Cantaloupe vs Honeydew – Which is Healthier?

Our Verdict

When comparing cantaloupe to honeydew, we picked the cantaloupe.

Why?

In terms of macros, there’s not a lot between them—they’re both mostly water. Nominally, cantaloupe has more fiber and protein, while honeydew has more carbs, but the differences are very small. So, a very slight win for cantaloupe.

Looking at vitamins, cantaloupe has a more of vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, C, and E (especially notably 67x more vitamin A, whence its color), while honeydew has slightly more of vitamins B5 and B6 (so, the vitamins that are in pretty much everything). A much more convincing win for cantaloupe in this round!

The minerals category is even more polarized: cantaloupe has more calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc, while honeydew has more selenium (and for what it’s worth, more sodium too, though that’s not usually a plus for most of us in the industrialized world). An overwhelming victory for cantaloupe here.

Adding up the sections makes for a clear overall win for cantaloupe, but by all means enjoy either or both, as diversity is good!

Want to learn more?

You might like:

Some Surprising Truths About Hunger And Satiety ← our main feature in which we examine the science of volumetrics, including a study that shows how water that is part of a food (but not served with a food) decreases caloric intake.

Enjoy!