Nutrition for Spirulina (dried)

Calories, Protein, Vitamins and More


image of spirulina source

Spirulina Nutrition Summary

One teaspoon of dried spirulina (2.3 grams or 0.08 oz) contains 7 calories and 1.3 grams of protein. Spirulina consist of 5% water, 24% carbohydrates, 58% protein, and 8% fat.

Spirulina is an excellent source of many nutrients, including protein, iron, potassium, thiamin and riboflavin. It also contains significant amounts of calcium, magnesium, niacin, manganese and copper.

In one teaspoon of dried spirulina:

  • Calories: 7
  • Protein: 1.3 g
  • Sugar: 0.1 g
  • Dietary fiber: 0.1 g
  • Fat: 0.2 g, (Saturated: 0.1 g)
  • Sodium: 24.4 mg
There is no significant amounts of cholesterol in spirulina.

See the Spirulina Nutrition Chart for complete recommended daily values.
The specific nutritional values from USDA is for: Seaweed, spirulina, dried.

Calories in Spirulina

Spirulina has 7 calories per teaspoon or 300 calories for every 100 grams. Most of its calories are from protein, carbohydrates and fat.

55% of calories in spirulina are from protein, 26% of calories are from carbohydrates and 19% of calories are from fat.

Calories from Carbs

A good portion, or 26% of the calories in dried spirulina are from carbohydrates. The carbs in spirulina are mostly in the form of dietary fiber and sugar (50% and 50%). An excellent high-fiber food, a single teaspoon of spirulina contains 0% of recommended daily values or 0.1 grams of dietary fiber.

  • Dietary fiber: 0.1 g
  • Sugar: 0.1 g
There is no significant amounts of starch in spirulina.

Calories from Fat

About 19% the calories in dried Spirulina are from fat. Spirulina has a moderate amount of total fat, with 0.2 grams per teaspoon. Most of the fat in spirulina are healthier unsaturated fats.

Spirulina is cholesterol free and trans-fat free.

  • Total fat: 0.2 g
  • Saturated fat: 0.1 g
  • Monounsaturated fat: < 0.1 g
  • Polyunsaturated fat: < 0.1 g
There is no significant amounts of cholesterol or trans fat in spirulina.

Omega-6 in Spirulina

Spirulina 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 Spirulina

Some other vegetables with similar calories to spirulina by weight:


Protein in Spirulina

An excellent source of protein, a single teaspoon of Spirulina contains 3% of recommended daily values or 1.3 grams of protein. In addition, spirulina is also a source of complete protein, meaning it abundantly contains all 9 essential amino acids.

  • Protein: 1.34 g
  • Tryptophan: 0.02 g
  • Threonine: 0.07 g
  • Isoleucine: 0.07 g
  • Leucine: 0.12 g
  • Lysine: 0.07 g
  • Methionine: 0.03 g
  • Phenylalanine: 0.06 g
  • Valine: 0.08 g
  • Histidine: 0.03 g

Protein Similar to Spirulina

Some other vegetables with similar amounts of protein to spirulina by weight:

Vitamins and Minerals in Spirulina

An good source of many nutrients, dried spirulina contains abundant amounts of iron, potassium, thiamin and riboflavin. In fact, a single teaspoon of spirulina contains 8% of recommended daily values or 0.1 milligrams of riboflavin. Also an excellent source of thiamin, a single teaspoon of spirulina contains 5% of recommended daily values or 0.1 milligrams of thiamin.

Vitamins in spirulina (1 tsp):
  • Vitamin a: 0.7 ug
  • Thiamin: 0.1 mg
  • Riboflavin: 0.1 mg
  • Niacin: 0.3 mg
  • Vitamin b6: < 0.1 mg
  • Vitamin c: 0.2 mg
  • Vitamin e: 0.1 mg
  • Folate: 2.2 ug
  • Vitamin k: 0.6 ug
Minerals in spirulina (1 tsp):
  • Calcium: 2.8 mg
  • Potassium: 31.8 mg
  • Iron: 0.7 mg
  • Magnesium: 4.5 mg
  • Zinc: < 0.1 mg
  • Selenium: 0.2 ug
  • Phosphorus: 2.8 mg
  • Copper: 0.1 mg
  • Manganese: < 0.1 mg
  • Choline: 1.5 mg
There is no significant amounts of pantothenic acid or vitamin b12 in spirulina.

Similar to Spirulina for Riboflavin (Vit B2)

Here are some other vegetables with similarly abundant amounts of riboflavin (Vit B2) to spirulina:

Flavonoids and Carotenoids in Spirulina [3]

Spirulina contains a couple of healthy phytonutrients and antioxidants, specifically carotenoid beta-carotene. In one teaspoon of spirulina:

  • beta-carotene: 8 ug

Spirulina Nutrition Chart

Spirulina:

( - g )

calories
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carbohydrates
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dietary fiber
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sugar G
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saturated fat
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monounsaturated fat G
polyunsaturated fat G
protein
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sodium
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Vitamin A
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calcium
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iron
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magnesium
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potassium
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thiamin (Vitamin B1)
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riboflavin (Vitamin B2)
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niacin (Vitamin B3)
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Vitamin B6
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pantothenic acid (Vitamin B5)
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folate (Vitamin B9)
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Vitamin E
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histidine
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isoleucine
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leucine
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lysine
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methionine
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phenylalanine
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threonine
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tryptophan
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valine
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choline
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Water G
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manganese
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copper
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phosphorus
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selenium
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Nutrition calculations are from Harvard Medical's nutrient guidelines [1] and USDA's food central database (2019) [2].
We calculated values from 2000 kCal daily recommended diet.

Spirulina in Cooking

Spirulina can be consumed raw and is often ground before cooking or serving. Most recipes call for one or two teaspoons of spirulina.


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