Cloves Calories & Nutrition Calculator

Ground cloves contain 60.1mg manganese per 100g — a staggering 2,614% of the daily value. No other commonly consumed food comes close: cardamom has 28mg, cinnamon has 17.5mg, and the next-nearest non-spice foods (mussels at 6.8mg, pine nuts at 8.8mg) are an order of magnitude lower ^[1][2].

At practical serving sizes: 1 tsp ground cloves (2.1g) delivers 1.26mg manganese (55% DV) — more than half the daily value from a single teaspoon. A single whole clove (0.15g) provides 0.09mg (4% DV). Six whole cloves in a biryani (0.9g) contribute 0.54mg (23% DV). These are genuinely substantial per-serving contributions for a spice ^[1].

For food journaling, cloves are the rare spice where per-serving mineral tracking yields meaningful DV percentages. Even a quarter-teaspoon of ground cloves (0.5g) delivers 0.30mg manganese (13% DV) — more than the manganese in a cup of brown rice.

Cloves pack 33.9g fiber per 100g — the second-highest among common spices after cinnamon (53.1g). They also deliver 632mg calcium per 100g (49% DV), 259mg magnesium (62% DV), 11.8mg iron (66% DV), and 1,020mg potassium (22% DV). The simultaneous density of fiber, calcium, iron, and manganese is unmatched among spices ^[1][3].

Per teaspoon (2.1g): 0.71g fiber (2.5% DV), 13.3mg calcium (1.0% DV), 5.4mg magnesium (1.3% DV), 0.25mg iron (1.4% DV). Per tablespoon (6.3g): 2.14g fiber (7.6% DV), 39.8mg calcium (3.1% DV), 0.74mg iron (4.1% DV). At tablespoon quantities (used in garam masala blends), these contributions become nutritionally relevant ^[1].

For food journaling, cloves' calcium per teaspoon (13.3mg) exceeds that of most other spices at the same portion. The fiber contribution (0.71g per tsp) is among the highest for any spice serving — only cinnamon provides more fiber per teaspoon.

Eugenol — a phenylpropanoid — constitutes 70–90% of clove essential oil and can represent 14–18% of the dried bud weight. This makes cloves the most concentrated natural source of eugenol, far exceeding other sources like allspice (60–90% of its smaller oil content) and cinnamon (1–5% of bark oil) ^[2][3].

Eugenol is responsible for cloves' characteristic warm, sweet-spicy, slightly numbing flavor. The mild numbing sensation results from eugenol's interaction with ion channels in oral tissue — a direct sensory effect of the compound at the concentrations present in cloves. Beta-caryophyllene (5–12% of oil) and eugenyl acetate (2–27%) are secondary volatile compounds ^[3].

For food journaling, eugenol at up to 18% of dry weight means a single clove bud (0.15g) contains approximately 21–27mg of eugenol — a significant amount of a bioactive compound that no nutrition database tracks. Standard panels capture the fiber and minerals from the clove matrix but miss the compound that gives cloves their entire culinary identity.

Cloves provide 8.82mg vitamin E per 100g (59% DV) and 141.8mcg vitamin K per 100g (118% DV) — placing them among the highest sources of both vitamins in the spice category. Vitamin E at this concentration exceeds peanut butter (4.9mg), olive oil (14.4mg per 100ml equivalent), and most nuts except almonds (25.6mg) and sunflower seeds (35.2mg) ^[1][2].

Per teaspoon (2.1g): 0.19mg vitamin E (1.2% DV) and 2.98mcg vitamin K (2.5% DV). These are modest but non-negligible — especially vitamin K, where dietary sources are limited primarily to leafy greens and fermented foods. Cloves in a spice blend contribute a small but consistent vitamin K input ^[1].

For food journaling, cloves' vitamin E and K content are unexpected bonuses. While the per-serving amounts are small, they add to the cumulative micronutrient diversity that distinguishes spice-rich cuisines from plainer dietary patterns.

A single whole clove bud weighs approximately 0.15g and provides: 0.41 kcal, 0.01g protein, 0.10g carbs, 0.05g fiber, 0.09mg manganese (4% DV), 0.95mg calcium, and 0.02mg iron. This is the smallest practical unit of any common spice — far smaller than a cardamom pod (0.3g) or a peppercorn (0.4g) ^[1].

Common recipe uses: 3 cloves in tea (0.45g) = 1.2 kcal, 12% DV manganese; 6 cloves in biryani (0.9g) = 2.5 kcal, 23% DV manganese; 1 tsp ground for baking (2.1g) = 5.8 kcal, 55% DV manganese. The manganese contribution is consistently meaningful across all usage levels ^[1].

For food journaling, decide whether whole cloves in a dish are consumed (count them) or discarded (log zero). In chai and biryani, whole cloves are typically removed before eating. In ground spice blends and baked goods, they are fully consumed. This distinction affects whether you log the manganese contribution.