Papaya Calories & Nutrition Calculator

Ripe papaya has 60.9mg vitamin C per 100g — 68% of the daily value — surpassing oranges (53.2mg, 59% DV), strawberries (58.8mg), and grapefruit (31.2mg). At only 43 kcal per 100g (vs. orange's 47 kcal — about 9% fewer calories), papaya delivers more vitamin C per calorie than any commonly consumed citrus fruit. Only guava (228.3mg) and kiwi (92.7mg) significantly outperform papaya among common fruits ^[1].

One cup of ripe papaya pieces (145g) provides 88mg vitamin C — 98% of the daily value — for just 62 kcal. A half medium papaya (230g) delivers 140mg vitamin C — 156% DV. During seasons when citrus is unavailable or expensive, papaya is a cost-effective and often locally available vitamin C alternative in tropical regions.

For food journaling, papaya's vitamin C contribution is its headline nutrient. A single serving easily covers the daily requirement. Vitamin C is water-soluble and heat-sensitive, so fresh ripe papaya delivers the most vitamin C — blending into smoothies retains most of it, but cooking (as in papaya halwa) destroys a significant portion.

Ripe papaya contains 1,828mcg lycopene per 100g — the same carotenoid that gives tomatoes their red color. While tomatoes have significantly more lycopene (raw: 2,573mcg, cooked: 3,041mcg per 100g), papaya is one of the few non-tomato fruits that provides a meaningful lycopene amount. Watermelon (4,532mcg) and pink grapefruit (1,135mcg) are the other common sources ^[1].

In addition to lycopene, papaya has 589mcg beta-cryptoxanthin — a provitamin A carotenoid rarely found in high concentrations in common fruits. Combined with 274mcg beta-carotene, these three carotenoids create a broader carotenoid profile than most fruits, contributing to papaya's distinctive orange-red flesh color.

For food journaling, lycopene is not tracked in standard nutrition apps. However, if you're interested in carotenoid diversity, papaya provides a lycopene source outside the usual tomato/watermelon category. The riper the papaya (deeper orange-red), the higher the lycopene content.

Green (unripe) papaya has approximately 28 kcal per 100g — 35% less than ripe papaya's 43 kcal. The sugar drops from 7.82g to approximately 2.5g, while fiber increases from 1.7g to approximately 2.0g. Green papaya also has higher mineral content: calcium rises to ~33mg (from 20mg), iron to ~0.6mg (from 0.25mg), and magnesium to ~30mg (from 21mg) ^[1][3].

The most significant difference is papain — a proteolytic enzyme concentrated in the latex of unripe papaya that diminishes as the fruit ripens. Green papaya is used in Thai som tam salad, Indian papaya sabzi, and as a meat tenderizer — all leveraging papain's protein-breaking (proteolytic) properties. USDA does not track papain content in standard nutrition data.

For food journaling, always specify which form you're logging: ripe papaya is a sweet fruit (43 kcal, 7.8g sugar); green papaya functions as a low-calorie vegetable (28 kcal, 2.5g sugar). A 200g serving of green papaya salad has 56 kcal vs. 86 kcal for the same weight of ripe papaya.

Papaya's 7.82g sugar per 100g is a near-equal mix of glucose (4.09g) and fructose (3.73g) with virtually no sucrose — an unusually simple sugar composition. Most tropical fruits have significant sucrose: mango is 51% sucrose and pineapple is approximately 60% sucrose. Even banana has about 20% sucrose. Papaya's zero-sucrose profile is biochemically distinctive ^[1].

This sugar level places papaya below mango (13.7g), banana (12.2g), and grapes (16.3g), but above strawberries (4.9g) and watermelon (6.2g). A cup of papaya (145g) has 11.3g sugar — less than a small apple (14g) and considerably less than a cup of mango (22.5g). For a sweet tropical fruit, papaya is relatively moderate in sugar content.

For food journaling, papaya is one of the lower-sugar tropical fruits per serving. If tracking sugar intake, a 200g serving of papaya (86 kcal) has 15.6g sugar — comparable to a medium orange (12g) but with significantly more vitamin C per calorie.

Papaya is a multi-micronutrient fruit: 60.9mg vitamin C (68% DV), 47mcg vitamin A (5% DV), and 37mcg folate (9% DV) per 100g. Few common fruits deliver meaningful percentages of all three in a single serving. Mango provides vitamin C and A but less folate. Orange provides vitamin C and folate but no vitamin A. Papaya does all three ^[1].

A cup of papaya (145g) provides: 88mg vitamin C (98% DV), 68mcg vitamin A (8% DV), and 54mcg folate (13% DV). The vitamin A comes from a combination of beta-carotene (274mcg), beta-cryptoxanthin (589mcg), and trace amounts of other carotenoids — a more diverse provitamin A profile than most fruits.

For nutrition journaling, papaya is an efficient multi-vitamin fruit per calorie. One cup (145g, 62 kcal) covers nearly the entire daily vitamin C requirement while contributing to vitamin A and folate. Adding lime juice (for vitamin C boost and flavor) further enhances the micronutrient density.