Fenugreek seeds are hard, yellowish-brown seeds with a distinctive bitter, maple-syrup-like aroma from sotolone. They provide good iron, manganese, magnesium, and fibre per tablespoon. They are used in Indian spice blends, pickling, and have a long history as a galactagogue (milk production promoter) and blood-glucose management spice, with modest supporting research.
Toast briefly before grinding — raw fenugreek seeds are intensely bitter but toasting mellows this. Use in curry powders, pickling spice, and spice pastes. Soaking seeds overnight softens them for adding to dough.
Where Fenugreek seeds Stands Out
Macronutrients per 100g
Vitamins & Minerals
| Nutrient | Per 100g | % Daily Value* | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Potassium | 650 mg | 33% | |
| Phosphorus | 340 mg | 49% | |
| Magnesium | 170 mg | 45% | |
| Calcium | 130 mg | 16% | |
| Folate | 71.0 µg | 36% | |
| Iron | 23.3 mg | 166% | |
| Vitamin A (RE) | 17.0 µg | 2% | |
| Zinc | 6.90 mg | 69% | |
| Niacin equivalents (NE) | 5.60 mg | 35% | |
| Copper | 1.80 mg | 180% | |
| Niacin (B3) | 1.30 mg | 8% | |
| Manganese | 1.10 mg | 55% | |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0.350 mg | 25% | |
| Thiamin (B1) | 0.330 mg | 30% | |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.000 µg | 0% | |
| Vitamin C | 0.000 mg | 0% | |
| Vitamin D | 0.000 µg | 0% | |
| Polyunsaturated fat (PUFA) | 3.80 g | — | |
| Monounsaturated fat | 1.30 g | — | |
| Maltose | 0.000 g | — | |
| Cholesterol | 0.000 mg | — | |
| Beta-carotene | 11.0 µg | — | |
| Retinol (vitamin A) | 0.000 µg | 0% |
* % Daily Value is the proportion of an adult
EU Nutrient Reference Value (NRV) supplied by 100g of this food.
NRVs are the labelling standard — the same basis as the “%RI” figures printed on
food packaging — so these percentages are directly comparable with a shop label.
They are a single adult figure and do not vary by age or sex, which is why they
sometimes differ from UK dietary reference values: the NRV for vitamin C is 80mg
where the UK RNI is 40mg. When Nutriofia assesses your own intake in the
reports and trackers, it uses the age- and sex-specific UK values instead.
Fibre is shown without a percentage. Our fibre values use the UK
Englyst NSP method, while the published 30g daily goal is an AOAC figure — the two
are measured differently and a single percentage would mislead.
How we source and normalise our data →
Phytochemicals
Bioactive plant compounds — not classified as essential nutrients but associated with a range of health benefits.