Garlic vs. Onion
Nutrition comparison of Garlic and Onion
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
garlic
versus
onion
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in garlic and onion:
- Garlic has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6, however, onion contains more folate.
- Garlic has signficantly more iron than onion.
- Garlic is a great source of dietary fiber.
- Garlic is an excellent source of Vitamin C, calcium and potassium.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Garlic (Garlic, raw) and Onion (Onions, raw) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Garlic is high in calories and onion has 73% less calories than garlic - garlic has 149 calories per 100 grams and onion has 40 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, garlic is heavier in protein, lighter in carbs and similar to onion for fat. Garlic has a macronutrient ratio of 16:82:3 and for onion, 11:87:3 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Garlic | Onion | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 16% | 11% |
| Carbohydrates | 82% | 87% |
| Fat | 3% | 3% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Garlic is high in carbohydrates and onion has 72% less carbohydrates than garlic - garlic has 33.1g of total carbs per 100 grams and onion has 9.3g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Garlic is a great source of dietary fiber and it has 24% more dietary fiber than onion - garlic has 2.1g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and onion has 1.7g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Garlic and onion contain similar amounts of sugar - garlic has 1g of sugar per 100 grams and onion has 4.2g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Garlic has 478% more protein than onion - garlic has 6.4g of protein per 100 grams and onion has 1.1g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both garlic and onion are low in saturated fat - garlic has 0.09g of saturated fat per 100 grams and onion has 0.04g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Garlic is an excellent source of Vitamin C and it has 322% more Vitamin C than onion - garlic has 31.2mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and onion has 7.4mg of Vitamin C.
Vitamin A
Onion and garlic contain similar amounts of Vitamin A - onion has 0.6ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and garlic does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Garlic and onion contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - garlic has 0.08mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and onion has 0.02mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Garlic and onion contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - garlic has 1.7ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and onion has 0.4ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Garlic has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6, however, onion contains more folate.
| Garlic | Onion | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.2 MG | 0.046 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.11 MG | 0.027 MG |
| Niacin | 0.7 MG | 0.116 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.596 MG | 0.123 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 1.235 MG | 0.12 MG |
| Folate | 3 UG | 19 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Garlic is an excellent source of calcium and it has 687% more calcium than onion - garlic has 181mg of calcium per 100 grams and onion has 23mg of calcium.
iron
Garlic has signficantly more iron than onion - garlic has 1.7mg of iron per 100 grams and onion has 0.21mg of iron.
potassium
Garlic is an excellent source of potassium and it has 175% more potassium than onion - garlic has 401mg of potassium per 100 grams and onion has 146mg of potassium.
Antioxidants and Phytonutrients
flavonoids
Naturally occuring in fruits and vegetables, flavonoids are associated with many health benefits and used in a variety of medicinal and pharmaceutical applications. [2][3]
For specific flavonoid compounds, onion has more kaempferol, quercetin and isorhamnetin than garlic per 100 grams, however, garlic contains more myricetin than onion per 100 grams.
| Garlic | Onion | |
|---|---|---|
| kaempferol | 0.26 mg | 0.65 mg |
| myricetin | 1.61 mg | 0.03 mg |
| Quercetin | 1.74 mg | 20.3 mg |
| apigenin | ~ | 0.01 mg |
| luteolin | ~ | 0.02 mg |
| isorhamnetin | ~ | 5.01 mg |
carotenoids
Carotenoids are micronutrients commonly found in plants and some animal products. An example is beta-carotene, the notable carotenoid which is a popular source of Vitamin A.[4][5]
For specific types of carotenoids, both garlic and onion contain small amounts of beta-carotene and lutein + zeaxanthin.
| Garlic | Onion | |
|---|---|---|
| beta-carotene | 5 UG | 1 UG |
| lutein + zeaxanthin | 16 UG | 4 UG |
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, garlic has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than onion per 100 grams.
| Garlic | Onion | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.02 G | 0.004 G |
| Total | 0.02 G | 0.004 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, garlic has more linoleic acid than onion per 100 grams.
| Garlic | Onion | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.229 G | 0.013 G |
| Total | 0.229 G | 0.013 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.
Garlic g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Onion 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 onion contain more calories in 100 grams?Garlic is high in calories and onion has 70% less calories than garlic - garlic has 149 calories in 100g and onion has 40 calories.
Does garlic or onion have more carbohydrates?
By weight, garlic is high in carbohydrates and onion has 70% fewer carbohydrates than garlic - garlic has 33.1g of carbs for 100g and onion has 9.3g of carbohydrates.
Does garlic or onion contain more calcium?
Garlic is a rich source of calcium and it has 690% more calcium than onion - garlic has 181mg of calcium in 100 grams and onion has 23mg of calcium.
Does garlic or onion contain more potassium?
Garlic is a rich source of potassium and it has 180% more potassium than onion - garlic has 401mg of potassium in 100 grams and onion has 146mg of potassium.