Leeks vs. Onion
Nutrition comparison of Leeks and Onion
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
leeks
versus
onion
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in leeks and onion:
- Leek has more niacin and folate.
- Leek has signficantly more Vitamin A than onion.
- Leek is a great source of calcium and iron.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Leeks (Leeks, (bulb and lower leaf-portion), raw) and Onion (Onions, raw) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Onion has 34% less calories than leek - leek has 61 calories per 100 grams and onion has 40 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, leeks is similar to onion for protein, carbs and fat. Leeks has a macronutrient ratio of 9:86:5 and for onion, 11:87:3 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Leeks | Onion | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 9% | 11% |
| Carbohydrates | 86% | 87% |
| Fat | 5% | 3% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Leeks and onion contain similar amounts of carbs - leek has 14.2g of total carbs per 100 grams and onion has 9.3g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Leeks and onion contain similar amounts of dietary fiber - leek has 1.8g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and onion has 1.7g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Leeks and onion contain similar amounts of sugar - leek has 3.9g of sugar per 100 grams and onion has 4.2g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Leeks and onion contain similar amounts of protein - leek has 1.5g of protein per 100 grams and onion has 1.1g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both leeks and onion are low in saturated fat - leek has 0.04g of saturated fat per 100 grams and onion has 0.04g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Leek has 62% more Vitamin C than onion - leek has 12mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and onion has 7.4mg of Vitamin C.
Vitamin A
Leek has signficantly more Vitamin A than onion - leek has 83ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and onion does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Leeks and onion contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - leek has 0.92mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and onion has 0.02mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Leek has 116 times more Vitamin K than onion - leek has 47ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and onion has 0.4ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Leek has more niacin and folate. Both leeks and onion contain significant amounts of thiamin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6.
| Leeks | Onion | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.06 MG | 0.046 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.03 MG | 0.027 MG |
| Niacin | 0.4 MG | 0.116 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.14 MG | 0.123 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.233 MG | 0.12 MG |
| Folate | 64 UG | 19 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Leek is a great source of calcium and it has 157% more calcium than onion - leek has 59mg of calcium per 100 grams and onion has 23mg of calcium.
iron
Leek is a great source of iron and it has 900% more iron than onion - leek has 2.1mg of iron per 100 grams and onion has 0.21mg of iron.
potassium
Leeks and onion contain similar amounts of potassium - leek has 180mg of potassium per 100 grams and onion has 146mg 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, leek has more kaempferol and myricetin than onion per 100 grams, however, onion contains more quercetin and isorhamnetin than leek per 100 grams.
| Leeks | Onion | |
|---|---|---|
| kaempferol | 2.67 mg | 0.65 mg |
| myricetin | 0.22 mg | 0.03 mg |
| Quercetin | 0.09 mg | 20.3 mg |
| apigenin | ~ | 0.01 mg |
| luteolin | ~ | 0.02 mg |
| isorhamnetin | ~ | 5.01 mg |
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, leek has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than onion per 100 grams.
| Leeks | Onion | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.099 G | 0.004 G |
| Total | 0.099 G | 0.004 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, leek has more linoleic acid than onion per 100 grams.
| Leeks | Onion | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.067 G | 0.013 G |
| Total | 0.067 G | 0.013 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.
Leeks g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Onion 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 leeks or onion contain more calories in 100 grams?Onion has 30% less calories than leek - leek has 61 calories in 100g and onion has 40 calories.
Does leeks or onion have more carbohydrates?
By weight, leeks and onion contain similar amounts of carbs - leek has 14.2g of carbs for 100g and onion has 9.3g of carbohydrates.