Sweetcorn Nutrition Benefits and Facts

Nutritional summary

Sweetcorn is primarily a source of complex carbohydrates, providing roughly 20g per 100g in fresh varieties, which includes a combination of starch, dietary fibre, and natural sugars .
Consuming sweetcorn as a whole grain—rather than processed into refined flours—preserves the bran and germ, which contain the majority of the plant's minerals, including magnesium, iron, and zinc .
Fresh sweetcorn is classified as a whole grain and contributes to dietary fibre intake, which is consistently recommended by major health institutions like the USDA and the Chinese Society of Nutrition to support a balanced diet .
While sweetcorn is often categorised as a vegetable in culinary contexts, its energy density and protein content (approximately 3g to 5g per serving) are more comparable to other cereal grains than to leafy green vegetables .

Interesting fact

Unlike most vegetables, sweetcorn is the result of a naturally occurring genetic mutation in field corn that prevents the conversion of sugar into starch, causing the kernels to remain sweet and tender.

Standout nutrients

GREAT

SOURCE

Folate

GREAT

SOURCE

Magnesium

MID

SOURCE

Chromium

SUPER

SOURCE

Waste

kcal per 100g

Protein3.39g

Fat1.69g

Carbs9.46g

Fiber2.33g

Sugar3.77g

Fat breakdown

Polyunsat0.74g

Monounsat0.49g

Saturated0.28g

Seasonality

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

PeakIn seasonOther months

Diet

VeganVegetarianPescatarianGluten FreeDairy FreeLow Fodmap

Sustainability

Lighter footprint

Relatively efficient water use compared to other grains, though nitrogen fertilizer use can be high.

Confidencemedium

Storage

Refrigerate

3–5 days

Keep in husks to maintain moisture and sweetness.

Freeze

6–12 months

Blanch before freezing for best quality.

Flavour

Data & Sources

Harmonized from 4 validated sources

French Food Database

1 contributing source food

Swiss Food Database

1 contributing source food

McCance & Widdowson

1 contributing source food

USDA

USDA FoodData Central

1 contributing source food

Claim citations

Effects of Blanching, Freezing and Canning on the Carbohydrates in Sweet Corn - PMC

[1]pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Compositional variability of nutrients and phytochemicals in corn after processing - PMC

[2]pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Fatty Acid Profiles and Nutritional Evaluation of Fresh Sweet-Waxy Corn from Three Regions of China - PMC

[3]pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Health Benefits of Fruits and Vegetables - PMC - NIH

[6]pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Whole-Grain Intake in the Mediterranean Diet and a Low Protein to Carbohydrates Ratio Can Help to Reduce Mortality from Cardiovascular Disease, Slow Down the Progression of Aging, and to Improve Lifespan: A Review - PMC

[8]pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Corn | SNAP-Ed

[9]snaped.fns.usda.gov

Coverage

Nutrients

FoodCompass

82.0

Version

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