Cashews vs. Cocoa Powder
Nutrition comparison of Cashews and Cocoa Powder
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
cashews
versus
cocoa powder
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in cashews and cocoa powder:
- Both cocoa powder and cashews are high in calories, carbohydrates, dietary fiber, iron, potassium, protein and saturated fat.
- Cashew has more thiamin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6, however, cocoa powder contains more riboflavin.
- Cocoa powder has 70% less sugar than cashew.
- Cocoa powder is an excellent source of calcium.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Cashews (Nuts, cashew nuts, raw) and Cocoa Powder (Cocoa, dry powder, unsweetened) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Both cocoa powder and cashews are high in calories. Cashew has 143% more calories than cocoa powder - cocoa powder has 228 calories per 100 grams and cashew has 553 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, cashews is lighter in protein, much lighter in carbs and much heavier in fat compared to cocoa powder per calorie. Cashews has a macronutrient ratio of 13:21:67 and for cocoa powder, 19:54:27 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Cashews | Cocoa Powder | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 13% | 19% |
| Carbohydrates | 21% | 54% |
| Fat | 67% | 27% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Both cocoa powder and cashews are high in carbohydrates. Cocoa powder has 92% more carbohydrates than cashew - cocoa powder has 57.9g of total carbs per 100 grams and cashew has 30.2g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Both cocoa powder and cashews are high in dietary fiber. Cocoa powder has 10 times more dietary fiber than cashew - cocoa powder has 37g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and cashew has 3.3g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Cocoa powder has 70% less sugar than cashew - cocoa powder has 1.8g of sugar per 100 grams and cashew has 5.9g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Both cocoa powder and cashews are high in protein. Cocoa powder has a little more protein (8%) than cashew by weight - cocoa powder has 19.6g of protein per 100 grams and cashew has 18.2g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both cocoa powder and cashews are high in saturated fat. Cocoa powder has a little more saturated fat (4%) than cashew by weight - cocoa powder has 8.1g of saturated fat per 100 grams and cashew has 7.8g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Cashews and cocoa powder contain similar amounts of Vitamin C - cashew has 0.5mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and cocoa powder does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Cocoa powder and cashews contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - cocoa powder has 0.1mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and cashew has 0.9mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Cashew has 12 times more Vitamin K than cocoa powder - cocoa powder has 2.5ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and cashew has 34.1ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Cashew has more thiamin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6, however, cocoa powder contains more riboflavin. Both cashews and cocoa powder contain significant amounts of niacin and folate.
| Cashews | Cocoa Powder | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.423 MG | 0.078 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.058 MG | 0.241 MG |
| Niacin | 1.062 MG | 2.185 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.864 MG | 0.254 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.417 MG | 0.118 MG |
| Folate | 25 UG | 32 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Cocoa powder is an excellent source of calcium and it has 246% more calcium than cashew - cocoa powder has 128mg of calcium per 100 grams and cashew has 37mg of calcium.
iron
Both cocoa powder and cashews are high in iron. Cocoa powder has 107% more iron than cashew - cocoa powder has 13.9mg of iron per 100 grams and cashew has 6.7mg of iron.
potassium
Both cocoa powder and cashews are high in potassium. Cocoa powder has 131% more potassium than cashew - cocoa powder has 1524mg of potassium per 100 grams and cashew has 660mg 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, both cashews and cocoa powder contain significant amounts of lutein + zeaxanthin.
| Cashews | Cocoa Powder | |
|---|---|---|
| lutein + zeaxanthin | 22 UG | 38 UG |
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, cashew has more linoleic acid than cocoa powder per 100 grams.
| Cashews | Cocoa Powder | |
|---|---|---|
| other omega 6 | 0.266 G | ~ |
| linoleic acid | 7.782 G | 0.44 G |
| Total | 8.048 G | 0.44 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 Cocoa Powder (Cocoa, dry powder, unsweetened) .
Cashews g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Cocoa Powder 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 cocoa powder or cashews contain more calories in 100 grams?Both cocoa powder and cashews are high in calories. Cashew has 140% more calories than cocoa powder - cocoa powder has 228 calories in 100g and cashew has 553 calories.
Does cocoa powder or cashews have more carbohydrates?
By weight, both cocoa powder and cashews are high in carbohydrates. cocoa powder has 90% more carbohydrates than cashew - cocoa powder has 57.9g of carbs for 100g and cashew has 30.2g of carbohydrates.
Does cocoa powder or cashews contain more calcium?
Cocoa powder is a rich source of calcium and it has 250% more calcium than cashew - cocoa powder has 128mg of calcium in 100 grams and cashew has 37mg of calcium.
Does cocoa powder or cashews contain more iron?
Both cocoa powder and cashews are high in iron. Cocoa powder has 110% more iron than cashew - cocoa powder has 13.9mg of iron in 100 grams and cashew has 6.7mg of iron.
Does cocoa powder or cashews contain more potassium?
Both cocoa powder and cashews are high in potassium. Cocoa powder has 130% more potassium than cashew - cocoa powder has 1524mg of potassium in 100 grams and cashew has 660mg of potassium.