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Chaya

Chaya is a leafy green traditionally cooked and served as a vegetable in Mexican cuisine.

Chaya — illustrative ingredient image

About Chaya

Chaya is a leafy vegetable from a perennial plant, used especially in traditional Mexican cooking. The ingredient is generally understood as the plant’s tender foliage prepared as food, with leaves that are usually medium to dark green.

Cooked chaya can be served as a vegetable or incorporated into soups, stews, fillings, and other savory preparations. Its flavor is mild and green, and its texture becomes tender after cooking.

Markets may offer intact leaves, trimmed foliage, or chopped portions. Cooking changes the foliage from a leafy raw form to a softer prepared vegetable, while local usage may distinguish the plant itself from the harvested leaves.

Ingredient type
whole food

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Where will you meet it?

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ON A MENU OR LABEL

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Where chaya appears

1 linked foods

Find foods to recognise by country and type. Recipes and products vary; these are recorded ingredient connections.

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Main dishes

Ingredient connections awaiting review · Coverage is still growing, including packaged snacks.

Name examples awaiting language review. Confirm the specific food or product.

Local names for chaya

Names and romanised forms to recognise on menus and labels.

English

tree spinach

English

chaya

Available names only. Languages may be spoken in other countries; a name alone does not identify every ingredient in a dish.

Chaya nutrition & diet

Chaya nutritional value

Fresh chaya leaves · raw

Per 100 g of the analysed fresh raw chaya leaves, per 100 g.

Calories
85.84kcal
Protein
7.7g
Carbs
11.2g
Fat
1.1g

Fresh raw leaf values; chaya requires appropriate cooking before consumption.

Portions & preparation

Match the reference to identified chaya leaves prepared as an edible vegetable, not to another leafy green. Cooking method and duration matter because the raw and cooked forms are not interchangeable for catalogue use. Record whether stems are included and whether oil, broth, salt, or other ingredients are part of the dish.

Compare the right form: Establish the chaya species and use a reference for properly prepared edible leaves, specifying cooked form, included stems, and any recipe additions.

Diet considerations

Chaya is a plant-derived leafy vegetable, but its dietary classification does not make every preparation equivalent. Use the traditionally cooked form described here rather than assuming raw compatibility. Meat stock, dairy, egg, or other animal additions alter a dish; soups and tamales may also include cereal ingredients or coatings.

AI-authored reading notes · Awaiting editorial review. Measured values, where available, have a separate source above.

Dietary compatibility

  • Vegan
    Not established
  • Vegetarian
    Not established
  • Pescatarian
    Not established
  • Keto
    Not established
  • Paleo
    Not established
  • Low-carb
    Not established
  • Halal
    Not established
  • Kosher
    Not established
What these diet assessments mean
Vegan · Not established
The available profile does not establish the full composition or processing for this dietary pattern.
Vegetarian · Not established
The available profile does not establish the full composition or processing for this dietary pattern.
Pescatarian · Not established
The available profile does not establish the full composition or processing for this dietary pattern.
Keto · Not established
A defined serving and sourced carbohydrate data are needed before assessing this dietary pattern.
Paleo · Not established
The ingredient form and processing have not been assessed against this dietary pattern.
Low-carb · Not established
A defined serving and sourced carbohydrate data are needed before assessing this dietary pattern.
Halal · Not established
Sourcing, processing and any applicable certification have not been verified. A food name alone does not establish halal status.
Kosher · Not established
Sourcing, processing and any applicable certification have not been verified. A food name alone does not establish kosher status.

For the plain ingredient · Awaiting review. Diet compatibility is not allergy suitability or halal/kosher certification. Keto and low-carb depend on the portion.

Reviewed ingredient entryIngredient reference · Preparations vary

AI-generated illustration for visual context. It does not identify a particular product or establish allergen content.

Sources & review

Nutrition reference: Impact of Boiling on Nutrient Retention in Chaya Leaves ↗. Values are scaled from 100 g of the recorded edible form. Individual portions have no assumed fixed weight.

Expanded overview, name examples and nutrition notes are database drafts awaiting editorial review. Numeric nutrition values, where shown, have their own source and food-form reference.

The ingredient description and dish connections come from the draft catalogue and may change after review.

Last recorded verification: .