Spices, herbs and condiments · IFCT 2017
Garlic: nutrition per 100 g
Per 100 g, peeled garlic gives 124 kcal, 6.9 g protein, 21.9 g carbohydrate and 5.2 g fibre, according to the Indian Food Composition Tables 2017. Its 0.25 mg of riboflavin ranks 1st of 21 spices and herbs and 9th of 241 foods, and its folate, 86 micrograms, ranks 3rd in the group. A few cloves weigh far less than 100 g, so a dish gets only a part of this.
About garlic
Garlic is lehsun in Hindi, rashun in Bengali, poondu in Tamil, vellulli in Telugu and Malayalam, bellulli in Kannada and lasan in Gujarati and Punjabi; IFCT 2017 records names in 17 languages. Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh grow most of India's crop, and the hills of Kashmir and Himachal grow the much-loved single-clove garlic, ek pothi lehsun.
IFCT 2017 tested three kinds. Big-clove garlic, used here, and small-clove garlic are nearly identical, at 124 and 123 kcal per 100 g. Kashmiri single-clove garlic has slightly less protein, 6.1 g, and the most vitamin C, 15.4 mg against 12.6 mg. In the kitchen, garlic is pounded with ginger into the paste behind most North Indian curries, fried into Maharashtra's dry lasun chutney, simmered whole in Tamil poondu kuzhambu, and ground with red chillies for Rajasthani lehsun ki chutney.
What garlic brings to a meal
- 01
Top riboflavin in its group
Garlic has 0.25 mg of riboflavin per 100 g, 1st of 21 spices and herbs and 9th of 241 foods in IFCT 2017. 100 g would meet 10 per cent of the daily requirement.
- 02
Folate
At 86 micrograms per 100 g, garlic ranks 35th of 197 foods for folate and 3rd in its group, which would meet 29 per cent of a man's daily requirement and 39 per cent of a woman's.
- 03
B6, thiamine and potassium
Garlic gives 0.56 mg of vitamin B6, 0.2 mg of thiamine and 430 mg of potassium per 100 g, with only 9 mg of sodium.
- 04
More substance than most spices
Unlike leafy herbs, garlic is mostly carbohydrate, 21.9 g per 100 g, with 6.9 g protein and 5.2 g fibre, which is why it adds body to chutneys and pickles.
Garlic 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 | 124 kcal | 6% | 7% |
| Protein | 6.9 g | 13% | 15% |
| Carbohydrate (available) | 21.9 g | ||
| Dietary fibre | 5.2 g | ||
| Free sugars | 6 g | ||
| Total fat | 0.2 g | ||
| Water | 64.4 g | ||
| Fats | |||
| Saturated fat | 0.03 g | ||
| Monounsaturated fat | 0.01 g | ||
| Polyunsaturated fat | 0.07 g | ||
| Omega-3 (alpha-linolenic acid) | 6 mg | ||
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | ||
| Minerals | |||
| Calcium | 20 mg | 2% | 2% |
| Iron | 1.05 mg | 6% | 4% |
| Zinc | 0.89 mg | 5% | 7% |
| Magnesium | 27 mg | 6% | 7% |
| Phosphorus | 119 mg | ||
| Potassium | 430 mg | ||
| Sodium | 9 mg | ||
| Copper | 0.19 mg | ||
| Vitamins | |||
| Vitamin C | 12.6 mg | 16% | 19% |
| Thiamine (B1) | 0.2 mg | 11% | 12% |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0.25 mg | 10% | 10% |
| Niacin (B3) | 0.38 mg | 2% | 3% |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.56 mg | 23% | 29% |
| Folate (B9) | 86 µg | 29% | 39% |
| Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) | 0.07 mg | ||
| Vitamin K1 | 2.8 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. Garlic: nutrition per 100 g. Data: Indian Food Composition Tables 2017, ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition. https://nnwa.in/foods/spices-and-herbs/garlic/
Where garlic sits among Indian foods
Ranked per 100 g against the other 20 spices, herbs and condiments and every food in the tables.
| Nutrient | Per 100 g | In spices, herbs and condiments | Among all foods |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0.25 mg | 1st of 21 | 9th of 241 |
| Folate (B9) | 86 µg | 3rd of 21 | 36th of 197 |
| Thiamine (B1) | 0.2 mg | 7th of 21 | 51st of 239 |
| Dietary fibre | 5.2 g | 16th of 21 | 74th of 182 |
| Potassium | 430 mg | 17th of 21 | 76th of 243 |
Every form of garlic in IFCT 2017
The tables analyse these separately. The figures above are for the row marked first.
| Form | Energy | Protein | Fibre | Iron | Calcium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garlic, big clove (shown above) | 124 kcal | 6.9 g | 5.2 g | 1.05 mg | 20 mg |
| Small clove | 123 kcal | 6.8 g | 5.5 g | 0.88 mg | 18 mg |
| Single clove, Kashmir | 125 kcal | 6.1 g | 4 g | 1.01 mg | 19 mg |
How garlic is eaten
- Ginger-garlic paste: equal parts pounded or ground with a little salt, the base of most North Indian and Hyderabadi gravies.
- Lasun chutney: Maharashtrian dry chutney of garlic, coconut and red chilli, tucked into vada pav.
- Poondu kuzhambu: whole cloves simmered in a Tamil tamarind gravy until soft and sweet.
- Lehsun ki chutney: Rajasthani garlic and red chilli paste, eaten with bajra roti.
- Crush or chop garlic and let it rest for a few minutes before cooking to keep its sharp flavour.
Recipes in the NNWA database that use it
Before you plan around it
A typical dish uses a few cloves, so garlic's nutrition is a small bonus; its value is mostly flavour. Large amounts of raw garlic can cause heartburn and stomach upset, and garlic supplements can thin the blood, so people on blood-thinning medicines or awaiting surgery should check with their doctor before taking them. Many Jain households and some Hindu families avoid onion and garlic altogether, and good food is still possible with hing and ginger instead.
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 garlic
What nutrients are in garlic?
Per 100 g, IFCT 2017 lists 124 kcal, 6.9 g protein, 5.2 g fibre, 86 micrograms folate, 0.25 mg riboflavin and 430 mg potassium. A few cloves supply a small share of these.
Is Kashmiri single-clove garlic better?
IFCT 2017 shows it is very similar to ordinary garlic: 125 kcal and 6.1 g protein per 100 g, with a little more vitamin C, 15.4 mg. It is milder and costlier; it is not a medicine.
Can garlic lower blood pressure or cholesterol?
Garlic is a healthy part of a balanced diet, but it is not a treatment. People with high blood pressure or cholesterol should follow their doctor's advice and not rely on raw garlic or supplements alone.
Related foods and tables
Ginger
Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Onion
Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Chillies (green and red)
Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Asafoetida (hing)
Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Spring onion
Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Riboflavin (vitamin B2) content of Indian foods
Every food in the tables, ranked by riboflavin (vitamin b2) per 100 g.
Folate (vitamin B9) content of Indian foods
Every food in the tables, ranked by folate (vitamin b9) per 100 g.
Thiamine (vitamin B1) content of Indian foods
Every food in the tables, ranked by thiamine (vitamin b1) per 100 g.
All spices, herbs and condiments
21 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.