As the weather gets warmer, that means one thing: it’s hard seltzer season.
Personally, I’m not a huge fan of hard seltzer drinks, but I’m a terrible judge because I don’t like any carbonated beverages.
That being said, I can’t deny the insane popularity of hard seltzers, and every year seems to have more and more brands releasing their own hard seltzer.
For this guide, I want to break down the calories, sugar, and alcohol content of each hard seltzer. I left fat & protein off this guide because they are zero across the board!
A lot of people assume that alcohol is all carbs, but that’s not the case at all. As you can see by this guide, every hard seltzer out there is very low carb. How can that be?
Alcohol itself is technically its own macronutrient, we just don’t count it alongside fat, protein, and carbs because it’s not essential. In other words, we don’t need alcohol in our diets to live a healthy life.
Every gram of alcohol contains 7 calories, which is why your drink will always have calories, but essentially 0g of everything else.
If you’re into counting calories and tracking macros, figuring out how in the world to track alcohol can be confusing. Don’t worry! I have an entire post on the topic that you can find here.
Now, let’s compare every popular hard seltzer brand out there (I’ll list these in alphabetic order for you to easily be able to find your favorite).
Alani Nu Seltz Spiked Seltzer
For a 120z can of Alani Nu Spiked Seltzer
Calories: 100
Carbs: 1g (1g Sugar)
Alcohol Content: 5% ABV
Arctic Chill Hard Seltzer
For a 120z can of Arctic Chill Hard Seltzer
Calories: 100
Carbs: 0g (0g Sugar)
Alcohol Content: 5% ABV
Barefoot Hard Seltzer
For an 8.40z can of Barefoot Hard Seltzer
Calories: 70
Carbs: 2g (2g Sugar)
Alcohol Content: 4% ABV
Bon V!V Spiked Seltzer
For a 120z can of Bon V!V Spiked Seltzer
Calories: 90
Carbs: 0g (0g Sugar)
Alcohol Content: 4.5% ABV
But Light Seltzer
For a 120z can of Bud Light Seltzer
Calories: 100
Carbs: 0g (0g Sugar)
Alcohol Content: 5% ABV
Corona Hard Seltzer
For a 120z can of Corona Hard Seltzer
Calories: 90
Carbs: 0g (0g Sugar)
Alcohol Content: 4.5% ABV
Crook & Marker
For an 11.50z can of Crook & Marker
Calories: 80
Carbs: 0g (0g Sugar)
Alcohol Content: 4% ABV
Dos Equis Ranch Water
For a 120z can of Dos Equis Ranch Water
Calories: 90
Carbs: 0g (0g Sugar)
Alcohol Content: 4.5% ABV
Flying Embers Hard Seltzer
For a 120z can of Flying Embers Hard Seltzer
Calories: 95
Carbs: 0g (0g Sugar)
Alcohol Content: 5% ABV
Four Loko Hard Seltzer
For a 23.50z can of Four Loko Hard Seltzer
Calories: N/A
Carbs: N/A
Alcohol Content: 12% ABV
Unfortunately, Four Loko is one of the few hard seltzers on the market that does not disclose their calories or carb content, likely because they are both quite high.
A standard Four Loko drink has roughly 660 calories (for a 24oz can), so we can estimate that this Four Loko Hard Seltzer will contain at least 600 calories, but likely much more than that given the very high 12% ABV.
Fruit Smash Hard Seltzer
For a 120z can of Flying Embers Hard Seltzer
Calories: 100
Carbs: 1g (<1g Sugar)
Alcohol Content: 4.7% ABV
Henry’s Hard Sparkling Water
For a 120z can of Henry’s Hard Sparkling Water
Calories: 88
Carbs: 0g (0g Sugar)
Alcohol Content: 4.2% ABV
High Noon Vodka + Soda
For a 120z can of High Noon
Calories: 100
Carbs: 3g (3g Sugar)
Alcohol Content: 4.5% ABV
Jose Cuervo Playamar Hard Seltzer
For a 120z can of Jose Cuervo Hard Seltzer
Calories: 90
Carbs: 0g (0g Sugar)
Alcohol Content: 4.5% ABV
Michelob Ultra Organic Seltzer
For a 120z can of Michelob Ultra Organic Seltzer
Calories: 90
Carbs: 0g (0g Sugar)
Alcohol Content: 4% ABV
Mighty Swell Spiked Seltzer
For a 120z can of Mighty Swell Spiked Seltzer
Calories: 100
Carbs: 3g (3g Sugar)
Alcohol Content: 5% ABV
Mike’s Hard Seltzer
For a 120z can of Mike’s Hard Seltzer
Calories: 100
Carbs: 1g (1g Sugar)
Alcohol Content: 5% ABV
MTN Dew Hard
For a 120z can of MTN Dew Hard Seltzer
Calories: 100
Carbs: 0g (0g Sugar)
Alcohol Content: 5% ABV
Natural Light Seltzer
For a 120z can of Natural Light Hard Seltzer
Calories: 133
Carbs: 4g (4g Sugar)
Alcohol Content: 6% ABV
NUTRL Hard Seltzer
For a 120z can of NUTRL Seltzer
Calories: 100
Carbs: 0g (0g Sugar)
Alcohol Content: 4.5% ABV
Pabst Blue ribbon Stronger Seltzer
For a 160z can of Pabst Blue Ribbon Stronger Seltzer
Calories: 228
Carbs: 1g (1g Sugar)
Alcohol Content: 8% ABV
Press Hard Seltzer
For a 120z can of Press Hard Seltzer
Calories: 110
Carbs: 5g (5g Sugar)
Alcohol Content: 4% ABV
Quirk Spiked Seltzer
For a 120z can of Quirk Spiked Seltzer
Calories: 90
Carbs: 1g (<1g Sugar)
Alcohol Content: 4.2% ABV
Shell House (Trader Joe’s) Hard Seltzer
For a 120z can of The Shell House Sparkling Hard Seltzer
Calories: 120
Carbs: 5g (5g Sugar)
Alcohol Content: 5% ABV
Smirnoff Seltzer
For a 120z can of Smirnoff Seltzer
Calories: 90
Carbs: 0g (0g Sugar)
Alcohol Content: 4.5% ABV
Topo Chico Hard Seltzer
For a 120z can of Topo Chico Hard Seltzer
Calories: 100
Carbs: 2g (2g Sugar)
Alcohol Content: 4.7% ABV
Truly Hard Seltzer
For a 120z can of Truly Hard Seltzer
Calories: 100
Carbs: 1g (1g Sugar)
Alcohol Content: 5% ABV
Vista Bay (Aldi) Hard Seltzer
For a 120z can of Vista Bay Hard Seltzer
Calories: 100
Carbs: 2g (2g Sugar)
Alcohol Content: 5% ABV
Vizzy Hard Seltzer
For a 120z can of Vizzy Hard Seltzer
Calories: 100
Carbs: 1g (1g Sugar)
Alcohol Content: 5% ABV
White Claw Hard Seltzer
For a 120z can of White Claw
Calories: 100
Carbs: 2g (2g Sugar)
Alcohol Content: 5% ABV
Wild Basin Hard Seltzer
For a 120z can of Wild Basin Sparkling Water
Calories: 100
Carbs: 0g (0g Sugar)
Alcohol Content: 5% ABV
Which hard seltzer has the lowest calories?
As you can see by the guide, most hard seltzers on the market have very similar calories & nutrition facts.
When you pick up a 12oz can or hard seltzer, you can expect it to be roughly 90-110 calories in total.
Barefoot Hard Seltzer is technically the lowest calorie hard seltzer out there, but that is based on the can being 8.4oz total when most other hard seltzers come in 12oz cans.
For a 12oz can, you can expect most hard seltzer to be right around 100 calories.
Most hard seltzer out there is very low carb & low sugar, so the calories are only coming from the alcohol itself. In some cases, like Four Loko Hard Seltzer, there is added sugar involved that really bumps the calorie content up.
But, for the most part, you can expect a hard seltzer to come in at 100 calories, which is a great option to fit into any diet.
