Basil vs. Garlic
Nutrition comparison of Basil and Garlic
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
basil
versus
garlic
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in basil and garlic:
- Both garlic and basil are high in Vitamin C, calcium and potassium.
- Basil is an excellent source of Vitamin A, Vitamin K and iron.
- Garlic has more thiamin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6, however, basil contains more folate.
- Garlic is a great source of dietary fiber.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Basil (Basil, fresh) and Garlic (Garlic, raw) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Garlic is high in calories and basil has 85% less calories than garlic - garlic has 149 calories per 100 grams and basil has 23 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, basil is much heavier in protein, much lighter in carbs and much heavier in fat compared to garlic per calorie. Basil has a macronutrient ratio of 43:32:24 and for garlic, 16:82:3 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Basil | Garlic | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 43% | 16% |
| Carbohydrates | 32% | 82% |
| Fat | 24% | 3% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Garlic is high in carbohydrates and basil has 92% less carbohydrates than garlic - garlic has 33.1g of total carbs per 100 grams and basil has 2.7g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Garlic is a great source of dietary fiber and it has 31% more dietary fiber than basil - garlic has 2.1g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and basil has 1.6g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Garlic and basil contain similar amounts of sugar - garlic has 1g of sugar per 100 grams and basil has 0.3g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Garlic has 102% more protein than basil - garlic has 6.4g of protein per 100 grams and basil has 3.2g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both garlic and basil are low in saturated fat - garlic has 0.09g of saturated fat per 100 grams and basil has 0.04g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Both garlic and basil are high in Vitamin C. Garlic has 73% more Vitamin C than basil - garlic has 31.2mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and basil has 18mg of Vitamin C.
Vitamin A
Basil is an excellent source of Vitamin A and it has more Vitamin A than garlic - basil has 264ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and garlic does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Garlic and basil contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - garlic has 0.08mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and basil has 0.8mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Basil is an excellent source of Vitamin K and it has 243 times more Vitamin K than garlic - garlic has 1.7ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and basil has 414.8ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Garlic has more thiamin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6, however, basil contains more folate. Both basil and garlic contain significant amounts of riboflavin and niacin.
| Basil | Garlic | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.034 MG | 0.2 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.076 MG | 0.11 MG |
| Niacin | 0.902 MG | 0.7 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.209 MG | 0.596 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.155 MG | 1.235 MG |
| Folate | 68 UG | 3 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Both garlic and basil are high in calcium. Garlic is very similar to basil for calcium - garlic has 181mg of calcium per 100 grams and basil has 177mg of calcium.
iron
Basil is an excellent source of iron and it has 86% more iron than garlic - garlic has 1.7mg of iron per 100 grams and basil has 3.2mg of iron.
potassium
Both garlic and basil are high in potassium. Garlic has 36% more potassium than basil - garlic has 401mg of potassium per 100 grams and basil has 295mg of potassium.
Antioxidants and Phytonutrients
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, basil has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than garlic per 100 grams.
| Basil | Garlic | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.316 G | 0.02 G |
| Total | 0.316 G | 0.02 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, garlic has more linoleic acid than basil per 100 grams.
| Basil | Garlic | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.073 G | 0.229 G |
| Total | 0.073 G | 0.229 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.
Basil g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Garlic g
()
|
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KCAL % |
|
5% | calories | 5% |
|
KCAL % | |
| G % |
|
5% | carbohydrates | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G % |
|
5% | dietary fiber | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G | 5% | sugar | 5% | G | |||
| G % |
|
5% | total fat | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G % |
|
5% | saturated fat | 5% |
|
G % | |
| G | 5% | monounsaturated fat | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | polyunsaturated fat | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | trans fat | 5% | G | |||
| MG | 5% | cholesterol | 5% | MG | |||
| MG % |
|
5% | sodium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| 5% | Vitamins and Minerals | 5% | |||||
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin A | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin C | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| IU % |
|
5% | Vitamin D | 5% |
|
IU % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | calcium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | iron | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | magnesium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | potassium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | thiamin (Vit B1) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | riboflavin (Vit B2) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | niacin (Vit B3) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin B6 | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | pantothenic acid (Vit B5) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | folate (Vit B9) | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin B12 | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin E | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin K | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| G % |
|
5% | protein | 5% |
|
G % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | biotin (Vit B7) | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | choline | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | chlorine | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | chromium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | copper | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | fluoride | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | iodine | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | manganese | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | molybdenum | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | phosphorus | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | selenium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | zinc | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| G | 5% | Water | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | Starch | 5% | G | |||
| G | 5% | Alcohol | 5% | G | |||
FAQ
Does garlic or basil contain more calories in 100 grams?Garlic is high in calories and basil has 90% less calories than garlic - garlic has 149 calories in 100g and basil has 23 calories.
Is garlic or basil better for protein?
Garlic has 100% more protein than basil - garlic has 6.4g of protein per 100 grams and basil has 3.2g of protein.
Does garlic or basil have more carbohydrates?
By weight, garlic is high in carbohydrates and basil has 90% fewer carbohydrates than garlic - garlic has 33.1g of carbs for 100g and basil has 2.7g of carbohydrates.
Does garlic or basil contain more calcium?
Both garlic and basil are high in calcium. Garlic is very similar to basil for calcium - garlic has 181mg of calcium in 100 grams and basil has 177mg of calcium.
Does garlic or basil contain more iron?
Basil is an abundant source of iron and it has 90% more iron than garlic - garlic has 1.7mg of iron in 100 grams and basil has 3.2mg of iron.
Does garlic or basil contain more potassium?
Both garlic and basil are high in potassium. Garlic has 40% more potassium than basil - garlic has 401mg of potassium in 100 grams and basil has 295mg of potassium.