Celery contains vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, and folate as its most notable vitamins, along with smaller amounts of several B vitamins. It’s not a powerhouse for any single vitamin, but its broad nutritional profile, low calorie count (about 14 calories per cup), and high water content make it a surprisingly useful addition to your diet.
Vitamins in One Cup of Raw Celery
A single cup of chopped raw celery (about 100 grams) delivers a mix of fat-soluble and water-soluble vitamins. Vitamin K leads the pack at roughly 30 micrograms per cup, covering about 25% of the daily recommended intake for most adults. Vitamin K plays a direct role in bone strength: it activates a protein called osteocalcin, which forms a flexible, string-like material inside the mineralized portion of bone, making the overall bone matrix less brittle. It’s also essential for normal blood clotting.
Vitamin A comes in at about 453 IU per cup, mostly from beta-carotene, which your body converts into the active form as needed. That’s a modest contribution toward the daily target of around 2,300 to 3,000 IU, but it adds up when celery is part of a varied diet. This vitamin supports vision, immune function, and skin cell turnover.
Vitamin C sits at about 3 milligrams per cup. That’s not much compared to an orange (which has around 70 mg), but it still contributes to your overall intake. Folate is more interesting at 36 micrograms per cup, roughly 9% of the 400 microgram daily target. Folate is critical for DNA synthesis and cell division, and it’s especially important during pregnancy for preventing neural tube defects.
Celery also contains trace amounts of riboflavin (B2), vitamin B6, and pantothenic acid (B5), though none in quantities large enough to make celery a primary source.
Minerals That Complement the Vitamins
Beyond vitamins, celery has a notable electrolyte profile. One cup provides about 263 milligrams of potassium and 81 milligrams of sodium. That roughly 3:1 ratio of potassium to sodium is favorable for blood pressure regulation, since potassium helps counteract sodium’s effects on blood vessel tension. Most people get too much sodium and not enough potassium in their diet, so celery nudges that balance in the right direction.
Celery also supplies small amounts of calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus, all of which work alongside vitamin K to support bone maintenance.
Plant Compounds Beyond Standard Vitamins
Some of celery’s most distinctive nutritional value comes not from traditional vitamins but from flavonoids, particularly apigenin and luteolin. These aren’t classified as vitamins, but they function as potent antioxidants in the body.
Apigenin neutralizes free radicals, binds to metal ions that would otherwise promote cell damage, and activates your body’s own antioxidant defense systems. Research has identified anti-inflammatory and cardiovascular benefits as well: apigenin supports blood vessel relaxation and may reduce platelet clumping, both of which matter for heart health. Luteolin, the other key flavonoid, shares similar antioxidant properties and appears to influence brain chemistry in ways that could affect mood regulation.
These compounds are present in meaningful concentrations in celery, which is one reason the vegetable has attracted attention beyond its basic vitamin content.
Whole Stalks vs. Celery Juice
How you eat celery changes what you get from it. When celery is juiced, the fiber is removed, which means you can consume far more celery per serving as juice than you would by chewing stalks. The result is a more nutrient-dense drink per glass, with higher concentrations of vitamins, minerals, and flavonoids.
The tradeoff is fiber. Whole celery stalks provide about 1.6 grams of fiber per cup, which supports digestion and helps you feel full. Juicing strips that out entirely. If your goal is to maximize vitamin and mineral intake from celery specifically, juice is more efficient. If you want the digestive benefits of fiber alongside a steady, moderate nutrient contribution, eating the stalks whole is the better choice.
Cooking celery has its own effects. Heat breaks down some vitamin C, which is sensitive to temperature, but it can make certain other nutrients slightly more accessible. Light steaming preserves more vitamins than boiling, which leaches water-soluble nutrients into the cooking water.
How Celery Fits Into Your Overall Diet
Celery is best understood as a consistent supporting player rather than a star. You won’t meet your daily vitamin A needs from celery alone, and its vitamin C content is modest. But its combination of vitamin K, folate, potassium, and unique flavonoids like apigenin makes it more nutritionally interesting than its reputation as “crunchy water” suggests.
Pairing celery with a fat source (like peanut butter or hummus) improves absorption of its fat-soluble vitamins, particularly vitamin K and the beta-carotene that converts to vitamin A. These vitamins need dietary fat to cross from your gut into your bloodstream efficiently, so eating celery sticks plain on an empty stomach means you absorb less of them.