Halva Nutrition & Calories - Complete Data of All Nutrients

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are the main macronutrient found in halva, making up about 60% of the total content. A 100g serving of halva provides 60.5g of carbohydrates, of which 56g or 92.5% is made up of net carbs and 4.5g or 7.5% is dietary fiber.

An average serving size of halva (1oz or 28.35g) provides 17g of carbohydrates. Plain halva falls in the top 9% of foods as a source of carbohydrates in our food database. Thus, halva is not suitable for low-carb diets.

The number of carbohydrates is directly connected to the constituents of halva. 

The high content of carbohydrates is primarily due to the added sweeteners, such as sugar, maple syrup, and honey. It is safe to assume that most of the net carbs found in halva would be sucrose if white sugar or maple syrup has been used in the recipe and fructose and glucose in the case of honey.

The fiber content is usually provided by the seeds, nuts, or grain products used to make halva. However, the nuts and seeds are usually dehulled, and the grains are usually milled in making this dessert, lowering their fiber content.

Research states that the composition of sesame halva is characteristically high in sugars (47.7%), fat (32.4%), and proteins (13.7%) but low in dietary fibers (1.5%) (1).

Fats

Halva is relatively high in fats due to the added butter or vegetable oils. It falls in the top 14% of foods as a source of fats, containing 21.52g per 100g or 6.1g per 1oz serving. 

Of these fats, 4.13g (20%) is saturated, 8.2g (39%) is monounsaturated, and 8.5g (41%) is polyunsaturated. While most of the fatty acids found in halva are unsaturated, it also has a high content of saturated fats.

Research shows plain-type halva to contain a high-fat content of about 34% (2). Studies on sunflower halva have found its fat content to be even higher, falling from 37% to 44% (3).

The fat content of halva consists mainly of oleic (omega-9 monounsaturated fatty acid) and linoleic acids (omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids), with lower amounts of palmitic (saturated long-chain fatty acid) and stearic acids (saturated fatty acid) (2).  

Halva has no trans fats.

As a plant product, halva naturally contains no cholesterol.

Protein

Proteins are essential macronutrients that play critical roles in the human body's structure, function, and regulation of cells and tissues. Halva contains 12.49g of protein per 100g. Halva is relatively high in tryptophan, threonine, isoleucine, phenylalanine, valine, lysine, and histidine.

Based on tahini paste, Sesame halva provides higher levels of methionine, cysteine, and tryptophan (2).

Phytochemicals

The phytochemicals found in halva are usually in low amounts and provided by the seed, nut, or grain base used. In this section, we will focus on the nutritional properties of sunflower and sesame seeds, as these are the most common ones used as halva bases.

Vitamins

Halva is rich in various vitamins. It is particularly a good source of vitamin B1 or thiamin and vitamin B9 or folate.

Halva falls in the top 20% of foods as a source of vitamin B1. A 100g serving of halva can cover 35% of your daily vitamin B1 need.

Halva is also an excellent source of folate, containing 65 µg per 100g and falling in the top 31% of foods as its source.

Niacin, or vitamin B3, and pyridoxine, or vitamin B6, are the remaining two major vitamins in halva, with a 100g serving covering 18% and 27% of the daily needs for these vitamins, respectively. 

Halva has relatively smaller amounts of vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin B12, vitamin B2, and vitamin B5.

There are no exact numbers on the vitamins E and K contents of halva; however, as sesame and sunflower seeds and vegetable oils are rich in these vitamins, halva can be assumed to contain moderate amounts as well.

Halva lacks vitamin D entirely unless milk has been used in the making.

Minerals

Halva is an excellent source of minerals. It contains high levels of phosphorus, copper, magnesium, iron, manganese, and zinc.

Halva falls in the range of the top 8% of foods as a source of phosphorus and the top 10% of foods as a source of magnesium. 100g of halva can cover 87% of your daily phosphorus need.

A 100g serving of halva covers the daily copper need by 134%.

It contains a moderate amount of manganese, calcium, potassium, and selenium.

Halva also contains moderate levels of sodium.

Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load

Despite the high carbohydrate content, halva has been reported to have a low glycemic index falling in the range of 52 to 55 and a medium glycemic load in the range of 18 to 19 (7). 

However, despite the low glycemic index values, diabetic individuals should consume with precaution, considering its high net carb content.

White halva has a somewhat higher glycemic index and load values compared to black halva (7).

Acidity

Halva is acid-producing inside the body. Based on the potential renal acid load or PRAL value, halva has an acidity of 18.6.

Calories per 100g

A 100-gram serving of halva provides 469 calories. The predominant part of these calories comes from the carb content of halva; this makes halva a higher-than-average calorie product.

Sugar is one of the two main ingredients in halva. Added sugars increase the number of calories in your diet without providing any essential nutrients; these calories are often called "empty" calories.

What Do 469 Calories or 100 Grams of Halva Look Like?

Our team conducted measurements to help you visualize the weight and calorie content of 100 grams of halva, which amounts to 469 calories. It's important to note that the calorie count can vary depending on the ingredients, generally between 469 and 482 calories. 

The image below shows that half of the halva makes up the 100-gram portion, equivalent to 482 calories. Remember that these values may vary based on the specific recipe and composition of the halva. 

Calories per Serving Size

Although halva is high in calories, it is usually consumed in quantities smaller than 100 grams.

One average serving per person or one ounce (28.35 grams) of halva contains 134 calories.

Calories per Ingredient

In this column, the calories are presented for 100g servings of ingredients found in halva:

Burning Estimates

The table below shows the time and type of activity a person should perform to burn 134 calories (1 ounce of halva) measured by a method called Met or Metabolic Equivalent of a Task (2, 3).

Comparison of Similar Foods

We compared halva to all foods in our database and found it is in the top 16% of foods high in calories. This means that 84% of foods in our database contain fewer calories than halva.

Compared to nougat, halva contains 33 times more vitamin B1 and more copper.

Regarding tahini, halva contains more magnesium and less saturated fat.

Halva provides more copper, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, vitamin B1, zinc, and vitamin B6 than fudge.

Foods like peanut butter or almond butter contain almost 200 more calories than halva (614 calories per 100 grams).

Compared to honey, halva contains more carbs, so it has more calories.