Group · Vegetables
Sorrel
Sorrel is a garden plant with soft green leaves and a distinctly sour taste, due to its oxalic acid. It literally melts when cooked: a kilo of leaves gives barely two hundred grams of purée.
In terms of nutrition facts, raw it provides 23.4 kcal per 100 g, with 1.89 g of protein and 1.8 g of fibre. It provides 103 mg of magnesium, 390 mg of potassium, 48 mg of vitamin C and 2.4 mg of iron per 100 g.
Macronutrient breakdown
Nutrition table per 100 g
| Calories | 23 kcal |
| Kilojoules | 98 kJ |
| Protein | 1,9 g |
| Carbohydrate | 1,6 g |
| Fat | 0,7 g |
| Fibre | 1,8 g |
Micronutrients per 100 g
All measured nutrients, ranked by share of the daily reference intake.
- Vitamin C48 mg60 %
- Magnesium103 mg27 %
- Potassium390 mg20 %
- Manganese0,35 mg18 %
- Iron2,4 mg17 %
- Copper0,13 mg13 %
- Phosphorus63 mg9 %
- Vitamin B60,12 mg9 %
- Vitamin B9dietary folate equivalents82,5 µg
See the other 8 nutrients
- Vitamin B20,1 mg7 %
- Calcium44 mg6 %
- Vitamin B10,04 mg4 %
- Vitamin B30,5 mg3 %
- Zinc0,2 mg2 %
- Selenium0,9 µg2 %
- Vitamin B50,04 mg1 %
- Iodine0,4 µg0 %
Anses Ciqual 2025. Source: Anses, 2025, Ciqual food composition table
Tips
103 mg of magnesium: the best score among the vegetables in this group. 27% of the reference intake per 100 g. Few green vegetables provide as much.
Its oxalic acid calls for caution. It is what gives the sourness, and it blocks the absorption of calcium and iron. If you have a history of calcium oxalate kidney stones, limit sorrel clearly.
Do not cook it in an unenamelled cast iron pan. Its acidity attacks the metal and gives a metallic taste. Use stainless steel, enamel or non-stick.
It stands in for lemon in a dish. Its culinary role is to bring acidity: with fish or in a sauce, it plays the part of citrus juice without the liquid. A sorrel sauce with salmon needs almost nothing else.
It reduces enormously. Allow 250 g of fresh leaves per person for a side. This is the classic surprise of the first time you cook it.