Asparagus vs broccoli: calories compared
Full comparison · Calories · Carbs
Asparagus has 20 calories per 3.5 oz (100 g); broccoli has 31 calories (55% more). Per typical serving: 27 calories in 1 cup (4.7 oz, 134 g) vs 24 calories in 1 cup chopped (2.7 oz, 76 g).
USDA FoodData Central.
What 100 and 200 calories look like
| Asparagus | Broccoli | |
|---|---|---|
| 100 calories | 17.6 oz (500 g) | 11.4 oz (323 g) |
| 200 calories | 35.3 oz (1000 g) | 22.8 oz (645 g) |
Where the calories come from
- Asparagus: 35% protein · 4% fat · 61% carbs
- Broccoli: 27% protein · 8% fat · 65% carbs
Shares use 4 calories per gram of protein and carbohydrate and 9 per gram of fat.
What the numbers don't tell you
Most people asking want to know which has more fiber. Per cup here, asparagus has about 2.8 g and chopped broccoli 1.8 g, because a cup of asparagus weighs more. Ounce for ounce, broccoli has slightly more.
In USDA lab samples, raw broccoli had about ten times the vitamin C of green asparagus, 91.3 mg against 9.2 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g). Asparagus had more folate, 182.5 mcg against 65.0, though broccoli samples ranged from 15 to 182. By USDA factors, steaming keeps about 85 percent of vitamin C, and boiling and draining greens about 55.
Broccoli has about 102 mcg of vitamin K per 3.5 oz (100 g). USDA lab samples give no value for asparagus, so do not assume it is low. On warfarin, NIH advises keeping vitamin K intake consistent. Broccoli and its relatives also speed up a liver enzyme, CYP1A2, by 20 to 40 percent, and drug exposure could change in people who eat large or variable amounts. Ask a pharmacist if your medicine is affected.
Asparagus sits on gout lists for its purines, yet in a survey of 2,076 healthy adults purine-rich vegetables showed no link with blood urate. That is one snapshot, and gout belongs with a doctor. Eat either, and steam rather than boil.
Evidence behind this note
- Level E Per 100 g raw, USDA lab samples give broccoli about ten times the vitamin C of green asparagus (91.3 vs 9.2 mg). USDA FoodData Central, Foundation Foods, release 2026-04-30
- Level E Per 100 g raw, green asparagus carries more folate than broccoli (182.5 vs 65.0 ug), while broccoli folate swings from 15 to 182 ug between samples. USDA FoodData Central, Foundation Foods, release 2026-04-30
- Level E By the USDA retention table for green vegetables, boiling in water to cover and draining keeps about 55% of vitamin C, versus 70% when the cooking water is used. USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors, Release 6 (2007), codes 3005 and 3006
- Level E Steam broccoli and it keeps most of its vitamin C and folate. Boil it and pour the water away, and you throw out nearly half the vitamin C, two fifths of the folate and almost half the potassium. USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors R6 (2007) and CoFID 2021, Public Health England / OGL v3.0
- Level E Raw broccoli holds about 102 ug vitamin K per 3.5 oz (100 g) in USDA samples, while USDA lab samples give no vitamin K value for green asparagus. USDA FoodData Central, Foundation Foods, release 2026-04-30
- Level E NIH names broccoli among the most common US sources of vitamin K and advises people on warfarin to keep their vitamin K intake consistent, since sudden changes can raise or lower the drug's effect. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Vitamin K Fact Sheet for Health Professionals
- Level A Eating a lot of broccoli and its relatives speeds up one of the liver enzymes that clears medicines, by a fifth to two fifths. For most people that changes nothing. For someone on a drug that enzyme handles, it can change the dose that reaches them. Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 2020
- Level B Pooling 23 human dietary intervention trials, eating cruciferous vegetables raised CYP1A2 enzyme activity by 20% to 40% and GST-alpha by 15% to 35%, which the authors say could alter drug exposure in people who regularly eat large or variable amounts of them. Clin Pharmacol Ther, 2020
- Level C Vegetables high in purines showed no link at all with blood urate, which is the number gout advice is built on. PLoS One, 2012
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
- Asparagus and broccoli: vitamin C on one side, folate on the other
- the gout rule that measurement does not support
- Broccoli: the enzyme you cook off, and how to get it back
What the studies say
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
- Asparagus: full nutrition facts
- Broccoli: full nutrition facts
More comparisons
Where the numbers come from
- Asparagus: USDA FoodData Central, Asparagus, raw, FDC ID 168389 · full profile · all forms of asparagus
- Broccoli: USDA FoodData Central, Broccoli, raw, FDC ID 747447 · full profile · all forms of broccoli
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.