Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
pumpkin seeds
versus
sunflower seeds
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds:
Both sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds are high in calories. Sunflower seed has 39% more calories than pumpkin seed - sunflower seed has 619 calories per 100 grams and pumpkin seed has 446 calories.
Pumpkin Seeds | Sunflower Seeds | |
---|---|---|
Protein | 16% | 10% |
Carbohydrates | 46% | 12% |
Fat | 38% | 77% |
Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
Pumpkin seed is high in carbohydrates and sunflower seed has 62% less carbohydrates than pumpkin seed - sunflower seed has 20.6g of total carbs per 100 grams and pumpkin seed has 53.8g of carbohydrates.
Both sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds are high in dietary fiber. Pumpkin seed has 60% more dietary fiber than sunflower seed - sunflower seed has 11.5g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and pumpkin seed has 18.4g of dietary fiber.
Both sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds are high in protein. Sunflower seed is very similar to sunflower seed for protein - sunflower seed has 17.2g of protein per 100 grams and pumpkin seed has 18.6g of protein.
Sunflower seed is high in saturated fat and pumpkin seed has 38% less saturated fat than sunflower seed - sunflower seed has 6g of saturated fat per 100 grams and pumpkin seed has 3.7g of saturated fat.
Sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds contain similar amounts of Vitamin C - sunflower seed has 1.4mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and pumpkin seed has 0.3mg of Vitamin C.
Pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds contain similar amounts of Vitamin A - pumpkin seed has 3ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and sunflower seed does not contain significant amounts.
Sunflower seed has more thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and folate.
Pumpkin Seeds | Sunflower Seeds | |
---|---|---|
Thiamin | 0.034 MG | 0.325 MG |
Riboflavin | 0.052 MG | 0.285 MG |
Niacin | 0.286 MG | 4.198 MG |
Pantothenic acid | 0.056 MG | 7.056 MG |
Vitamin B6 | 0.037 MG | 0.805 MG |
Folate | 9 UG | 238 UG |
Both sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds are high in calcium. Sunflower seed has a little more calcium (4%) than pumpkin seed by weight - sunflower seed has 57mg of calcium per 100 grams and pumpkin seed has 55mg of calcium.
Both sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds are high in iron. Sunflower seed has 106% more iron than pumpkin seed - sunflower seed has 6.8mg of iron per 100 grams and pumpkin seed has 3.3mg of iron.
Both sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds are high in potassium. Pumpkin seed has 87% more potassium than sunflower seed - sunflower seed has 491mg of potassium per 100 grams and pumpkin seed has 919mg of potassium.
For omega-3 fatty acids, both pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds contain significant amounts of alpha linoleic acid (ALA).
Pumpkin Seeds | Sunflower Seeds | |
---|---|---|
alpha linoleic acid | 0.077 G | 0.079 G |
Total | 0.077 G | 0.079 G |
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, sunflower seed has more linoleic acid than pumpkin seed per 100 grams.
Pumpkin Seeds | Sunflower Seeds | |
---|---|---|
linoleic acid | 8.759 G | 37.39 G |
Total | 8.759 G | 37.39 G |
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: Pumpkin Seeds (Seeds, pumpkin and squash seeds, whole, roasted, without salt) and Sunflower Seeds (Seeds, sunflower seed kernels, toasted, without salt) .
Pumpkin Seeds g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Sunflower Seeds g
()
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KCAL % |
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5% | calories | 5% |
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KCAL % | |
G % |
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5% | carbohydrates | 5% |
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G % | |
G % |
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5% | dietary fiber | 5% |
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G % | |
G | 5% | sugar | 5% | G | |||
G % |
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5% | total fat | 5% |
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G % | |
G % |
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5% | saturated fat | 5% |
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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 % |
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5% | sodium | 5% |
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MG % | |
5% | Vitamins and Minerals | 5% | |||||
UG % |
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5% | Vitamin A | 5% |
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UG % | |
MG % |
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5% | Vitamin C | 5% |
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MG % | |
IU % |
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5% | Vitamin D | 5% |
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IU % | |
MG % |
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5% | calcium | 5% |
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MG % | |
MG % |
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5% | iron | 5% |
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MG % | |
MG % |
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5% | magnesium | 5% |
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MG % | |
MG % |
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5% | potassium | 5% |
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MG % | |
MG % |
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5% | thiamin (Vit B1) | 5% |
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MG % | |
MG % |
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5% | riboflavin (Vit B2) | 5% |
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MG % | |
MG % |
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5% | niacin (Vit B3) | 5% |
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MG % | |
MG % |
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5% | Vitamin B6 | 5% |
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MG % | |
MG % |
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5% | pantothenic acid (Vit B5) | 5% |
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MG % | |
UG % |
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5% | folate (Vit B9) | 5% |
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UG % | |
UG % |
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5% | Vitamin B12 | 5% |
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UG % | |
MG % |
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5% | Vitamin E | 5% |
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MG % | |
UG % |
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5% | Vitamin K | 5% |
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UG % | |
G % |
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5% | protein | 5% |
|
G % | |
UG % |
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5% | biotin (Vit B7) | 5% |
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UG % | |
MG % |
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5% | choline | 5% |
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MG % | |
MG % |
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5% | chlorine | 5% |
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MG % | |
UG % |
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5% | chromium | 5% |
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UG % | |
MG % |
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5% | copper | 5% |
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MG % | |
UG % |
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5% | fluoride | 5% |
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UG % | |
UG % |
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5% | iodine | 5% |
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UG % | |
MG % |
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5% | manganese | 5% |
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MG % | |
UG % |
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5% | molybdenum | 5% |
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UG % | |
MG % |
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5% | phosphorus | 5% |
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MG % | |
UG % |
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5% | selenium | 5% |
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UG % | |
MG % |
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5% | zinc | 5% |
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MG % | |
G | 5% | Water | 5% | G | |||
G | 5% | Starch | 5% | G | |||
G | 5% | Alcohol | 5% | G | |||