Ground nutmeg is made from the dried seed of Myristica fragrans, with a warm, sweet, slightly woody flavour from myristicin and elemicin. In large amounts myristicin is toxic and hallucinogenic, but culinary quantities (a pinch to a quarter teaspoon) are completely safe and provide trace manganese. It is indispensable in béchamel sauce, rice pudding, mulled wine, and baked goods.
Freshly grated whole nutmeg on a microplane is dramatically more aromatic than pre-ground; invest in a small whole nutmeg. Use a very light hand — a quarter teaspoon is usually sufficient per recipe.
Where Nutmeg, ground Stands Out
Macronutrients per 100g
Vitamins & Minerals
| Nutrient | Per 100g | % Daily Value* | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Potassium | 350 mg | 18% | |
| Phosphorus | 210 mg | 30% | |
| Magnesium | 180 mg | 48% | |
| Calcium | 180 mg | 23% | |
| Folate | 76.0 µg | 38% | |
| Vitamin A (RE) | 10.0 µg | 1% | |
| Iron | 3.00 mg | 21% | |
| Vitamin C | 3.00 mg | 4% | |
| Manganese | 2.90 mg | 145% | |
| Zinc | 2.20 mg | 22% | |
| Selenium | 2.00 µg | 4% | |
| Niacin (B3) | 1.30 mg | 8% | |
| Copper | 1.03 mg | 103% | |
| Thiamin (B1) | 0.350 mg | 32% | |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.160 mg | 11% | |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0.060 mg | 4% | |
| Vitamin D | 0.000 µg | 0% | |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.000 µg | 0% | |
| Monounsaturated fat | 3.20 g | — | |
| Polyunsaturated fat (PUFA) | 0.300 g | — | |
| Trans fat | 0.000 g | — | |
| Maltose | 0.000 g | — | |
| Cholesterol | 0.000 mg | — | |
| Beta-carotene | 28.0 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 →