Nutrition for Basil
Calories, Protein, Vitamins and More
Basil Nutrition Summary
One cup of basil (42.4 grams or 1.5 oz) contains 10 calories and 1.3 grams of protein. Basil consist of 92% water, 3% carbohydrates, 3% protein, and less than 1% of fat.Basil is an excellent source of many nutrients, including Vitamin A, calcium, potassium and Vitamin K. It also contains significant amounts of Vitamin C, iron, magnesium, copper and manganese.
In one cup of basil:
- Calories: 10
- Protein: 1.3 g
- Sugar: 0.1 g
- Dietary fiber: 0.7 g
- Fat: 0.3 g
- Sodium: 1.7 mg
See the Basil Nutrition Chart for complete recommended daily values.
The specific nutritional values from USDA is for: Basil, fresh.
Calories in Basil
Basil has 10 calories per cup or 24 calories for every 100 grams. Most of its calories are from protein, carbohydrates and fat.42% of calories in basil are from protein, 36% of calories are from carbohydrates and 22% of calories are from fat.
Calories from Carbs
A good portion, or 36% of the calories in basil are from carbohydrates.
The carbs in basil are mostly in the form of dietary fiber and sugar (87% and 12%). 1 cup of basil has 3% of daily values or 0.7 grams of dietary fiber.
- Dietary fiber: 0.7 g
- Sugar: 0.1 g
Calories from Fat
About 22% the calories in Basil are from fat. Basil is very low in total fat, with 0.3 grams per cup. Most of the fat in basil are healthier unsaturated fats.
Basil is cholesterol free and trans-fat free.
Basil is cholesterol free and trans-fat free.
- Total fat: 0.3 g
- Monounsaturated fat: < 0.1 g
- Polyunsaturated fat: 0.2 g
Omega-3 and Omega-6 in Basil
Basil is a source of healthy omega-3 fatty acids, containing a total of 0.13 grams for every cup. It contains significant amounts of alpha linoleic acid.
[2]
- alpha linoleic acid: 0.13 g
Basil also contains a small amount of omega-6 fatty acids, mostly in the form of linolenic acid - the only essential omega-6 fatty acid.
[2]
- linoleic acid: 0.03 g
Calories Similar to Basil
Some other spices or herbs with similar calories to basil by weight:- Capers: same
- Red Wine Vinegar: -2 calories
- Salt: -10 calories
- Horseradish: +11 calories
Protein in Basil
One cup of Basil has 1.3 grams of protein or about 3% of daily recommended intake. Although basil is relatively low in protein, it does contain all 9 essential amino acids at small amounts.- Protein: 1.34 g
- Tryptophan: 0.02 g
- Threonine: 0.04 g
- Isoleucine: 0.04 g
- Leucine: 0.08 g
- Lysine: 0.05 g
- Methionine: 0.02 g
- Phenylalanine: 0.06 g
- Valine: 0.05 g
- Histidine: 0.02 g
Protein Similar to Basil
Some other spices or herbs with similar amounts of protein to basil by weight:- Rosemary: +0.1 grams
- Yellow Mustard: +0.3 grams
- Mint: +0.3 grams
- Capers: -0.3 grams
Vitamins and Minerals in Basil
An good source of many nutrients, basil contains abundant amounts of Vitamin A, calcium, potassium and Vitamin K. In fact, a single cup of basil contains 195% of recommended daily values or 175.9 ug of Vitamin K. Also an excellent source of Vitamin A, a single cup of basil contains 16% of recommended daily values or 111.9 ug of Vitamin A.Vitamins in basil (1 cup):
- Vitamin a: 111.9 ug
- Riboflavin: < 0.1 mg
- Niacin: 0.4 mg
- Vitamin b6: 0.1 mg
- Vitamin c: 7.6 mg
- Vitamin e: 0.3 mg
- Folate: 28.8 ug
- Vitamin k: 175.9 ug
- Calcium: 75 mg
- Potassium: 125.1 mg
- Iron: 1.3 mg
- Magnesium: 27.1 mg
- Zinc: 0.3 mg
- Selenium: 0.1 ug
- Phosphorus: 23.7 mg
- Copper: 0.2 mg
- Manganese: 0.5 mg
- Choline: 4.8 mg
Similar to Basil for Vitamin K
Here are some other spices or herbs with similarly abundant amounts of Vitamin K to basil:- Marjoram: +88 UG
- Oregano: +88 UG
- Black Pepper: -106 UG
- Paprika: -142 UG
Flavonoids and Carotenoids in Basil [3]
Basil contains a number of healthy phytonutrients and antioxidants, specifically carotenoids beta-carotene and lutein + zeaxanthin. In one cup of basil:
- beta-carotene: 1332 ug
- lutein + zeaxanthin: 2396 ug
Basil Nutrition Chart
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