Dairy and eggs high in iron (per serving)

17 dairy and eggs ranked by iron per common serving, from USDA FoodData Central. Egg leads with 0.9 mg per 1 large (5% of the Daily Value), followed by Cheese, goat (0.5 mg) and Egg, yolk (0.5 mg).

Top 10 at a glance

Top 10 dairy and eggs highest in iron

Egg, whole (cooked, omelet)1 large (61 g) · 94 kcal0.9 mg5% DV
Cheese, goat (soft type)1 oz (28 g) · 75 kcal0.5 mg3% DV
Egg, yolk (raw, fresh)1 large (17 g) · 55 kcal0.5 mg2.6% DV
Cheese, parmesan (low sodium)1 oz (28 g) · 128 kcal0.3 mg1.5% DV
Yogurt, plain (skim milk)1 cup (8 fl oz) (245 g) · 137 kcal0.2 mg1.2% DV
Cheese, colby1 oz (28 g) · 112 kcal0.2 mg1.2% DV
Cheese, low-sodium (cheddar or colby)1 oz (28 g) · 113 kcal0.2 mg1.1% DV
Cheese, monterey1 oz (28 g) · 106 kcal0.2 mg1.1% DV
Cheese, caraway1 oz (28 g) · 107 kcal0.2 mg1% DV
Yogurt, Greek (strawberry, nonfat)1 container (5.3 oz) (150 g) · 123 kcal0.1 mg0.8% DV

All 17 dairy and eggs ranked

Sort any column. Serving sizes are USDA household measures (a cup, a medium fruit, 3 oz of cooked meat or fish, 1 oz of nuts or cheese). %DV is based on the FDA Daily Value of 18 mg.

#	Food	Serving	Iron (mg)	% Daily Value	Per 100 g	kcal
1	Egg, whole (cooked, omelet)	1 large (61 g)	0.9	5%	1.5	94
2	Cheese, goat (soft type)	1 oz (28 g)	0.5	3%	1.9	75
3	Egg, yolk (raw, fresh)	1 large (17 g)	0.5	2.6%	2.7	55
4	Cheese, parmesan (low sodium)	1 oz (28 g)	0.3	1.5%	0.9	128
5	Yogurt, plain (skim milk)	1 cup (8 fl oz) (245 g)	0.2	1.2%	0.1	137
6	Cheese, colby	1 oz (28 g)	0.2	1.2%	0.8	112
7	Cheese, low-sodium (cheddar or colby)	1 oz (28 g)	0.2	1.1%	0.7	113
8	Cheese, monterey	1 oz (28 g)	0.2	1.1%	0.7	106
9	Cheese, caraway	1 oz (28 g)	0.2	1%	0.6	107
10	Yogurt, Greek (strawberry, nonfat)	1 container (5.3 oz) (150 g)	0.1	0.8%	0.1	123
11	Milk, low sodium (fluid)	1 cup (244 g)	0.1	0.7%	0.1	149
12	Milk, buttermilk (fluid, whole)	1 cup (245 g)	0.1	0.4%	0	152
13	Milk, fluid (1% fat, without added vitamin A and vitamin D)	1 cup (244 g)	0.1	0.4%	0	102
14	Dulce de Leche	1 tbsp (19 g)	0	0.2%	0.2	60
15	Egg, white (raw, fresh)	1 large (33 g)	0	0.1%	0.1	17
16	Cream, sour (cultured)	1 tbsp (12 g)	0	0%	0.1	24
17	Butter, without salt	1 tbsp (14 g)	0	0%	0	102

Iron in specific foods

How this list is built. Values are from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy, with Foundation Foods analytical updates where available). The pool is 1,677 whole foods: fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds, grains, fish, meat, poultry, dairy and eggs. Spices, herbs, baby foods, powders, flours, dried and freeze-dried items, juices, processed meats, organ meats other than liver and uncommon foods are excluded; meats, fish, grains and legumes are ranked cooked. Each food family appears once and no single animal or plant fills more than six places. Ranking is by amount per serving; the per-100 g column is shown for reference. A food that USDA has not analysed for iron is left out rather than counted as zero. Full methodology.

Frequently asked questions

Which food is highest in iron?

Among dairy and eggs in the USDA database, Egg, whole (cooked, omelet) has the most iron per serving: 0.9 mg per 1 large (5% of the Daily Value). Per 100 g it contains 1.5 mg.

How much iron do I need per day?

The FDA Daily Value used on Nutrition Facts labels is 18 mg of iron for adults and children aged 4 and over. Individual needs vary with age, sex, pregnancy and health conditions.

What counts as a food high in iron?

FDA labeling rules call a food a 'good source' when one serving provides 10 to 19% of the Daily Value and 'high' or 'excellent' at 20% or more. 0 of the 17 foods on this list reach 20% DV per serving.

Related rankings

Nutrient values are from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy, April 2018; Foundation Foods, April 2026) and shown per serving as described on each page. %DV uses the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over. This is nutrition data for general information, not medical or dietary advice; talk to a clinician or registered dietitian about your own needs. How the numbers are calculated.