Rambutan Calories & Nutrition Calculator

Fresh rambutan aril contains approximately 40mg vitamin C per 100g (44% DV), based on published analytical studies showing a range of 21.5-49.5mg across cultivars. Canned rambutan retains only 4.9mg (5% DV) — an 88% loss due to heat processing and storage ^[1][2].

At 40mg vitamin C, fresh rambutan is comparable to orange (53.2mg) and pineapple (47.8mg) — a substantial vitamin C source. The canned version, at 4.9mg, drops to the level of banana (8.7mg) or grape (3.2mg). This is one of the largest vitamin C losses among commonly canned fruits.

For food journaling, always specify fresh vs canned rambutan. Fresh rambutan is a meaningful vitamin C contributor; canned rambutan is not. If tracking vitamin C, the form consumed changes the entry from 44% DV to just 5% DV per 100g.

A whole rambutan fruit weighs approximately 30g, but only about 15g (45-50%) is edible flesh (aril). The distinctive hairy red skin and the large central seed together account for over half the fruit's weight ^[1][3].

This means 5 rambutan fruits (total weight ~150g) yield only about 75g of edible aril = 51 kcal. For food journaling, always record the weight of the edible flesh, not the whole fruit. Logging 10 whole rambutans at 68 kcal/100g for total weight would overcount by approximately 100%.

Compare this edible yield to other tropical fruits: litchi is about 55% edible (similar family, Sapindaceae), mango about 65%, and banana about 64% (peel removed). Rambutan's 45% is among the lower yields, making it important to distinguish between total and edible weight.

Fresh rambutan has 14.5g sugar per 100g of edible flesh with only 0.9g fiber — a sugar-to-fiber ratio of approximately 16:1. Compare this to mango (8.6:1), pineapple (7:1), and litchi (12.5:1). Most fruits have ratios between 2:1 and 8:1 ^[1][2].

The low fiber content means rambutan is essentially a sugar-and-water fruit from a macronutrient perspective. At 68 kcal per 100g, approximately 85% of the calories come from sugar. This isn't unusual for tropical fruits, but it's worth noting for people who track sugar-to-fiber ratios in their food journals.

Canned rambutan in syrup has even more sugar: 19g per 100g — the added syrup increases sugar by 31% over the fresh fruit. For food journaling, the canned version adds both calories (82 vs 68) and sugar (19g vs 14.5g) compared to fresh.

Rambutan provides 0.34mg manganese per 100g (15% DV). Among fruits, this is moderate — less than pineapple (0.93mg, 40% DV) but more than most common fruits which have less than 0.1mg. Five rambutans (~75g edible) provide 0.26mg manganese (11% DV) ^[1][2].

Rambutan belongs to the Sapindaceae family, along with litchi (lychee) and longan. These tropical fruits share similar mineral profiles, including moderate manganese. Litchi has about 0.06mg manganese/100g — less than rambutan — suggesting rambutan is the better Sapindaceae option for manganese.

For food journaling, rambutan's manganese contribution is its most distinctive mineral feature. Potassium (171mg in fresh, 42mg in canned) and calcium (22mg) are moderate. Iron at 0.35mg is typical for fruit.

Fresh rambutan contains approximately 171mg potassium per 100g, but canned rambutan retains only 42mg — a 75% reduction. This happens because minerals leach into the syrup during canning and the syrup dilutes the mineral concentration per gram of product ^[1][2].

At 171mg potassium per 100g, fresh rambutan is comparable to orange (181mg) and mango (168mg). The canned version at 42mg is one of the lowest potassium levels among any fruit product. Other minerals (calcium, iron, magnesium) are less affected because their starting concentrations are lower.

For food journaling, if potassium tracking matters, fresh rambutan is far superior to canned. Ten fresh rambutans (~150g edible) provide 257mg potassium (5% DV), while the same weight of canned provides only 63mg (1% DV).