Fruits · IFCT 2017
Avocado: nutrition per 100 g
Per 100 g, avocado gives 144 kcal, 13.9 g fat, 6.7 g dietary fibre and only 1.8 g available carbohydrate, according to IFCT 2017. It is the fattiest fruit in the tables, 1st of 44 fruits for fat, and 8.71 g of that fat is monounsaturated. It also ranks 1st among fruits for zinc and 2nd for folate, which makes it nutritionally closer to a nut than a mango.
About avocado
Avocado, called makhanphal or butter fruit in Hindi and Marathi and vennaipazham in Tamil, is not native to India, but it has long grown in the southern hills: Coorg, Wayanad, the Nilgiris and the Palani hills around Kodaikanal, with smaller plantings in Sikkim and the North East. Local trees bear mainly through the monsoon months. Larger imported avocados now fill city supermarket shelves for the rest of the year.
In Indian kitchens it is still mostly eaten raw. Older Kerala and Karnataka homes blend it with milk and sugar into a thick shake, and juice stalls in Bengaluru and Kochi sell the same drink. Younger city cooks mash it on toast or into a chutney with green chilli and lime. Its nutrition profile is unusual for a fruit: fat, not sugar, supplies most of its energy.
What avocado brings to a meal
- 01
Mostly unsaturated fat
Of its 13.9 g fat per 100 g, 8.71 g is monounsaturated and only 1.24 g saturated. Using avocado in place of butter or cream on bread or in a dip shifts the fat in that meal toward the unsaturated kind.
- 02
High fibre, little sugar
Avocado has 6.7 g fibre per 100 g, 6th of 43 fruits, and just 1.6 g of sugars. It ranks last of 43 fruits for carbohydrate, one of the lowest-sugar fruits in the tables.
- 03
Folate and vitamin K1
100 g gives 67 micrograms of folate, 2nd among fruits and about 22 per cent of a man's and 30 per cent of a woman's daily requirement. It also carries 38.7 micrograms of vitamin K1.
- 04
Zinc and potassium
Avocado ranks 1st of 44 fruits for zinc at 0.75 mg per 100 g and 5th for potassium at 377 mg. Neither number rivals pulses, but both are high for a fruit.
Avocado nutrition facts per 100 g
Every value IFCT 2017 reports for the edible portion, with the share of an adult's daily need that 100 g covers where ICMR-NIN sets a requirement.
| Nutrient | Per 100 g | Adult man | Adult woman |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy and macronutrients | |||
| Energy | 144 kcal | 7% | 9% |
| Protein | 3 g | 6% | 7% |
| Carbohydrate (available) | 1.8 g | ||
| Dietary fibre | 6.7 g | ||
| Free sugars | 1.6 g | ||
| Total fat | 13.9 g | ||
| Water | 73.6 g | ||
| Fats | |||
| Saturated fat | 1.24 g | ||
| Monounsaturated fat | 8.71 g | ||
| Polyunsaturated fat | 1.14 g | ||
| Omega-3 (alpha-linolenic acid) | 62 mg | ||
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | ||
| Minerals | |||
| Calcium | 28 mg | 3% | 3% |
| Iron | 0.81 mg | 4% | 3% |
| Zinc | 0.75 mg | 4% | 6% |
| Magnesium | 48 mg | 11% | 13% |
| Phosphorus | 63 mg | ||
| Potassium | 377 mg | ||
| Sodium | 3 mg | ||
| Copper | 0.39 mg | ||
| Vitamins | |||
| Vitamin C | 9.4 mg | 12% | 14% |
| Beta-carotene | 12 µg | ||
| Thiamine (B1) | 0.07 mg | 4% | 4% |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0.08 mg | 3% | 3% |
| Niacin (B3) | 0.9 mg | 5% | 6% |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.18 mg | 8% | 9% |
| Folate (B9) | 67 µg | 22% | 30% |
| Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) | 0.02 mg | ||
| Vitamin K1 | 38.7 µg | ||
Values per 100 g of the edible portion. Source: Longvah T, Ananthan R, Bhaskarachary K, Venkaiah K. Indian Food Composition Tables 2017. National Institute of Nutrition, Indian Council of Medical Research, Hyderabad. Daily-need shares use the ICMR-NIN 2020 recommended dietary allowances for a 65 kg man and a 55 kg woman doing sedentary work (ICMR-NIN brief note). Nutrients IFCT did not analyse for this food are left out rather than shown as zero.
Cite this page
NNWA Nutrition and Wellness Academy. Avocado: nutrition per 100 g. Data: Indian Food Composition Tables 2017, ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition. https://nnwa.in/foods/fruits/avocado/
Where avocado sits among Indian foods
Ranked per 100 g against the other 43 fruits and every food in the tables.
| Nutrient | Per 100 g | In fruits | Among all foods |
|---|---|---|---|
| Folate (B9) | 67 µg | 2nd of 44 | 46th of 197 |
| Dietary fibre | 6.7 g | 6th of 43 | 61st of 182 |
| Thiamine (B1) | 0.07 mg | 7th of 44 | 82nd of 239 |
| Potassium | 377 mg | 5th of 44 | 90th of 243 |
| Energy | 144 kcal | 5th of 44 | 90th of 257 |
How avocado is eaten
- Butter fruit shake: ripe flesh blended with chilled milk and a little sugar or jaggery, as sold at juice stalls in Kerala and Bengaluru.
- A quick chutney: mashed with green chilli, onion, coriander, lime and salt, eaten with dosa or spread in a sandwich.
- Sliced into a kachumber of cucumber, tomato and onion with a pinch of chaat masala.
- Stirred into raita in place of half the curd for a thicker, creamier dip.
- Mashed smooth for a baby's early meals, since it needs no cooking at all.
Before you plan around it
Avocado is energy-dense for a fruit at 144 kcal per 100 g, so a whole fruit is closer to a handful of nuts than to a bowl of papaya; half is a sensible serving for anyone watching weight. With 377 mg potassium per 100 g, people with advanced kidney disease on a potassium limit should ask their dietitian first. Its vitamin K1 matters for anyone on warfarin, who should keep intake steady rather than cut it out. People with latex allergy sometimes react to avocado as well.
Food composition is general information, not a diet plan. Anyone managing a medical condition should plan their diet with a doctor or a registered dietitian.
What people ask about avocado
Is avocado grown in India?
Yes. Indian avocados come from Coorg, Wayanad, the Nilgiris, the Palani hills and parts of the North East, mostly in the monsoon months. Imported fruit fills city shops for the rest of the year. IFCT 2017 records it as makhanphal in Hindi and vennaipazham in Tamil.
Is avocado fattening?
It is high in fat for a fruit, at 13.9 g and 144 kcal per 100 g, but most of that fat, 8.71 g, is monounsaturated. In a sensible portion it fits a weight-conscious diet, especially when it replaces butter, cheese or mayonnaise rather than being added on top.
Can people with diabetes eat avocado?
It has only 1.8 g available carbohydrate and 1.6 g sugars per 100 g, with 6.7 g fibre, so it adds very little sugar to a meal. Its fat and energy still count. People managing diabetes should fit it into their meal plan with their doctor or dietitian.
Is avocado a good source of protein?
Not really. IFCT 2017 lists 3.0 g protein per 100 g, which ranks 4th among 44 fruits but is small next to dal, curd or paneer. Treat avocado as a source of fat, fibre and folate, and get protein from elsewhere in the meal.
Related foods and tables
Coconut
Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Almond
Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Walnut
Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Banana
Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Guava
Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Folate (vitamin B9) content of Indian foods
Every food in the tables, ranked by folate (vitamin b9) per 100 g.
Dietary fibre content of Indian foods
Every food in the tables, ranked by dietary fibre per 100 g.
Thiamine (vitamin B1) content of Indian foods
Every food in the tables, ranked by thiamine (vitamin b1) per 100 g.
All fruits
44 foods in this group, compared.
Learn to use this data
Certification in Nutrition
Reading food composition tables and turning them into meal plans is taught in this NNWA course.