Thyme vs. Chives
Nutrition comparison of Thyme and Chives
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
thyme
versus
chives
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in thyme and chives:
- Both chives and thyme are high in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, calcium, dietary fiber and potassium.
- Chive has 4.6 times less carbohydrates than thyme.
- Chive is an excellent source of Vitamin K.
- Thyme has more riboflavin, niacin and Vitamin B6, however, chive contains more folate.
- Thyme is an excellent source of iron.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Thyme (Thyme, fresh) and Chives (Chives, raw) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Thyme is high in calories and chive has 70% less calories than thyme - chive has 30 calories per 100 grams and thyme has 101 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, thyme is much lighter in protein, much heavier in carbs and similar to chives for fat. Thyme has a macronutrient ratio of 0:100:0 and for chives, 50:50:0 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Thyme | Chives | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | ~ | 50% |
| Carbohydrates | 100% | 50% |
| Fat | ~ | ~ |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Chive has 4.6 times less carbohydrates than thyme - chive has 4.4g of total carbs per 100 grams and thyme has 24.5g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Both chives and thyme are high in dietary fiber. Thyme has 460% more dietary fiber than chive - chive has 2.5g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and thyme has 14g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Thyme has less sugar than chive - chive has 1.9g of sugar per 100 grams and thyme does not contain significant amounts.
Protein
protein
Thyme has 70% more protein than chive - chive has 3.3g of protein per 100 grams and thyme has 5.6g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both chives and thyme are low in saturated fat - chive has 0.15g of saturated fat per 100 grams and thyme has 0.47g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Both chives and thyme are high in Vitamin C. Thyme has 176% more Vitamin C than chive - chive has 58.1mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and thyme has 160.1mg of Vitamin C.
Vitamin A
Both chives and thyme are high in Vitamin A. Chive is very similar to chive for Vitamin A - chive has 218ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and thyme has 238ug of Vitamin A.
Vitamin E
Chives and thyme contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - chive has 0.21mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and thyme does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin K
Chive is an excellent source of Vitamin K and it has more Vitamin K than thyme - chive has 212.7ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and thyme does not contain significant amounts.
The B Vitamins
Thyme has more riboflavin, niacin and Vitamin B6, however, chive contains more folate. Both thyme and chives contain significant amounts of thiamin and pantothenic acid.
| Thyme | Chives | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.048 MG | 0.078 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.471 MG | 0.115 MG |
| Niacin | 1.824 MG | 0.647 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.409 MG | 0.324 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.348 MG | 0.138 MG |
| Folate | 45 UG | 105 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Both chives and thyme are high in calcium. Thyme has 340% more calcium than chive - chive has 92mg of calcium per 100 grams and thyme has 405mg of calcium.
iron
Thyme is an excellent source of iron and it has 991% more iron than chive - chive has 1.6mg of iron per 100 grams and thyme has 17.5mg of iron.
potassium
Both chives and thyme are high in potassium. Thyme has 106% more potassium than chive - chive has 296mg of potassium per 100 grams and thyme has 609mg 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, thyme has more apigenin and luteolin than chive per 100 grams, however, chive contains more isorhamnetin, kaempferol and quercetin than thyme per 100 grams.
| Thyme | Chives | |
|---|---|---|
| apigenin | 2.5 mg | ~ |
| luteolin | 45.25 mg | 0.15 mg |
| isorhamnetin | ~ | 6.75 mg |
| kaempferol | ~ | 10.0 mg |
| Quercetin | ~ | 4.77 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 thyme and chives contain significant amounts of beta-carotene.
| Thyme | Chives | |
|---|---|---|
| beta-carotene | 2851 UG | 2612 UG |
| lutein + zeaxanthin | ~ | 323 UG |
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, thyme has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than chive per 100 grams.
| Thyme | Chives | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.447 G | 0.015 G |
| Total | 0.447 G | 0.015 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, chive has more linoleic acid than thyme per 100 grams.
| Thyme | Chives | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.085 G | 0.252 G |
| Total | 0.085 G | 0.252 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.
Thyme g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Chives 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 chives or thyme contain more calories in 100 grams?Thyme is high in calories and chive has 70% less calories than thyme - chive has 30 calories in 100g and thyme has 101 calories.
Is chives or thyme better for protein?
Thyme has 70% more protein than chive - chive has 3.3g of protein per 100 grams and thyme has 5.6g of protein.
Does chives or thyme have more carbohydrates?
By weight, chive has 4.6 times fewer carbohydrates than thyme - chive has 4.4g of carbs for 100g and thyme has 24.5g of carbohydrates.
Does chives or thyme contain more calcium?
Both chives and thyme are high in calcium. Thyme has 340% more calcium than chive - chive has 92mg of calcium in 100 grams and thyme has 405mg of calcium.
Does chives or thyme contain more iron?
Thyme is an abundant source of iron and it has 990% more iron than chive - chive has 1.6mg of iron in 100 grams and thyme has 17.5mg of iron.
Does chives or thyme contain more potassium?
Both chives and thyme are high in potassium. Thyme has 110% more potassium than chive - chive has 296mg of potassium in 100 grams and thyme has 609mg of potassium.