Oils, Dressings, and Sauces: How to Track the Extras That Make or Break Your Deficit
Sep 22, 2025
The sneaky calories aren’t in chicken or rice — they’re in the extras. Oils, dressings, and sauces can double a meal’s calories if ignored.
Luckily, they're not as tricky to track as you might think, and we're here to show you how.
The simple rule
Log all liquid calories. Measure with teaspoons or sprays, don’t just eyeball. If a recipe says a "drizzle" of oil, decide a way to measure this to remain consistent. Perhaps always make this a teaspoon.
Remember, my drizzle, your drizzle, and Gordon Ramsay's drizzle sizes are totally different – which can make measuring and tracking a nightmare.
Teaspoon vs spray
Should you use a teaspoon or spray? Spraying your oil can give you a more even coating and definitely uses fewer calories.
1 tsp olive oil = ~40 kcal
1 spray olive oil = ~2–4 kcal
Common extras and their calories
We all use a dip or sauce every now and again – here are some of the most common and their calorie counts:
Ketchup (15g) = ~15 kcal
Mayo (15g) = ~90 kcal
Peanut butter (15g) = ~90 kcal
Salad dressing (15g) = ~60 kcal
How to stay consistent
Save your most-used oils and sauces in Calorik. Logging should take seconds once they’re favourites.
How Calorik can help
If you use the voice or text modes in Calorik, you can describe exactly how much oil you've put in the pan, without having to manually log the amount. It'll help you to be more precise and to never forget these sneaky extra calories.
