Red onions are higher in antioxidant content than any other type of onion. They are also loaded with prebiotics that helps you maintain a healthy gut. If those aren’t enough reasons to add them to your diet, consider red onions are a culinary staple that you can use to liven up the flavor of a wide range of dishes or enjoy in salads. Still, our question today is, do red onions have quercetin.
Quick Answer: Yes – Red onions do contain quercetin. Compared to other similar foods, their quercetin content is high.
Quercetin Content of Red Onions
Red onions contain 31.77mg/100g of Flavonol quercetin and are also a rich source of manganese, vitamins B6 and C, and copper.
Are Red Onions High in Quercetin?
Compared to other foods, red onions are very high in quercetin.
Let’s take a look at how they compare to 5 similar foods.
- Though closely related to red onions, white onions provide far less quercetin, 8.06mg/100g versus 31.77.
- Garlic only supplies 1.74mg/100g of quercetin, a fraction of what red onions provide.
- With only 0.23mg/100g, a fennel bulb’s quercetin content is minute compared to red onions.
- Spring onions or scallions are considered high in quercetin with 10.68mg/100g but come nowhere close to red onions.
- Chili peppers provide a respectable14.7mg/100g of quercetin, but that is still less than half what red onions offer.
Sources:
USDA Database for the Flavonoid Content of Selected Foods: https://www.ars.usda.gov/arsuserfiles/80400525/data/flav/flav_r03.pdf
WebMD “Health Benefits of Red Onion”: https://www.webmd.com/diet/health-benefits-red-onion#1
Hey, I’m Joey. I’ve been cooking since I was a little kid and love everything about it. You can find my writing about food, kitchen appliances (such as blenders) and much more. Thanks for stopping by!
