Cauliflower vs broccoli; two vegetables that have a lot in common. They are both cruciferous vegetables and family members from the Brassica oleracea plant species. Both vegetables also originated from Europe’s Mediterranean region. Finally, they were likely both among the vegetables that you refused to eat as a kid—unless they were covered with cheddar cheese sauce, of course!
There’s no doubt that both veggies are healthy and packed full of nutrition. You can make a burger out of cauliflower and get tons of nutrients out of broccoli stems. But with all that similarity, it begs the question: what Brassica veggie is better for your health?
Let’s compare the nutrients and health benefits to determine the winner of cauliflower vs broccoli.
Nutrition Facts: Cauliflower vs Broccoli
You should be eating at least five cups a week of cruciferous vegetables, especially including broccoli and cauliflower. Why should you eat these specific veggies? Well, the similarities between broccoli and cauliflower continue into their nutrient content.
Vitamins
Broccoli and cauliflower both contain vitamins A, C, and K; however, broccoli offers greater nutrient content in all three vitamins. Vitamins A and C are both essential for immune support.
A cup of broccoli contains 2,280.7 IU (international units) of vitamin A, which provides 46.6% of your recommended daily intake. It also contains 123.4 mg (milligrams) of vitamin C, or an incredible 205.7% of your recommended daily intake! Cauliflower only contains 54.9 mg of vitamin C and 21.08 IU of vitamin A.
What about vitamin K? Broccoli also outperforms cauliflower in this category. Broccoli contains 155.2 mcg (micrograms) of vitamin K compared to 11.2 mcg in cauliflower. The green cruciferous veggie also contains greater amounts of vitamin E and the B vitamins folate (B9), pyridoxine (B6), pantothenic acid (B5), niacin (B3), and riboflavin (B2).
Protein
Protein is essential for every cell in your body. The macronutrient is considered important for building and strengthening muscles, bones, skin, cartilage, and blood. Protein is also necessary for strong immunity and healthy brain function.
It is important to remember that not all protein sources are the same. For instance, your daily protein bar may be packed with protein, but it is also filled with sugar and food additives. Cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower and broccoli help contribute to your daily protein intake, but broccoli packs bigger muscle in the protein category as well. A cup of cooked broccoli (156 grams) contains 4.7 g of protein, while cauliflower contains 2.3 g of protein per cup (124 g).
Calories
Are you concerned about your calorie intake? The good news is that broccoli and cauliflower are both extremely low in calories; however, cauliflower has a slight edge in this category. A cooked cup of broccoli contains 44 calories, whereas cooked cauliflower contains only 29 calories per cup, which is good news for your waistline.
Broccoli and cauliflower also benefit any weight loss plan with about 0.55 g of total fat per cup. Overall, both veggies should help you lose weight.
Minerals
Besides vitamins, the powerhouse cruciferous vegetables are also packed with the other important micronutrients—minerals. Both vegetables are high in calcium, iron, and magnesium.
Calcium is important for the maintenance and development of teeth and bones, and iron helps with your body’s energy production. Magnesium prevents calcium deposits and also acts as a muscle relaxant.
A cup of cooked broccoli is considered a better dietary source of all three minerals. Broccoli contains 74.7 mg of calcium, and cauliflower only has about 19.8 mg; broccoli has 1.4 mg of iron, whereas cauliflower provides 0.41 mg; and broccoli is a very good source of magnesium with 39.0 mg—about 10% of your daily value—while cauliflower only has 11.2 mg of magnesium.
Broccoli is also a better source of manganese, potassium, phosphorus, and zinc.
