Vegetarian foods high in Iron

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

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Showing 1751–1800 of 8,274 foods

#	Food	Category	Per 100 g	% DV	Source
1751	Spices, nutmeg, ground	Spices and Herbs	3.04 mg	17%	CNF
1752	Bread, white, commercially prepared, low sodium, no salt	Baked Products	3.03 mg	17%	USDA_SR
1753	Bread, multigrain, commercial, reduced sodium	Baked Products	3.03 mg	17%	CNF
1754	Bread, multigrain, commercial	Baked Products	3.03 mg	17%	CNF
1755	Muffins, English, mixed-grain (includes granola)	Baked Products	3.02 mg	17%	USDA_SR
1756	Cereals ready-to-eat, MOM'S BEST, Honey Nut TOASTY O'S	Breakfast Cereals	3.02 mg	17%	USDA_SR
1757	Bread, 60% whole wheat, commercial, toasted	Baked Products	3.02 mg	17%	CNF
1758	English muffin, multigrain (also granola)	Baked Products	3.02 mg	17%	CNF
1759	Bread, chapati or roti, plain, commercially prepared	Baked Products	3.01 mg	17%	USDA_SR
1760	Millet, raw	Cereal Grains and Pasta	3.01 mg	17%	USDA_SR
1761	Bread, made with milk, commercial	Baked Products	3.01 mg	17%	CNF
1762	Indian, bread, chapati or roti, plain	Baked Products	3.01 mg	17%	CNF
1763	Grains, millet, dry	Cereals, Grains and Pasta	3.01 mg	17%	CNF
1764	Cake mix, german chocolate, pudding-type mix, dry, unprepared	Baked Products	3.01 mg	17%	CNF
1765	Cereal, hot, oats, instant: peaches 'n cream, prepared, Quaker	Breakfast cereals	3.01 mg	17%	CNF
1766	Cookie, chocolate, with icing or coating	Baked Products	3.00 mg	17%	USDA_SR
1767	Crackers, sandwich-type, peanut butter filled, reduced fat	Baked Products	3.00 mg	17%	USDA_SR
1768	Babyfood, cookies, arrowroot	Baby Foods	3.00 mg	17%	USDA_SR
1769	Beans, pinto, immature seeds, frozen, unprepared	Vegetables and Vegetable Products	3.00 mg	17%	USDA_SR
1770	Cereals ready-to-eat, ALPEN	Breakfast Cereals	3.00 mg	17%	USDA_SR
1771	Cookie, chocolate, with icing or coating	Baked Products	3.00 mg	17%	CNF
1772	Cereal, ready to eat, honey almond flax, Kashi	Breakfast cereals	3.00 mg	17%	CNF
1773	Kale, scotch, raw	Vegetables and Vegetable Products	3.00 mg	17%	CNF
1774	Beans, pinto, immature seeds, frozen, unprepared	Vegetables and Vegetable Products	3.00 mg	17%	CNF
1775	Beans, white, mature seeds, canned	Legumes and Legume Products	2.99 mg	17%	USDA_SR
1776	Cereals, QUAKER, oatmeal, REAL MEDLEYS, cherry pistachio, dry	Breakfast Cereals	2.99 mg	17%	USDA_SR
1777	Cornmeal, yellow (Navajo)	American Indian/Alaska Native Foods	2.99 mg	17%	USDA_SR
1778	Beans, white, canned, solids and liquid, no salt added	Legumes and Legume Products	2.99 mg	17%	CNF
1779	Cookies, shortbread, commercially prepared, plain	Baked Products	2.98 mg	17%	USDA_SR
1780	Cookies, shortbread, reduced fat	Baked Products	2.98 mg	17%	USDA_SR
1781	Beans, kidney, california red, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, with salt	Legumes and Legume Products	2.98 mg	17%	USDA_SR
1782	Beans, kidney, california red, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt	Legumes and Legume Products	2.98 mg	17%	USDA_SR
1783	Tomato products, canned, paste, without salt added (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program)	Vegetables and Vegetable Products	2.98 mg	17%	USDA_SR
1784	Grape leaves, canned	Vegetables and Vegetable Products	2.98 mg	17%	USDA_SR
1785	Tomato products, canned paste, with salt	Vegetables and Vegetable Products	2.98 mg	17%	CNF
1786	Grape leaves, canned	Vegetables and Vegetable Products	2.98 mg	17%	CNF
1787	Cookie, shortbread, plain, commercial	Baked Products	2.98 mg	17%	CNF
1788	Beans, kidney, light red, boiled, salted	Legumes and Legume Products	2.98 mg	17%	CNF
1789	Beans, kidney, light red, boiled	Legumes and Legume Products	2.98 mg	17%	CNF
1790	Tomato products, canned, paste, no added salt	Vegetables and Vegetable Products	2.98 mg	17%	CNF
1791	Bread, white, prepared from recipe, made with low fat (2%) milk	Baked Products	2.97 mg	16%	USDA_SR
1792	Popovers, dry mix, enriched	Baked Products	2.97 mg	16%	USDA_SR
1793	Cereal, ready to eat, Spelt Flakes, Nature's Path	Breakfast cereals	2.97 mg	16%	CNF
1794	Popover, dry mix, unprepared	Baked Products	2.97 mg	16%	CNF
1795	Bread, white, homemade with 2% milk	Baked Products	2.97 mg	16%	CNF
1796	Rolls, dinner, plain, prepared from recipe, made with low fat (2%) milk	Baked Products	2.96 mg	16%	USDA_SR
1797	Bread, whole-wheat, commercially prepared, toasted	Baked Products	2.96 mg	16%	USDA_SR
1798	Roll, dinner, plain, homemade, with 2% milk	Baked Products	2.96 mg	16%	CNF
1799	Snacks, granola bars, hard, plain	Snacks	2.95 mg	16%	USDA_SR
1800	Beans, kidney, red, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, with salt	Legumes and Legume Products	2.94 mg	16%	USDA_SR

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Vegetarian foods high in Iron

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