Currant Calories & Nutrition Calculator

European black currant delivers 181mg vitamin C per 100g — 201% of the daily value. This places it among the highest-vitamin-C fruits globally: only acerola cherry (~1678mg), camu camu (~2800mg), and Indian gooseberry/amla (~600mg) surpass it. One cup of black currants (112g) provides 203mg vitamin C — more than two days' worth in a single serving ^[1].

For direct comparison: orange has 53mg vitamin C per 100g, strawberry 59mg, kiwi 93mg, and papaya 61mg. Black currant has 3.4x more vitamin C than orange and 1.9x more than kiwi. Even among currant varieties, the difference is dramatic: red currant has just 41mg — less than a quarter of black currant's concentration.

For food journaling, black currant is the single most vitamin-C-dense commonly available berry. If tracking vitamin C, even a small 50g serving of black currants (90mg vitamin C, 100% DV) provides the full daily requirement. Note that vitamin C degrades during processing — jams and juices retain less.

The name 'currant' covers three distinct products: black currants (Ribes nigrum, 63 kcal/100g), red currants (Ribes rubrum, 56 kcal/100g), and dried currants (actually dried Corinthian/Zante grapes, Vitis vinifera, 283 kcal/100g). The dried version is botanically a grape, not a currant — a naming confusion that persists in grocery stores worldwide ^[1].

Black currants have 181mg vitamin C but red currants have only 41mg (78% less). Black currants have 322mg potassium vs red currants' 275mg. The dried 'currants' (grape raisins) have nearly zero vitamin C (1mg) but concentrate potassium to 892mg per 100g and iron to 3.26mg.

For food journaling, specify which type: black currant fresh, red currant fresh, or dried currants (Zante raisins). The calorie and vitamin C differences are too large to interchange. If you're buying 'currants' in the dried fruit aisle, you're almost certainly getting dried Zante grapes, not dried Ribes berries.

Black currant provides 1.54mg iron per 100g — 9% of the daily value (18mg). This is remarkably high for a fruit: apple has 0.12mg, banana 0.26mg, strawberry 0.41mg, and blackberry 0.62mg. Among fresh fruits, only mulberry (1.85mg), passion fruit (1.6mg), and rambutan (1.7mg) approach or exceed black currant's iron density ^[1].

One cup of black currants (112g) delivers 1.72mg iron (10% DV). The concurrent 203mg vitamin C in the same serving is nutritionally significant because vitamin C enhances non-heme iron absorption — making black currant an unusually self-sufficient iron-and-C combination.

For food journaling, black currant's iron contribution is meaningful — especially relative to its calorie cost (63 kcal/100g). A serving provides more iron than a cup of raw spinach (0.81mg) while simultaneously delivering vitamin C that aids absorption.

Black currant has among the highest anthocyanin concentrations of any commonly consumed fruit: 190-476mg per 100g fresh weight, and up to 1741mg per 100g dry weight in certain cultivars. The four main anthocyanins are delphinidin-3-rutinoside, delphinidin-3-glucoside, cyanidin-3-rutinoside, and cyanidin-3-glucoside ^[3][4].

For comparison, blackberry has 100-300mg, blueberry 25-495mg, and cherry 2-350mg anthocyanins per 100g fresh weight. Black currant's anthocyanin profile is distinctive because it is dominated by delphinidin (rather than the cyanidin that dominates in most other berries), which produces its particularly deep blue-purple color.

For food journaling, anthocyanins are not on standard nutrition labels. If tracking phytonutrient diversity, black currant ranks among the top 3 commonly available anthocyanin sources (along with elderberry and chokeberry). The dried Zante currant (grape) has significantly lower anthocyanin content.

Black currant provides 55mg calcium per 100g — 4% of the daily value. Among fresh fruits, this ranks behind only bael (85mg), dried figs (when fresh: 35mg), orange (40mg), and prickly pear (56mg). Most berries have less: strawberry 16mg, blueberry 6mg, raspberry 25mg. One cup of black currants delivers 62mg calcium ^[1].

Red currant has 33mg calcium per 100g — lower than black currant but still above average for fruits. Dried Zante currants concentrate calcium to 86mg per 100g, making them a notable dried-fruit calcium source alongside dried figs (162mg).

For food journaling, black currant's calcium is a modest but noteworthy bonus. Combined with its iron (1.54mg) and vitamin C (181mg), black currant offers an unusually broad mineral profile for a berry — contributing meaningfully to calcium, iron, and potassium tracking simultaneously.