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.
Detailed nutritional comparison of cashews and sunflower seeds is analyzed below. You can also visualize the nutritional comparison for a custom portion or serving size and see how the nutrition compares.

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.


Image of Cashews src
Image of Sunflower Seeds src

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) .

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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.