Foods high in magnesium

The 15 foods with the most magnesium per 100 grams, out of 484 with a USDA figure. Tap a food to compare it.

How the magnesium list is built

Of the 486 foods on this site, USDA gives a magnesium figure for 484; 2 have none and are left out rather than counted as zero. 16 list exactly 0 mg. Per 100 grams the top is hemp seeds with 700 mg (167% of the Daily Value). Per serving it is wheat bran with 354 mg in 1 cup, and for the same 100 kcal it is Swiss chard with 426 mg.

Top 25 per 100 g · Daily Value 420 mg
#	Food	Group	Per 100 g	% DV
1	Hemp seeds	Nuts & seeds	700 mg	167%
2	Wheat bran	Grains & pasta	611 mg	145%
3	Pumpkin seeds	Nuts & seeds	592 mg	141%
4	Unsweetened cocoa powder	Sweets	499 mg	119%
5	Flaxseeds	Nuts & seeds	392 mg	93%
6	Brazil nuts	Nuts & seeds	376 mg	90%
7	Sesame seeds	Nuts & seeds	351 mg	84%
8	Chia seeds	Nuts & seeds	335 mg	80%
9	Sunflower seeds	Nuts & seeds	325 mg	77%
10	Caviar (fish roe)	Fish & seafood	300 mg	71%
11	Cashews	Nuts & seeds	292 mg	70%
12	Almond butter	Nuts & seeds	279 mg	66%
13	Roasted almonds	Nuts & seeds	279 mg	66%
14	Almonds	Nuts & seeds	270 mg	64%
15	Blanched almonds	Nuts & seeds	268 mg	64%
16	Roasted cashews	Nuts & seeds	260 mg	62%
17	Cashew butter	Nuts & seeds	258 mg	61%
18	Pine nuts	Nuts & seeds	251 mg	60%
19	Molasses	Sweets	242 mg	58%
20	Wheat germ	Grains & pasta	239 mg	57%
21	Oat bran	Grains & pasta	235 mg	56%
22	Whey protein powder	Dairy & eggs	233 mg	55%
23	Dark chocolate (70–85% cacao)	Sweets	228 mg	54%
24	Ground turmeric	Condiments	208 mg	50%
25	Dry quinoa	Grains & pasta	197 mg	47%

Per serving

Top 12 per USDA household serving
#	Food	Serving	Amount	% DV
1	Wheat bran	1 cup (58 g)	354 mg	84%
2	Dry quinoa	1 cup (170 g)	335 mg	80%
3	Dry black beans	1 cup (194 g)	332 mg	79%
4	Dry sorghum	1 cup (192 g)	317 mg	75%
5	Wheat germ	1 cup (115 g)	275 mg	65%
6	Caviar (fish roe)	3 oz (85.1 g)	255 mg	61%
7	Oat bran	1 cup (94 g)	221 mg	53%
8	Dried spirulina	1 cup (112 g)	218 mg	52%
9	Dry brown rice	1 cup (185 g)	215 mg	51%
10	Hemp seeds	3 tbsp (30 g)	210 mg	50%
11	Granola	1 cup (122 g)	205 mg	49%
12	Natto	1 cup (175 g)	201 mg	48%

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	Swiss chard	526 g	426 mg
2	Boiled spinach	435 g	378 mg
3	Spinach	435 g	343 mg
4	Wheat bran	46 g	283 mg
5	Kelp	233 g	281 mg
6	Fresh basil	435 g	278 mg
7	Unsweetened cocoa powder	44 g	219 mg
8	Watercress	909 g	191 mg
9	Arugula	400 g	188 mg
10	Okra	303 g	173 mg
11	Bok choy	769 g	146 mg
12	Soy sauce	189 g	140 mg

Read the rest — 3 more sections

Why the three rankings differ

Per 100 g favours concentrated foods: 12 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 9 foods appear in both the per-100 g and the per-serving top 25.

Magnesium by food group, per 100 g

Fruits: dried figs (68 mg), Medjool dates (54 mg) and Deglet Noor dates (43 mg).

Vegetables: dried spirulina (195 mg), sun-dried tomatoes (194 mg) and kelp (121 mg).

Legumes: dry black beans (171 mg), natto (115 mg) and boiled soybeans (86 mg).

Nuts & seeds: hemp seeds (700 mg), pumpkin seeds (592 mg) and flaxseeds (392 mg).

Grains & pasta: wheat bran (611 mg), wheat germ (239 mg) and oat bran (235 mg).

Bread & bakery: rice cakes (131 mg), multigrain bread (78 mg) and whole-wheat bread (75 mg).

Dairy & eggs: whey protein powder (233 mg), parmesan (44 mg) and Swiss cheese (33 mg).

Poultry: roasted turkey breast (32 mg), roasted chicken breast (29 mg) and roasted turkey (whole, meat only) (29 mg).

Meat: baked bacon (30 mg), microwaved turkey bacon (30 mg) and roasted pork tenderloin (29 mg).

Fish & seafood: caviar (fish roe) (300 mg), cooked mackerel (Atlantic) (97 mg) and cooked pollock (81 mg).

Fats & oils: margarine (3 mg), butter (2 mg) and salted butter (2 mg).

Sweets: unsweetened cocoa powder (499 mg), molasses (242 mg) and dark chocolate (70–85% cacao) (228 mg).

Snacks: trail mix (158 mg), air-popped popcorn (144 mg) and granola bar (97 mg).

Breakfast cereals: granola (168 mg), cooked grits (7 mg) and cooked cream of wheat (5 mg).

Drinks: coconut milk (canned) (46 mg), coconut water (25 mg) and soy milk (25 mg).

Condiments: ground turmeric (208 mg), soy sauce (74 mg) and fresh basil (64 mg).

Against the Daily Value

The FDA Daily Value for magnesium is 420 mg. Per the serving shown, 47 foods here reach 20% of it or more and 250 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.