Eggplant is a versatile, low-calorie vegetable that shows up in everything from eggplant parmesan to baba ganoush and stir-fries. While it isn't a calcium powerhouse, it does contribute a small amount of this essential mineral — roughly 9 mg per 100 g (about two-thirds of a cup of diced raw eggplant) according to USDA data. This calculator tells you exactly how much calcium you're getting from any amount of eggplant, whether you measure in grams, ounces, cups, or whole eggplants.
Using the calculator is simple: choose the amount and unit, pick raw or boiled/cooked preparation, and press Calculate Calcium. You'll get the total calcium in milligrams plus the percentage of the Daily Value (1,000 mg) it covers.
It's a handy tool for anyone tracking micronutrients — dieters, plant-based eaters, people managing bone health, or just the curious home cook.
🥣 Amount of Eggplant
🍳 Preparation
Quick Start: Get Your Calcium Estimate in Seconds
Enter how much eggplant you're working with in the calculator above, then choose the unit that matches how you measured it — grams on a kitchen scale, ounces, cups of diced eggplant, or whole medium/large eggplants. Select whether the eggplant is raw or boiled/cooked, hit Calculate Calcium, and you'll see three things: total calcium in milligrams, the percentage of the Daily Value (1,000 mg) that amount covers, and a breakdown showing how the total was derived from the per-100 g value.
How the Calculation Works
The estimate is based on calcium values published in the USDA FoodData Central system. Raw eggplant contains about 9 mg of calcium per 100 g, and boiled/cooked eggplant is essentially identical at around 9 mg per 100 g — calcium is a mineral, so it doesn't break down during normal cooking, though a little can leach into cooking water.
The math is straightforward: calcium (mg) = (weight in grams ÷ 100) × calcium per 100 g. The calculator converts your chosen unit to grams first. One ounce equals 28.35 g, one US cup of diced raw eggplant weighs roughly 82 g, a medium whole eggplant is about 450 g of edible flesh, and a large one about 650 g. These weights are typical averages — actual produce varies by variety, ripeness, and growing conditions.
Worked Examples
Example 1 — 200 g raw eggplant: 200 ÷ 100 × 9 = 18 mg calcium, about 1.8% of the Daily Value. That's roughly the amount in one small serving of grilled eggplant slices.
Example 2 — 1 medium eggplant (450 g): 450 ÷ 100 × 9 = 40.5 mg calcium, about 4.1% of the Daily Value — a meaningful contribution if you're tallying calcium across a full day of plant foods.
Example 3 — 1 cup diced (82 g): 82 ÷ 100 × 9 = 7.4 mg calcium, about 0.7% of the Daily Value — a small but non-zero addition to a salad or stir-fry.
Reference: Calcium in Common Foods
To put eggplant's numbers in perspective, here are approximate calcium values for other foods per 100 g (or 100 ml for liquids). Values vary by variety, brand, and preparation.
| Food | Calcium (approx.) |
|---|---|
| Eggplant, raw | 9 mg per 100 g |
| Broccoli, raw | 47 mg per 100 g |
| Kale, raw | 254 mg per 100 g |
| Firm tofu (calcium-set) | 350 mg per 100 g |
| Whole cow's milk | 125 mg per 100 ml |
| Fortified soy milk | 120 mg per 100 ml |
If you're building a plant-based calcium budget, tools like the kumquat calcium calculator or the sunflower calcium calculator can help you compare other produce.
Factors Affecting Accuracy
- Weighing method: Raw and cooked eggplant have different water content. If a recipe lists "cooked eggplant," weighing it cooked and selecting the boiled/cooked form gives a better estimate than using raw weights.
- Growing conditions: Soil mineral content, variety, and ripeness affect actual calcium levels, so treat the result as a solid estimate rather than an exact laboratory value.
- Absorption: Eggplant contains oxalates, which can bind calcium and reduce how much your body absorbs. The calcium you swallow isn't necessarily the calcium you retain — absorption from high-oxalate vegetables may be lower than from dairy or fortified foods.
- Prepared dishes: Eggplant parmesan, baba ganoush, and stir-fries add cheese, tahini, sauces, or salt, which change the calcium (and other nutrients) significantly. This calculator covers plain eggplant only.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is eggplant a good source of calcium? Not on its own — 100 g provides less than 1% of the Daily Value. But it can still contribute to your total, especially on plant-heavy or vegan meal plans where every calcium-containing food counts.
Does cooking destroy calcium? No. Calcium is a heat-stable mineral. Boiling may cause a little to leach into the cooking liquid, so it's slightly better to steam, roast, or grill — and to keep the cooking water in soups or sauces if you want to preserve every milligram.
Should I weigh eggplant raw or cooked? Whichever matches how you plan to eat it, as long as you pick the matching preparation in the calculator. Just don't mix a raw weight with the cooked per-100 g value and expect precision, since cooking changes water content and therefore the concentration per gram.