Cashews vs. Sunflower Seeds
Nutrition comparison of Cashews and Sunflower Seeds
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
cashews
versus
sunflower seeds
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in cashews and sunflower seeds:
- Both sunflower seeds and cashews are high in calories, dietary fiber, iron, potassium, protein and saturated fat.
- Sunflower seed has more riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid and folate.
- Sunflower seed is a great source of calcium.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Cashews (Nuts, cashew nuts, raw) and Sunflower Seeds (Seeds, sunflower seed kernels, toasted, without salt) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Both sunflower seeds and cashews are high in calories. Sunflower seed has 12% more calories than cashew - sunflower seed has 619 calories per 100 grams and cashew has 553 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, cashews is heavier in carbs, lighter in fat and similar to sunflower seeds for protein. Cashews has a macronutrient ratio of 13:21:67 and for sunflower seeds, 10:12:77 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Cashews | Sunflower Seeds | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 13% | 10% |
| Carbohydrates | 21% | 12% |
| Fat | 67% | 77% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Cashew is high in carbohydrates and sunflower seed has 32% less carbohydrates than cashew - sunflower seed has 20.6g of total carbs per 100 grams and cashew has 30.2g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Both sunflower seeds and cashews are high in dietary fiber. Sunflower seed has 248% more dietary fiber than cashew - sunflower seed has 11.5g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and cashew has 3.3g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Sunflower seed has less sugar than cashew - cashew has 5.9g of sugar per 100 grams and sunflower seed does not contain significant amounts.
Protein
protein
Both sunflower seeds and cashews are high in protein. Sunflower seed is very similar to sunflower seed for protein - sunflower seed has 17.2g of protein per 100 grams and cashew has 18.2g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both sunflower seeds and cashews are high in saturated fat. Cashew has 31% more saturated fat than sunflower seed - sunflower seed has 6g of saturated fat per 100 grams and cashew has 7.8g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Sunflower seeds and cashews contain similar amounts of Vitamin C - sunflower seed has 1.4mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and cashew has 0.5mg of Vitamin C.
Vitamin E
Cashew has more Vitamin E than sunflower seed - cashew has 0.9mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and sunflower seed does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin K
Cashew has more Vitamin K than sunflower seed - cashew has 34.1ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and sunflower seed does not contain significant amounts.
The B Vitamins
Sunflower seed has more riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid and folate. Both cashews and sunflower seeds contain significant amounts of thiamin and Vitamin B6.
| Cashews | Sunflower Seeds | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.423 MG | 0.325 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.058 MG | 0.285 MG |
| Niacin | 1.062 MG | 4.198 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.864 MG | 7.056 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.417 MG | 0.805 MG |
| Folate | 25 UG | 238 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Sunflower seed is a great source of calcium and it has 54% more calcium than cashew - sunflower seed has 57mg of calcium per 100 grams and cashew has 37mg of calcium.
iron
Both sunflower seeds and cashews are high in iron. Sunflower seed is very similar to cashew for iron - sunflower seed has 6.8mg of iron per 100 grams and cashew has 6.7mg of iron.
potassium
Both sunflower seeds and cashews are high in potassium. Cashew has 34% more potassium than sunflower seed - sunflower seed has 491mg of potassium per 100 grams and cashew has 660mg of potassium.
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, both cashews and sunflower seeds contain significant amounts of alpha linoleic acid (ALA).
| Cashews | Sunflower Seeds | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.062 G | 0.079 G |
| Total | 0.062 G | 0.079 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, sunflower seed has more linoleic acid than cashew per 100 grams.
| Cashews | Sunflower Seeds | |
|---|---|---|
| other omega 6 | 0.266 G | ~ |
| linoleic acid | 7.782 G | 37.39 G |
| Total | 8.048 G | 37.39 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: Cashews (Nuts, cashew nuts, raw) and Sunflower Seeds (Seeds, sunflower seed kernels, toasted, without salt) .
Cashews g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Sunflower Seeds g
()
|
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 % |
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5% | protein | 5% |
|
G % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | biotin (Vit B7) | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | choline | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | chlorine | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
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5% | chromium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | copper | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | fluoride | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| UG % |
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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 sunflower seeds or cashews contain more calories in 100 grams?Both sunflower seeds and cashews are high in calories. Sunflower seed has 10% more calories than cashew - sunflower seed has 619 calories in 100g and cashew has 553 calories.
Does sunflower seeds or cashews contain more iron?
Both sunflower seeds and cashews are high in iron. Sunflower seed is very similar to cashew for iron - sunflower seed has 6.8mg of iron in 100 grams and cashew has 6.7mg of iron.
Does sunflower seeds or cashews contain more potassium?
Both sunflower seeds and cashews are high in potassium. Cashew has 30% more potassium than sunflower seed - sunflower seed has 491mg of potassium in 100 grams and cashew has 660mg of potassium.