Cumin - How Many Calories?

Cumin calories and nutrition in a kitchen serving

Cumin contains 375 calories per 100 grams, but a spoonful weighs far less. USDA's measure for one teaspoon of whole seeds is 2.1 grams, about 8 calories. A weighed 2-gram amount of ground cumin gives an estimate of 8 calories using the same seed reference. Grinding changes how the spice fills a spoon; it does not make every teaspoon weigh the same.^[1]

Whole seeds, cumin powder and tablespoon weights

The source lists a tablespoon of whole cumin seeds as 6 grams, about 23 calories. The calculator keeps those whole-seed measures separate from weighed 1- and 2-gram examples. For ground cumin, check your label and weigh your usual spoonful if you need a closer estimate. A heaped spoon is not interchangeable with a level one.

Is cumin high in iron?

The 100-gram table lists 66.36 mg of iron, but one source teaspoon provides about 1.39 mg. That teaspoon also contains only 0.37 grams of protein and 0.22 grams of fibre. Reading the 100-gram figures as an everyday serving greatly overstates the contribution of a sprinkle. Cumin contains nonheme iron; the amount listed is not the amount your body will absorb. It cannot replace assessment and treatment for iron deficiency. For the meal as a whole, see the examples of pairing plant iron foods with vitamin C.^[2]

How can you use cumin in meals?

Crush whole seeds for a lentil soup or vegetable dish, or stir ground cumin into a yogurt dressing, bean salad or meatball mixture. Start with a small amount and taste before adding more. It brings an earthy flavour, not a reason to eat a medicinal spoonful each day. The roasted broccoli and chickpea recipe uses cumin as an optional seasoning with measured ingredients. Count the yogurt, oil and other ingredients separately when calculating the finished dish.

This entry is Cuminum cyminum. Nigella seeds, sometimes sold as “black cumin,” are a different food. Seed oil, extracts and cumin-flavoured cheese also need their own labels or data; they cannot be calculated as plain cumin seeds.

What health benefits can you expect from cumin?

Its most direct role in a meal is flavour, with small amounts of nutrients from the quantity used. A trial in 88 women receiving weight-loss counselling examined cumin powder with yogurt, but it does not establish that sprinkling cumin on food causes weight loss for everyone. Choose a yogurt snack because it suits your meal plan and preferences, rather than expecting cumin to burn fat.^[5]

There is no useful “healthiest spice” ranking that makes cumin better or worse than turmeric for every purpose. Nor does a nutrient table prove a brain benefit or a special effect for men or women. Those claims require evidence for the particular preparation, dose and outcome; a long list of promised benefits is not a reason to increase your intake.

Does cumin prevent gas or help gastritis?

Adding cumin does not guarantee a meal will cause no gas. Portion size, eating speed and drinks alongside the food may matter too. Use a food and symptom diary to look for a pattern instead of putting every symptom down to one ingredient.^[3] Cumin or cumin mixed with lemon is not a substitute for gastritis treatment. If a mixture worsens discomfort, do not keep taking it in the hope that it will heal your stomach.^[4]

How much cumin should you have, and who should avoid it?

The teaspoon weight is a calculation measure, not a daily target or a safe upper limit. Avoid cumin if you are allergic to it. Culinary use, concentrated extracts, oils and repeated cups of cumin tea should not be treated as interchangeable. During pregnancy or breastfeeding, or when taking medicines, check with a health professional before using these preparations as a remedy. The seed nutrition table cannot tell you the nutrients in a strained tea or establish a treatment dose.^[6]

1. USDA SR28, 02014: spices, cumin seed. Historical reference; whole-seed teaspoon 2.1 g, tablespoon 6 g. Vitamin A is 64 µg RAE/100 g. Ground-spice estimates use the same gram basis, not an assumed spoon density.
2. NIH ODS: food iron and absorption.
3. NIDDK: eating habits and gas symptoms.
4. NIDDK: gastritis and nutrition.
5. Zare et al., 2014: trial of cumin powder in weight management. A limited study population, not a personal prescription.
6. LactMed: cumin, allergy and limits of medicinal-use data.