Nutrition per 100 g
The figures below describe raw dragon fruit flesh and represent typical values. Real numbers vary meaningfully with variety, growing conditions and ripeness, so treat them as a guide rather than a measurement.
| Nutrient | Per 100 g | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | ~60 kcal | Low for a tropical fruit |
| Water | ~85 g | Most of the fruit by weight |
| Carbohydrate | ~13 g | Mostly natural sugars |
| Sugars | ~8–10 g | Higher in red and yellow varieties |
| Fibre | ~3 g | Good for a fruit of this calorie level |
| Protein | ~1–2 g | Unusually high for fruit, from the seeds |
| Fat | ~0.4 g | Almost entirely in the seeds |
| Vitamin C | ~3–9 mg | Modest, not a standout source |
| Iron | ~0.7 mg | Notable for a fruit |
| Magnesium | ~40 mg | Genuinely good for a fruit |
What the numbers actually mean
It is a low-calorie, high-water fruit
At roughly 60 calories per 100 g, dragon fruit sits in the same range as a nectarine or a bowl of strawberries, and well below a banana or a mango. A whole medium fruit of around 400 g of flesh is therefore in the region of 200 to 240 calories — a substantial snack rather than a trivial one, which surprises people who think of it as a light fruit.
The fibre is the most useful part
Around 3 g of fibre per 100 g is good relative to the calorie content, and a meaningful share of it comes from the seeds. This is one reason not to strain them out. Dragon fruit also contains oligosaccharides, a type of carbohydrate that resists digestion and reaches the large intestine intact, where gut bacteria ferment it. Research into these compounds as prebiotics is genuinely interesting but still developing, and it is a long way from established clinical benefit.
Magnesium is the quiet standout
Roughly 40 mg per 100 g is high for a fruit — better than most common fruits by a clear margin. Magnesium is involved in a large number of enzymatic processes including muscle and nerve function, and dietary intake is below recommended levels for a significant share of the population in many countries.
Vitamin C is lower than marketing suggests
Dragon fruit is frequently described as a vitamin C powerhouse. The data does not really support that. At around 3 to 9 mg per 100 g it is far behind an orange, a kiwi or a red pepper, all of which carry many times more. Dragon fruit is a reasonable contributor, not a standout source.
Protein and fat come from the seeds
At 1 to 2 g of protein per 100 g, dragon fruit is at the high end for fruit. The small amount of fat is concentrated in the seeds and includes some omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. The quantities are small enough that this is a nice detail rather than a nutritional strategy.
Differences between varieties
- White flesh: the baseline above. Lowest in sugar of the three.
- Red flesh: slightly higher sugar, and it contains betacyanins — the pigment class also found in beetroot — which give it measurably higher total antioxidant capacity than white-fleshed fruit.
- Yellow: considerably sweeter, so higher in sugar and carbohydrate per gram, with no betacyanin content.
Glycaemic considerations
Published glycaemic index estimates for dragon fruit generally fall in the low to moderate range, helped by the high water and fibre content. Individual response varies, and GI figures for this fruit come from a relatively small evidence base, so they should be read as indicative rather than definitive.
Dried and powdered forms
This catches people out. Removing the water concentrates everything, including the sugar. Dried dragon fruit can run five to seven times the calories and sugar of the fresh fruit by weight, and many commercial dried fruit products have sugar added on top. Freeze-dried powder is similarly concentrated. A 30 g portion of dried fruit is not equivalent to 30 g of fresh fruit, and the difference is large.
Where these figures come from
Composition values for dragon fruit are drawn from published food composition data and analytical studies. Reported values differ noticeably between sources, more so than for well-studied staple fruits, because of genuine variation between species and growing regions and because the fruit has been less extensively analysed. Where sources disagree, this page gives a range rather than a single figure.