Durian vs jackfruit: carbs, fiber and net carbs

Most people searching this want to tell the two fruits apart. We hold no data on size, smell or taste. On the plate the clearest difference is fat. Durian carries about eight times the fat of jackfruit and roughly half again the calories.

Durian has a name as the potassium fruit. Per 3.5 oz (100 g), the USDA records here put the two almost level, with jackfruit slightly ahead. A case report that ranks durian first gave jackfruit only 303 mg, and the UK food table gives 350 mg. Per cup the picture flips, because a cup of durian weighs more: about 1,060 mg against 740 mg. That matters for one group. Two case reports describe dangerous potassium levels in people with failing kidneys who ate durian, one of them a large amount over several days. With kidney disease, an ACE inhibitor or a potassium-sparing diuretic, even potassium intakes below the recommended amount can push blood levels too high, and that applies to both fruits.

The sugar research is thin. Durian gave a low glycemic index of 49 in 10 healthy adults. The jackfruit trials that lowered blood sugar used green jackfruit flour, not the ripe fruit. With a latex allergy, take care with jackfruit: one nurse allergic to latex had anaphylaxis after eating it dried. Otherwise choose by taste.

Evidence behind this note

1. Level D The authors of the 2021 case report state that 3.5 oz (100 g) of durian flesh contains 436 mg of potassium, above banana at 358 mg and jackfruit at 303 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g). SAGE Open Med Case Rep, 2021
2. Level E The two national food tables disagree about the same raw fruit. USDA puts vitamin B6 in raw jackfruit at 0.329 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g) and the UK table at 0.11 mg, a threefold gap, with vitamin C 13.7 against 10 mg and potassium 448 against 350 mg. USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy and CoFID 2021, Public Health England, Open Government Licence v3.0
3. Level D A 79-year-old woman whose kidney function was acutely impaired after several days of diarrhea reached a serum potassium of 8.1 mmol/L with junctional bradycardia after eating a large amount of durian. SAGE Open Med Case Rep, 2021
4. Level D A woman with end stage renal failure developed life threatening hyperkalemia after eating durian, reported as a single case in Malaysia. Med J Malaysia, 2011
5. Level E NIH Office of Dietary Supplements states that in people whose kidneys cannot clear potassium, because of chronic kidney disease or of ACE inhibitors and potassium-sparing diuretics, even potassium intakes below the Adequate Intake can cause hyperkalemia. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Potassium Fact Sheet for Health Professionals
6. Level B In a randomized crossover test in 10 healthy adults, a 50 g available carbohydrate portion of durian gave a glycemic index of 49 +/- 5, which falls in the low range. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr, 2008
7. Level B In adults with type 2 diabetes who were already taking oral antihyperglycemic drugs, swapping an equal volume of rice or wheat flour for 30 g a day of green jackfruit flour for 12 weeks lowered HbA1c by 0.25 percentage points more than placebo flour. Nutr Diabetes, 2021
8. Level A A 2024 systematic review of 11 randomized trials of flour-based foods, using 1.5 to 36 g a day for six weeks to 120 days, put green jackfruit flour among the flours that improved glucose homeostasis. It did not list jackfruit flour among the flours that improved blood pressure or blood lipids. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr, 2024
9. Level C Jackfruit can trigger anaphylaxis in people allergic to natural rubber latex. The first published case was a 34-year-old nurse with latex glove eczema who reacted to dried jackfruit and skin-tested positive to jackfruit, latex, kiwi and papaya. Asian Pac J Allergy Immunol, 2015

Written from the studies and agency guidance we hold for both foods, reviewed by the Bioma editorial system. How we verify.

Read more about these foods

• Durian: tested for sugar, untested for nearly everything else
• Jackfruit: almost everything tested was the dried green flour

Rankings and guides

• Carbohydrates: what it does and how much you need
• Fiber: what it does and how much you need
• Which foods are highest in dietary fiber?
• Which foods are highest in carbohydrate?
• Added sugar: what it does and what the evidence shows

• Durian: USDA FoodData Central, Durian, raw or frozen, FDC ID 168192 · all forms of durian
• Jackfruit: USDA FoodData Central, Jackfruit, raw, FDC ID 174687 · all forms of jackfruit

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.