Red meat and poultry dominate this ranking because their iron binds easily to the proteins that carry oxygen through your blood. Animal tissues contain haem iron, the form your body absorbs with the fewest obstacles. Plant foods hold non-haem iron, which your gut takes up less readily and only when other compounds in the meal do not block it.
Iron concentrates in organ meats, then muscle meats, then leafy greens and legumes. A single ranking cannot show you absorption rates. Two foods with the same iron count per 100 g deliver different amounts to your bloodstream depending on what else you eat alongside them.
Without animal foods, you lose access to haem iron. Plant sources and fortified foods supply non-haem iron instead, which your body absorbs at a lower rate and loses to interference from phytates, tannins and polyphenols in the same meal. Eating vitamin C alongside iron-rich plants improves uptake substantially. Many fortified cereals and plant milks contain added iron in amounts comparable to meat, but absorption remains the limiting factor on a vegetarian or vegan diet.
FDA daily value: 18 mg
Selling a product with iron? Generate a print-ready nutrition label from your recipe.
Showing 151–200 of 271 foods
| # | Food | Category | Per 100 g | % DV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 151 | Beans, snap, green, raw | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.65 mg | 4% |
| 152 | Avocado, Hass, peeled, raw | Fruits and Fruit Juices | 0.61 mg | 3% |
| 153 | Tomatoes, canned, red, ripe, diced | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.57 mg | 3% |
| 154 | Soy milk, unsweetened, plain, shelf stable | Legumes and Legume Products | 0.54 mg | 3% |
| 155 | Soy milk, unsweetened, plain, shelf stable | Legumes and Legume Products | 0.54 mg | 3% |
| 156 | Parsnips, raw | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.51 mg | 3% |
| 157 | Mushroom, pioppini | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.49 mg | 3% |
| 158 | Raspberries, raw | Fruits and Fruit Juices | 0.45 mg | 3% |
| 159 | Raspberries, raw | Fruits and Fruit Juices | 0.45 mg | 3% |
| 160 | Juice, prune, shelf-stable | Fruits and Fruit Juices | 0.44 mg | 2% |
| 161 | Asparagus, green, raw | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.44 mg | 2% |
| 162 | Cabbage, bok choy, raw | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.44 mg | 2% |
| 163 | Carrots, frozen, unprepared (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program) | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.43 mg | 2% |
| 164 | Carrots, frozen, unprepared | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.43 mg | 2% |
| 165 | Ketchup, restaurant | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.43 mg | 2% |
| 166 | Beets, raw | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.43 mg | 2% |
| 167 | Sauce, salsa, ready-to-serve | Soups, Sauces, and Gravies | 0.42 mg | 2% |
| 168 | Sauce, salsa, ready-to-serve | Soups, Sauces, and Gravies | 0.42 mg | 2% |
| 169 | Lettuce, leaf, red, raw | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.40 mg | 2% |
| 170 | Radicchio, raw | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.40 mg | 2% |
| 171 | Sweet potatoes, orange flesh, without skin, raw | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.40 mg | 2% |
| 172 | Potatoes, red, without skin, raw | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.39 mg | 2% |
| 173 | Corn, sweet, yellow and white kernels, fresh, raw | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.39 mg | 2% |
| 174 | Potatoes, russet, without skin, raw | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.38 mg | 2% |
| 175 | Melons, cantaloupe, raw | Fruits and Fruit Juices | 0.38 mg | 2% |
| 176 | Melons, cantaloupe, raw | Fruits and Fruit Juices | 0.38 mg | 2% |
| 177 | Potatoes, gold, without skin, raw | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.37 mg | 2% |
| 178 | Soy milk, sweetened, plain, refrigerated | Legumes and Legume Products | 0.37 mg | 2% |
| 179 | Peppers, bell, orange, raw | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.37 mg | 2% |
| 180 | Peppers, bell, yellow, raw | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.36 mg | 2% |
| 181 | Peppers, bell, red, raw | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.35 mg | 2% |
| 182 | Peaches, yellow, raw | Fruits and Fruit Juices | 0.34 mg | 2% |
| 183 | Flour, rice, glutinous | Cereal Grains and Pasta | 0.34 mg | 2% |
| 184 | Blueberries, raw | Fruits and Fruit Juices | 0.34 mg | 2% |
| 185 | Blueberries, raw | Fruits and Fruit Juices | 0.34 mg | 2% |
| 186 | Mushroom, king oyster | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.34 mg | 2% |
| 187 | Plantains, underripe, raw | Fruits and Fruit Juices | 0.33 mg | 2% |
| 188 | Cauliflower, raw | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.33 mg | 2% |
| 189 | Shallots, bulb, peeled, root removed, raw | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.33 mg | 2% |
| 190 | Tomatoes, grape, raw | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.33 mg | 2% |
| 191 | Oranges, raw, navels (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program) | Fruits and Fruit Juices | 0.33 mg | 2% |
| 192 | Oranges, raw, navels | Fruits and Fruit Juices | 0.33 mg | 2% |
| 193 | Lettuce, leaf, green, raw | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.32 mg | 2% |
| 194 | Plantains, ripe, raw | Fruits and Fruit Juices | 0.32 mg | 2% |
| 195 | Plantains, overripe, raw | Fruits and Fruit Juices | 0.31 mg | 2% |
| 196 | Mushroom, crimini | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.31 mg | 2% |
| 197 | Olives, green, Manzanilla, stuffed with pimiento | Fruits and Fruit Juices | 0.31 mg | 2% |
| 198 | Squash, winter, acorn, raw | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.31 mg | 2% |
| 199 | Nectarines, raw | Fruits and Fruit Juices | 0.30 mg | 2% |
| 200 | Tomato juice, with added ingredients, from concentrate, shelf stable | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 0.30 mg | 2% |
Need this on a label? Turn these foods into a print-ready Nutrition Facts label.
Make a labelBuild a recipe from any of these ingredients and export a print-ready FDA or Canada Nutrition Facts label. Free.