Purine content of Seaweed & kelp
across 7 measured preparations · median 132.7 mg · spans low to very high
Across the 7 seaweed & kelp measurements in this database, purine content runs from 15.5 to 262.3 mg per 100 g, with a median of 132.7 mg — a fairly high-purine food.
On this page (5)
Lower-purine vegetables
Why the numbers vary
The vegetables measured here run from 0.4 mg to 415 mg per 100 g, so the category is a poor guide on its own — which specific food, and prepared how, decides almost everything.
Preparation matters more than the food's name. Seaweed, wakame, raw measures 262.3 mg, while Seaweed, mozuku, dried measures 15.5 mg — a difference of 16.9 times. Drying and grilling remove water and concentrate what is left; boiling can move purines into water that is then poured away.
Every form of seaweed & kelp measured (7)
Highest first, each with the preparation that was measured.
| Food as measured | Per 100 g | Level | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seaweed, wakame, raw | 262.3 mg | Very high | ODS-NIH 2.0 |
| Seaweed (nori) | 249 mg | Very high | NHC 2024 |
| Wakame (dried) | 136 mg | Fairly high | NHC 2024 |
| Seaweed, hijiki, dried | 132.7 mg | Fairly high | ODS-NIH 2.0 |
| Seaweed, kombu, dried | 46.4 mg | Fairly low | ODS-NIH 2.0 |
| Kelp root | 17 mg | Low | NHC 2024 |
| Seaweed, mozuku, dried | 15.5 mg | Low | ODS-NIH 2.0 |
Questions about seaweed & kelp and purines
Is seaweed high in purines?
Median 132.7 mg per 100 g, seaweed falls in the fairly high band (75–150 mg per 100 g) on the six-level scale used across this site. Individual measurements range from 15.5 to 262.3 mg.
How many purines are in a serving of seaweed?
It depends entirely which preparation. Compared at the same 150 g: about 23 mg for seaweed, mozuku, dried, about 393 mg for seaweed, wakame, raw. That upper figure is a like-for-like comparison rather than a serving — dried and concentrated foods are normally used by the spoonful, so their per-100 g value is the fairer read. The table on this page lists both for every preparation measured.
Does cooking change the purine content of seaweed?
Substantially. In this database Seaweed, wakame, raw measures 262.3 mg while Seaweed, mozuku, dried measures 15.5 mg per 100 g. Drying and grilling concentrate purines by removing water; boiling can leach some into the cooking liquid.
Where does this seaweed purine value come from?
USDA and ODS-NIH Database for the Purine Content of Foods, Release 2.0 (2025) and Dietary Guideline for Adults with Hyperuricaemia and Gout (2024 Edition). Values are total purines in milligrams per 100 g of the food as described, and nothing is estimated or averaged across sources.
How does seaweed compare with other vegetables?
The median for vegetables in this database is 17 mg per 100 g, with a range of 0.4 to 415 mg. Seaweed & kelp is above that median.
Source
- USDA and ODS-NIH Database for the Purine Content of Foods, Release 2.0 (2025) — Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
- Dietary Guideline for Adults with Hyperuricaemia and Gout (2024 Edition) — National Health Commission of China, appendix 1. Issued February 2024.
Reference information only. Purine values describe foods, not people: they cannot tell you what is safe for you to eat, and nothing here diagnoses or treats gout. Talk to your doctor or dietitian about your own diet and medication.