Clementine: Clementine Nutrition and Clementine vs Tangerine

A clementine is a small, sweet, easy-to-peel mandarin that is usually seedless. In USDA data, one clementine weighs about 74 grams and has roughly 35 calories, 1.3 grams of fiber and about 40% of the Daily Value for vitamin C. That makes clementines one of the simplest whole-fruit snacks in the produce aisle: no knife, no mess, and a useful amount of vitamin C. This guide covers what a clementine actually is, the full USDA clementine nutrition profile, how clementine vs tangerine compare, whether clementines are healthy, and what to know about citrus and medicines.

Peptide Labs does not sell clementines or clementine products. This article is general nutrition information, not medical advice. If you take prescription medicines or have a food allergy, ask your pharmacist or clinician about your own situation.

What is a clementine?

Botanically, the clementine is a mandarin. Plant scientists use the name Citrus clementina, and research papers on its flowers describe “self-incompatible Clementine mandarins”: the tree’s own pollen does not fertilize its flowers. A 2013 study in Physiologia Plantarum found that two clementine cultivars were always seedless after self-pollination, and that flowers could still set fruit without fertilization, a trait called parthenocarpy. A 2024 paper in Frontiers in Plant Science explains that in citrus, self-incompatibility paired with parthenocarpy is what produces seedless fruit.

The clementine also has a place in citrus genetics. In 2014, a team publishing in Nature Biotechnology sequenced a high-quality reference clementine genome alongside mandarin, pummelo and orange genomes. They concluded that cultivated mandarins carry genetic material from pummelo mixed into the ancestral mandarin species, and a 2018 follow-up in Nature linked that pummelo mixing to fruit size and acidity. In plain terms, the mandarin family, which includes clementines and tangerines, is a group of related fruits rather than a set of sharply separate species.

Clementine nutrition (USDA)

The values below come from the USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy entry Clementines, raw (FDC 168195). Percent Daily Values use the FDA Daily Values. The SR Legacy entry lists no vitamin A or carotenoid values for clementines, so those are left out rather than guessed.

Two clementines (148 grams) come to about 70 calories, 2.5 grams of fiber (9% DV) and 80% of the Daily Value for vitamin C, per USDA. The sugars in a whole clementine are the fruit’s own sugars, not added sugars, and they arrive with water and fiber. If you compare fruits by sugar, our low-sugar fruits list puts clementines in context.

Clementine vs tangerine

Clementine vs tangerine is mostly a question of variety within the mandarin family. USDA itself files tangerines under the name “Tangerines, (mandarin oranges)”, and clementines are mandarins too. In the store, the practical differences are size, peel and seeds: clementines tend to be small, seedless and very easy to peel, while fruit sold as tangerines is often a little larger, with a deeper orange-red peel and sometimes seeds. The nutrition numbers differ more than many shoppers expect.

Gram for gram, USDA lists clementines with nearly twice the vitamin C of tangerines and slightly fewer calories and sugars. A medium tangerine (88 grams) has about 47 calories and 26% of the Daily Value for vitamin C, so one clementine and one tangerine end up with similar calories while the clementine carries more vitamin C. Keep in mind that these are averages from samples tested years ago; individual fruit varies with variety, ripeness and storage. Oranges, shown for comparison, carry the most fiber of the three per 100 grams.

Are clementines healthy?

Are clementines healthy? As whole fruit, they fit the pattern most dietary advice describes: low in calories, naturally sweet, with water, some fiber and a meaningful amount of vitamin C. What the evidence supports is nutrient-level, not a special clementine effect. No clinical trial has tested clementines on their own for a health outcome.

• Vitamin C. The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) fact sheet notes that vitamin C is needed to make collagen and certain neurotransmitters, plays a role in immune function and improves the absorption of nonheme iron, the form found in plant foods. ODS names citrus fruits among major contributors of vitamin C in the American diet. Our vitamin C food list compares other sources, and foods high in iron explains the iron pairing.
• Fiber. A clementine provides a modest 4% of the fiber Daily Value. It adds up with other produce; see high-fiber foods for bigger contributors.
• Potassium and folate. Small amounts, 3% to 4% of the Daily Value per fruit. Our potassium foods guide lists richer sources.
• Freshness matters. ODS notes vitamin C is water soluble and sensitive to heat and long storage, which is one reason fresh, raw fruit is a reliable source.

If you are weighing food against pills, our vitamin C supplement guide covers when people consider them and what the research shows. Food sources such as clementines bring fiber and water along with the vitamin.

Clementines, medicines and allergies

Grapefruit is the citrus fruit the FDA singles out for drug interactions, and the agency explains that some medicines carry warnings about it. The FDA page also names Seville oranges, pomelos and tangelos (a cross between tangerines and grapefruit) as fruits that might act the same way. Clementines and tangerines are not on that list. The same FDA page adds one broader point: for the antihistamine fexofenadine, orange or apple juice may also reduce how well the drug works, which is why its label says not to take it with fruit juices. So if any medicine you use carries a grapefruit or fruit juice warning, ask your pharmacist whether other citrus, including clementines, matters for that drug. Our grapefruit guide covers the interaction in detail.

Citrus is not one of the nine major food allergens under US labeling law, but individual citrus allergies do happen. If you react to oranges or other citrus, talk with an allergist rather than testing clementines on your own; our elimination diet guide explains why supervised testing matters.

Choosing, storing and peeling clementines

• Choosing. Pick fruit that feels heavy for its size, with glossy, firm peel and no soft spots or mold.
• Storing. Clementines keep for a few days at room temperature and longer in the refrigerator crisper drawer. Remove any moldy fruit from a bag quickly so it does not spread.
• Peeling. Press a thumbnail into the top near the stem and pull the peel off in a few pieces. The white pith that clings to the segments is edible.
• Using. Eat them as they are, add segments to salads or yogurt, or zest the peel for baking after rinsing the fruit.

Juicing leaves most of the fruit’s fiber behind; USDA data for grapefruit juice show the same pattern. If you track fiber, our fiber per day guide explains the Daily Value and how whole fruit contributes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions about a label? Contact us or read our Buyer’s Guide. Food comes first; follow the label and ask a healthcare provider before starting a supplement, especially if you take medicines, are pregnant or have a food allergy. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Last reviewed October 2026.

Related guides: Grapefruit: Grapefruit Nutrition, Benefits and Medication, Tangerine Nutrition, Benefits and Tangerine vs Orange, Low Sugar Fruits: USDA Sugar per Serving, From Lowest to Highest.