Cucumber vs. Squash
Nutrition comparison of Cucumber and Cooked Squash
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
cucumber
versus
cooked
squash
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in cucumber and squash:
- Cucumber has 63% less calories than squash.
- Cucumber has 65% less carbohydrates than squash.
- Squash has more beta-carotene and alpha-carotene than cucumber, however, cucumber contains more lutein + zeaxanthin than squash.
- Squash has more thiamin, niacin, Vitamin B6 and folate.
- Squash is a great source of Vitamin C, calcium and potassium.
- Squash is an excellent source of Vitamin A and dietary fiber.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Cucumber (Cucumber, with peel, raw) and Squash (Squash, winter, butternut, cooked, baked, without salt) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Cucumber has 63% less calories than squash - cucumber has 15 calories per 100 grams and squash has 40 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, cucumber is heavier in protein, lighter in carbs and similar to squash for fat. Cucumber has a macronutrient ratio of 15:80:5 and for squash, 8:91:2 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Cucumber | Squash | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 15% | 8% |
| Carbohydrates | 80% | 91% |
| Fat | 5% | 2% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Cucumber has 65% less carbohydrates than squash - cucumber has 3.6g of total carbs per 100 grams and squash has 10.5g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Squash is an excellent source of dietary fiber and it has 540% more dietary fiber than cucumber - cucumber has 0.5g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and squash has 3.2g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Cucumber and squash contain similar amounts of sugar - cucumber has 1.7g of sugar per 100 grams and squash has 2g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Cucumber and squash contain similar amounts of protein - cucumber has 0.65g of protein per 100 grams and squash has 0.9g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both cucumber and squash are low in saturated fat - cucumber has 0.04g of saturated fat per 100 grams and squash has 0.02g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Squash is a great source of Vitamin C and it has 439% more Vitamin C than cucumber - cucumber has 2.8mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and squash has 15.1mg of Vitamin C.
Vitamin A
Squash is an excellent source of Vitamin A and it has 110 times more Vitamin A than cucumber - cucumber has 5ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and squash has 558ug of Vitamin A.
Vitamin E
Cucumber and squash contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - cucumber has 0.03mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and squash has 1.3mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Cucumber and squash contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - cucumber has 16.4ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and squash has 1ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Squash has more thiamin, niacin, Vitamin B6 and folate. Both cucumber and squash contain significant amounts of riboflavin and pantothenic acid.
| Cucumber | Squash | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.027 MG | 0.072 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.033 MG | 0.017 MG |
| Niacin | 0.098 MG | 0.969 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.259 MG | 0.359 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.04 MG | 0.124 MG |
| Folate | 7 UG | 19 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Squash is a great source of calcium and it has 156% more calcium than cucumber - cucumber has 16mg of calcium per 100 grams and squash has 41mg of calcium.
iron
Cucumber and squash contain similar amounts of iron - cucumber has 0.28mg of iron per 100 grams and squash has 0.6mg of iron.
potassium
Squash is a great source of potassium and it has 93% more potassium than cucumber - cucumber has 147mg of potassium per 100 grams and squash has 284mg of potassium.
Antioxidants and Phytonutrients
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, squash has more beta-carotene and alpha-carotene than cucumber per 100 grams, however, cucumber contains more lutein + zeaxanthin than squash per 100 grams.
| Cucumber | Squash | |
|---|---|---|
| beta-carotene | 45 UG | 4570 UG |
| alpha-carotene | 11 UG | 1130 UG |
| lutein + zeaxanthin | 23 UG | ~ |
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, squash has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than cucumber per 100 grams.
| Cucumber | Squash | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.005 G | 0.024 G |
| Total | 0.005 G | 0.024 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, both cucumber and squash contain small amounts of linoleic acid.
| Cucumber | Squash | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.028 G | 0.014 G |
| Total | 0.028 G | 0.014 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.
Cucumber g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Cooked Squash 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 squash contain more calories in 100 grams?Cucumber has 60% less calories than squash - cucumber has 15 calories in 100g and squash has 40 calories.
Does cucumber or squash have more carbohydrates?
By weight, cucumber has 70% fewer carbohydrates than squash - cucumber has 3.6g of carbs for 100g and squash has 10.5g of carbohydrates.