Clams vs. Crab Meat

Nutrition comparison of Cooked Clams and Crab Meat


Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?

We compared the nutritional contents of cooked clams versus crab meat (100g each) below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].

For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in clams and crab meat:

  • Both crab meat and clams are high in calcium, potassium and protein.
  • Clam has more thiamin, riboflavin and Vitamin B12.
  • Clam is a great source of iron.
  • Clam is an excellent source of Vitamin A and Vitamin C.
  • For omega-3 fatty acids, clam has more dha and dpa than crab meat.
Detailed nutritional comparison of clams and crab meat is analyzed below. You can also visualize the nutritional comparison for a custom portion or serving size and see how the nutrition compares.

USDA sources for nutritional information: Clams (Mollusks, clam, mixed species, cooked, moist heat) and Crab Meat (Crustaceans, crab, blue, canned) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.


Image of Clams src
Image of Crab Meat src

Calories and Carbs

calories

Clam is high in calories and crab meat has 44% less calories than clam - crab meat has 83 calories per 100 grams and clam has 148 calories.

For macronutrient ratios, clams is lighter in protein, heavier in carbs and heavier in fat compared to crab meat per calorie. Clams has a macronutrient ratio of 73:15:13 and for crab meat, 92:0:9 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.

Macro Ratios from Calories:

Clams Crab Meat
Protein 73% 92%
Carbohydrates 15% ~
Fat 13% 9%
Alcohol ~ ~

carbohydrates

Crab meat has less carbohydrates than clam - clam has 5.1g of total carbs per 100 grams and crab meat does not contain significant amounts.

Protein

protein

Both crab meat and clams are high in protein. Clam has 43% more protein than crab meat - crab meat has 17.9g of protein per 100 grams and clam has 25.6g of protein.

Fat

saturated fat

Both crab meat and clams are low in saturated fat - crab meat has 0.2g of saturated fat per 100 grams and clam has 0.19g of saturated fat.

trans fat

Both crab meat and clams are low in trans fat - crab meat has 0.01g of trans fat per 100 grams and clam does not contain significant amounts.

cholesterol

Crab meat and clams contain similar amounts of cholesterol - crab meat has 97mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and clam has 67mg of cholesterol.

Vitamins

Vitamin C

Clam is an excellent source of Vitamin C and it has 570% more Vitamin C than crab meat - crab meat has 3.3mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and clam has 22.1mg of Vitamin C.

Vitamin A

Clam is an excellent source of Vitamin A and it has 170 times more Vitamin A than crab meat - crab meat has 1ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and clam has 171ug of Vitamin A.

Vitamin E

Crab meat has more Vitamin E than clam - crab meat has 1.8mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and clam does not contain significant amounts.

Vitamin K

Crab meat and clams contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - crab meat has 0.3ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and clam does not contain significant amounts.

The B Vitamins

Clam has more thiamin, riboflavin and Vitamin B12. Both clams and crab meat contain significant amounts of niacin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and folate.

Clams Crab Meat
Thiamin 0.15 MG 0.023 MG
Riboflavin 0.426 MG 0.093 MG
Niacin 3.354 MG 2.747 MG
Pantothenic acid 0.68 MG 0.997 MG
Vitamin B6 0.11 MG 0.156 MG
Folate 29 UG 51 UG
Vitamin B12 98.89 UG 3.33 UG

Minerals

calcium

Both crab meat and clams are high in calcium. Crab meat is very similar to crab meat for calcium - crab meat has 91mg of calcium per 100 grams and clam has 92mg of calcium.

iron

Clam is a great source of iron and it has 462% more iron than crab meat - crab meat has 0.5mg of iron per 100 grams and clam has 2.8mg of iron.

potassium

Both crab meat and clams are high in potassium. Clam has 142% more potassium than crab meat - crab meat has 259mg of potassium per 100 grams and clam has 628mg of potassium.

Omega-3 and Omega-6

omega 3s

For omega-3 fatty acids, clam has more DHA and DPA than crab meat per 100 grams. Both clams and crab meat contain significant amounts of EPA.

Clams Crab Meat
alpha linoleic acid 0.008 G 0.009 G
DHA 0.146 G 0.067 G
EPA 0.138 G 0.101 G
DPA 0.104 G 0.009 G
Total 0.396 G 0.186 G

omega 6s

Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, both clams and crab meat contain small amounts of linoleic acid.

Clams Crab Meat
linoleic acid 0.032 G 0.02 G
other omega 6 ~ 0.005 G
Total 0.032 G 0.025 G



Customize your serving size


The comparison below is by common portions, e.g. cups, packages. You can also see a more concrete comparison by weight at equal weight (by grams) comparison.

Note: The specific food items compared are: Clams (Mollusks, clam, mixed species, cooked, moist heat) and Crab Meat (Crustaceans, crab, blue, canned) .

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FAQ

Does crab meat or clams contain more calories in 100 grams?
Clam is high in calories and crab meat has 40% less calories than clam - crab meat has 83 calories in 100g and clam has 148 calories.

Is crab meat or clams better for protein?
Both crab meat and clams are high in protein. Clam has 40% more protein than crab meat - crab meat has 17.9g of protein per 100 grams and clam has 25.6g of protein.

Does crab meat or clams contain more calcium?
Both crab meat and clams are high in calcium. Crab meat is very similar to crab meat for calcium - crab meat has 91mg of calcium in 100 grams and clam has 92mg of calcium.

Does crab meat or clams contain more potassium?
Both crab meat and clams are high in potassium. Clam has 140% more potassium than crab meat - crab meat has 259mg of potassium in 100 grams and clam has 628mg of potassium.

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