Hemp Hearts Nutrition Facts: Per 100 g, 3 Tbsp and 1 Tbsp

This is a reference page. Every amount is from the USDA record for hulled hemp seed. Percent Daily Values (% DV) are calculated here from FDA’s Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over.

Where do these numbers come from?

All amounts come from USDA FoodData Central, record FDC 170148, “Seeds, hemp seed, hulled”, in the SR Legacy database. USDA gives values per 100 g and lists one household portion: 3 tablespoons, 30 g.

The 30 g and 10 g columns are simple multiplication. One tablespoon is taken as 10 g, one third of USDA’s portion.

% DV uses FDA’s Daily Value table. FDA describes 5% DV or less per serving as low and 20% or more as high. A brand’s label can differ from USDA: check the pack you buy.

Calories and macros

Hemp hearts have 553 calories per 100 g, 166 per 3 tablespoons and about 55 per tablespoon. Fat supplies roughly 79% of those calories (48.8 g at 9 kcal per gram).

FDA sets no Daily Value for total sugars. The protein % DV is a plain weight calculation against 50 g. It is not adjusted for protein quality: see hemp seeds protein.

Fats and fatty acids

Most of the fat is polyunsaturated: 38.1 g of the 48.8 g per 100 g. Saturated fat is 4.6 g per 100 g, or 1.4 g per serving (7% DV).

FDA has no Daily Value for monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat or individual fatty acids.

The omega-6 to omega-3 ratio

The ratio of linoleic acid to total linolenic acid is 2.75 to 1 (27.5 g to 10.0 g). That total includes GLA, which is an omega-6. Using USDA’s separate ALA line, the LA to ALA ratio is about 3.2 to 1.

That fits the published range for the oil. Callaway (2004), in Euphytica, reports that the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio in hempseed oil is normally between 2:1 and 3:1.

For context, the US Institute of Medicine set the adequate intake for ALA at 1.6 g a day for men and 1.1 g for women, as summarized by the Linus Pauling Institute. For adults aged 19 to 50, the adequate intake for linoleic acid is 17 g for men and 12 g for women.

Minerals

Hemp hearts are high in magnesium, phosphorus, manganese, copper and zinc. One serving supplies 20% DV or more of each.

Per 100 g, hemp hearts exceed 100% DV for magnesium (167%), phosphorus (132%), manganese (330%) and copper (178%). Few people eat 100 g at once: that is 10 tablespoons and 553 calories.

Calcium is low. Sesame seeds (975 mg per 100 g) and chia seeds (631 mg) hold far more, per USDA. The seed nutrition comparison shows all six seeds side by side.

Vitamins

Thiamin is the standout vitamin: one serving gives 32% DV. Niacin and vitamin B6 follow at 17% and 11%.

Vitamin E is low in this record at 2% DV per serving. The USDA record has no value for vitamin B12 or vitamin D.

Hemp hearts vs whole hemp seeds: the numbers differ

These tables apply to hulled seeds only. USDA has no SR Legacy record for whole (unhulled) hemp seeds.

Whole seeds carry the fibrous hull, so they have more fiber and less protein and fat per gram. House, Neufeld and Leson (2010) measured a mean of 24.0% protein and 30.4% fat in whole hemp seed, against 35.9% and 46.7% in dehulled seed. The full comparison is on hemp hearts vs hemp seeds.

Daily Values used on this page

These are FDA’s reference amounts for adults and children aged 4 and over.

What the numbers do not tell you

A nutrition table shows what is in the food, not what it does in the body. For what is and is not established about health effects, read hemp hearts benefits. For ways to use a 30 g serving, see hemp seed recipes.