Guava vs Orange: Which Has More Vitamin C?

Oranges are the fruit most people think of for vitamin C, but guava quietly beats them. This comparison uses USDA data to put guava vs orange side by side for vitamin C, fiber, sugar, calories and other nutrients, then looks at taste, cost and which to choose.

For more on each fruit, see our guava nutrition guide, our vitamin C guide and our list of fruits high in vitamin C.

Guava vs orange nutrition

The table compares one whole fruit of each: a small common guava (55 g) and a medium orange (131 g). Because an orange is more than twice as heavy, the per-100-gram figures in the next sections show the real difference in nutrient density.

Per whole raw fruit. Values from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy): Guavas, common, raw (FDC 173044) and Oranges, raw, all commercial varieties (FDC 169097). The highlighted value is the higher one for each nutrient.

Vitamin C: guava wins easily

Per 100 grams, guava contains about 228 mg of vitamin C, compared with 53 mg in orange, so it’s roughly four times as rich. Even though a guava is much smaller than an orange, one small guava still provides about 126 mg, or 140 percent of the daily value. A medium orange provides about 70 mg, or 78 percent.

If you eat a cup of chopped guava (165 g), you get about 377 mg of vitamin C, more than four times the daily value. That’s well within the safe upper limit of 2,000 mg a day, and your body simply excretes what it doesn’t need. Guava is one of the richest common fruits for vitamin C, beaten only by a few, such as acerola cherries.

Vitamin C is easily lost with heat and storage, so both fruits are best eaten fresh and raw. Our vitamin C guide explains how much you need and what it does.

Winner: guava, by a wide margin.

Fiber and sugar

Gram for gram, guava has more than twice the fiber of orange: 5.4 grams per 100 g compared with 2.4 grams. Much of it comes from the edible seeds and skin. Per fruit, the two are almost equal, at about 3 grams each, because the orange is larger.

Guava is lower in sugar. A small guava has about 4.9 grams of natural sugar, compared with 12.2 grams in a medium orange, and per 100 grams guava has 8.9 grams compared with 9.4 grams. Both are good choices for people watching their blood sugar, especially eaten whole rather than as juice. Our guide to juicing vs eating whole fruit explains why the whole fruit is better.

Winner: guava, for more fiber and less sugar per fruit.

Other nutrients

Oranges have the edge on a few nutrients. A medium orange has about five times as much calcium as a small guava and more folate, which matters before and during pregnancy. Guava has more protein and potassium per gram, and pink-fleshed guava is a good source of lycopene, the same red pigment found in tomatoes.

Both fruits contain flavonoids and other plant compounds. Oranges are rich in hesperidin, a citrus flavonoid, while guava contains quercetin and other polyphenols.

Winner: orange for calcium and folate; guava for potassium and protein.

Taste, cost and availability

• Taste: guava is fragrant and sweet-tart, with a flavor often compared to a mix of strawberry and pear. Its many small seeds are edible but hard. Orange is juicy and familiar, with a sweet citrus taste and easy-to-peel segments.
• Availability: oranges are available almost everywhere year-round. Fresh guava is common in tropical countries and Latin American and Asian grocers, but harder to find in many US supermarkets.
• Cost: in most of the US and Europe, oranges are cheaper. In tropical countries, guava is often very inexpensive in season.
• Convenience: both travel well. You can eat a guava whole, including the skin and seeds, after a quick rinse.

Winner: orange, for convenience and availability.

Which should you choose?

Pick guava if you:

• Want the most vitamin C from the smallest portion.
• Want more fiber and less sugar per fruit.
• Can find it fresh, or enjoy it in smoothies and juice.

Pick orange if you:

• Want an easy, inexpensive, everyday fruit.
• Want a little more calcium and folate.
• Prefer a juicy fruit with no hard seeds.

Both fruits easily help you meet your daily vitamin C needs. If you like both, alternating them is a simple way to add variety.

Juice, dried and canned guava and orange

Fresh fruit is the best choice, but both fruits come in many other forms, and their nutrition changes a lot.

• Orange juice: a cup of orange juice provides plenty of vitamin C, but it has almost no fiber and more than 20 grams of sugar, about the same as two oranges. Fortified versions may add calcium and vitamin D.
• Guava juice and nectar: bottled guava nectar is usually made from guava purée, water and added sugar, so check the label. Fresh homemade guava juice keeps more of the fruit’s vitamin C.
• Guava paste: a popular sweet in Latin America and the Philippines, guava paste is mostly sugar and is best enjoyed in small amounts.
• Canned mandarin oranges and guava shells: canned fruit is convenient, but fruit packed in syrup adds sugar. Choose fruit canned in juice and drain it.
• Dried fruit: dried guava and orange slices concentrate sugar and calories, and drying reduces vitamin C.

For most people, a whole fruit a day, with the occasional small glass of juice, is a good balance. Our guide to juicing vs eating whole fruit explains the trade-offs.

How much vitamin C do you need?

The US Recommended Dietary Allowance for vitamin C is 90 mg a day for adult men and 75 mg for adult women, rising to 85 mg in pregnancy and 120 mg while breastfeeding. People who smoke need an extra 35 mg a day because smoking uses up vitamin C. The Daily Value on food labels is 90 mg.

That means one small guava covers the full daily need for almost everyone, while one medium orange covers most of it. Other good sources include red and green peppers, kiwi, strawberries, broccoli and Brussels sprouts. Vitamin C from food is safe even in large amounts; the 2,000 mg upper limit mainly matters for high-dose supplements, which can cause diarrhea and stomach upset.

Vitamin C also helps your body absorb iron from plant foods. Adding guava or orange to a meal with beans, lentils or leafy greens is an easy way to get more from them. See our guide to iron-rich foods for more.

Related on Pure Nutrition Facts: our guava juice recipe.

Guava vs orange FAQ