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 401–450 of 4,377 foods
| # | Food | Category | Per 100 g | % DV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 401 | Piki bread, made from blue cornmeal (Hopi) | American Indian/Alaska Native Foods | 6.11 mg | 34% |
| 402 | Potatoes, boiled, cooked in skin, skin, with salt | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 6.07 mg | 34% |
| 403 | Potatoes, boiled, cooked in skin, skin, without salt | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 6.07 mg | 34% |
| 404 | Nuts, cashew nuts, oil roasted, with salt added | Nut and Seed Products | 6.05 mg | 34% |
| 405 | Nuts, cashew nuts, oil roasted, without salt added | Nut and Seed Products | 6.05 mg | 34% |
| 406 | Waffles, buttermilk, frozen, ready-to-heat | Baked Products | 6.04 mg | 34% |
| 407 | Peppers, hot chile, sun-dried | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 6.04 mg | 34% |
| 408 | Nuts, cashew nuts, dry roasted, with salt added | Nut and Seed Products | 6.00 mg | 33% |
| 409 | Nuts, cashew nuts, dry roasted, without salt added | Nut and Seed Products | 6.00 mg | 33% |
| 410 | Shallots, freeze-dried | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 6.00 mg | 33% |
| 411 | Snacks, granola bars, QUAKER OATMEAL TO GO, all flavors | Snacks | 6.00 mg | 33% |
| 412 | Milk and cereal bar | Snacks | 5.99 mg | 33% |
| 413 | Cereals, oats, instant, fortified, plain, prepared with water (boiling water added or microwaved) | Breakfast Cereals | 5.96 mg | 33% |
| 414 | Potatoes, microwaved, cooked in skin, skin, without salt | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 5.94 mg | 33% |
| 415 | Potatoes, microwaved, cooked, in skin, skin with salt | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 5.94 mg | 33% |
| 416 | Crackers, rye, wafers, plain | Baked Products | 5.94 mg | 33% |
| 417 | Cereals ready-to-eat, NATURE'S PATH, Organic FLAX PLUS flakes | Breakfast Cereals | 5.89 mg | 33% |
| 418 | Fungi, Cloud ears, dried | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 5.88 mg | 33% |
| 419 | Soy flour, full-fat, roasted | Legumes and Legume Products | 5.82 mg | 32% |
| 420 | Waffle, plain, frozen, ready-to-heat, microwave | Baked Products | 5.81 mg | 32% |
| 421 | Cereals ready-to-eat, MALT-O-MEAL, CORN BURSTS | Breakfast Cereals | 5.80 mg | 32% |
| 422 | Cornmeal, yellow, self-rising, bolted, plain, enriched | Cereal Grains and Pasta | 5.76 mg | 32% |
| 423 | Cornmeal, white, self-rising, bolted, plain, enriched | Cereal Grains and Pasta | 5.76 mg | 32% |
| 424 | Seeds, flaxseed | Nut and Seed Products | 5.73 mg | 32% |
| 425 | Pancakes plain, frozen, ready-to-heat (includes buttermilk) | Baked Products | 5.67 mg | 32% |
| 426 | Crackers, snack, Goya Crackers | Baked Products | 5.66 mg | 31% |
| 427 | Spices, garlic powder | Spices and Herbs | 5.65 mg | 31% |
| 428 | Snacks, NUTRI-GRAIN FRUIT AND NUT BAR | Snacks | 5.65 mg | 31% |
| 429 | Toaster pastries, brown-sugar-cinnamon | Baked Products | 5.62 mg | 31% |
| 430 | Waffles, plain, frozen, ready-to-heat | Baked Products | 5.61 mg | 31% |
| 431 | Soybean, curd cheese | Legumes and Legume Products | 5.60 mg | 31% |
| 432 | Cereals, MALT-O-MEAL, chocolate, prepared with water, without salt | Breakfast Cereals | 5.59 mg | 31% |
| 433 | Cookies, chocolate chip, commercially prepared, regular, higher fat, enriched | Baked Products | 5.58 mg | 31% |
| 434 | Nuts, pine nuts, dried | Nut and Seed Products | 5.53 mg | 31% |
| 435 | Peaches, dehydrated (low-moisture), sulfured, uncooked | Fruits and Fruit Juices | 5.51 mg | 31% |
| 436 | Toaster pastries, fruit (includes apple, blueberry, cherry, strawberry) | Baked Products | 5.51 mg | 31% |
| 437 | Beans, navy, mature seeds, raw | Legumes and Legume Products | 5.49 mg | 30% |
| 438 | Beans, great northern, mature seeds, raw (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program) | Legumes and Legume Products | 5.47 mg | 30% |
| 439 | Oat bran, raw | Cereal Grains and Pasta | 5.41 mg | 30% |
| 440 | Seeds, cottonseed kernels, roasted (glandless) | Nut and Seed Products | 5.40 mg | 30% |
| 441 | Smelt, dried (Alaska Native) | American Indian/Alaska Native Foods | 5.40 mg | 30% |
| 442 | Longans, dried | Fruits and Fruit Juices | 5.40 mg | 30% |
| 443 | Formulated Bar, SOUTH BEACH protein bar | Snacks | 5.40 mg | 30% |
| 444 | Wheat, soft white | Cereal Grains and Pasta | 5.37 mg | 30% |
| 445 | Tofu, raw, regular, prepared with calcium sulfate | Legumes and Legume Products | 5.36 mg | 30% |
| 446 | Cereals, farina, enriched, cooked with water, with salt | Breakfast Cereals | 5.33 mg | 30% |
| 447 | Cereals, farina, enriched, assorted brands including CREAM OF WHEAT, quick (1-3 minutes), cooked with water, without salt | Breakfast Cereals | 5.33 mg | 30% |
| 448 | BURGER KING, DOUBLE WHOPPER, with cheese | Fast Foods | 5.30 mg | 29% |
| 449 | Sauce, worcestershire | Soups, Sauces, and Gravies | 5.30 mg | 29% |
| 450 | Seeds, sunflower seed kernels, dried | Nut and Seed Products | 5.25 mg | 29% |
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.