Margarine vs. Olive Oil
Nutrition comparison of Margarine and Olive Oil
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
margarine
versus
olive oil
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in margarine and olive oil:
- Both olive oil and margarine are high in Vitamin E, calories and saturated fat.
- Margarine has more thiamin, riboflavin, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12.
- Margarine is an excellent source of Vitamin A.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Margarine (Margarine, regular, 80% fat, composite, stick, with salt) and Olive Oil (Oil, olive, salad or cooking) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Both olive oil and margarine are high in calories. Olive oil has 23% more calories than margarine - olive oil has 884 calories per 100 grams and margarine has 717 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, margarine is similar to olive oil for protein, carbs and fat. Margarine has a macronutrient ratio of 0:0:100 and for olive oil, 0:0:100 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Margarine | Olive Oil | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | ~ | ~ |
| Carbohydrates | ~ | ~ |
| Fat | 100% | 100% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Both margarine and olive oil are low in carbohydrates - margarine has 0.7g of total carbs per 100 grams and olive oil does not contain significant amounts.
Protein
protein
Margarine and olive oil contain similar amounts of protein - margarine has 0.16g of protein per 100 grams and olive oil does not contain significant amounts.
Fat
saturated fat
Both olive oil and margarine are high in saturated fat. Margarine has a little more saturated fat (10%) than olive oil by weight - olive oil has 13.8g of saturated fat per 100 grams and margarine has 15.2g of saturated fat.
trans fat
Margarine is high in trans fat and olive oil has less trans fat than margarine - margarine has 14.9g of trans fat per 100 grams and olive oil does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Margarine and olive oil contain similar amounts of Vitamin C - margarine has 0.2mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and olive oil does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin A
Margarine is an excellent source of Vitamin A and it has more Vitamin A than olive oil - margarine has 819ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and olive oil does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Both olive oil and margarine are high in Vitamin E. Olive oil has 59% more Vitamin E than margarine - olive oil has 14.4mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and margarine has 9mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Margarine has 54% more Vitamin K than olive oil - olive oil has 60.2ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and margarine has 93ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Margarine has more thiamin, riboflavin, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12.
| Margarine | Olive Oil | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.01 MG | ~ |
| Riboflavin | 0.037 MG | ~ |
| Niacin | 0.023 MG | ~ |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.009 MG | ~ |
| Folate | 1 UG | ~ |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.1 UG | ~ |
Minerals
calcium
Olive oil and margarine contain similar amounts of calcium - olive oil has 1mg of calcium per 100 grams and margarine has 3mg of calcium.
iron
Olive oil has 833% more iron than margarine - olive oil has 0.56mg of iron per 100 grams and margarine has 0.06mg of iron.
potassium
Olive oil and margarine contain similar amounts of potassium - olive oil has 1mg of potassium per 100 grams and margarine has 18mg of potassium.
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, margarine has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than olive oil per 100 grams.
| Margarine | Olive Oil | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 2.04 G | 0.761 G |
| DPA | 0.006 G | ~ |
| Total | 2.046 G | 0.761 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, margarine has more linoleic acid than olive oil per 100 grams.
| Margarine | Olive Oil | |
|---|---|---|
| other omega 6 | 0.261 G | 0.414 G |
| linoleic acid | 22.252 G | 9.762 G |
| Total | 22.513 G | 10.176 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.
Margarine g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Olive Oil 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 olive oil or margarine contain more calories in 100 grams?Both olive oil and margarine are high in calories. Olive oil has 20% more calories than margarine - olive oil has 884 calories in 100g and margarine has 717 calories.