded cream matches any record; the same goes for dahi or hung curd and sour cream.
• Milk powder has no tablespoon here. SR Legacy 173454 and 170877 print a quarter cup and a cup, and 170877 also prints 5 tbsp as 23 g; the page does not turn those into one spoon.
• The records' own notes. The record pages mark the energy and carbohydrate of all seven records "Calculated", the protein and fat of 170859, 170857 and 171257 "Analytical", the protein of 171255 "Analytical", and carry no note on the protein and fat of 170858, 173454 and 170877 or the fat of 171255.
• Cup weights are the record's. Whipped and fluid cream have different weights per cup; the table says which.
• For a packaged product, the pack wins. This page uses no pack labels.

How to log it so the numbers hold

• Log by weight. 2 tablespoons of heavy whipping cream (our example count, not a dataset value) is 2 × 15 g = 30 g, and on SR Legacy 170859 that is 340 × 30 / 100 = 102, so 102.0 kcal.
• Powder by grams. 20 g of whole milk powder (our example weight, not a dataset value) on SR Legacy 173454 is 496 × 20 / 100 = 99.2, so 99.2 kcal.
• Compare with milk and tea. Our milk guide gives cow and buffalo milk per glass, and our chai and coffee guide builds a cup from milk and sugar.
• Do not mix datasets inside one day. If you log a cream from SR Legacy, keep to that record for the same dish.

Where NYUS fits (our app)

We make NYUS, so read this as ours. NYUS is an AI fitness and nutrition coach in early access on Android, with no ads and no data selling. You log foods yourself by searching 8,900+ Indian and global foods or by barcode, and a weekly check-in adjusts your calories, macros and step goal once enough is logged. Barcode coverage of Indian packaged foods is not complete, so search by name when a scan finds nothing.

What this page leaves out

• A calorie, protein or fat target, and any claim about what these foods do to your weight or health: we have not looked up one for any person, so we give none. If you have a medical condition, ask your doctor or dietitian.
• Any named brand, pack label or FSSAI figure: not used, so the page does not mix label numbers with the records above.
• Malai, makhan-based dishes, cream-based curries and sauces, whipped cream toppings, evaporated and condensed milk and other dairy records: none is among the SR Legacy records used here, so no number. Condensed milk is in our kheer guide.
• Curd, buttermilk, paneer and khoa: not covered here; see our cheese, paneer and khoa guide.
• Nutrients beyond energy, protein, fat and carbohydrate, including sodium and sugars: not covered here.

Sources

• USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy 170859 (Cream, fluid, heavy whipping): Energy 340 kcal, protein 2.84 g, total fat 36.1 g, carbohydrate 2.84 g per 100 g; portions: 1 cup whipped 120 g, 1 cup fluid (yields 2 cups whipped) 238 g, 1 tbsp 15 g, 1 fl oz 29.8 g (read 27 Oct 2026).
• USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy 170858 (Cream, fluid, light whipping): Energy 292 kcal, protein 2.17 g, total fat 30.9 g, carbohydrate 2.96 g per 100 g; portions: 1 cup fluid (yields 2 cups whipped) 239 g, 1 tbsp 15 g, 1 cup whipped 120 g (read 27 Oct 2026).
• USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy 170857 (Cream, fluid, light (coffee cream or table cream)): Energy 195 kcal, protein 2.96 g, total fat 19.1 g, carbohydrate 3.66 g per 100 g; portions: 1 container individual 11.1 g, 1 fl oz 30 g, 1 tbsp 15 g, 1 cup 240 g (read 27 Oct 2026).
• USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy 171255 (Cream, fluid, half and half): Energy 131 kcal, protein 3.13 g, total fat 11.5 g, carbohydrate 4.3 g per 100 g; portions: 1 tbsp 15 g, 1 cup 242 g, 1 container individual (.5 fl oz) 15 g, 1 fl oz 30.2 g (read 27 Oct 2026).
• USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy 171257 (Cream, sour, cultured): Energy 198 kcal, protein 2.44 g, total fat 19.4 g, carbohydrate 4.63 g per 100 g; portions: 1 tbsp 12 g, 1 cup 230 g (read 27 Oct 2026).
• USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy 173454 (Milk, dry, whole, without added vitamin D): Energy 496 kcal, protein 26.3 g, total fat 26.7 g, carbohydrate 38.4 g per 100 g; portions: 0.25 cup 32 g, 1 cup 128 g (read 27 Oct 2026).
• USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy 170877 (Milk, dry, nonfat, regular, without added vitamin A and vitamin D): Energy 362 kcal, protein 36.2 g, total fat 0.77 g, carbohydrate 52 g per 100 g; portions: 1 cup 120 g, 0.25 cup 30 g, 5 tbsp 23 g (read 27 Oct 2026).
• ICMR-NIN, Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (IFCT 2017), Table 1 (Proximate Principles and Dietary Fibre), PDF p. 57 (L001 Milk, whole, Buffalo; L002 Milk, whole, Cow), read 27 Oct 2026; the raw-food statement is on PDF p. 27; all 585 PDF pages searched for cream, malai, sour cream, milk powder and dry milk: no food row.
• nyus.in, the NYUS landing page, read on 27 Oct 2026 for the app statements in the NYUS section and the CTA.

The kJ to kcal conversions, the per portion figures, the sums, the rounding, the two example amounts, the comparisons and every sentence starting "Our reading" are NYUS's own arithmetic or opinion, not from IFCT or USDA. The IFCT values and the SR Legacy portion weights are as printed in those datasets. The names in the first column are the datasets' own row and record names.

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