Moringa powder contains roughly 25–30 g of protein per 100 g. Two laboratory analyses of moringa leaf powder measured 28.5 g and 30.6 g, and drying India's official value for fresh drumstick leaves (6.4 g per 100 g, IFCT 2017) to powder gives an estimate of about 24.5 g.
- A realistic serving is small: 5 g (about 2 teaspoons) gives only 1.2–1.5 g protein, about 2–3% of an adult's daily need.
- Where moringa stands out is calcium, iron and β-carotene: 5 g supplies roughly 60–150 mg calcium and 0.9–1.5 mg iron.
- Numbers vary a lot between batches because leaf age, soil and drying method change the result, so treat any single figure as approximate.
Updated 13 October 2026 · Data: IFCT 2017 (ICMR-NIN), ICMR-NIN Nutrient Requirements 2020, USDA FoodData Central and peer-reviewed analyses
In this article
- Moringa powder nutrition per 100 g
- Why moringa protein figures differ so much
- Moringa powder protein per teaspoon and per portion
- Moringa powder vs dals and besan for protein
- Drumstick leaves vs other Indian greens
- Calcium, iron and how much you absorb
- What drying does to moringa, and how to use it
- What the research says, and what it doesn't
- Frequently asked questions
Moringa powder nutrition is easy to oversell. Search "moringa protein per 100g" and you will find claims from 9 g to 40 g, often side by side with the line that moringa has "more protein than eggs". The confusion comes from mixing fresh leaves with dried powder, and dry-weight results with as-sold powder. This guide separates the two, using India's Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (IFCT) from ICMR's National Institute of Nutrition and published laboratory analyses of the powder itself [1].
Moringa powder is simply the dried, ground leaves of the drumstick tree, Moringa oleifera. Across India the leaves go by many names: saijan patta or sahjan ke patte in Hindi, nuggeyele or nugge soppu in Kannada, murungai keerai in Tamil, mulaga akulu in Telugu, shevaga pan in Marathi and muringa ela in Malayalam [1].
Moringa powder nutrition per 100 g
IFCT 2017 analyses fresh drumstick leaves, not the powder. Fresh leaves are about 76% water, so we have put three sets of figures side by side: Bhāvi's estimate for powder made from IFCT's fresh leaves, and two laboratory analyses of commercial-style moringa leaf powder.
| Nutrient | Estimate from IFCT fresh leaves* | Tafu & Jideani 2022 (as sold) | Leone et al. 2018 (dry weight) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moisture | 7 g (assumed) | 8.4 g | 0 g (dry basis) |
| Protein | 24.5 g | 28.5 g | 30.6 g |
| Total fat | 6.3 g | 4.9 g | 5.6 g |
| Total dietary fibre | 31.4 g | not reported | 32.8 g |
| Energy | ≈ 257 kcal | 344 kcal | not reported |
| Calcium | ≈ 1,200 mg | not comparable† | 2,997 mg |
| Iron | ≈ 17.4 mg | not comparable† | 30.2 mg |
| Magnesium | ≈ 371 mg | not comparable† | not reported |
| Potassium | ≈ 1,516 mg | not reported | 1,492 mg |
| Zinc | ≈ 2.8 mg | not comparable† | not reported |
| β-carotene | ≈ 67,000 µg before drying losses | not reported | not reported |
*Bhāvi's estimate: IFCT 2017 food code C019 (drumstick leaves, mean of three regions: 75.65 g moisture, 6.41 g protein, 314 mg calcium, 4.56 mg iron, 17,542 µg β-carotene per 100 g fresh) recalculated to 7% moisture [1]. It assumes nothing is lost in drying, which is true for protein and minerals but not for vitamins. Measured powders: Tafu & Jideani 2022, pure leaf powder [5]; Leone et al. 2018, leaf powder produced in Saharawi refugee camps, results on a dry-weight basis [4]. †Tafu & Jideani reported minerals by surface X-ray analysis as percentages, which cannot be converted to mg per 100 g.
All three agree on the big picture: moringa powder is about a quarter to a third protein, about a third fibre, and very rich in minerals. It is closer in make-up to a dried leafy vegetable than to a protein supplement, which is exactly what it is.
Why moringa protein figures differ so much
Three things drive most of the spread you see online:
- Fresh vs dried. Fresh drumstick leaves have 6.4 g protein per 100 g in IFCT 2017 [1]. Remove the water and the same protein is packed into a quarter of the weight. Quoting a powder figure next to a fresh-leaf figure makes either look wrong.
- Different leaves. The USDA's entry for raw drumstick leaves lists 9.4 g protein at 78.7% moisture [3], which works out to a much higher share of protein in the dry matter than India's samples. Leaf age, variety, soil and how much stalk goes into the grinder all shift the result.
- Dry-weight vs as-sold reporting. Many studies, like Leone et al., report results "on a dry-weight basis", which reads a few percent higher than the powder in your jar, because real powder still holds 5–10% moisture [4][5].
Bhāvi's working figure for everyday moringa powder is therefore about 25–30 g protein per 100 g. Any label claiming far above that deserves a second look.
Moringa powder protein per teaspoon and per portion
Moringa is light and fluffy, and it tastes grassy and slightly bitter, so nobody eats it by the bowl. A level teaspoon weighs roughly 2–3 g (Bhāvi's kitchen estimate; weigh yours once to check). Here is what realistic amounts provide, using the low and high ends of the range in Table 1.
| Amount | Roughly equals | Protein | Calcium | Iron |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 g | 1 level teaspoon | 0.5–0.6 g | 24–60 mg | 0.3–0.6 mg |
| 5 g | 2 teaspoons, in a dal or chilla batter | 1.2–1.5 g | 60–150 mg | 0.9–1.5 mg |
| 10 g | 1 heaped tablespoon | 2.5–3.1 g | 120–300 mg | 1.7–3.0 mg |
| 30 g | more than most people could eat in a day | 7.4–9.2 g | 360–900 mg | 5.2–9.1 mg |
| 100 g | reference amount only | 24.5–30.6 g | 1,200–3,000 mg | 17–30 mg |
Calculated from Table 1: low value = IFCT-based estimate [1], high value = Leone et al. 2018 [4]. These are totals in the powder, not the amount your body absorbs.
Now set that against daily needs. ICMR-NIN's 2020 recommendations put the protein RDA at 0.83 g per kg of body weight, about 54 g a day for a 65 kg man and 46 g a day for a 55 kg woman, with calcium at 1,000 mg a day for adults and iron at 19 mg for men and 29 mg for women [2].
| Nutrient in 5 g | Amount | Man, 65 kg | Woman, 55 kg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein | 1.2–1.5 g | 2–3% of 54 g | 3% of 46 g |
| Calcium | 60–150 mg | 6–15% of 1,000 mg | 6–15% of 1,000 mg |
| Iron | 0.9–1.5 mg | 5–8% of 19 mg | 3–5% of 29 mg |
RDA values from ICMR-NIN 2020 [2]; percentages calculated by Bhāvi and rounded.
The honest reading: moringa powder is a micronutrient booster, not a protein source. Two teaspoons make a small dent in calcium and iron and add a large dose of carotenoids, but they barely register for protein.
Moringa powder vs dals and besan for protein
Per 100 g, moringa powder sits right alongside India's dals. Per serving, the picture changes completely, because you eat 30–60 g of dal or flour but only a few grams of moringa.
| Food | Protein per 100 g | Typical serving | Protein per serving |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moringa leaf powder | 24.5–30.6 g | 5 g | 1.2–1.5 g |
| Besan (chana dal) | 21.6 g | 30 g (1 chilla) | 6.5 g |
| Moong dal (green gram, split) | 23.9 g | 30 g (raw, for 1 bowl) | 7.2 g |
| Soybean, brown | 35.6 g | 30 g | 10.7 g |
| Wheat atta | 10.6 g | 60 g (2 rotis) | 6.3 g |
Moringa: Table 1. Others: IFCT 2017 codes B001, B010, B024 and A019 [1]. Serving sizes are typical household amounts chosen by Bhāvi for illustration.
IFCT 2017 also lists moringa's amino acids: lysine 4.4 g and methionine plus cystine 1.7 g per 100 g of protein [1]. In practice the protein in a spoonful is so small that its amino acid balance matters far less than the dals, grains and dairy on the same plate. If protein is your goal, our guide to besan protein per 100 g compares the pulses that do the heavy lifting.
Drumstick leaves vs other Indian greens
How do fresh drumstick leaves compare with the other greens in an Indian kitchen? All values below are for raw leaves, per 100 g, from the same IFCT 2017 dataset.
| Leaves | Protein (g) | Calcium (mg) | Iron (mg) | Vitamin C (mg) | β-carotene (µg) | Total oxalate (mg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drumstick (moringa) | 6.4 | 314 | 4.6 | 108 | 17,542 | 120 |
| Agathi (Sesbania grandiflora) | 8.0 | 901 | 4.4 | 121 | 12,582 | 179 |
| Amaranth (red and green mix) | 3.1 | 269 | 5.3 | 77 | 8,464 | 676 |
| Fenugreek (methi) | 3.7 | 274 | 5.7 | 58 | 9,245 | 34 |
| Radish leaves | 2.2 | 234 | 3.8 | 66 | 2,591 | 54 |
| Spinach (palak) | 2.1 | 82 | 3.0 | 30 | 2,605 | 592 |
Source: IFCT 2017, codes C019, C001, C004, C020, C031 and C033 (Tables 1, 2, 4, 5 and 9) [1]. Agathi is a single-region sample.
Drumstick leaves lead this group for β-carotene and sit near the top for protein and vitamin C. They are not unique, though: humble agathi leaves beat them on protein and calcium in IFCT's data. Moringa's real advantage is practical. It dries and stores well, so a jar of powder keeps some of those benefits available long after the fresh leaves would have wilted.
Calcium, iron and how much you absorb
A nutrient table tells you what is in a food, not how much reaches your bloodstream. Two compounds matter here.
- Oxalate binds calcium. IFCT 2017 records 120 mg total oxalate per 100 g of fresh drumstick leaves, against 592 mg for spinach and 676 mg for amaranth [1]. That suggests moringa's calcium is less locked up than spinach's, but Bhāvi could not find a good human study measuring calcium absorption from moringa powder, so treat this as a reasonable inference rather than a proven fact.
- Phytate and polyphenols reduce iron absorption. IFCT lists 128 mg phytate per 100 g of fresh leaves [1]. Like all plant iron, moringa's iron is non-haem iron. A review in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition estimates iron absorption at 5–12% from vegetarian diets, and notes that ascorbic acid (vitamin C) improves absorption while phytate, polyphenols and calcium reduce it [7].
So the practical tip is simple: pair moringa with a source of vitamin C, such as a squeeze of lemon over a moringa dal or chutney, and avoid drinking tea with the same meal if iron is your goal.
What drying does to moringa, and how to use it
Drying keeps protein, minerals and fibre intact but costs some vitamins. Researchers at CSIR-CFTRI in Mysuru compared drying methods for moringa leaves: freeze-drying preserved vitamin C best (97.8% retained), while cabinet tray drying kept about 90% of the trans-β-carotene. Vitamin E (α-tocopherol) was the most stable of the nutrients they tracked [6]. Fresh leaves in that study carried 271 mg vitamin C per 100 g, far more than most powders will hold, which is why Bhāvi leaves vitamin C out of the powder table.
How to use moringa powder in Indian food
- Stir 1–2 teaspoons into dal, sambar or rasam after cooking, to limit further vitamin losses from heat.
- Add it to chilla, dosa or thepla batter, or knead it into roti dough.
- Mix it into chutney podi, as the CFTRI team did when they developed a ready-to-eat moringa chutney powder [6].
- Store it airtight, away from light and heat; carotenoids fade with light and air, and a dull khaki colour is a sign of an old batch.
What the research says, and what it doesn't
Moringa attracts big health claims. The evidence is more modest. A 2015 review of moringa leaves concluded that, although cell and animal studies are encouraging, there are still too few human studies to recommend the leaves for preventing or treating any disease [9]. A 2020 systematic review of moringa and blood glucose found 33 animal studies but only eight human studies, with clinical trials "scarce" and variable in design [8].
One of those human studies, in 17 people with diabetes and 10 healthy adults, added 20 g of moringa leaf powder to a traditional meal. In the participants with diabetes, blood glucose after the meal rose less; in healthy participants there was no difference, and the 20 g meal scored poorly for taste [4]. That is an early, single-meal result, not evidence that moringa manages diabetes.
On safety, a 2015 review reported a high degree of safety for leaf preparations in animal studies and no adverse effects in the published human studies, while noting that product standardisation is a problem [10]. As with any concentrated plant product, if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or take medicines for blood sugar, blood pressure or thyroid, speak to your doctor before taking moringa regularly.
From the Dhatu pantry
- Organic Moringa Powder (Drumstick Leaf Powder): drumstick leaf powder for dal, chutney podi and batters
- Organic Besan: about 21.6 g protein per 100 g; pairs well with moringa in a chilla
- Organic Sprouted Ragi Flour (Nachni Satva): another calcium-rich staple for porridge and rotis
- Read next: Besan protein per 100 g, with a full Indian pulse comparison
- Read next: How phytic acid affects mineral absorption, and what sprouting changes
- Read next: Understanding nutrient loss in the kitchen
Frequently asked questions
How much protein is in 100 g of moringa powder?
Roughly 25–30 g. Laboratory analyses of moringa leaf powder have reported 28.5 g and 30.6 g per 100 g, and drying India's IFCT 2017 value for fresh drumstick leaves (6.4 g) down to about 7% moisture gives an estimate of about 24.5 g.
How much protein is in 1 teaspoon of moringa powder?
About 0.5–0.9 g. A level teaspoon weighs roughly 2–3 g, and moringa powder is about 25–30% protein, so a spoonful adds colour and micronutrients rather than meaningful protein.
Is moringa powder a good source of protein?
Per 100 g it is protein-dense, similar to dals. But people eat it in 2–10 g amounts, which supply only 0.5–3 g of protein, so dals, milk, curd, eggs and pulses remain the real protein sources in an Indian diet.
How much calcium and iron is in moringa powder?
Estimates range from about 1,200 to 3,000 mg calcium and 17 to 30 mg iron per 100 g, depending on the leaves and how they were dried. A 5 g serving gives roughly 60–150 mg calcium and 0.9–1.5 mg iron.
Does drying moringa leaves destroy nutrients?
Protein, minerals and fibre survive drying. Vitamin C and some carotenoids are lost; a CFTRI study found freeze-drying preserved vitamin C best, while cabinet tray drying kept about 90% of the trans-β-carotene.
How much moringa powder should I take per day?
There is no official Indian intake recommendation for moringa powder. In Indian cooking it is usually added a teaspoon or two (about 2–6 g) at a time; if you are pregnant or take medicines for blood sugar or blood pressure, check with your doctor first.
What is moringa called in Hindi, Kannada, Tamil and Telugu?
Moringa leaves are saijan patta in Hindi, nuggeyele or nugge soppu in Kannada, murungai keerai in Tamil, mulaga akulu in Telugu, shevaga pan in Marathi and muringa ela in Malayalam.
Moringa powder is sold across India with nutrition claims, yet India's own food composition tables only cover the fresh leaf, and estimates of the powder's calcium content differ by more than twofold. Two questions deserve answers. First, what is the real composition of the powders people actually buy, measured across regions, seasons and drying methods, and published openly? Second, how much of moringa's calcium, iron and β-carotene does the human body absorb from a teaspoon stirred into an Indian meal? Small, well-designed absorption studies would tell families more than another round of "superfood" headlines, and readers can help by asking sellers for lab-tested values rather than borrowed ones.
This article is for general information and is not medical or dietary advice. Moringa is a food, not a treatment for any disease. If you have a medical condition, are pregnant, or take regular medication, speak to a doctor or registered dietitian.
References
- Longvah T, Ananthan R, Bhaskarachary K, Venkaiah K. Indian Food Composition Tables 2017. National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR), Hyderabad. nin.res.in (PDF)
- ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition. A Brief Note on Nutrient Requirements for Indians, the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) and the Estimated Average Requirements (EAR), 2020. nin.res.in (PDF)
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, SR Legacy: Drumstick leaves, raw (FDC ID 168416). fdc.nal.usda.gov
- Leone A, Bertoli S, Di Lello S, Bassoli A, Ravasenghi S, Borgonovo G, Forlani F, Battezzati A. Effect of Moringa oleifera leaf powder on postprandial blood glucose response: in vivo study on Saharawi people living in refugee camps. Nutrients. 2018;10(10):1494. PubMed 30322091 · doi:10.3390/nu10101494
- Tafu NN, Jideani VA. Proximate, elemental, and functional properties of novel solid dispersions of Moringa oleifera leaf powder. Molecules. 2022;27(15):4935. PubMed 35956885 · doi:10.3390/molecules27154935
- Saini RK, Shetty NP, Prakash M, Giridhar P. Effect of dehydration methods on retention of carotenoids, tocopherols, ascorbic acid and antioxidant activity in Moringa oleifera leaves and preparation of a RTE product. J Food Sci Technol. 2014;51(9):2176-82. PubMed 25190880 · doi:10.1007/s13197-014-1264-3
- Hurrell R, Egli I. Iron bioavailability and dietary reference values. Am J Clin Nutr. 2010;91(5):1461S-1467S. PubMed 20200263 · doi:10.3945/ajcn.2010.28674F
- Nova E, Redondo-Useros N, Martínez-García RM, Gómez-Martínez S, Díaz-Prieto LE, Marcos A. Potential of Moringa oleifera to improve glucose control for the prevention of diabetes and related metabolic alterations: a systematic review of animal and human studies. Nutrients. 2020;12(7):2050. PubMed 32664295 · doi:10.3390/nu12072050
- Leone A, Spada A, Battezzati A, Schiraldi A, Aristil J, Bertoli S. Cultivation, genetic, ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry and pharmacology of Moringa oleifera leaves: an overview. Int J Mol Sci. 2015;16(6):12791-835. PubMed 26057747 · doi:10.3390/ijms160612791
- Stohs SJ, Hartman MJ. Review of the safety and efficacy of Moringa oleifera. Phytother Res. 2015;29(6):796-804. PubMed 25808883 · doi:10.1002/ptr.5325
