Lemon vs. Orange Zest
Nutrition comparison of Lemon and Orange Zest
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
lemon
versus
orange zest
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in lemon and orange zest:
- Both lemon and orange zest are high in Vitamin C and dietary fiber.
- Lemon has 63% less carbohydrates than orange zest.
- Lemon has 70% less calories than orange zest.
- Orange zest has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and folate.
- Orange zest is a great source of potassium.
- Orange zest is an excellent source of calcium.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Lemon (Lemons, raw, without peel) and Orange Zest (Orange peel, raw) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Lemon has 70% less calories than orange zest - lemon has 29 calories per 100 grams and orange zest has 97 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, lemon is heavier in protein, lighter in carbs and heavier in fat compared to orange zest per calorie. Lemon has a macronutrient ratio of 10:84:6 and for orange zest, 6:94:0 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Lemon | Orange Zest | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 10% | 6% |
| Carbohydrates | 84% | 94% |
| Fat | 6% | ~ |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Lemon has 63% less carbohydrates than orange zest - lemon has 9.3g of total carbs per 100 grams and orange zest has 25g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Both lemon and orange zest are high in dietary fiber. Orange zest has 279% more dietary fiber than lemon - lemon has 2.8g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and orange zest has 10.6g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Orange zest has less sugar than lemon - lemon has 2.5g of sugar per 100 grams and orange zest does not contain significant amounts.
Protein
protein
Lemon and orange zest contain similar amounts of protein - lemon has 1.1g of protein per 100 grams and orange zest has 1.5g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both lemon and orange zest are low in saturated fat - lemon has 0.04g of saturated fat per 100 grams and orange zest has 0.02g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Both lemon and orange zest are high in Vitamin C. Orange zest has 157% more Vitamin C than lemon - lemon has 53mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and orange zest has 136mg of Vitamin C.
Vitamin A
Lemon and orange zest contain similar amounts of Vitamin A - lemon has 1ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and orange zest has 21ug of Vitamin A.
Vitamin E
Lemon and orange zest contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - lemon has 0.15mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and orange zest has 0.25mg of Vitamin E.
The B Vitamins
Orange zest has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and folate.
| Lemon | Orange Zest | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.04 MG | 0.12 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.02 MG | 0.09 MG |
| Niacin | 0.1 MG | 0.9 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.19 MG | 0.49 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.08 MG | 0.176 MG |
| Folate | 11 UG | 30 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Orange zest is an excellent source of calcium and it has 519% more calcium than lemon - lemon has 26mg of calcium per 100 grams and orange zest has 161mg of calcium.
iron
Lemon and orange zest contain similar amounts of iron - lemon has 0.6mg of iron per 100 grams and orange zest has 0.8mg of iron.
potassium
Orange zest is a great source of potassium and it has 54% more potassium than lemon - lemon has 138mg of potassium per 100 grams and orange zest has 212mg of potassium.
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, lemon has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than orange zest per 100 grams.
| Lemon | Orange Zest | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.026 G | 0.011 G |
| Total | 0.026 G | 0.011 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, lemon has more linoleic acid than orange zest per 100 grams.
| Lemon | Orange Zest | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.063 G | 0.029 G |
| Total | 0.063 G | 0.029 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: Lemon (Lemons, raw, without peel) and Orange Zest (Orange peel, raw) .
Lemon g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Orange Zest 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 lemon or orange zest contain more calories in 100 grams?Lemon has 70% less calories than orange zest - lemon has 29 calories in 100g and orange zest has 97 calories.
Does lemon or orange zest have more carbohydrates?
By weight, lemon has 60% fewer carbohydrates than orange zest - lemon has 9.3g of carbs for 100g and orange zest has 25g of carbohydrates.
Does lemon or orange zest contain more calcium?
Orange zest is a rich source of calcium and it has 520% more calcium than lemon - lemon has 26mg of calcium in 100 grams and orange zest has 161mg of calcium.