Basil vs. Mint
Nutrition comparison of Basil and Mint
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
basil
versus
mint
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in basil and mint:
- Both basil and mint are high in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, calcium, iron and potassium.
- Basil has 4.6 times less carbohydrates than mint.
- Basil has 67% less calories than mint.
- Basil is an excellent source of Vitamin K.
- Mint has more thiamin and riboflavin.
- Mint is an excellent source of dietary fiber.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Basil (Basil, fresh) and Mint (Peppermint, fresh) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Basil has 67% less calories than mint - basil has 23 calories per 100 grams and mint has 70 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, basil is much heavier in protein, much lighter in carbs and heavier in fat compared to mint per calorie. Basil has a macronutrient ratio of 44:37:19 and for mint, 18:72:10 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Basil | Mint | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 44% | 18% |
| Carbohydrates | 37% | 72% |
| Fat | 19% | 10% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Basil has 4.6 times less carbohydrates than mint - basil has 2.7g of total carbs per 100 grams and mint has 14.9g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Mint is an excellent source of dietary fiber and it has 400% more dietary fiber than basil - basil has 1.6g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and mint has 8g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Basil and mint contain similar amounts of sugar - basil has 0.3g of sugar per 100 grams and mint does not contain significant amounts.
Protein
protein
Basil and mint contain similar amounts of protein - basil has 3.2g of protein per 100 grams and mint has 3.8g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both basil and mint are low in saturated fat - basil has 0.04g of saturated fat per 100 grams and mint has 0.25g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Both basil and mint are high in Vitamin C. Mint has 77% more Vitamin C than basil - basil has 18mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and mint has 31.8mg of Vitamin C.
Vitamin A
Both basil and mint are high in Vitamin A. Basil has 25% more Vitamin A than mint - basil has 264ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and mint has 212ug of Vitamin A.
Vitamin E
Basil has more Vitamin E than mint - basil has 0.8mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and mint does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin K
Basil is an excellent source of Vitamin K and it has more Vitamin K than mint - basil has 414.8ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and mint does not contain significant amounts.
The B Vitamins
Mint has more thiamin and riboflavin. Both basil and mint contain significant amounts of niacin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and folate.
| Basil | Mint | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.034 MG | 0.082 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.076 MG | 0.266 MG |
| Niacin | 0.902 MG | 1.706 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.209 MG | 0.338 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.155 MG | 0.129 MG |
| Folate | 68 UG | 114 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Both basil and mint are high in calcium. Mint has 37% more calcium than basil - basil has 177mg of calcium per 100 grams and mint has 243mg of calcium.
iron
Both basil and mint are high in iron. Mint has 60% more iron than basil - basil has 3.2mg of iron per 100 grams and mint has 5.1mg of iron.
potassium
Both basil and mint are high in potassium. Mint has 93% more potassium than basil - basil has 295mg of potassium per 100 grams and mint has 569mg of potassium.
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, both basil and mint contain significant amounts of alpha linoleic acid (ALA).
| Basil | Mint | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.316 G | 0.435 G |
| Total | 0.316 G | 0.435 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, both basil and mint contain significant amounts of linoleic acid.
| Basil | Mint | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.073 G | 0.069 G |
| Total | 0.073 G | 0.069 G |
Customize your serving size
The comparison below is by weight, but sometimes 100g isn't that intuitive of a measurement for food. View a custom portion comparison (e.g. cups, oz, package).
You can try adding or subtracting the amount of either Basil or Mint .
Basil 100g
(
100 g
)
|
Daily Values (%) |
Mint 100g
(
100 g
)
|
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23KCAL 1% |
|
5% | calories | 204% |
|
70KCAL 4% | |
| 2.7G 1% |
|
5% | carbohydrates | 456% |
|
15G 6% | |
| 1.6G 6% |
|
5% | dietary fiber | 400% |
|
8G 32% | |
| 0.3G | >999% | sugar | 5% | ||||
| 0.64G 1% |
|
5% | total fat | 47% |
|
0.94G 2% | |
| 0.04G 0.2% |
|
5% | saturated fat | 524% |
|
0.25G 1% | |
| 0.09G | 199% | monounsaturated fat | 5% | 0.03G | |||
| 0.39G | 5% | polyunsaturated fat | 31% | 0.51G | |||
| 4MG 0.3% |
|
5% | sodium | 675% |
|
31MG 2% | |
| 5% | Vitamins and Minerals | 5% | |||||
| 264UG 38% |
|
25% | Vitamin A | 5% |
|
212UG 30% | |
| 18MG 24% |
|
5% | Vitamin C | 78% |
|
32MG 42% | |
| 177MG 18% |
|
5% | calcium | 37% |
|
243MG 24% | |
| 3.2MG 18% |
|
5% | iron | 59% |
|
5.1MG 28% | |
| 64MG 21% |
|
5% | magnesium | 25% |
|
80MG 26% | |
| 295MG 13% |
|
5% | potassium | 93% |
|
569MG 25% | |
| 0.03MG 3% |
|
5% | thiamin (Vit B1) | 166% |
|
0.08MG 8% | |
| 0.08MG 7% |
|
5% | riboflavin (Vit B2) | 237% |
|
0.27MG 24% | |
| 0.9MG 6% |
|
5% | niacin (Vit B3) | 89% |
|
1.7MG 12% | |
| 0.16MG 12% |
|
23% | Vitamin B6 | 5% |
|
0.13MG 10% | |
| 0.21MG 4% |
|
5% | pantothenic acid (Vit B5) | 62% |
|
0.34MG 7% | |
| 68UG 17% |
|
5% | folate (Vit B9) | 68% |
|
114UG 29% | |
| 0.8MG 5% |
|
>999% | Vitamin E | 5% |
|
||
| 415UG 461% |
|
>999% | Vitamin K | 5% |
|
||
| 3.2G 6% |
|
5% | protein | 19% |
|
3.8G 8% | |
| 11MG 3% |
|
>999% | choline | 5% |
|
||
| 0.39MG 32% |
|
18% | copper | 5% |
|
0.33MG 27% | |
| 1.1MG 64% |
|
5% | manganese | 9% |
|
1.2MG 65% | |
| 56MG 8% |
|
5% | phosphorus | 30% |
|
73MG 10% | |
| 0.3UG 1% |
|
>999% | selenium | 5% |
|
||
| 0.81MG 10% |
|
5% | zinc | 36% |
|
1.1MG 14% | |
| 92G | 16% | Water | 5% | 79G | |||
NO SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS (either food): Starch, Alcohol, chlorine, chromium, fluoride, iodine, molybdenum, Vitamin D, biotin (Vit B7), Vitamin B12, cholesterol, trans fat. |
|||||||
FAQ
Does basil or mint contain more calories in 100 grams?Basil has 70% less calories than mint - basil has 23 calories in 100g and mint has 70 calories.
Is basil or mint better for protein?
Basil and mint contain similar amounts of protein - basil has 3.2g of protein per 100 grams and mint has 3.8g of protein.
Does basil or mint have more carbohydrates?
By weight, basil has 4.6 times fewer carbohydrates than mint - basil has 2.7g of carbs for 100g and mint has 14.9g of carbohydrates.
Does basil or mint contain more calcium?
Both basil and mint are high in calcium. Mint has 40% more calcium than basil - basil has 177mg of calcium in 100 grams and mint has 243mg of calcium.
Does basil or mint contain more iron?
Both basil and mint are high in iron. Mint has 60% more iron than basil - basil has 3.2mg of iron in 100 grams and mint has 5.1mg of iron.
Does basil or mint contain more potassium?
Both basil and mint are high in potassium. Mint has 90% more potassium than basil - basil has 295mg of potassium in 100 grams and mint has 569mg of potassium.