0.8 %
Vitamin A contributes to the normal function of the immune system, to the maintenance of normal vision and to the maintenance of normal skin.
How many calories are in basil?
0.4kcal
in a 1 g pinch
40 kcal per 100 g.
Source: UK CoFID 2021, record 13-804, 6 analysed samples. Checked 5 October 2026.
0.01 gFat
0.03 gProtein
0.05 gCarbohydrate
0.8 %Daily vitamin A
What’s in a 1 g pinch
More than half of a pinch is water. The rest is 0.05 g carbohydrate and 0.03 g protein.
- 0.01 gFat
- 0.03 gProtein
- 0.05 gCarbohydrate
- 0.88 gWater
Below average for herbs and spices
Basil is 40 kcal per 100 g. The 35 herbs and spices in this database average 193.
Basil40
Herbs and spices average193
Low in fat
0.8 g of fat per 100 g; the UK “low fat” line is 3 g.
Fat, per pinch0.01 g
Vitamins and minerals in basil
Four of the 12 recorded reach the “high in” level. Vitamin A leads by a long way.
None recorded
- Vitamin D
- Vitamin B12
Show all 12 with amounts
Vitamin A0.0066 mg, 0.8 %
Iron0.06 mg, <1 %
Vitamin C0.26 mg, <1 %
Calcium2.5 mg, <1 %
Riboflavin (vitamin B2)0 mg, <1 %
Potassium3 mg, <1 %
Thiamin (vitamin B1)0 mg, <1 %
Zinc0.01 mg, <1 %
Phosphorus0.37 mg, <1 %
Magnesium0.11 mg, <1 %
Vitamin Dnone recorded
Vitamin B12none recorded
Badges use the UK legal thresholds per 100 g: 15 % of the reference intake for “source of”, 30 % for “high in”.
What basil doesn’t give you. And where to find it.
No recorded vitamin D or vitamin B12, and only 2.9 % of the magnesium reference intake per 100 g.
Vitamin D
0mgin basil
Find it inBloater, grilled500 % per 100 g
Vitamin B12
0mgin basil
Find it inLiver, ox, raw4400 % per 100 g
Magnesium
2.9%in basil, per 100 g
Find it inCoriander leaves, dried184 % per 100 g
100 mgVitamin C, 125 %
0.075 mgSelenium, 136 %
0.00125 mgVitamin D, 25 %
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Made in Cambridgeshire
Made in the UK since 1998, with every nutrient and its declared amount listed on the label.
Basil against other herbs and spices
Per 100 g, mixed herbs (dried) has the most vitamin A in this comparison, followed by coriander leaves (dried).
1.35mg
1.31mg
0.805mg
0.66mg
0.42mg
0.313mg
Mixed herbs, dried+0.69 mg
Coriander leaves, dried+0.65 mg
Marjoram, dried+0.145 mg
Basil, freshthis page
Tarragon, dried, ground−0.24 mg
Rosemary, dried−0.347 mg
All values per 100 g, from the same dataset. Differences are against basil.
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Questions about basil
Four questions chosen by the facts above, so every food answers differently.
How many calories are in a portion of basil?
A typical portion (1 g, a pinch) gives 0 kcal. Per 100 g the figure is 40 kcal.
Is basil high in vitamin A?
Yes. Basil, fresh has 0.66 mg vitamin A per 100 g, 83 % of the NRV, above the 30 % threshold for a “high in” claim.
Which vitamins and minerals does basil have most of?
By share of the daily reference intake: vitamin A (0.66 mg, 83 %), iron (5.5 mg, 39 %) and vitamin C (26 mg, 33 %) per 100 g.
Is basil a good source of protein?
Basil, fresh has 3.1 g protein per 100 g, 32 % of the energy, which meets the UK threshold for “high protein”.
How these numbers were made
Every figure comes from the UK Composition of Foods Integrated Dataset (CoFID), 2021 edition, record 13-804, Basil, fresh, 6 analysed samples, published by Public Health England under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Main data references: Reviewed 2013. LGC, Fruit and Vegetables, 1989-1990; Polacchi et al. (1982) Food composition tables for the near east; and Wu Leung et al. (1972) Food composition table for use in East Asia. Values are per 100 g of the edible part; a pinch is 1 g, a pinch, the usual UK portion for herbs and spices. Reference intakes follow Regulation (EU) 1169/2011 Annex XIII as retained in GB law; “source of”, “high in” and “low” follow Regulation (EC) 1924/2006, assessed per 100 g. Function lines are the authorised wording from the GB register of nutrition and health claims, credited to the nutrient. Energy is rounded to the whole kcal and kJ; other amounts to one decimal, or two below 1. A trace is shown as “trace” and never gets a figure or a badge; a nutrient never analysed is left off the page. We start from the dataset’s 2,887 records and keep 2,322: records weighed with bone, shell or skin, alcoholic drinks, infant foods, brand-named products, records with fewer than eight measured vitamins and minerals and near-identical variants are left out. Group context uses the 35 herbs and spices kept from the dataset; a rank counts only the foods with a measured figure for that nutrient. Food images are illustrations from Ingredient Atlas, released under CC0; they show the food, not the measured sample. Checked 5 October 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
More herbs and spices
From the same group, with calories per 100 g, and the foods with the most vitamin A.
More herbs and spices
- Tamarind pulp273 kcal
- Basil, dried, ground251 kcal
- Chives, fresh27 kcal
- Curry powder, mixed flavours316 kcal
- Ginger, fresh44 kcal
- Mixed herbs, dried261 kcal
- All 35 herbs and spices
Most vitamin A
- Pepper, cayenne, ground6.13 mg
- Dill, dried5.54 mg
- Parsley, dried3.63 mg
- Liver, calf, fried25.2 mg
- Liver, pig, stewed22.6 mg
- Liver, lamb, fried19.7 mg
- Vitamin A guide