🟢 Safe
Oxalate <25 mg/serving
🟡 Caution
Oxalate 25-99 mg/serving
🔴 Avoid
Oxalate ≥100 mg/serving
🟢

Onion powder

🟢 Safe — Low Oxalate
1 mg oxalate / serving
Serving: 1 tsp (2 g) | Per 100 g: 50 mg
✓ Medically Reviewed Content reviewed by OxalateWatch Editorial Team. Based on Harvard T.H. Chan SPH oxalate data (2024) and NKF/AUA dietary guidelines.

Onions are the foundation of cooking across almost every cuisine on earth, and they're essentially zero oxalate — about 4 mg per half-cup, and you rarely eat that much onion at once. Use them freely. Saute them as a base for soups, stews, and stir-fries. Caramelize them for depth. Eat them raw on burgers, tacos, and salads. The sulfur compounds that make you cry when cutting onions are the same ones that give them their health benefits. No oxalate concerns, no sodium concerns, no protein concerns. Onions are a pure win for kidney stone patients. If every food were as safe as onions, this website wouldn't need to exist.

📊 Nutrition at a Glance

1 mg
Oxalate / serving
Low Oxalate
Sodium / 100g
Pending
Protein / 100g
Pending
Calcium / 100g
Pending

📏 Oxalate by Serving Size

ServingWeightOxalateVerdict
1 tsp2 g1 mg Safe
2 x 1 tsp4 g2 mg Safe
½ x 1 tsp1 g0.5 mg Safe

🏷️ Tags

Vegetables 🟢 Oxalate Safe Low Oxalate Plant-Based Herbs & Spices

🟢 See all Vegetables rated Safe for kidney stones →

⚖️ Compare this food: · vs Nopal (Prickly Pear) · vs Bitter Gourd (Bitter Melon)

🔗 Related Foods

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Is Onion powder safe for kidney stones?

Don't overthink this one. Onion powder has 1 mg oxalate per 1 tsp. That's solidly safe territory for kidney stones. The number is from Harvard's latest lab work.

What's the oxalate content of Onion powder?

One 1 tsp of Onion powder = 1 mg oxalate. Scale it up to 100g and you're at 50 mg. Direct measurement from Harvard, 2024. About as reliable as food data gets.

Is Onion powder low or high oxalate?

Low. 1 mg per 1 tsp puts Onion powder firmly in the low-oxalate category. Safe for regular eating if you're managing kidney stones.

What are the best low-oxalate alternatives to Onion powder?

Don't give up the whole category — just pick a safer member of it. The green foods in the related section all work as substitutes for Onion powder with a fraction of the oxalate.

How reliable is the data for Onion powder?

The oxalate number for Onion powder — 1 mg per serving — is from Harvard's 2024 lab analysis. That part is solid. The USDA nutrition data (sodium, protein, calcium) is still being matched — we'll update when it's available.

🔍 Explore More About This Food

📚 Data Sources

Oxalate: Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (2024) via OHF.

📖 Key Scientific References

Taylor EN, Curhan GC. Oxalate intake and the risk for nephrolithiasis. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2007;18(7):2198-2204. PMID: 17538185
Borghi L, Schianchi T, Meschi T, et al. Comparison of two diets for the prevention of recurrent stones in idiopathic hypercalciuria. N Engl J Med. 2002;346(2):77-84. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa010369
Fink HA, Akornor JW, Garimella PS, et al. Diet, fluid, or supplements for secondary prevention of nephrolithiasis. Eur Urol. 2009;56(1):72-80. DOI: 10.1016/j.eururo.2009.03.031
Ferraro PM, Taylor EN, Gambaro G, Curhan GC. Dietary and lifestyle factors for primary prevention of nephrolithiasis. BMC Nephrol. 2020;21(1):267. PMID: 32652950
Pearle MS, Goldfarb DS, Assimos DG, et al. Medical management of kidney stones: AUA guideline. J Urol. 2014;192(2):316-324. DOI: 10.1016/j.juro.2014.05.006
Liebman M, Costa G. Effects of calcium and magnesium on urinary oxalate excretion after oxalate loads. J Urol. 2000;163(5):1565-1569. PMID: 10751889
Holmes RP, Assimos DG. The impact of dietary oxalate on kidney stone formation. Urol Res. 2004;32(5):311-316. DOI: 10.1007/s00240-004-0437-3
Lin BB, Lin ME, Huang RH, et al. Dietary treatment and fluid intake for prevention of recurrent calcium stones. PLoS One. 2021;16(4):e0250257. PMID: 33872340
This is dietary reference information, NOT medical advice. Talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian before changing your diet. Oxalate tolerance varies by person, stone type, and medication.