Arugula vs spinach: calories compared
Full comparison · Calories
Arugula has 25 calories per 3.5 oz (100 g); spinach has 21 calories (21% more). Per typical serving: 0 calories in 1 leaf (2 g) vs 21 calories in 3.5 oz (100 g).
USDA FoodData Central.
What 100 and 200 calories look like
| Arugula | Spinach | |
|---|---|---|
| 100 calories | 14.1 oz (400 g) | 17 oz (482 g) |
| 200 calories | 28.2 oz (800 g) | 34 oz (965 g) |
Where the calories come from
- Arugula: 33% protein · 19% fat · 47% carbs
- Spinach: 43% protein · 21% fat · 36% carbs
Shares use 4 calories per gram of protein and carbohydrate and 9 per gram of fat.
What the numbers don't tell you
As salad greens, neither wins outright. Per 3.5 oz (100 g) the two are close on calories and protein, and baby spinach has more potassium. Arugula lists more than twice the calcium, but a cup of arugula weighs only 0.7 oz (20 g), and the table cannot show absorption. Adults absorbed 5.1 percent of spinach calcium against 27.6 percent from milk, and arugula has not been measured.
Arugula stands out for nitrate, the most of any vegetable in a worldwide pooled analysis. Across 19 trials, nitrate lowered systolic pressure by 2.4 mmHg in healthy people, with no significant effect in people with high blood pressure. EFSA noted that more than 1.7 oz (47 g) of rocket, a little over two cups, at median nitrate levels exceeds the acceptable daily intake, yet judged the benefits of vegetables to prevail. A pediatric report notes continuing nitrate poisoning in infants from home-prepared vegetable foods.
In 10 volunteers eating grilled spinach, under 2 percent of its soluble oxalate reached the urine over 24 hours. Spinach is among foods reported to interact with warfarin, yet in anticoagulated volunteers spinach meals moved the INR only briefly, a sign its vitamin K is poorly absorbed.
Mix them freely, but go easy on arugula in home-made baby food. On warfarin, keep your greens steady and discuss big changes with your prescriber.
Evidence behind this note
- Level B Adults absorbed 5.1% of the calcium in spinach against 27.6% of the same amount of calcium from milk, a gap of 22.5 percentage points within the same person. Am J Clin Nutr, 1988
- Level E In US dietary survey measures one cup of raw arugula weighs only 20 g and a guideline salad amount 40 g. A cup at USDA Foundation values gives about 20 mg vitamin C and 41 mg calcium, a fifth of what the same numbers per 3.5 oz (100 g) suggest. USDA FNDDS 2021-2023
- Level D In a worldwide meta-analysis of published measurements, rocket had the highest nitrate plus nitrite content of any vegetable at a mean of 4,825 mg per kg (95% CI 3,044 to 6,606), ahead of mizuna at 3,500 and bok choy at 3,407 mg per kg. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf, 2023
- Level A Inorganic nitrate, the compound leafy greens are richest in, lowered systolic blood pressure by 2.42 mmHg in healthy people and did nothing in people with hypertension, pooled from 19 randomized trials. Food Funct, 2023
- Level E EFSA set the acceptable daily intake of nitrate at 3.7 mg per kg body weight, about 222 mg a day for a 132 lb (60 kg) adult, and noted that more than 1.7 oz (47 g) of rucola at its median nitrate content would exceed it. It still concluded that the benefits of eating vegetables prevail over nitrate risks. EFSA, Nitrate in vegetables, Scientific Opinion of the Panel on Contaminants in the Food chain, EFSA Journal 2008
- Level E Home-prepared vegetable purees still cause nitrate poisoning in infants, while breastfed infants are not at risk even when the mother drinks water at 100 ppm nitrate nitrogen. Pediatrics, 2005
- Level B Spinach carried 736.6 mg of soluble oxalate per 3.5 oz (100 g), yet only 1.93% of it reached the urine over 24 hours, and adding sour cream or milk lowered even that. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr, 2003
- Level C A systematic review of 149 reports names spinach among the herbs, foods and other items reported to interact with warfarin. Br J Clin Pharmacol, 2021
- Level C In people on warfarin, vitamin K began to shift the INR at 150 micrograms a day, and meals of spinach produced only a short-lived response that pointed to poor absorption from the leaf. Blood, 2004
Written from the studies and agency guidance we hold for both foods, reviewed by the Bioma editorial system. How we verify.
Keep exploring
Read more about these foods
- Arugula and spinach: nitrate moved blood pressure only in healthy people
- Arugula: the highest-nitrate leaf measured, and what that buys
- Spinach: the oxalate story is mostly wrong
What the studies say
- Does spinach help with weight loss? No trial has tested the vegetable itself
- Is spinach good during pregnancy? Yes as a food, but it cannot replace folic acid
Rankings and guides
- Calories: what it does and what the evidence shows
- Which foods give the most protein for the fewest calories?
- Dietary fat: what it does and how much you need
- Arugula: full nutrition facts
- Spinach: full nutrition facts
More comparisons
Where the numbers come from
- Arugula: USDA FoodData Central, Arugula, raw, FDC ID 169387 · full profile · all forms of arugula
- Spinach: USDA FoodData Central, Spinach, baby, FDC ID 1999632 · full profile · all forms of spinach
Each food is one USDA entry, chosen as it is usually eaten. Other cuts, brands and preparations differ; the links show them. % DV uses FDA Daily Values for adults. How we verify.