How Much Oxalate Is in Cactus (Or Nopal (Prickly Pear))?
mg oxalate
per serving
Serving: 1 leaf (29 g)
Verdict: 🟡 Caution
Per 100g: 232 mg
Data: Harvard T.H. Chan SPH (2024)
The bottom line for Cactus (Or Nopal (Prickly Pear)): Caution (🟡) at 67 mg oxalate per serving. It's the middle of the road — usable, but with guardrails. Half portions, occasional frequency, calcium pairing, and watching your total daily intake keeps it workable.
Putting Cactus (Or Nopal (Prickly Pear)) in context: it lands well above the category average of 27 mg. In the database, 80% of vegetables (219 of 271) fall in the 🟢 Safe group (under 25 mg oxalate/serving). The typical vegetables here averages 27 mg oxalate per serving, so Cactus (Or Nopal (Prickly Pear)) runs 148% above that baseline. That places it on the higher end for oxalate in its category. Why this matters: the gap between two Safe foods can be wide — one may hold 5 mg oxalate while another sits at 24 mg. The lower one leaves more room in your day. See all vegetables rated Caution for a full side-by-side.
Why does oxalate per 100g matter?
The per-100g number lets you compare foods on an equal-weight basis, regardless of serving size. It's useful when two foods have very different typical serving sizes, or when you eat more or less than a standard serving. For context, Cactus (Or Nopal (Prickly Pear)) measures 67 mg per 1 leaf, rated Caution.
How accurate is the oxalate measurement?
These values come from Harvard's 2024 ion-chromatography analysis — the gold-standard method for oxalate. Real measured data rather than estimates. Sample-to-sample variation exists, but no published source is more dependable for food oxalate. Cactus (Or Nopal (Prickly Pear)) comes in at 67 mg oxalate per 1 leaf (Caution) in the measured database.
How does this compare to other foods?
Foods under 25 mg per serving are rated Safe. Foods between 25-99 mg are Caution. 100+ mg is Avoid. Check the food's category page on OxalateWatch to see how it compares to similar foods. Cactus (Or Nopal (Prickly Pear)) comes in at 67 mg oxalate per 1 leaf (Caution) in the measured database.