Foods high in iron

The 15 foods with the most iron per 100 grams, out of 486 with a USDA figure. Tap a food to compare it.

How the iron list is built

Of the 486 foods on this site, USDA gives a iron figure for 486. 11 list exactly 0 mg. Per 100 grams the top is ground turmeric with 55 mg (306% of the Daily Value). Per serving it is dried spirulina with 31.9 mg in 1 cup, and for the same 100 kcal it is ground turmeric with 17.6 mg.

Top 25 per 100 g · Daily Value 18 mg
#	Food	Group	Per 100 g	% DV
1	Ground turmeric	Condiments	55 mg	306%
2	Dried spirulina	Vegetables	28.5 mg	158%
3	Sesame seeds	Nuts & seeds	14.6 mg	81%
4	Unsweetened cocoa powder	Sweets	13.9 mg	77%
5	Dark chocolate (70–85% cacao)	Sweets	11.9 mg	66%
6	Caviar (fish roe)	Fish & seafood	11.9 mg	66%
7	Cooked chicken liver	Poultry	11.6 mg	65%
8	Wheat bran	Grains & pasta	10.6 mg	59%
9	Cooked octopus	Fish & seafood	9.5 mg	53%
10	Cooked oysters (Pacific)	Fish & seafood	9.2 mg	51%
11	Sun-dried tomatoes	Vegetables	9.1 mg	51%
12	Tahini	Nuts & seeds	8.9 mg	50%
13	Pumpkin seeds	Nuts & seeds	8.8 mg	49%
14	Natto	Legumes	8.6 mg	48%
15	Ground cinnamon	Condiments	8.3 mg	46%
16	Dark chocolate (45–59% cacao)	Sweets	8 mg	45%
17	Hemp seeds	Nuts & seeds	8 mg	44%
18	Chia seeds	Nuts & seeds	7.7 mg	43%
19	Dry red lentils	Legumes	7.4 mg	41%
20	Goji berries	Fruits	6.8 mg	38%
21	Cooked mussels	Fish & seafood	6.7 mg	37%
22	Cashews	Nuts & seeds	6.7 mg	37%
23	Dry lentils	Legumes	6.5 mg	36%
24	Wheat germ	Grains & pasta	6.3 mg	35%
25	Fresh parsley	Condiments	6.2 mg	34%

Per serving

Top 12 per USDA household serving
#	Food	Serving	Amount	% DV
1	Dried spirulina	1 cup (112 g)	31.9 mg	177%
2	Natto	1 cup (175 g)	15 mg	84%
3	Dry red lentils	1 cup (192 g)	14.2 mg	79%
4	Dry lentils	1 cup (192 g)	12.5 mg	69%
5	Caviar (fish roe)	3 oz (85.1 g)	10.1 mg	56%
6	Cooked chicken liver	3 oz (85 g)	9.9 mg	55%
7	Dry black beans	1 cup (194 g)	9.7 mg	54%
8	Coconut meat	1 medium (397 g)	9.6 mg	54%
9	Cooked cream of wheat	1 cup (1 serving) (251 g)	9.4 mg	52%
10	Boiled soybeans	1 cup (172 g)	8.8 mg	49%
11	Dry chickpeas	1 cup (200 g)	8.6 mg	48%
12	Cooked octopus	3 oz (85 g)	8.1 mg	45%

For the same 100 kcal

Top 12 per 100 kcal (foods under 10 kcal per 100 g left out)
#	Food	Grams for 100 kcal	Amount
1	Ground turmeric	32 g	17.6 mg
2	Fresh parsley	278 g	17.2 mg
3	Boiled spinach	435 g	15.5 mg
4	Fresh basil	435 g	13.8 mg
5	Spinach	435 g	11.8 mg
6	Asparagus	500 g	10.7 mg
7	Dried spirulina	34 g	9.8 mg
8	Butterhead lettuce	769 g	9.5 mg
9	Swiss chard	526 g	9.5 mg
10	Sauerkraut	526 g	7.7 mg
11	Cilantro	435 g	7.7 mg
12	Cooked cream of wheat	200 g	7.5 mg

Read the rest — 3 more sections

Why the three rankings differ

Per 100 g favours concentrated foods: 11 of the top 25 are dried, dry or milled products that are rarely eaten 100 g at a time. Per serving puts foods eaten in larger portions first, and per 100 kcal puts first the foods with little energy for their weight. Only 10 foods appear in both the per-100 g and the per-serving top 25.

Iron by food group, per 100 g

Fruits: goji berries (6.8 mg), dried apricots (2.7 mg) and coconut meat (2.4 mg).

Vegetables: dried spirulina (28.5 mg), sun-dried tomatoes (9.1 mg) and boiled spinach (3.6 mg).

Legumes: natto (8.6 mg), dry red lentils (7.4 mg) and dry lentils (6.5 mg).

Nuts & seeds: sesame seeds (14.6 mg), tahini (8.9 mg) and pumpkin seeds (8.8 mg).

Grains & pasta: wheat bran (10.6 mg), wheat germ (6.3 mg) and oat bran (5.4 mg).

Bread & bakery: saltine crackers (5.6 mg), sourdough bread (3.9 mg) and flour tortilla (3.6 mg).

Dairy & eggs: duck egg (3.9 mg), quail egg (3.6 mg) and egg yolk (2.7 mg).

Poultry: cooked chicken liver (11.6 mg), quail (4.5 mg) and roasted goose (2.9 mg).

Meat: cooked beef liver (6.2 mg), roasted venison (4.5 mg) and roasted elk (3.6 mg).

Fish & seafood: caviar (fish roe) (11.9 mg), cooked octopus (9.5 mg) and cooked oysters (Pacific) (9.2 mg).

Fats & oils: olive oil (0.56 mg), mayonnaise (0.21 mg) and margarine (0.06 mg).

Sweets: unsweetened cocoa powder (13.9 mg), dark chocolate (70–85% cacao) (11.9 mg) and dark chocolate (45–59% cacao) (8 mg).

Snacks: beef jerky (5.4 mg), pretzels (4.6 mg) and air-popped popcorn (3.2 mg).

Breakfast cereals: granola (4 mg), cooked cream of wheat (3.7 mg) and cooked grits (0.57 mg).

Drinks: coconut milk (canned) (3.3 mg), prune juice (1.2 mg) and soy milk (0.64 mg).

Condiments: ground turmeric (55 mg), ground cinnamon (8.3 mg) and fresh parsley (6.2 mg).

Against the Daily Value

The FDA Daily Value for iron is 18 mg. Per the serving shown, 52 foods here reach 20% of it or more and 284 stay under 5%. Servings are USDA household measures and are not the same as the reference amounts printed on packaged-food labels, so these counts describe this list, not label claims. Daily Values are reference amounts for reading labels; individual needs differ.

How the numbers are taken. Amounts are per 100 g of the edible part, from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy, public domain), in the state named — raw, boiled, roasted and so on. Percentages use the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over, set around a 2,000-calorie diet; your own needs can be different. This site compares amounts — it does not give diet or medical advice. Sources and limits.