Asparagus vs Broccoli nutrition
Asparagus has more sugar and iron. Broccoli has more carbs, calories and protein.
- Asparagus100 g
- Broccoli100 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 | Asparagus | Broccoli | Daily Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 20 kcal (1%) | 34 kcal (2%) | 2,000 kcal |
| Protein | 2.2 g (4%) | 2.8 g (6%) | 50 g |
| Fat | 0.12 g (<1%) | 0.37 g (<1%) | 78 g |
| Saturated fat | 0.04 g (<1%) | 0.11 g (<1%) | 20 g |
| Carbs | 3.9 g (1%) | 6.6 g (2%) | 275 g |
| Fiber | 2.1 g (8%) | 2.6 g (9%) | 28 g |
| Sugar | 1.9 g | 1.7 g | none set |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg (0%) | 0 mg (0%) | 300 mg |
| Salt (sodium) | 2 mg (<1%) | 33 mg (1%) | 2,300 mg |
| Potassium | 202 mg (4%) | 316 mg (7%) | 4,700 mg |
| Calcium | 24 mg (2%) | 47 mg (4%) | 1,300 mg |
| Iron | 2.1 mg (12%) | 0.73 mg (4%) | 18 mg |
| Magnesium | 14 mg (3%) | 21 mg (5%) | 420 mg |
| Vitamin A | 38 µg (4%) | 31 µg (3%) | 900 µg |
| Vitamin C | 5.6 mg (6%) | 89.2 mg (99%) | 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 asparagus and broccoli as USDA FoodData Central lists them: “Asparagus, raw” (FDC 168389) and “Broccoli, raw” (FDC 170379). All figures start from 100 grams of the edible part.
Per 100 grams
Per 100 grams, asparagus has more sugars (1.9 vs 1.7 g), iron (2.1 vs 0.73 mg, 2.9 times as much) and vitamin A (38 vs 31 µg). Broccoli has more calories (34 vs 20 kcal, 1.7 times as much), protein (2.8 vs 2.2 g), fat (0.37 vs 0.12 g, 3.1 times as much), saturated fat (0.11 vs 0.04 g, 2.8 times as much), carbohydrate (6.6 vs 3.9 g, 1.7 times as much), fiber (2.6 vs 2.1 g), sodium (33 vs 2 mg, about 17 times as much), potassium (316 vs 202 mg, 1.6 times as much), calcium (47 vs 24 mg, 2.0 times as much), magnesium (21 vs 14 mg, 1.5 times as much) and vitamin C (89.2 vs 5.6 mg, about 16 times as much). They are within 3% of each other for cholesterol.
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Per serving
A serving as USDA measures it is 1 cup of asparagus (134 g) and ½ cup, chopped or diced of broccoli (44 g). The asparagus serving is 3.0 times as heavy, so per serving its numbers grow relative to the other. Switching to servings changes the leader for calories (now asparagus), protein (now asparagus), saturated fat (now asparagus), carbohydrate (now asparagus), fiber (now asparagus), potassium (now asparagus), calcium (now asparagus) and magnesium (now asparagus). One serving is 26.8 kcal of asparagus against 15 kcal of broccoli.
For the same calories
To get 100 kcal you would eat 500 g of asparagus or 294 g of broccoli. At that equal energy, asparagus carries 11 g of protein and broccoli 8.3 g. Fiber per 100 kcal is 10.5 g against 7.6 g. Measured per 100 kcal instead of per 100 g, the larger amount moves for protein (to asparagus), fiber (to asparagus), potassium (to asparagus) and magnesium (to asparagus).
Where the calories come from
Roughly, 35% of the energy in asparagus comes from protein, 4% from fat and 61% from carbohydrate; for broccoli it is 27%, 8% and 65%. 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 cup of asparagus reaches its largest shares of the Daily Value in iron (16%), fiber (10%) and vitamin C (8%); ½ cup, chopped or diced of broccoli reaches its largest shares of the Daily Value in vitamin C (44%), fiber (4%) and potassium (3%). 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.