Cucumber vs. Red Bell Pepper
Nutrition comparison of Cucumber and Red Bell Pepper
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
cucumber
versus
red bell pepper
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in cucumber and red bell pepper:
- Red bell pepper has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, Vitamin B6 and folate.
- Red bell pepper is a great source of dietary fiber and potassium.
- Red bell pepper is an excellent source of Vitamin A and Vitamin C.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Cucumber (Cucumber, with peel, raw) and Red Bell Pepper (Peppers, sweet, red, raw) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Cucumber and red bell pepper contain similar amounts of calories - cucumber has 15 calories per 100 grams and red bell pepper has 26 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, cucumber is similar to red bell pepper for protein, carbs and fat. Cucumber has a macronutrient ratio of 15:80:5 and for red bell pepper, 13:79:8 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Cucumber | Red Bell Pepper | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 15% | 13% |
| Carbohydrates | 80% | 79% |
| Fat | 5% | 8% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Cucumber and red bell pepper contain similar amounts of carbs - cucumber has 3.6g of total carbs per 100 grams and red bell pepper has 6g of carbohydrates.
The carbs in cucumber are made of 56% sugar, 28% starch and 17% dietary fiber, whereas the carbs in red bell pepper comprise of 67% sugar and 33% dietary fiber.
dietary fiber
Red bell pepper is a great source of dietary fiber and it has 320% more dietary fiber than cucumber - cucumber has 0.5g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and red bell pepper has 2.1g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Cucumber and red bell pepper contain similar amounts of sugar - cucumber has 1.7g of sugar per 100 grams and red bell pepper has 4.2g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Cucumber and red bell pepper contain similar amounts of protein - cucumber has 0.65g of protein per 100 grams and red bell pepper has 0.99g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both cucumber and red bell pepper are low in saturated fat - cucumber has 0.04g of saturated fat per 100 grams and red bell pepper has 0.06g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Red bell pepper is an excellent source of Vitamin C and it has 44 times more Vitamin C than cucumber - cucumber has 2.8mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and red bell pepper has 127.7mg of Vitamin C.
Vitamin A
Red bell pepper is an excellent source of Vitamin A and it has 30 times more Vitamin A than cucumber - cucumber has 5ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and red bell pepper has 157ug of Vitamin A.
Vitamin E
Red bell pepper has 51 times more Vitamin E than cucumber - cucumber has 0.03mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and red bell pepper has 1.6mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Cucumber and red bell pepper contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - cucumber has 16.4ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and red bell pepper has 4.9ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Red bell pepper has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, Vitamin B6 and folate. Both cucumber and red bell pepper contain significant amounts of pantothenic acid.
| Cucumber | Red Bell Pepper | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.027 MG | 0.054 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.033 MG | 0.085 MG |
| Niacin | 0.098 MG | 0.979 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.259 MG | 0.317 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.04 MG | 0.291 MG |
| Folate | 7 UG | 46 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Cucumber has 129% more calcium than red bell pepper - cucumber has 16mg of calcium per 100 grams and red bell pepper has 7mg of calcium.
iron
Cucumber and red bell pepper contain similar amounts of iron - cucumber has 0.28mg of iron per 100 grams and red bell pepper has 0.43mg of iron.
potassium
Red bell pepper is a great source of potassium and it has 44% more potassium than cucumber - cucumber has 147mg of potassium per 100 grams and red bell pepper has 211mg 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, both cucumber and red bell pepper contain small amounts of kaempferol.
| Cucumber | Red Bell Pepper | |
|---|---|---|
| kaempferol | 0.13 mg | 0.02 mg |
| Quercetin | 0.04 mg | 0.23 mg |
| luteolin | ~ | 0.61 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 cucumber and red bell pepper contain small amounts of alpha-carotene.
| Cucumber | Red Bell Pepper | |
|---|---|---|
| beta-carotene | 45 UG | 1624 UG |
| alpha-carotene | 11 UG | 20 UG |
| lutein + zeaxanthin | 23 UG | 51 UG |
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, red bell pepper has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than cucumber per 100 grams.
| Cucumber | Red Bell Pepper | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.005 G | 0.056 G |
| Total | 0.005 G | 0.056 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, red bell pepper has more linoleic acid than cucumber per 100 grams.
| Cucumber | Red Bell Pepper | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.028 G | 0.1 G |
| Total | 0.028 G | 0.1 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: Cucumber (Cucumber, with peel, raw) and Red Bell Pepper (Peppers, sweet, red, raw) .
Cucumber g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Red Bell Pepper 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 cucumber or red bell pepper contain more calories in 100 grams?Cucumber and red bell pepper contain similar amounts of calories - cucumber has 15 calories in 100g and red bell pepper has 26 calories.
Does cucumber or red bell pepper have more carbohydrates?
By weight, cucumber and red bell pepper contain similar amounts of carbs - cucumber has 3.6g of carbs for 100g and red bell pepper has 6g of carbohydrates. the carbs in cucumber are made of 60% sugar, 30% starch and 20% dietary fiber, whereas the carbs in red bell pepper comprise of 70% sugar and 30% dietary fiber.