Quick Answer: Gala apple nutrition per 100 g, according to USDA data: 61 calories, 14.8 g carbohydrate, 2.1 g fibre and about 12.5 g of naturally occurring sugar.
A medium Gala of roughly 182 g therefore comes to about 111 calories, 3.8 g fibre and 23 g sugar. However, published figures vary widely, and there is a specific reason for that which we explain below. In short, Gala is a pleasant, ordinary apple. Notably, it is not more nutritious than other varieties, despite what many articles claim.
Gala Apple Nutrition Facts by Size
Apple size changes everything. Therefore, a single number is never the whole answer.
| Nutrient | Per 100 g | Small (149 g) | Medium (182 g) | Large (223 g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 61 | 91 | 111 | 136 |
| Carbohydrate | 14.8 g | 22 g | 27 g | 33 g |
| Sugars (natural) | ~12.5 g | ~19 g | ~23 g | ~28 g |
| Fibre | 2.1 g | 3.1 g | 3.8 g | 4.7 g |
| Protein | 0.1 g | 0.2 g | 0.2 g | 0.3 g |
| Fat | 0.1 g | 0.2 g | 0.2 g | 0.2 g |
| Water | ~85% | – | – | – |
Two corrections are worth making here. First, a Gala apple does not contain 5 to 7 g of fibre. Even a large one reaches only about 4.7 g. Second, apples are a weak vitamin C source. A medium Gala supplies roughly 8 to 14 mg, which is around 9 to 15 percent of the Daily Value. That is useful rather than remarkable.
Why Published Apple Calorie Figures Disagree
Search for apple calories and you will find 52, 61, 80, 95 and 116. Consequently, most articles simply pick one and contradict themselves later. Here is what is actually going on.
- Two different USDA entries exist. The older generic entry for “apples, raw, with skin” gives 52 calories per 100 g. Meanwhile, newer variety-specific analyses give 59 to 65 calories per 100 g. Gala sits at 61.
- Three different apple sizes exist. USDA references a small apple at 149 g, a medium at 182 g and a large at 223 g.
- Combining the two produces a huge range. For example, 95 calories is the generic figure for a medium apple. Meanwhile, 116 is the generic figure for a large one. Neither is wrong, but neither is labelled.
So when an article says a Gala apple has 80 calories in one paragraph and 116 in another, it has mixed a small apple with a large one. The practical fix is simple. Always check which size and which entry a figure refers to.
Gala vs Other Apple Varieties
Many articles claim Gala has more nutrition than other apples. However, the USDA data does not support that. All common varieties cluster tightly together.
| Variety (per 100 g, with skin) | Calories | Carbs | Fibre |
|---|---|---|---|
| Granny Smith | 59 | 14.2 g | 2.5 g |
| Honeycrisp | 60 | 14.7 g | 1.7 g |
| Gala | 61 | 14.8 g | 2.1 g |
| Red Delicious | 62 | 14.8 g | 2.0 g |
| Fuji | 65 | 15.7 g | 2.1 g |
The spread across all five is just six calories per 100 g. Therefore, variety choice barely matters nutritionally. Granny Smith edges ahead on fibre and comes in lowest on sugar. Otherwise, pick the one you enjoy eating, because the apple you actually finish beats the one you do not.
What Gala Apples Are Genuinely Good For
- Fibre at a low calorie cost. A medium Gala gives 3.8 g of fibre, roughly 14 percent of the Daily Value, for about 111 calories. Most people fall short on fibre, so this counts.
- Satiety. Fibre plus high water content makes a whole apple genuinely filling. As a result, it works well as a snack that replaces something denser.
- Polyphenols. Apples carry quercetin, catechin and chlorogenic acid. These are real compounds with antioxidant activity measured in the laboratory.
- A low glycaemic index. Whole apples sit around 36 on the GI scale, which is low. Accordingly, they suit most eating patterns.
- Convenience. No preparation, no packaging, no cooking. That matters more for actual diet quality than any micronutrient here.
One honest framing. An apple is a good snack mainly because of what it replaces. Swap a biscuit for an apple and you gain fibre and lose added sugar. That is the real mechanism.
Claims That Do Not Hold Up
| Claim | Where it stands |
|---|---|
| Gala apples may stop the growth of cancer cells | Not supported. No fruit stops cancer cells in the body. Laboratory antioxidant activity is not a clinical effect. |
| Regular Gala apples lower your risk of heart disease, stroke and cancer | Overstated. Diets rich in fruit and vegetables are associated with lower risk. One fruit does not deliver that on its own. |
| They remove toxins from the body | Not supported. Your liver and kidneys handle that continuously. |
| Gala has more nutrition than other apples | Incorrect. Common varieties differ by about six calories per 100 g. |
| They develop the brains of growing children | Not supported. |
| They reduce bad cholesterol and increase good cholesterol | Overstated. Soluble fibre can modestly help LDL. No evidence supports the HDL half. |
| Royal Gala, Pacific Rose, Cox’s Orange Pippin and Jazz are Gala varieties | Only Royal Gala is. Pacific Rose and Jazz are separate cultivars. Cox’s Orange Pippin is a heritage variety and, in fact, one of Gala’s grandparents. |
| Gala apples grow in any weather and every season | Apple trees need winter chill hours. Year-round supply comes from storage and imports instead. |
Keep the Skin On
This is the single most useful habit with any apple. The skin holds a large share of the fibre, and it concentrates the polyphenols too. Consequently, peeling a Gala removes a meaningful part of what makes it worth eating.
Wash it under running water before eating. Similarly, whole fruit beats juice every time. A medium apple gives you 3.8 g of fibre, while the equivalent glass of juice gives you almost none and roughly the same sugar.
Gala Apples and Blood Sugar
A medium Gala carries about 23 g of naturally occurring sugar. That sounds like a lot. However, context matters.
The sugar arrives packaged with fibre and water, which slows absorption. Hence the low glycaemic index of around 36. Furthermore, none of it counts as added sugar, so it does not touch the 50 g Daily Value that applies to added sugars. Our guide to reading nutrition labels explains that distinction.
That said, if you manage diabetes, count apples as you would any fruit and follow your dietitian’s portion guidance. Apple juice is a different matter entirely, because removing the fibre removes the brake.
Where Gala Apples Come From
J.H. Kidd bred Gala in New Zealand in the 1930s. Specifically, he crossed Kidd’s Orange Red with Golden Delicious. Commercial distribution reached the United States and Europe around 1980. Today Gala is one of the most widely grown apples in the world.
You can buy Gala apples all year, but not because the trees fruit continuously. In fact, apple trees need a period of winter cold and crop once a year. Instead, year-round supply comes from two things. First, controlled-atmosphere storage keeps harvested apples in good condition for months by lowering oxygen and temperature. Second, Southern Hemisphere growers in New Zealand, Chile and South Africa harvest opposite to the Northern Hemisphere.
Frequently Asked Questions
About 61 calories per 100 g according to USDA data for Gala apples with skin. That works out to roughly 91 calories for a small apple of 149 g, 111 for a medium of 182 g and 136 for a large of 223 g. Figures you see elsewhere may be lower, because the older generic USDA entry for apples gives 52 calories per 100 g rather than the variety-specific 61.
About 2.1 g per 100 g, so roughly 3.8 g in a medium apple and 4.7 g in a large one. That is around 14 percent of the Daily Value for a medium Gala. Claims that a single apple provides 5 to 7 g of fibre are too high. Keep the skin on, because it holds a large share of that fibre.
No. USDA variety-specific data puts Granny Smith at 59 calories per 100 g, Honeycrisp at 60, Gala at 61, Red Delicious at 62 and Fuji at 65. The whole spread is six calories. Granny Smith edges ahead on fibre at 2.5 g and comes in lowest on sugar. Otherwise the differences are trivial, so choose the variety you enjoy.
Around 12.5 g per 100 g, so roughly 23 g in a medium apple. All of it occurs naturally, so none of it counts towards the 50 g Daily Value for added sugars. The fibre and water slow absorption, which is why whole apples have a low glycaemic index of about 36. Apple juice behaves very differently, because removing the fibre removes the brake.
Only modestly. A medium Gala supplies roughly 8 to 14 mg, which is about 9 to 15 percent of the Daily Value. Apples have a reputation as a vitamin C food that the numbers do not really justify. Citrus fruit, peppers and kiwi all deliver several times more per serving.
No, not if you can help it. The skin holds a large share of the fibre and concentrates the polyphenols, so peeling removes much of what makes the fruit worth eating. Wash it under running water instead. Whole fruit also beats juice, since juicing strips the fibre while leaving the sugar.
Indirectly, and only as part of a wider pattern. No food causes weight loss by itself. What an apple does well is replace something denser: swapping a biscuit for an apple adds fibre and removes added sugar for fewer calories. The fibre and water also make apples genuinely filling, which helps with a calorie-controlled approach.
J.H. Kidd bred them in New Zealand in the 1930s by crossing Kidd’s Orange Red with Golden Delicious. Commercial distribution reached the United States and Europe around 1980. Royal Gala is a genuine Gala sport, but Pacific Rose and Jazz are separate cultivars rather than Gala types, and Cox’s Orange Pippin is a heritage variety that happens to be one of Gala’s grandparents.
Not because the trees fruit continuously. Apple trees need winter chill and crop once a year. Instead, two things create year-round supply. Controlled-atmosphere storage holds harvested apples in good condition for months by lowering oxygen and temperature. Meanwhile, Southern Hemisphere growers in New Zealand, Chile and South Africa harvest on the opposite schedule to the Northern Hemisphere.
Related Reading
- How to read nutrition labels to make smarter food choices
- Kiwi fruit benefits: nutrition, real evidence and side effects
- Almond nutrition facts and what the evidence shows
- How to spot a fad diet: red flags and the real evidence
Sources
- USDA FoodData Central, for Gala and other variety-specific apple nutrient data.
- US FDA, Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels.
- Atkinson, Foster-Powell and Brand-Miller, International Tables of Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load Values.
- World Health Organization, Healthy diet fact sheet, on fruit intake and free sugars.
Last reviewed and rewritten September 2026. Nutrient values come from USDA FoodData Central and are rounded. Apple size, growing conditions and storage all affect the numbers, so treat these as close approximations rather than exact figures. This article gives general information only. It is not medical or dietetic advice. If you manage diabetes or follow a prescribed eating plan, follow the guidance of your doctor or registered dietitian. How we research and check this content is described in our editorial process and sources cited policy.
