Carrots vs. Squash
Nutrition comparison of Carrots and Cooked Squash
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
carrots
versus
cooked
squash
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in carrots and squash:
- Both squash and carrots are high in Vitamin A, dietary fiber and potassium.
- Carrot has more riboflavin.
- Squash is a great source of Vitamin C.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Carrots (Carrots, raw) and Squash (Squash, winter, butternut, cooked, baked, without salt) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Squash and carrots contain similar amounts of calories - squash has 40 calories per 100 grams and carrot has 41 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, carrots is lighter in carbs and similar to squash for protein and fat. Carrots has a macronutrient ratio of 9:87:5 and for squash, 8:91:2 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Carrots | Squash | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 9% | 8% |
| Carbohydrates | 87% | 91% |
| Fat | 5% | 2% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Squash and carrots contain similar amounts of carbs - squash has 10.5g of total carbs per 100 grams and carrot has 9.6g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Both squash and carrots are high in dietary fiber. Squash has 14% more dietary fiber than carrot - squash has 3.2g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and carrot has 2.8g of dietary fiber.
sugar
Squash and carrots contain similar amounts of sugar - squash has 2g of sugar per 100 grams and carrot has 4.7g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Squash and carrots contain similar amounts of protein - squash has 0.9g of protein per 100 grams and carrot has 0.93g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both squash and carrots are low in saturated fat - squash has 0.02g of saturated fat per 100 grams and carrot has 0.03g of saturated fat.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Squash is a great source of Vitamin C and it has 156% more Vitamin C than carrot - squash has 15.1mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and carrot has 5.9mg of Vitamin C.
Vitamin A
Both squash and carrots are high in Vitamin A. Carrot has 50% more Vitamin A than squash - squash has 558ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and carrot has 835ug of Vitamin A.
Vitamin E
Squash and carrots contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - squash has 1.3mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and carrot has 0.66mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Squash and carrots contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - squash has 1ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and carrot has 13.2ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Carrot has more riboflavin. Both carrots and squash contain significant amounts of thiamin, niacin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and folate.
| Carrots | Squash | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.066 MG | 0.072 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.058 MG | 0.017 MG |
| Niacin | 0.983 MG | 0.969 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.273 MG | 0.359 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.138 MG | 0.124 MG |
| Folate | 19 UG | 19 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Squash and carrots contain similar amounts of calcium - squash has 41mg of calcium per 100 grams and carrot has 33mg of calcium.
iron
Squash and carrots contain similar amounts of iron - squash has 0.6mg of iron per 100 grams and carrot has 0.3mg of iron.
potassium
Both squash and carrots are high in potassium. Squash is very similar to squash for potassium - squash has 284mg of potassium per 100 grams and carrot has 320mg 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 carrots and squash contain significant amounts of beta-carotene.
| Carrots | Squash | |
|---|---|---|
| beta-carotene | 8285 UG | 4570 UG |
| alpha-carotene | 3477 UG | 1130 UG |
| lycopene | 1 UG | ~ |
| lutein + zeaxanthin | 256 UG | ~ |
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, squash has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than carrot per 100 grams.
| Carrots | Squash | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.002 G | 0.024 G |
| Total | 0.002 G | 0.024 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, carrot has more linoleic acid than squash per 100 grams.
| Carrots | Squash | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.1 G | 0.014 G |
| Total | 0.1 G | 0.014 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.
Carrots g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Cooked Squash 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 % |
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5% | choline | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | chlorine | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | chromium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | copper | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | fluoride | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| UG % |
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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 squash or carrots contain more calories in 100 grams?Squash and carrots contain similar amounts of calories - squash has 40 calories in 100g and carrot has 41 calories.
Does squash or carrots have more carbohydrates?
By weight, squash and carrots contain similar amounts of carbs - squash has 10.5g of carbs for 100g and carrot has 9.6g of carbohydrates.
Does squash or carrots contain more potassium?
Both squash and carrots are high in potassium. Squash is very similar to squash for potassium - squash has 284mg of potassium in 100 grams and carrot has 320mg of potassium.