Vegetarian foods high in Iron (USDA Foundation)

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 301 foods

# Food Category Per 100 g % DV
151 Mushroom, oyster Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.70 mg 4%
152 Mushroom, oyster Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.70 mg 4%
153 Broccoli, raw Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.69 mg 4%
154 Broccoli, raw Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.69 mg 4%
155 Mushroom, lion's mane Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.69 mg 4%
156 Mushroom, lion's mane Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.69 mg 4%
157 Beans, snap, green, raw Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.65 mg 4%
158 Avocado, Hass, peeled, raw Fruits and Fruit Juices 0.61 mg 3%
159 Tomatoes, canned, red, ripe, diced Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.57 mg 3%
160 Soy milk, unsweetened, plain, shelf stable Legumes and Legume Products 0.54 mg 3%
161 Soy milk, unsweetened, plain, shelf stable Legumes and Legume Products 0.54 mg 3%
162 Parsnips, raw Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.51 mg 3%
163 Mushroom, pioppini Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.49 mg 3%
164 Cheese, pasteurized process, American, vitamin D fortified Dairy and Egg Products 0.48 mg 3%
165 Raspberries, raw Fruits and Fruit Juices 0.45 mg 3%
166 Raspberries, raw Fruits and Fruit Juices 0.45 mg 3%
167 Cheese, parmesan, grated Dairy and Egg Products 0.45 mg 2%
168 Juice, prune, shelf-stable Fruits and Fruit Juices 0.44 mg 2%
169 Asparagus, green, raw Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.44 mg 2%
170 Cabbage, bok choy, raw Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.44 mg 2%
171 Carrots, frozen, unprepared (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program) Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.43 mg 2%
172 Carrots, frozen, unprepared Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.43 mg 2%
173 Ketchup, restaurant Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.43 mg 2%
174 Beets, raw Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.43 mg 2%
175 Sauce, salsa, ready-to-serve Soups, Sauces, and Gravies 0.42 mg 2%
176 Sauce, salsa, ready-to-serve Soups, Sauces, and Gravies 0.42 mg 2%
177 Lettuce, leaf, red, raw Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.40 mg 2%
178 Radicchio, raw Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.40 mg 2%
179 Sweet potatoes, orange flesh, without skin, raw Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.40 mg 2%
180 Potatoes, red, without skin, raw Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.39 mg 2%
181 Corn, sweet, yellow and white kernels,  fresh, raw Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.39 mg 2%
182 Potatoes, russet, without skin, raw Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.38 mg 2%
183 Melons, cantaloupe, raw Fruits and Fruit Juices 0.38 mg 2%
184 Melons, cantaloupe, raw Fruits and Fruit Juices 0.38 mg 2%
185 Potatoes, gold, without skin, raw Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.37 mg 2%
186 Soy milk, sweetened, plain, refrigerated Legumes and Legume Products 0.37 mg 2%
187 Peppers, bell, orange, raw Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.37 mg 2%
188 Peppers, bell, yellow, raw Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.36 mg 2%
189 Peppers, bell, red, raw Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.35 mg 2%
190 Peaches, yellow, raw Fruits and Fruit Juices 0.34 mg 2%
191 Flour, rice, glutinous Cereal Grains and Pasta 0.34 mg 2%
192 Blueberries, raw Fruits and Fruit Juices 0.34 mg 2%
193 Blueberries, raw Fruits and Fruit Juices 0.34 mg 2%
194 Mushroom, king oyster Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.34 mg 2%
195 Plantains, underripe, raw Fruits and Fruit Juices 0.33 mg 2%
196 Cauliflower, raw Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.33 mg 2%
197 Shallots, bulb, peeled, root removed, raw Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.33 mg 2%
198 Tomatoes, grape, raw Vegetables and Vegetable Products 0.33 mg 2%
199 Oranges, raw, navels (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program) Fruits and Fruit Juices 0.33 mg 2%
200 Oranges, raw, navels Fruits and Fruit Juices 0.33 mg 2%

Need this on a label? Turn these foods into a print-ready Nutrition Facts label.

Make a label

Turn these foods into a print-ready nutrition label.

Build a recipe from any of these ingredients and export a print-ready FDA or Canada Nutrition Facts label. Free.

Style