Fruits · IFCT 2017
Watermelon: nutrition per 100 g
Per 100 g, dark green sugar baby watermelon gives just 20 kcal, 94.5 g water, 3.9 g carbohydrate, 605 micrograms of beta-carotene and 13.3 mg vitamin C, according to IFCT 2017. It has the least energy of all 44 fruits in the tables, and its beta-carotene ranks 6th of 41. Watermelon is the summer fruit for hydration, not for minerals.
About watermelon
Watermelon is tarbooz in Hindi, tarmuj in Bengali, kalingad in Marathi, tadbuj in Gujarati, kallangadi in Kannada, darbusani in Tamil and dawana in Punjabi. It is grown across India in the dry months, often on riverbeds and sandy fields, with large crops from Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh. From late winter until the monsoon, roadside heaps of watermelons are a fixture of every Indian summer.
IFCT 2017 analysed two kinds. The dark green, round sugar baby, now the commonest variety, is the reference here at 20 kcal per 100 g. The pale green, striped watermelon is lighter still at 17 kcal, with 3.0 g carbohydrate and 11.4 mg vitamin C. In Rajasthan and Gujarat, the pale inner rind is cooked as a vegetable, and dried watermelon seeds are roasted and salted as a snack.
What watermelon brings to a meal
- 01
The lightest fruit in the tables
At 20 kcal per 100 g, sugar baby watermelon ranks 44th of 44 fruits for energy, and the pale green kind is lower still. A large bowl is mostly water, 94.5 g per 100 g.
- 02
Beta-carotene in the red flesh
It carries 605 micrograms of beta-carotene per 100 g, 6th of 41 fruits and 36th of 160 foods. The red colour also comes from lycopene, which IFCT does not list.
- 03
Some vitamin C
100 g gives 13.3 mg vitamin C, about 17 per cent of a man's and 20 per cent of a woman's daily requirement.
- 04
Low in fibre and minerals
Watermelon has only 0.7 g fibre per 100 g, last of 43 fruits, and ranks last of 43 for calcium. It is for refreshment, not mineral intake.
Watermelon 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 | 20 kcal | 1% | 1% |
| Protein | 0.6 g | 1% | 1% |
| Carbohydrate (available) | 3.9 g | ||
| Dietary fibre | 0.7 g | ||
| Free sugars | 3.7 g | ||
| Total fat | 0.2 g | ||
| Water | 94.5 g | ||
| Fats | |||
| Saturated fat | 0.04 g | ||
| Monounsaturated fat | 0.02 g | ||
| Polyunsaturated fat | 0.07 g | ||
| Omega-3 (alpha-linolenic acid) | 16 mg | ||
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | ||
| Minerals | |||
| Calcium | 5 mg | 1% | 1% |
| Iron | 0.22 mg | 1% | 1% |
| Zinc | 0.1 mg | 1% | 1% |
| Magnesium | 10 mg | 2% | 3% |
| Phosphorus | 11 mg | ||
| Potassium | 124 mg | ||
| Sodium | 2 mg | ||
| Copper | 0.04 mg | ||
| Vitamins | |||
| Vitamin C | 13.3 mg | 17% | 20% |
| Beta-carotene | 605 µg | ||
| Thiamine (B1) | 0.02 mg | 1% | 1% |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0.02 mg | 1% | 1% |
| Niacin (B3) | 0.28 mg | 2% | 2% |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.1 mg | 4% | 5% |
| Folate (B9) | 6 µg | 2% | 3% |
| Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) | 0.04 mg | ||
| Vitamin K1 | 2.1 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. Watermelon: nutrition per 100 g. Data: Indian Food Composition Tables 2017, ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition. https://nnwa.in/foods/fruits/watermelon/
Where watermelon 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beta-carotene | 605 µg | 6th of 41 | 36th of 160 |
| Vitamin C | 13.3 mg | 28th of 44 | 83rd of 130 |
| Omega-3 (alpha-linolenic acid) | 16 mg | 31st of 42 | 170th of 202 |
| Dietary fibre | 0.7 g | 43rd of 43 | 181st of 182 |
| Folate (B9) | 6 µg | 40th of 44 | 192nd of 197 |
Every form of watermelon in IFCT 2017
The tables analyse these separately. The figures above are for the row marked first.
| Form | Energy | Protein | Fibre | Iron | Calcium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water melon, dark green (sugar baby) (shown above) | 20 kcal | 0.6 g | 0.7 g | 0.22 mg | 5 mg |
| Pale green | 17 kcal | 0.6 g | 0.8 g | 0.16 mg | 4 mg |
How watermelon is eaten
- Chilled slices sprinkled with black salt and roasted cumin on a hot afternoon.
- Tarbooz sherbet: the flesh blended with mint and lime, strained, with no sugar needed.
- Watermelon rind sabzi from Rajasthan, the pale inner rind cooked with mustard, chilli and amchur.
- Cubed into a summer fruit chaat with muskmelon, cucumber and chaat masala.
- Dried seeds, roasted with salt, as a crunchy snack.
Before you plan around it
Wash the whole melon before cutting so dirt on the rind does not reach the flesh, refrigerate cut pieces and finish them within a day; pre-cut melon left out at stalls is a common cause of stomach upsets. FSSAI has warned about watermelons injected with artificial red colour; dab a cut piece with cotton wool, and if the cotton turns red, discard the fruit. With 3.9 g carbohydrate per 100 g, watermelon is light, but a very large bowl can still add up for people with diabetes.
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 watermelon
Is watermelon good for weight loss?
It is the lightest fruit in IFCT 2017, at 20 kcal per 100 g, so a big bowl satisfies a sweet craving for very little energy. It does not burn fat, but it is a good swap for sweets and cold drinks.
Can people with diabetes eat watermelon?
Yes, in sensible amounts. Watermelon has only 3.9 g carbohydrate and 3.7 g sugars per 100 g, but it has almost no fibre and is easy to eat in large quantities. A medium bowl with or after a meal suits most plans.
Does watermelon help with dehydration?
It is 94.5 g water per 100 g, so it adds to the day's fluid in summer. It is not enough on its own for someone dehydrated by diarrhoea or heat stroke, who needs oral rehydration solution and medical care.
How can I tell if watermelon has added colour?
FSSAI suggests rubbing the cut flesh with cotton wool. Natural flesh leaves the cotton pale pink at most; injected colour turns it bright red. Buy whole melons from trusted sellers and cut them at home.
Related foods and tables
Muskmelon
Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Cucumber
Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Palm fruit (tadgola)
Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Coconut water
Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Litchi
Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Beta-carotene content of Indian foods
Every food in the tables, ranked by beta-carotene per 100 g.
Vitamin C content of Indian foods
Every food in the tables, ranked by vitamin c per 100 g.
Omega-3 (ALA) content of Indian foods
Every food in the tables, ranked by omega-3 (ala) 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.