Apple vs Orange nutrition
Apple has more carbs, sugar and calories. Orange has more Vitamin C, calcium and potassium.
- Apple100 g
- Orange100 g
Each row is scaled on its own: the larger amount fills the bar. The numbers on the right are the real amounts.
Each food is weighed the same: 100 grams of each. The longer bar has more.
Show all 15 nutrients
Exact amounts and % Daily Value
| Nutrient | Apple | Orange | Daily Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 52 kcal (3%) | 47 kcal (2%) | 2,000 kcal |
| Protein | 0.26 g (<1%) | 0.94 g (2%) | 50 g |
| Fat | 0.17 g (<1%) | 0.12 g (<1%) | 78 g |
| Saturated fat | 0.03 g (<1%) | 0.01 g (<1%) | 20 g |
| Carbs | 13.8 g (5%) | 11.8 g (4%) | 275 g |
| Fiber | 2.4 g (9%) | 2.4 g (9%) | 28 g |
| Sugar | 10.4 g | 9.3 g | none set |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg (0%) | 0 mg (0%) | 300 mg |
| Salt (sodium) | 1 mg (<1%) | 0 mg (0%) | 2,300 mg |
| Potassium | 107 mg (2%) | 181 mg (4%) | 4,700 mg |
| Calcium | 6 mg (<1%) | 40 mg (3%) | 1,300 mg |
| Iron | 0.12 mg (<1%) | 0.1 mg (<1%) | 18 mg |
| Magnesium | 5 mg (1%) | 10 mg (2%) | 420 mg |
| Vitamin A | 3 µg (<1%) | 11 µg (1%) | 900 µg |
| Vitamin C | 4.6 mg (5%) | 53.2 mg (59%) | 90 mg |
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How the numbers are taken. Amounts are per 100 g of the edible part, from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy, public domain), in the state named — raw, boiled, roasted and so on. Percentages use the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over, set around a 2,000-calorie diet; your own needs can be different. This site compares amounts — it does not give diet or medical advice. Sources and limits.
What is being compared
This page compares apple and orange as USDA FoodData Central lists them: “Apples, raw, with skin (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program)” (FDC 171688) and “Oranges, raw, all commercial varieties” (FDC 169097). All figures start from 100 grams of the edible part.
Per 100 grams
Per 100 grams, apple has more calories (52 vs 47 kcal), fat (0.17 vs 0.12 g), saturated fat (0.03 vs 0.01 g, 3.0 times as much), carbohydrate (13.8 vs 11.8 g), sugars (10.4 vs 9.3 g), sodium (1 vs 0 mg, against none) and iron (0.12 vs 0.1 mg). Orange has more protein (0.94 vs 0.26 g, 3.6 times as much), potassium (181 vs 107 mg, 1.7 times as much), calcium (40 vs 6 mg, 6.7 times as much), magnesium (10 vs 5 mg, 2.0 times as much), vitamin A (11 vs 3 µg, 3.7 times as much) and vitamin C (53.2 vs 4.6 mg, about 12 times as much). They are within 3% of each other for fiber and cholesterol.
Read the rest — 4 more sections
Per serving
A serving as USDA measures it is 1 medium (3" dia) of apple (182 g) and 1 cup, sections of orange (180 g). The two servings weigh about the same, so the per-serving picture follows the per-100 g one closely. No nutrient changes leader when you switch from 100 g to servings. One serving is 94.6 kcal of apple against 84.6 kcal of orange.
For the same calories
To get 100 kcal you would eat 192 g of apple or 213 g of orange. At that equal energy, apple carries 0.5 g of protein and orange 2 g. Fiber per 100 kcal is 4.6 g against 5.1 g. Measured per 100 kcal, every nutrient keeps the same leader as per 100 g.
Where the calories come from
Roughly, 2% of the energy in apple comes from protein, 3% from fat and 96% from carbohydrate; for orange it is 7%, 2% and 91%. These shares use the general 4, 9 and 4 kcal per gram and can differ slightly from USDA's own energy factors.
Against the Daily Value
1 medium (3" dia) of apple reaches its largest shares of the Daily Value in fiber (16%), vitamin C (9%) and carbohydrate (9%); 1 cup, sections of orange reaches its largest shares of the Daily Value in vitamin C (106%), fiber (15%) and carbohydrate (8%). Daily Values are the FDA label reference amounts for adults and children aged 4 and over, set around a 2,000-calorie diet; they are a yardstick for reading labels, not a target for any one person.
More on this comparison
How to read this comparison
Start with the per 100 g view, because it is the only one that removes the size of the fruit. On that basis the two are close on energy (52 kcal for the apple, 47 kcal for the orange) and identical on fiber at 2.4 g. The gaps are in the vitamins and minerals: the orange has 53.2 mg of vitamin C against 4.6 mg, about 12 times as much, and 40 mg of calcium against 6 mg.
Then switch to per serving. USDA's apple entry is one medium fruit of 182 g, while its orange entry is a cup of sections at 180 g. These are different kinds of portion, which is why the fiber works out to 4.4 g for the apple and 4.3 g for the orange rather than the same figure. The third view, the same calories, answers a different question: how much of each you need to reach a fixed energy amount.
What this pair is good for, and what it is not
People usually look up apples against oranges for a lunchbox choice, a low-sugar question, or a vitamin C check. The numbers show that the apple has 10.4 g of sugars per 100 g and the orange 9.3 g, both total sugars as USDA reports them. They do not show how quickly sugar is absorbed, and this site does not publish a glycemic index.
The data describe raw fruit with its edible part only. Juice, dried slices, canned segments and fruit with the skin removed are different foods with different tables. A particular apple variety may differ from the average entry, and so may an orange picked at another point in the season.
Where the figures come from
Both rows are USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy values, public domain, per 100 g of the edible portion. The Daily Value percentages use the FDA reference amounts, for example 90 mg for vitamin C, and those are label conventions for adults and children aged four and over rather than advice for any one person. This page is a comparison of amounts. It does not recommend one fruit over the other, and it is not medical or dietary advice.
Frequently asked questions
Does an orange have more fiber than an apple? Per 100 g they are the same in this table, at 2.4 g each; per serving the apple entry is a little higher because the fruit weighs a little more. Which has more potassium? The orange, with 181 mg per 100 g against 107 mg. Why are calories so similar? Both are mostly water with sugar and a little fiber. Can I add a third fruit? Yes, use the comparer above and pick a third food to see all three on one scale.