In this article
- Do cucumbers have fiber? The numbers by slice, cup and whole cucumber
- Does the peel hold the fiber?
- Why cucumbers are mostly water
- Which vegetables have the most fiber compared with cucumber?
- What a cucumber does bring
- Building a higher fiber snack plate
- Cucumber water, juice and smoothies
- Easy pairings that make cucumber meals count
- Where cucumbers fit in a fiber rich day
- The pickle problem
- Quick answers about cucumber fiber
- Sources
A whole cucumber, the long kind that stretches past 8 inches, has about 1.5 grams of fiber. That’s less than half a cup of cooked broccoli, even though the cucumber weighs four times as much.
So do cucumbers have fiber? Yes, but only a trace in each bite. More than 95% of a cucumber is water, according to USDA FoodData Central, and that water leaves little room for anything else.
One result surprises most people: peeling a cucumber doesn’t strip out its fiber the way you might think. Below are the numbers for every common serving, plus the crunchy vegetables that bring far more.
Do cucumbers have fiber? The numbers by slice, cup and whole cucumber
These figures come from USDA FoodData Central and the FDA’s raw vegetable labels. Percentages use the FDA’s 28 gram Daily Value.
| Cucumber serving | Weight | Fiber | % Daily Value | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/2 cup slices, with peel | 52 g | 0.3 g | 1% | 8 |
| 1 cup slices, peeled | 119 g | 0.8 g | 3% | 12 |
| 1/3 medium cucumber (FDA label) | 99 g | 1 g | 4% | 10 |
| 1 medium cucumber, peeled | 201 g | 1.4 g | 5% | 20 |
| 1 large cucumber, with peel (8 1/4 inches) | 301 g | 1.5 g | 5% | 45 |
Even the whole large cucumber stays at about 5% of the Daily Value. You would need around 19 of them to reach 28 grams from cucumber alone.
Calories stay tiny across the board. That big cucumber has just 45 calories, which is why it’s a favorite for adding volume to a plate.
Does the peel hold the fiber?
Myth vs fact: peel your cucumber and you lose the fiber
Myth: Nearly all of a cucumber’s fiber sits in the dark green skin, so peeling leaves you with nothing.
Fact: USDA’s numbers don’t show that. Raw cucumber with the peel is listed at 0.5 grams of fiber per 100 grams, while peeled cucumber is listed at 0.7 grams.
The two entries come from separate samples, so don’t read the peeled figure as higher in any meaningful way. The fair takeaway is that both land at roughly half a gram per 100 grams, and peeling doesn’t change the fiber picture much.
The peel does carry more vitamin K. Cucumber with the skin has 16.4 micrograms per 100 grams, more than double the 7.2 micrograms in peeled cucumber, so leaving it on is still worth it if you like the texture.
Why cucumbers are mostly water
Cucumber flesh is about 95% water with the peel and nearly 97% once peeled. That’s similar to lettuce and more than most other vegetables in the produce aisle.
Water has no fiber and no calories, so the more of it a vegetable holds, the less room there is for fiber, starch and protein. Cucumbers have just 3.6 grams of total carbohydrate per 100 grams, and only half a gram of that is fiber.
That high water content has an upside. A large cucumber supplies about 287 grams of water along with its crunch, which counts toward the fluid you take in each day.
Which vegetables have the most fiber compared with cucumber?
Cucumbers sit near the bottom of the FDA’s raw vegetable chart. Here’s how a standard label serving of other crunchy raw vegetables compares:
| Raw vegetable (FDA label serving) | Weight | Fiber | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broccoli, 1 medium stalk | 148 g | 3 g | 45 |
| Green beans, 3/4 cup cut | 83 g | 3 g | 20 |
| Onion, 1 medium | 148 g | 3 g | 45 |
| Celery, 2 medium stalks | 110 g | 2 g | 15 |
| Carrot, 1 medium | 78 g | 2 g | 30 |
| Bell pepper, 1 medium | 148 g | 2 g | 25 |
| Cauliflower, 1/6 head | 99 g | 2 g | 25 |
| Cucumber, 1/3 medium | 99 g | 1 g | 10 |
| Radishes, 7 | 85 g | 1 g | 10 |
Per label serving, celery, carrots and bell peppers double cucumber’s fiber. Raw broccoli and green beans triple it.
A few less common raw vegetables do even better. The Dietary Guidelines list a cup of raw jicama at 5.9 grams of fiber for 46 calories and a cup of raw kohlrabi at 4.9 grams for 36 calories.
Cucumber doesn’t make that Dietary Guidelines list at all, because it only includes foods with at least 2.8 grams of fiber per standard portion.
What a cucumber does bring
Fiber aside, a large cucumber with the peel has a few useful nutrients for its 45 calories:
- Vitamin K: about 49 micrograms, roughly 41% of the Daily Value.
- Potassium: about 442 milligrams, around 9% of the Daily Value.
- Vitamin C: about 8 milligrams, a small but real amount.
Vitamin K helps your blood clot normally, and potassium helps your muscles and nerves work. Cucumber won’t be your main source of either, but it chips in.
The peel matters most here, so buy cucumbers you’re happy to eat skin on and give them a good rinse.
Building a higher fiber snack plate
If cucumber slices are your go to crunchy snack, keep them and add a few higher fiber partners. Use this checklist when you put together a veggie plate:
- Start with cucumber slices for volume and hydration.
- Add celery sticks or carrot coins for about 2 grams more per serving.
- Include raw broccoli florets or snap beans, which bring around 3 grams per serving.
- Add jicama sticks if you can find it, at nearly 6 grams per cup.
- Pair everything with hummus or a bean dip instead of a creamy ranch.
- Finish with a small handful of almonds or pumpkin seeds for extra fiber.
A plate built this way can easily reach 8 to 10 grams of fiber while keeping the cool crunch you liked about cucumbers in the first place.
Want more snack and side ideas that pack in fiber without much fuss? Our recipe eBooks are full of quick, easy options.
Cucumber water, juice and smoothies
How you drink your cucumber decides whether any fiber comes along. Cucumber infused water keeps the flavor but leaves the solid slices behind, so it carries essentially no fiber.
Juicing works the same way. A juicer separates the liquid from the pulp, and the pulp is where the fiber sits, so a glass of cucumber juice gives you water and a little potassium but almost none of the original half gram per 100 grams.
Blending is different. When you toss a whole cucumber into a smoothie, everything stays in the glass, including the peel and its extra vitamin K.
For a smoothie with real fiber, let the cucumber be the cool, mild base and add higher fiber ingredients. A cup of raspberries brings 8 grams and a tablespoon of chia seeds adds about 4, according to the Dietary Guidelines.
Easy pairings that make cucumber meals count
Cucumbers fit into many dishes that already have a fiber rich partner. A few easy combinations, with fiber numbers from the Dietary Guidelines list:
- Cucumber and lentil salad: half a cup of cooked lentils adds 7.8 grams.
- Cucumber with white bean dip: half a cup of navy beans blended into a dip adds 9.6 grams.
- Cucumber and avocado bowl: half a cup of avocado adds about 5 grams.
- Cucumber and pea salad: a cup of cooked green peas adds 8.8 grams.
In each case the cucumber adds freshness and crunch, while the partner food supplies most of the fiber.
Where cucumbers fit in a fiber rich day
Mayo Clinic recommends about 25 grams of fiber a day for women and 38 grams for men up to age 50, and 21 and 30 grams after that.
A cup of cucumber slices covers about 2 to 3% of those targets. Cucumbers make sense as a refreshing extra on salads, sandwiches and snack plates, while beans, whole grains, fruit and higher fiber vegetables do the heavy lifting.
Not sure how much you should be aiming for? Our fiber calculator gives you a personal target in just a few seconds.
If you are working on adding fiber, Mayo Clinic advises doing it gradually over a few weeks and drinking plenty of water. Water rich foods like cucumber are an easy way to help with the second part.
The pickle problem
Turning cucumbers into pickles doesn’t add meaningful fiber, but it can add a lot of sodium. USDA lists sweet pickle chips at 1 gram of fiber per 100 grams, with 457 milligrams of sodium in the same amount.
A cup of sweet pickle chips has about 1.5 grams of fiber and roughly 700 milligrams of sodium, close to a third of the 2,300 milligram Daily Value. It also has about 139 calories, triple what a whole fresh cucumber has.
If you love pickles, enjoy them as a garnish rather than a vegetable serving. For fiber, fresh cucumber paired with higher fiber vegetables is the better choice.
A simple swap helps if you crave that tangy bite. Toss fresh cucumber slices with vinegar, a pinch of salt and fresh dill, let them sit for 20 minutes, and you get a quick pickle flavor with far less sodium than the jar version.
Quick answers about cucumber fiber
Are cucumbers high in fiber?
No. A cup of cucumber slices has well under 1 gram of fiber, and even a whole large cucumber has only about 1.5 grams. Cucumbers are mostly water.
How much fiber is in one cucumber?
A large 8 1/4 inch cucumber with the peel has about 1.5 grams of fiber and 45 calories. A medium peeled cucumber has about 1.4 grams.
Does peeling a cucumber remove the fiber?
Not by much. USDA lists cucumber with the peel at 0.5 grams of fiber per 100 grams and peeled cucumber at 0.7 grams, so both are low. The peel does add extra vitamin K.
Which vegetables have more fiber than cucumber?
Most do. Raw broccoli and green beans have about 3 grams per FDA label serving, and celery, carrots and bell peppers have about 2, compared with 1 gram for cucumber.
Are cucumbers good for digestion?
They help a little through water, but they’re too low in fiber to do much on their own. Pairing them with higher fiber foods is more effective.
Do pickles have more fiber than cucumbers?
Not meaningfully. Sweet pickles have about 1 gram of fiber per 100 grams, similar to fresh cucumber, but they add a lot of sodium and calories.
How many cucumbers would it take to reach the daily fiber goal?
About 19 large cucumbers to reach the 28 gram Daily Value. That’s why cucumber works best as a side to other fiber rich foods.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. “Cucumber, with peel, raw (168409); Cucumber, peeled, raw (169225); Pickles, cucumber, sweet (169378).” FoodData Central, SR Legacy. 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “Nutrition Information for Raw Vegetables.” 2017. www.fda.gov
- U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “Food Sources of Dietary Fiber.” Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020 to 2025. dietaryguidelines.gov
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels.” 2026. www.fda.gov
- Mayo Clinic. “Dietary fiber: Essential for a healthy diet.” 2025. www.mayoclinic.org
