One cup of chopped raw broccoli weighs about 91 grams. It contains 31 calories, 2.6 grams of protein, 6 grams of carbohydrate and 2.4 grams of fiber, per USDA FoodData Central. The same cup delivers 89 milligrams of vitamin C. That is 99 percent of the Daily Value. It also brings about 93 micrograms of vitamin K, or 78 percent of that Daily Value. Broccoli nutrition packs most of a day of two vitamins into 31 calories.
Raw numbers tell only half the story, though. Cooking softens the florets and shifts several nutrients at once. Some move up and some move down. That makes the cooking method part of the data itself.
Broccoli nutrition in one cup raw
These USDA values describe one cup of chopped raw broccoli. Daily Value percentages follow FDA label references.
- Calories: 31.
- Protein: 2.6 grams.
- Carbohydrate: 6 grams, with 1.7 grams of natural sugars.
- Fiber: 2.4 grams (9 percent of the Daily Value).
- Vitamin C: 89.2 milligrams (99 percent of the Daily Value).
- Vitamin K: 93 micrograms (78 percent of the Daily Value).
- Folate: 63 micrograms (16 percent of the Daily Value).
- Potassium: 288 milligrams (6 percent of the Daily Value).
Vitamin K: a cup nearly covers the day
Broccoli nutrition rarely gets described without vitamin K leading the list. The NIH sets Adequate Intakes at 120 micrograms for men and 90 for women. The fact sheet describes the vitamin's role in blood clotting and healthy bones. Leafy greens and broccoli anchor the NIH food-source list. One raw cup clears most adults' full requirement.
Cooked broccoli measures even higher per gram. USDA data show 141 micrograms of vitamin K per 100 grams boiled and drained. The same raw weight holds about 102 micrograms. Water loss during boiling concentrates the vegetable. That explains the rise. For related coverage, see Chicken breast nutrition by preparation: protein per gram and more.
Unlike vitamin C, vitamin K runs higher after boiling in USDA tables. Heat does not appear to strip it the way it strips vitamin C. The K line moves with weight, not with the cooking water.
Vitamin K and blood thinner medicines
Broccoli nutrition matters to one specific group beyond the general ledger. People taking warfarin, a common blood thinner, need a steady daily intake of vitamin K, the NIH advises. A sudden drop in vitamin K can raise the risk of bleeding. A sudden jump can raise the risk of clots.
The practical rule is consistency, not avoidance. A person on warfarin who eats broccoli on most days should keep eating roughly that amount. The medicine dose gets matched to the usual diet. Big changes in green vegetable intake belong in a talk with the prescriber first.
Vitamin C and the cooking question
The NIH sets the vitamin C RDA at 90 milligrams for men and 75 for women. One raw cup nearly maxes the higher figure on its own. The same fact sheet warns that vitamin C may drop during prolonged storage and cooking. It adds that steaming or microwaving may lessen the losses.
USDA figures show the drop in practice. Half a cup of boiled, drained broccoli carries about 51 milligrams of vitamin C. The same weight raw holds about 70 milligrams. Steaming, per the NIH guidance, keeps more of the vitamin in the floret.
Storage plays a role before any heat arrives. Fresh-cut florets lose vitamin C during long storage, the NIH notes. A recently cut cup posts the stronger number. The clock starts at harvest, not at the stove.
Fiber, folate and the supporting cast
Fiber reaches 2.4 grams per raw cup. Folate adds 16 percent of its Daily Value. The NIH potassium table lists half a cup of cooked broccoli at 229 milligrams, or 5 percent of the Daily Value. One cup also holds more water than anything else, which keeps its calorie cost low.
Broccoli nutrition also carries plant-derived vitamin A and a trace of calcium. Dairy remains the standard calcium source. None of the supporting lines changes the headline. Two near-full days of vitamins K and C sit in one raw cup. Few foods pack that much into 31 calories. We covered a connected angle in Banana nutrition facts in tables: vitamins, minerals and glycemic numbers.
Conclusion: broccoli nutrition, raw or cooked
Raw, a cup delivers a full day of vitamin C and most of a day of vitamin K for 31 calories. Cooked, vitamin K concentrates while vitamin C fades with heat and water. Both readings keep broccoli near the front of the vegetable drawer on nutrient-per-calorie math. Whichever way the kitchen goes, the numbers stay on the vegetable's side.
