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Watermelon vs. Pumpkin — Health Impact and Nutrition Comparison

Article author photo Ani Harutyunyan by Ani Harutyunyan | Last updated on November 15, 2022
Medically reviewed by Igor Bussel Article author photo Igor Bussel

Table of contents

  1. Summary
    1. Introduction
      1. Actual differences
        1. Nutrition
          1. Calories
            1. Carbs
              1. Protein 
                1. Fats
                2. Vitamins 
                  1. Minerals
                    1. Health impact
                      1. Cardiovascular health
                        1. Skin health
                        2. References 
                          Watermelon
                          vs
                          Pumpkin

                          Summary

                          Pumpkins are richer in minerals and vitamins. On the other hand, watermelons are higher in carbs. Watermelons are also richer in fructose compared to pumpkins. Both of them have a lot of health benefits.

                          Introduction

                          In this article, we discuss the main differences in nutritional content and health impacts of pumpkin(1) and watermelon(2). You can check the daily coverages of some essential nutrients these vegetables provide in the corresponding charts. 

                          Actual differences

                          Watermelon is round in shape and has pale yellow or reddish skin, which can be rough or smooth. The pumpkin’s shape is round or ellipsoid. It has a yellow or orange flash. Pumpkin tastes like a sweet potato. Watermelons have a combination of sweet, bitter, and sour flavors. 

                          Watermelon is native to Africa, while pumpkin originates in North America. 

                          Nutrition

                          Both pumpkin and watermelon are juicy vegetables with many similarities, yet there are differences in how nutrients are distributed.

                          Calories

                          Pumpkin and watermelon are plant food products. So, these two are considered low-calorie foods. However, watermelon is higher in calories due to its higher carbohydrate content.

                          Carbs

                          Watermelon is higher in carbs compared to pumpkins. 

                          Watermelon provides nearly the same amount of fiber as pumpkin but also contains 3.36g of fructose, which is absent in pumpkin. 

                          Protein 

                          These two vegetables are supposed to contain little protein. They both contain tiny amounts of proteins per 100g. We can neglect that amount. 

                          Fats

                          Both vegetables have less than 1g of fat per 100g, so we can ignore the fat amounts. Pumpkins and watermelons do not contain any amount of cholesterol. 

                          Vitamins 

                          Pumpkin is the absolute winner of this section. 

                          Pumpkin is higher in all the vitamins compared to watermelon. 

                          Pumpkin is 15 times richer in vitamin A than watermelon. 

                          Watermelon covers 27% of the DV of vitamin C.

                          Vitamin Comparison

                          Vitamin comparison score is based on the number of vitamins by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.
                          Vitamin C Vit. C Vitamin A Vit. A Vitamin E Vit. E Vitamin D Vit. D Vitamin B1 Vit. B1 Vitamin B2 Vit. B2 Vitamin B3 Vit. B3 Vitamin B5 Vit. B5 Vitamin B6 Vit. B6 Vitamin B12 Vit. B12 Vitamin K Vit. K Folate Folate Choline Choline 27% 9.3% 1% 0% 8.3% 4.8% 3.3% 13% 10% 0% 0.25% 2.3% 2.2%
                          Pumpkin
                          Pumpkin
                          11
                          Vitamin C Vit. C Vitamin A Vit. A Vitamin E Vit. E Vitamin D Vit. D Vitamin B1 Vit. B1 Vitamin B2 Vit. B2 Vitamin B3 Vit. B3 Vitamin B5 Vit. B5 Vitamin B6 Vit. B6 Vitamin B12 Vit. B12 Vitamin K Vit. K Folate Folate Choline Choline 30% 142% 21% 0% 13% 25% 11% 18% 14% 0% 2.8% 12% 4.5%
                          Contains more Vitamin CVitamin C +11.1%
                          Contains more Vitamin AVitamin A +1421.4%
                          Contains more Vitamin EVitamin E +2020%
                          Contains more Vitamin B1Vitamin B1 +51.5%
                          Contains more Vitamin B2Vitamin B2 +423.8%
                          Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3 +237.1%
                          Contains more Vitamin B5Vitamin B5 +34.8%
                          Contains more Vitamin B6Vitamin B6 +35.6%
                          Contains more Vitamin KVitamin K +1000%
                          Contains more FolateFolate +433.3%
                          Contains more CholineCholine +100%
                          ~equal in Vitamin D ~0µg
                          ~equal in Vitamin B12 ~0µg
                            

                          Minerals

                          Pumpkin is higher in all minerals as well. 

                          Pumpkin is 4 times higher in phosphorus and 3 times richer in potassium than watermelon. 

                          You can compare the mineral composition of these two vegetables in the chart below. 

                          Mineral Comparison

                          Mineral comparison score is based on the number of minerals by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.
                          Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 7.1% 2.1% 9.9% 9% 14% 2.7% 4.7% 0.13% 5% 2.2%
                          Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 8.6% 6.3% 30% 30% 42% 8.7% 19% 0.13% 16% 1.6%
                          Contains more SeleniumSelenium +33.3%
                          Contains more MagnesiumMagnesium +20%
                          Contains more CalciumCalcium +200%
                          Contains more PotassiumPotassium +203.6%
                          Contains more IronIron +233.3%
                          Contains more CopperCopper +202.4%
                          Contains more ZincZinc +220%
                          Contains more PhosphorusPhosphorus +300%
                          Contains more ManganeseManganese +228.9%
                          ~equal in Sodium ~1mg

                          Health impact

                          Cardiovascular health

                          Pumpkin is high in potassium, which is an important mineral for lowering blood pressure and reducing the risk of stroke (3) (4). It contains a lot of antioxidants, especially phenolics and carotenoids, that protect the organism from lipoprotein oxidation, thus reducing the risk of heart disease (5).
                           

                          Watermelon produces lycopene, essential for lowering cholesterol and blood pressure (6). It also contains citrulline, an amino acid that increases the nitric oxide concentration, dilating blood vessels and lowering blood pressure (7). 

                          Skin health

                          Studies show that beta-carotene, which is abundant in pumpkins, acts as a natural sunblock (8). What is more, carotenoids provide protection against UV radiation (9). Pumpkin is also rich in vitamin C, essential in collagen synthesis (10). 
                           

                          Watermelon contains notable amounts of vitamin A. This vitamin is important for skin repair after damage (11). 

                          References 

                          1. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/168448/nutrients 
                          2. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/167765/nutrients 
                          3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28024910/ 
                          4. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27792643/ 
                          5. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17639513/ 
                          6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4464475/ 
                          7. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30029482/ 
                          8. https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/96/5/1179S/4577133 
                          9. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23053552/ 
                          10. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28805671/
                          11. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31389093/ 
                          Article author photo Ani Harutyunyan
                          Education: General Medicine at YSMU
                          Last updated: November 15, 2022
                          Medically reviewed by Igor Bussel

                          Infographic

                          Watermelon vs Pumpkin infographic
                          Infographic link

                          All nutrients comparison - raw data values

                          Nutrient Watermelon Pumpkin DV% diff.
                          Vitamin A 28µg 426µg 44%
                          Copper 0.042mg 0.127mg 9%
                          Vitamin E 0.05mg 1.06mg 7%
                          Vitamin B2 0.021mg 0.11mg 7%
                          Iron 0.24mg 0.8mg 7%
                          Potassium 112mg 340mg 7%
                          Phosphorus 11mg 44mg 5%
                          Manganese 0.038mg 0.125mg 4%
                          Fructose 3.36g 4%
                          Vitamin B3 0.178mg 0.6mg 3%
                          Folate 3µg 16µg 3%
                          Vitamin B5 0.221mg 0.298mg 2%
                          Zinc 0.1mg 0.32mg 2%
                          Vitamin B6 0.045mg 0.061mg 1%
                          Vitamin K 0.1µg 1.1µg 1%
                          Protein 0.61g 1g 1%
                          Choline 4.1mg 8.2mg 1%
                          Vitamin B1 0.033mg 0.05mg 1%
                          Vitamin C 8.1mg 9mg 1%
                          Calcium 7mg 21mg 1%
                          Calories 30kcal 26kcal 0%
                          Fats 0.15g 0.1g 0%
                          Carbs 7.55g 6.5g 0%
                          Net carbs 7.15g 6g N/A
                          Magnesium 10mg 12mg 0%
                          Sugar 6.2g 2.76g N/A
                          Fiber 0.4g 0.5g 0%
                          Sodium 1mg 1mg 0%
                          Selenium 0.4µg 0.3µg 0%
                          Saturated fat 0.016g 0.052g 0%
                          Monounsaturated fat 0.037g 0.013g 0%
                          Polyunsaturated fat 0.05g 0.005g 0%
                          Tryptophan 0.007mg 0.012mg 0%
                          Threonine 0.027mg 0.029mg 0%
                          Isoleucine 0.019mg 0.031mg 0%
                          Leucine 0.018mg 0.046mg 0%
                          Lysine 0.062mg 0.054mg 0%
                          Methionine 0.006mg 0.011mg 0%
                          Phenylalanine 0.015mg 0.032mg 0%
                          Valine 0.016mg 0.035mg 0%
                          Histidine 0.006mg 0.016mg 0%

                          Macronutrient Comparison

                          Macronutrient breakdown side-by-side comparison
                          8% 91%
                          Protein: 0.61 g
                          Fats: 0.15 g
                          Carbs: 7.55 g
                          Water: 91.45 g
                          Other: 0.24 g
                          7% 92%
                          Protein: 1 g
                          Fats: 0.1 g
                          Carbs: 6.5 g
                          Water: 91.6 g
                          Other: 0.8 g
                          Contains more FatsFats +50%
                          Contains more CarbsCarbs +16.2%
                          Contains more ProteinProtein +63.9%
                          Contains more OtherOther +233.3%
                          ~equal in Water ~91.6g

                          Fat Type Comparison

                          Fat type breakdown side-by-side comparison
                          16% 36% 49%
                          Saturated fat: Sat. Fat 0.016 g
                          Monounsaturated fat: Mono. Fat 0.037 g
                          Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 0.05 g
                          74% 19% 7%
                          Saturated fat: Sat. Fat 0.052 g
                          Monounsaturated fat: Mono. Fat 0.013 g
                          Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 0.005 g
                          Contains less Sat. FatSaturated fat -69.2%
                          Contains more Mono. FatMonounsaturated fat +184.6%
                          Contains more Poly. FatPolyunsaturated fat +900%

                          References

                          All the values for which the sources are not specified explicitly are taken from FDA’s Food Central. The exact link to the food presented on this page can be found below.

                          1. Watermelon - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/167765/nutrients
                          2. Pumpkin - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/168448/nutrients

                          All the Daily Values are presented for males aged 31-50, for 2000-calorie diets.

                          Data provided by FoodStruct.com should be considered and used as information only. Please consult your physician before beginning any diet.