How many calories does cooking burn?

At 3.5 METs, a 70 kg person uses about 123 kcal in thirty minutes. Energy use scales with body weight, so a 90 kg person uses roughly a third more for the same session.

What is the MET value for cooking?

3.5 METs, listed under Compendium code 05049. A MET is a multiple of resting metabolic rate.

Should I subtract my resting metabolism?

If you are adding this to a maintenance figure that already includes rest, yes. The net figure removes the roughly one MET-hour per hour your body would have spent anyway, which for cooking leaves about 71 per cent of the gross total.

Why does body weight change the answer?

A MET value is energy per kilogram of body mass, so the same activity costs more for a heavier body. That is why weight is an input rather than an assumption, and why generic calories-burned figures without a weight are close to meaningless.

How accurate is this figure?

It is an estimate from a population average. Published comparisons against indirect calorimetry find individual discrepancies of twenty to thirty per cent, so use it to compare activities rather than as a ledger to eat back.

Calories burned cooking

Energy used during cooking, computed from its metabolic equivalent of 3.5. The table below covers common weights and durations if you would rather not enter anything.

Result

These are estimates from population-level equations, not a measurement of you and not medical advice. Individual results vary widely. Talk to a doctor or a registered dietitian before making significant changes to how you eat or train.

The MET value and where it comes from

MET value: 3.5
Compendium code: 05049
Listed as: Cooking or food preparation, moderate effort
Category: Home and garden

At 3.5 METs, cooking is in the moderate band relative to the full range of activities the Compendium lists, which runs from 1.0 for sitting quietly to above 20 for elite competition.

kcal = MET × kg × h
     = 3.5 × weight × hours

net of resting:
kcal = (3.5 − 1) × weight × hours

Source: Herrmann SD, Willis EA, Ainsworth BE, et al. "2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities." Journal of Sport and Health Science 13(1), 2024, pp. 6–12. MET values are population averages; roughly 18% of Compendium entries are estimated rather than measured.

Gross and net differ by roughly one MET per hour. For cooking at 3.5 METs, that means about 71 per cent of the total is genuinely attributable to the activity.

Accuracy is limited by what a MET value can represent. It is one number standing in for everyone doing cooking, and real cost shifts with how hard you work, how efficient you are, and the conditions.

Calories burned by body weight and duration

Gross energy in kilocalories. Read across from your weight and down from your duration. A 70 kg person uses about 245 kcal an hour, of which roughly 175 is above what resting would have cost.

Calories burned by body weight and duration
Body weight	15 min	20 min	30 min	45 min	60 min	90 min
55 kg	48	64	96	144	193	289
65 kg	57	76	114	171	228	341
75 kg	66	88	131	197	263	394
85 kg	74	99	149	223	298	446
95 kg	83	111	166	249	333	499
110 kg	96	128	193	289	385	578

Compared with related activities

Energy used per thirty minutes at 70 kg, so the activities are directly comparable.

Comparison with related activities
Activity	METs	kcal / 30 min
Cooking	3.5	123
Housework	3.3	116
Vacuuming	3	105
Carrying groceries	3.5	123
Walking	3.8	133
Gardening	3.8	133

Questions

How many calories does cooking burn?: At 3.5 METs, a 70 kg person uses about 123 kcal in thirty minutes. Energy use scales with body weight, so a 90 kg person uses roughly a third more for the same session.
What is the MET value for cooking?: 3.5 METs, listed under Compendium code 05049. A MET is a multiple of resting metabolic rate.
Should I subtract my resting metabolism?: If you are adding this to a maintenance figure that already includes rest, yes. The net figure removes the roughly one MET-hour per hour your body would have spent anyway, which for cooking leaves about 71 per cent of the gross total.
Why does body weight change the answer?: A MET value is energy per kilogram of body mass, so the same activity costs more for a heavier body. That is why weight is an input rather than an assumption, and why generic calories-burned figures without a weight are close to meaningless.
How accurate is this figure?: It is an estimate from a population average. Published comparisons against indirect calorimetry find individual discrepancies of twenty to thirty per cent, so use it to compare activities rather than as a ledger to eat back.