Radish Calories & Nutrition Calculator

Raw red radish has 16 kcal per 100g — placing it alongside celery (14 kcal), cucumber (15 kcal), and iceberg lettuce (14 kcal) as one of the very lowest-calorie whole foods available. The 95.3% water content is nearly identical to cucumber, leaving only 4.7g of dry matter per 100g. Daikon (oriental radish) is marginally higher at 18 kcal per 100g ^[1][2].

One cup of sliced red radish (116g) provides just 19 kcal — less than a single grape (about 3 kcal per grape, or 69 kcal per 100g). Ten medium red radishes (45g) have just 7 kcal. A full 7-inch daikon radish (338g) has only 61 kcal. The calorie contribution of radish to any meal is essentially negligible.

For food journaling, radish often falls below the threshold of meaningful calorie tracking. At 16 kcal per 100g, even imprecise portion estimates introduce minimal error. The primary journaling value is in tracking the micronutrients (vitamin C, potassium, folate) that radish delivers at virtually zero caloric cost.

Red radish provides 14.8mg vitamin C per 100g (16% DV), while daikon delivers 22mg (24% DV) — a 49% advantage for the oriental variety. Both values are notable for a 16–18 calorie food: per calorie, red radish delivers 0.93mg vitamin C, and daikon delivers 1.22mg — both competitive with orange (1.13 mg/kcal) ^[1][2].

One cup of sliced red radish (116g) provides 17.2mg vitamin C (19% DV) at 19 kcal. One cup of sliced daikon (116g) provides 25.5mg (28% DV) at 21 kcal. A full daikon root (338g) delivers 74.4mg vitamin C (83% DV) for just 61 kcal — more vitamin C than a medium orange at roughly half the calories ^[2].

For food journaling, if tracking vitamin C, choose daikon over red radish for maximum efficiency. Both varieties deliver meaningful vitamin C at essentially zero caloric cost, making them an easy add to any meal for ascorbic acid contribution.

While red radish and daikon are nearly identical in calories (16 vs 18 kcal), they differ in several key nutrients. Daikon has 49% more vitamin C (22 vs 14.8mg), 12% more folate (28 vs 25mcg), 8% more calcium (27 vs 25mg), and 18% more iron (0.40 vs 0.34mg). Red radish has 87% more zinc (0.28 vs 0.15mg) and higher sodium (39 vs 21mg) ^[1][2].

The carbohydrate profiles also differ: daikon has 4.14g total carbs with 2.5g sugar, while red radish has 3.40g carbs with 1.86g sugar. Fiber is identical at 1.6g per 100g for both. The size difference is the most practical distinction: a single daikon can weigh 338g or more, while a single red radish is only 4.5g ^[1][2].

For food journaling, use the variant-specific data for accurate tracking. In Indian/East Asian cooking where daikon (mooli) is common, the higher vitamin C and folate values are relevant. In Western salads using red radish, the slightly lower calorie and sugar values apply.

Radish's characteristic peppery, sharp flavor comes from glucosinolates — sulfur-containing compounds that break down into isothiocyanates when cells are damaged (slicing, chewing, grating). The primary glucosinolate in radish is 4-methylthio-3-butenyl glucosinolate (glucoraphasatin), which is unique to the Raphanus genus ^[3][4].

Glucosinolate content varies from 10 to 100mg per 100g depending on variety, maturity, and growing conditions. Younger radishes and radish sprouts tend to have higher concentrations. The pungency decreases with cooking — boiling reduces glucosinolate content significantly, while raw consumption preserves these compounds ^[4][5].

For food journaling, glucosinolates are not shown on any standard nutrition panel. If tracking phytonutrient diversity, note that radish is one of the few common vegetables in the Brassicaceae family consumed raw, where glucosinolates and their breakdown products are fully preserved.

Red radish delivers 233mg potassium per 100g at just 16 kcal — a potassium-per-calorie ratio of 14.6 mg/kcal. Spinach is higher at 24.3 mg/kcal, and tomato is comparable at 13.2 mg/kcal, but radish outperforms banana (4.02 mg/kcal), carrot (7.8 mg/kcal), and broccoli (9.3 mg/kcal) ^[1].

Dietary fiber at 1.6g per 100g (6% DV) is modest in absolute terms but meaningful relative to the near-zero calorie content. Folate ranges from 25mcg (red) to 28mcg (daikon) per 100g. The mineral profile includes 25mg calcium, 10mg magnesium, 20mg phosphorus, and 0.34mg iron per 100g of red radish ^[1][2].

For nutrition journaling, radish is a zero-cost way to boost potassium intake. A cup of sliced radish (116g) adds 270mg potassium (6% DV) to a salad for under 20 calories. This makes radish one of the most calorie-efficient potassium contributors available.