Sugars and natural drinks · IFCT 2017
Jaggery: nutrition per 100 g
Per 100 g, cane jaggery gives 354 kcal, 84.3 g sugars, 4.63 mg iron and 107 mg calcium, according to IFCT 2017. It ranks 1st of 256 foods for carbohydrate, at 84.9 g. Unlike white sugar it keeps some minerals from the cane juice, but those come packaged with a great deal of sugar, so jaggery is a sweetener, not a supplement.
About jaggery
Jaggery is made by boiling fresh sugarcane juice in wide iron pans until it thickens, then pouring it into moulds to set. Nothing is separated out, so the molasses stays in, which gives jaggery its colour, flavour and minerals. Kolhapur, Muzaffarnagar, Mandya and Anakapalle are famous jaggery towns. IFCT 2017 records it as gud in Hindi and Punjabi, bella in Kannada, bellam in Telugu, vellam in Malayalam, gul in Marathi, god in Gujarati, godd in Konkani and guda in Odia.
It sweetens far more than desserts. Gujarati dal and kadhi, Maharashtrian amti and many sambars carry a touch of it to balance tamarind and chilli. It goes into chikki with peanuts, til ladoo for Sankranti, sakkarai pongal, payasam, puran poli, aam panna and panakam for Ram Navami, and a small piece after lunch is a habit in many homes.
This page covers cane jaggery. Palm jaggery, such as Bengal's nolen gur from date palm and Tamil Nadu's karupatti, is a different product and is not listed separately in IFCT 2017. Cane jaggery itself comes as solid blocks, soft crumbly gud for cooking, and newer powdered and liquid forms, all made from the same boiled juice and close in sugar content.
What jaggery brings to a meal
- 01
Sugar first and foremost
Jaggery is 84.3 g sugars per 100 g and ranks 1st of 256 foods for carbohydrate. It provides 354 kcal per 100 g, about 17 per cent of a man's daily energy.
- 02
Iron, with a caveat
It carries 4.63 mg iron per 100 g, 48th of 242 foods, part of which is thought to come from the iron pans it is boiled in. 100 g would meet about 24 per cent of a man's daily iron, but no one should eat that much.
- 03
Magnesium and potassium
Jaggery gives 115 mg magnesium and 488 mg potassium per 100 g, ranking 53rd and 57th among all foods. White sugar has almost none of either.
- 04
A surprising vitamin B6 figure
IFCT 2017 lists 0.71 mg vitamin B6 per 100 g, about 30 per cent of a man's daily requirement. Calcium is 107 mg, 64th of 242 foods.
Jaggery 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 | 354 kcal | 17% | 21% |
| Protein | 1.9 g | 4% | 4% |
| Carbohydrate (available) | 84.9 g | ||
| Dietary fibre | 0 g | ||
| Free sugars | 84.3 g | ||
| Total fat | 0.2 g | ||
| Water | 11.2 g | ||
| Fats | |||
| Saturated fat | 0.07 g | ||
| Monounsaturated fat | 0.02 g | ||
| Polyunsaturated fat | 0.03 g | ||
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | ||
| Minerals | |||
| Calcium | 107 mg | 11% | 11% |
| Iron | 4.63 mg | 24% | 16% |
| Zinc | 0.45 mg | 3% | 3% |
| Magnesium | 115 mg | 26% | 31% |
| Phosphorus | 75 mg | ||
| Potassium | 488 mg | ||
| Sodium | 25 mg | ||
| Copper | 0.07 mg | ||
| Vitamins | |||
| Thiamine (B1) | 0.04 mg | 2% | 2% |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0.01 mg | 0% | 0% |
| Niacin (B3) | 0.02 mg | 0% | 0% |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.71 mg | 30% | 37% |
| Folate (B9) | 14 µg | 5% | 6% |
| Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) | 0.04 mg | ||
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. Jaggery: nutrition per 100 g. Data: Indian Food Composition Tables 2017, ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition. https://nnwa.in/foods/sugars-and-drinks/jaggery/
Where jaggery sits among Indian foods
Ranked per 100 g against the other 2 sugars and natural drinks and every food in the tables.
| Nutrient | Per 100 g | In sugars and natural drinks | Among all foods |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein | 1.9 g | 1st of 3 | 170th of 243 |
| Iron | 4.63 mg | 1st of 3 | 48th of 242 |
| Calcium | 107 mg | 1st of 3 | 64th of 242 |
| Zinc | 0.45 mg | 1st of 3 | 147th of 243 |
| Magnesium | 115 mg | 1st of 3 | 53rd of 242 |
| Potassium | 488 mg | 1st of 3 | 57th of 243 |
| Folate (B9) | 14 µg | 2nd of 3 | 152nd of 197 |
| Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) | 0.04 mg | 2nd of 3 | 195th of 242 |
How jaggery is eaten
- Chikki: roasted peanuts or sesame folded into melted jaggery and set into crisp bars.
- Til ladoo: sesame seeds bound with jaggery for Makar Sankranti in Maharashtra and the north.
- Gujarati dal and kadhi: a small piece of jaggery balances the sourness of kokum or curd.
- Sakkarai pongal: rice and moong dal cooked with jaggery, ghee, cardamom and cashews.
- Panakam: jaggery dissolved in water with dry ginger, pepper and cardamom, a summer and festival drink.
Recipes in the NNWA database that use it
Aam Panna
North Indian · Beverage
Bisi Bele Bath
South Indian · Main course
Dalia (Broken Wheat Porridge)
North Indian · Breakfast
Gujarati Kadhi (Sweet-Sour Yoghurt Curry)
West Indian · Main course
Kokum Sherbet (Cooling Kokum Fruit Drink)
West Indian · Beverage
Masala Chai (Spiced Milk Tea)
Pan-Indian · Beverage
Cooked dishes that use it, with calories per serving
Before you plan around it
Jaggery's minerals are real, but to get a useful amount of iron from it you would eat far more sugar than is healthy. For blood sugar, jaggery behaves much like white sugar, so people with diabetes should count it as sugar, not swap freely. Bright golden jaggery is sometimes made with chemical clarifiers or colour; darker, irregular blocks are usually less processed. Store it airtight, because it absorbs moisture and turns sticky. For iron, dals, greens, millets and meat are far better everyday sources than gud.
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 jaggery
Is jaggery good for iron?
Jaggery has 4.63 mg iron per 100 g in IFCT 2017, but it is 84.3 g sugars per 100 g, so eating enough to matter would mean a lot of sugar. A small piece adds a little iron to a diet; it does not fix anaemia, which needs a doctor's diagnosis.
Can people with diabetes eat jaggery?
Jaggery raises blood sugar much like white sugar does, since it is mostly sucrose. People with diabetes should treat it as sugar and follow their doctor's or dietitian's advice on how much, if any, fits their plan.
How is jaggery made?
Fresh sugarcane juice is filtered and boiled in large shallow iron pans, skimmed of impurities, and stirred until it thickens. The hot mass is poured into moulds or shaped by hand and left to set into blocks or balls.
What is jaggery called in South India?
IFCT 2017 records it as bella in Kannada, bellam in Telugu, vellam in Malayalam and mandavellam in Tamil, the last referring to block jaggery. In Konkani it is godd.
Related foods and tables
Sugarcane
Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Sesame seeds (til)
Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Peanuts (groundnut)
Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Coconut water
Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Ghee
Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Jaggery, Honey or Sugar: Which Is Actually Healthier?
The portion-by-portion answer, in the NNWA journal.
Protein content of Indian foods
Every food in the tables, ranked by protein per 100 g.
Iron content of Indian foods
Every food in the tables, ranked by iron per 100 g.
Calcium content of Indian foods
Every food in the tables, ranked by calcium per 100 g.
All sugars and natural drinks
3 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.