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 851–900 of 8,274 foods
| # | Food | Category | Per 100 g | % DV | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 851 | Seeds, sunflower seed kernels, dried | Nuts and Seeds | 5.25 mg | 29% | CNF |
| 852 | Cereal, hot, 9 grain, dry, Rogers | Breakfast cereals | 5.25 mg | 29% | CNF |
| 853 | Pigeon peas (red gram), mature seeds, raw | Legumes and Legume Products | 5.23 mg | 29% | USDA_SR |
| 854 | Peas, pigeon (red gram), raw | Legumes and Legume Products | 5.23 mg | 29% | CNF |
| 855 | Seeds, sunflower seed kernels, dry roasted, with salt added | Nut and Seed Products | 5.21 mg | 29% | USDA_FF |
| 856 | Snacks, granola bar, KASHI GOLEAN, crunchy, mixed flavors | Snacks | 5.20 mg | 29% | USDA_SR |
| 857 | Snacks, soy chips or crisps, salted | Snacks | 5.20 mg | 29% | USDA_SR |
| 858 | Vital wheat gluten | Cereal Grains and Pasta | 5.20 mg | 29% | USDA_SR |
| 859 | Wheat, vital wheat gluten | Cereals, Grains and Pasta | 5.20 mg | 29% | CNF |
| 860 | Snacks, soy chips or crisps, salted | Snacks | 5.20 mg | 29% | CNF |
| 861 | Cereals, MALT-O-MEAL, original, plain, prepared with water, without salt | Breakfast Cereals | 5.19 mg | 29% | USDA_SR |
| 862 | Nuts, mixed nuts, oil roasted, without peanuts, lightly salted | Nut and Seed Products | 5.18 mg | 29% | USDA_SR |
| 863 | Nuts, mixed nuts, oil roasted without peanuts, lightly salted | Nuts and Seeds | 5.18 mg | 29% | CNF |
| 864 | Grains, wheat flour, white, cake flour | Cereals, Grains and Pasta | 5.16 mg | 29% | CNF |
| 865 | Soybeans, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, with salt | Legumes and Legume Products | 5.14 mg | 29% | USDA_SR |
| 866 | Soybeans, mature cooked, boiled, without salt | Legumes and Legume Products | 5.14 mg | 29% | USDA_SR |
| 867 | Crackers, saltines, whole wheat (includes multi-grain) | Baked Products | 5.14 mg | 29% | USDA_SR |
| 868 | Soybeans, dry, boiled, salted | Legumes and Legume Products | 5.14 mg | 29% | CNF |
| 869 | Soybeans, dry, boiled | Legumes and Legume Products | 5.14 mg | 29% | CNF |
| 870 | Cereal, ready to eat, Flax plus Raisin Bran, Nature's Path | Breakfast cereals | 5.14 mg | 29% | CNF |
| 871 | Kanpyo, (dried gourd strips) | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 5.12 mg | 28% | USDA_SR |
| 872 | Kanpyo (dried gourd strips) | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 5.12 mg | 28% | CNF |
| 873 | Hyacinth beans, mature seeds, raw | Legumes and Legume Products | 5.10 mg | 28% | USDA_SR |
| 874 | Beans, hyacinth, raw | Legumes and Legume Products | 5.10 mg | 28% | CNF |
| 875 | Chickpeas, (garbanzo beans, bengal gram), dry | Legumes and Legume Products | 5.09 mg | 28% | USDA_FF |
| 876 | Jujube, Chinese, fresh, dried | Fruits and Fruit Juices | 5.09 mg | 28% | USDA_SR |
| 877 | Grains, wheat flour, white, bread flour | Cereals, Grains and Pasta | 5.09 mg | 28% | CNF |
| 878 | Peppermint, fresh | Spices and Herbs | 5.08 mg | 28% | USDA_SR |
| 879 | Peppermint, fresh | Spices and Herbs | 5.08 mg | 28% | CNF |
| 880 | Beans, pinto, mature seeds, raw (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program) | Legumes and Legume Products | 5.07 mg | 28% | USDA_SR |
| 881 | Beans, pinto, raw | Legumes and Legume Products | 5.07 mg | 28% | CNF |
| 882 | Wheat flour, white (industrial), 15% protein, bleached, enriched | Cereal Grains and Pasta | 5.06 mg | 28% | USDA_SR |
| 883 | Wheat flour, white (industrial), 10% protein, bleached, enriched | Cereal Grains and Pasta | 5.06 mg | 28% | USDA_SR |
| 884 | Wheat flour, white (industrial), 9% protein, bleached, enriched | Cereal Grains and Pasta | 5.06 mg | 28% | USDA_SR |
| 885 | Wheat flour, white (industrial), 13% protein, bleached, enriched | Cereal Grains and Pasta | 5.06 mg | 28% | USDA_SR |
| 886 | Wheat flour, white (industrial), 11.5% protein, unbleached, enriched | Cereal Grains and Pasta | 5.06 mg | 28% | USDA_SR |
| 887 | Wheat flour, white (industrial), 11.5% protein, bleached, enriched | Cereal Grains and Pasta | 5.06 mg | 28% | USDA_SR |
| 888 | Wheat flour, white (industrial), 10% protein, unbleached, enriched | Cereal Grains and Pasta | 5.06 mg | 28% | USDA_SR |
| 889 | Beans, Dry, Red (0% moisture) | Legumes and Legume Products | 5.05 mg | 28% | USDA_FF |
| 890 | Beans, Dry, Red (0% moisture) | Legumes and Legume Products | 5.05 mg | 28% | USDA_FF |
| 891 | Snacks, bagel chips, plain | Snacks | 5.05 mg | 28% | USDA_SR |
| 892 | Snacks, bagel chips | Snacks | 5.05 mg | 28% | CNF |
| 893 | Nuts, cashew butter, plain, without salt added | Nut and Seed Products | 5.03 mg | 28% | USDA_SR |
| 894 | Nuts, cashew butter, plain | Nuts and Seeds | 5.03 mg | 28% | CNF |
| 895 | Beans, black, mature seeds, raw | Legumes and Legume Products | 5.02 mg | 28% | USDA_SR |
| 896 | Crackers, wheat, reduced fat | Baked Products | 5.02 mg | 28% | USDA_SR |
| 897 | Beans, black, mature seeds, raw | Legumes and Legume Products | 5.02 mg | 28% | CNF |
| 898 | Beans, cranberry (roman), mature seeds, raw | Legumes and Legume Products | 5.00 mg | 28% | USDA_SR |
| 899 | Parmesan cheese topping, fat free | Dairy and Egg Products | 5.00 mg | 28% | USDA_SR |
| 900 | Beans, cranberry (roman), raw | Legumes and Legume Products | 5.00 mg | 28% | CNF |
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.