The Pumpkin Potassium Calculator tells you exactly how much potassium is in your pumpkin — whether you're prepping roasted wedges, simmering a soup, baking a pie filling, or snacking on pepitas. Just enter the amount, pick the form, and the tool returns potassium in milligrams plus its share of your daily value.
It's a handy companion for anyone tracking potassium for heart health, kidney-conscious meal planning, or general nutrition goals. Since potassium content varies a lot by preparation — raw pumpkin delivers about 340 mg per 100 g, while boiled pumpkin drops to about 230 mg — the calculator uses form-specific USDA reference values so your numbers stay realistic.
Use the daily target field to compare against the standard FDA value of 3500 mg, or enter a personalized goal recommended by your healthcare provider.
🥧 Pumpkin amount
🍂 Pumpkin form
Potassium per 100 g varies by form: raw & canned ≈ 340 mg, boiled & roasted ≈ 230 mg, seeds ≈ 809 mg.
🎯 Daily potassium target
The FDA daily value is 3500 mg. Adjust to your personal or prescribed target (e.g., 2600 mg).
Quick Start Guide
The calculator works in three simple steps. First, type in how much pumpkin you're working with — this could be the 150 g portion on your food scale, a 16 oz can of pure pumpkin, or two cups of cubed raw pumpkin from the market. Second, pick the pumpkin form that matches how you're eating it: raw, boiled, canned, roasted, or shelled seeds. Finally, adjust the daily goal if you track against a personalized target rather than the standard 3500 mg FDA value, then hit Calculate potassium.
The result panel shows your total potassium in milligrams, the percentage of your daily value that portion delivers, and a visual progress bar so you can instantly see whether a serving is a small snack or a potassium powerhouse. The breakdown line also shows the weight conversion (for example, 1 cup of boiled, mashed pumpkin ≈ 245 g), so you can double-check the math against a food label or recipe.
Reference Data: Potassium in Pumpkin & Seeds
The calculator sources its values from standard USDA food composition data compiled in the FoodData Central database. The table below shows the potassium values used, expressed as milligrams per 100 grams of edible portion.
| Form | Potassium (mg / 100 g) | 1 cup ≈ |
|---|---|---|
| Raw pumpkin | 340 | 116 g (raw cubes) |
| Boiled / cooked (drained) | 230 | 245 g (mashed) |
| Canned pumpkin (unsweetened) | 340 | 245 g |
| Roasted pumpkin | 230 | 245 g |
| Pumpkin seeds (pepitas, dry roasted) | 809 | 129 g |
A note on canned labels: some brands have slightly different processing, so if your can lists potassium on its nutrition panel, that number may differ a little from the 340 mg per 100 g standard used here. For the most accurate tracking, prefer the labeled value when available.
How the Calculation Works
The math behind the tool is a straightforward proportion. Each pumpkin form has a fixed potassium density in milligrams per 100 grams. The calculator first converts your chosen unit into grams using a form-specific gram weight, then applies the potassium density:
grams = amount × gram weight per unit
potassium (mg) = grams ÷ 100 × potassium per 100 g
For example, if you enter 245 g of boiled pumpkin, the calculator computes 245 ÷ 100 × 230 = 563.5 mg of potassium. To express that as a percentage of the daily value, it divides by your target and multiplies by 100: 563.5 ÷ 3500 × 100 ≈ 16.1%. The only subtlety is the unit-to-gram step, because a cup of raw pumpkin cubes weighs far less than a cup of mashed cooked pumpkin — the same volume can differ by more than double depending on how it's prepared. That's why the tool tracks gram weights per form instead of assuming a single universal cup weight.
Worked Examples
Example 1 — Snacking on roasted pumpkin: You roast 300 g of peeled pumpkin cubes. Using 230 mg per 100 g: 300 ÷ 100 × 230 = 690 mg of potassium, about 19.7% of the 3500 mg daily value.
Example 2 — Pumpkin purée for baking: A recipe needs one 425 g can of pumpkin purée. Using the canned value of 340 mg per 100 g: 425 ÷ 100 × 340 = 1445 mg. If you split the whole can across four muffins, each muffin carries about 361 mg — roughly 10% of the daily value.
Example 3 — Pepitas on a salad: A 28 g (1 oz) handful of dry-roasted pumpkin seeds: 28 ÷ 100 × 809 ≈ 227 mg of potassium, about 6.5% of the daily value. Not huge per serving, but seeds also bring magnesium, zinc, and healthy fats.
Tips for Tracking Potassium
Weigh in grams. Cups are convenient for cooking, but volume varies with chop size, moisture, and how firmly you pack. A food scale is the most reliable way to track potassium if you're managing a medical condition.
Beware the cooking liquid. Boiling leaches a meaningful share of potassium into the water, which is why boiled pumpkin shows roughly 110 mg less per 100 g than raw. If you drain and discard the water, your intake matches the lower value. If the potassium-rich broth goes into your soup or sauce, you're consuming more than the drained figure suggests.
Watch added ingredients. Canned pumpkin labeled "pie mix" typically contains added sugar and salt, and the sodium content matters in the same way potassium does for blood-pressure management. Choose 100% pure pumpkin for cleaner tracking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is pumpkin high in potassium? Moderately so. Raw and canned pumpkin deliver about 340 mg per 100 g, which makes pumpkin a respectable source — more than apples (~107 mg) or cooked rice (~35 mg), but less than bananas (~358 mg per 100 g of flesh) or white beans (~561 mg). Pumpkin seeds are notably richer at roughly 809 mg per 100 g. If you're comparing other potassium sources, try the NIH potassium fact sheet for broader guidance, and use the bean-based potassium reference from the beans potassium calculator or the meat-based reference from the ground beef potassium calculator to compare servings side by side.
Is cooked pumpkin still good for a low-potassium diet? Yes, with caveats. Boiling reduces potassium by about a third compared with raw, and draining the cooking water helps further. People following low-potassium meal plans for chronic kidney disease are often advised to limit portions and to boil rather than roast. Always defer to your nephrologist or renal dietitian, because individual potassium targets vary.
How much potassium do I need per day? The FDA sets the Daily Value used on Nutrition Facts labels at 3500 mg for adults and children 4 years and up. The NIH cites an Adequate Intake of 3400 mg per day for adult men and 2600 mg for adult women. Use whichever target matches your situation. People with kidney disease or those taking certain blood-pressure medications may have specific limits that differ from general guidance.
Can this calculator replace medical advice? No. The tool makes estimates from average USDA composition data, and actual values vary with variety, ripeness, soil conditions, and cooking method. Use it for meal planning and education, and confirm anything medically important with a qualified professional.