Alfalfa and calcium: how much is actually in it

Alfalfa isn't a high-calcium food or supplement. USDA food composition data puts raw alfalfa sprouts at about 32 mg of calcium per 100 grams — around 3% of the adult Recommended Dietary Allowance — and a typical dried-leaf capsule serving, which is a small fraction of that 100-gram amount, contributes less still.

What USDA data actually shows

USDA FoodData Central lists raw alfalfa sprouts at roughly 32 mg of calcium per 100 g, against an adult RDA of about 1,000 mg/day for most adults, according to NIH's Office of Dietary Supplements. For comparison, most people eating sprouts as a garnish or salad topping are eating well under 100 g at a time, so the practical contribution from a normal serving is smaller than even that 3% figure suggests. Alfalfa sits closer to a modest leafy vegetable than to a calcium-rich food like dairy or fortified plant milk.

What a dried-leaf capsule contributes

USDA doesn't publish a separate calcium figure for a dried-leaf supplement capsule, and it likely varies by product. What's clear regardless of the exact number: a typical alfalfa tablet (400–650 mg, per alfalfa dosage) weighs a small fraction of the 100 g the USDA sprout figure describes, so even a generous estimate puts a capsule's calcium contribution well below anything worth counting toward a daily target.

How it compares to other leafy foods

Alfalfa's calcium number is in the same general range as many raw leafy vegetables, some of which run higher. USDA data puts raw kale at roughly 254 mg of calcium per 100 g and raw spinach at roughly 99 mg — both well above alfalfa sprouts' 32 mg, though all three are food-level comparisons, not supplement-label ones. If calcium content is specifically what you're shopping for in a leafy food or sprout, alfalfa isn't the standout option among common choices.

Questions people ask

Is alfalfa high in calcium?

No. USDA data puts raw sprouts at about 32 mg per 100 g — a modest amount, and a typical supplement capsule contributes less than that.

Does alfalfa have more calcium than milk?

No — a cup of milk carries roughly 300 mg of calcium by USDA figures, far more than the 32 mg in 100 g of raw alfalfa sprouts, let alone a capsule serving.

Can alfalfa help with bone health?

Its calcium content is too small to make a meaningful contribution on its own. We haven't found trials testing alfalfa specifically for bone outcomes — see alfalfa: what the research does and doesn't show for what has and hasn't been studied.

Related reading: what is alfalfa, alfalfa and potassium, and alfalfa dosage.