Legumes high in magnesium (per serving)
39 legumes ranked by magnesium per common serving, from USDA FoodData Central. Soybeans leads with 148 mg per 1 cup (35% of the Daily Value), followed by Tempeh (134 mg) and Beans, white (134 mg).
Top 10 at a glance
Top 10 legumes highest in magnesium
- Soybeans, mature cooked (boiled, without salt)1 cup (172 g) · 296 kcal148 mg35% DV
- Tempeh1 cup (166 g) · 319 kcal134 mg32% DV
- Beans, white (mature seeds, canned)1 cup (262 g) · 299 kcal134 mg32% DV
- Beans, great northern (mature seeds, canned, low sodium)1 cup (262 g) · 299 kcal134 mg32% DV
- Beans, yellow (mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt)1 cup (177 g) · 255 kcal131 mg31% DV
- Beans, navy (mature seeds, canned)1 cup (262 g) · 296 kcal123 mg29% DV
- Beans, small white (mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt)1 cup (179 g) · 254 kcal122 mg29% DV
- Beans, black (mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt)1 cup (172 g) · 227 kcal120 mg29% DV
- Mungo beans, mature seeds (cooked, boiled, without salt)1 cup (180 g) · 189 kcal113 mg27% DV
- Mung beans, mature seeds (cooked, boiled, without salt)1 cup (202 g) · 212 kcal97 mg23% DV
All 39 legumes 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 420 mg.
| # | Food | Serving | Magnesium (mg) | % Daily Value | Per 100 g | kcal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Soybeans, mature cooked (boiled, without salt) | 1 cup (172 g) | 148 | 86 | 296 | |
| 2 | Tempeh | 1 cup (166 g) | 134 | 81 | 319 | |
| 3 | Beans, white (mature seeds, canned) | 1 cup (262 g) | 134 | 51 | 299 | |
| 4 | Beans, great northern (mature seeds, canned, low sodium) | 1 cup (262 g) | 134 | 51 | 299 | |
| 5 | Beans, yellow (mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt) | 1 cup (177 g) | 131 | 74 | 255 | |
| 6 | Beans, navy (mature seeds, canned) | 1 cup (262 g) | 123 | 47 | 296 | |
| 7 | Beans, small white (mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt) | 1 cup (179 g) | 122 | 68 | 254 | |
| 8 | Beans, black (mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt) | 1 cup (172 g) | 120 | 70 | 227 | |
| 9 | Mungo beans, mature seeds (cooked, boiled, without salt) | 1 cup (180 g) | 113 | 63 | 189 | |
| 10 | Mung beans, mature seeds (cooked, boiled, without salt) | 1 cup (202 g) | 97 | 48 | 212 | |
| 11 | Lima beans, large (mature seeds, canned) | 1 cup (241 g) | 94 | 39 | 190 | |
| 12 | Cowpeas, common (blackeyes (crowder, southern), mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt) | 1 cup (171 g) | 91 | 53 | 198 | |
| 13 | Broadbeans (fava beans), mature seeds (canned) | 1 cup (256 g) | 82 | 32 | 182 | |
| 14 | Chickpeas (garbanzo beans, bengal gram) (mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt) | 1 cup (164 g) | 79 | 48 | 269 | |
| 15 | Pigeon peas (red gram), mature seeds (cooked, boiled, without salt) | 1 cup (168 g) | 77 | 46 | 203 | |
| 16 | Tofu, raw (firm, prepared with calcium sulfate) | 0.5 cup (126 g) | 73 | 58 | 181 | |
| 17 | Lentils, mature seeds (cooked, boiled, without salt) | 1 cup (198 g) | 71 | 36 | 230 | |
| 18 | Peas, split (mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt) | 1 cup (196 g) | 71 | 36 | 231 | |
| 19 | Tofu, soft (prepared with calcium sulfate and magnesium chloride (nigari)) | 1 cup (1/2" cubes) (248 g) | 67 | 27 | 151 | |
| 20 | Peanut butter with omega-3, creamy | 2 tbsp (32 g) | 61 | 191 | 195 | |
| 21 | Peanut Butter, smooth | 2 tbsp (32 g) | 57 | 179 | 188 | |
| 22 | Peanut butter, smooth style (without salt) | 2 tbsp (32 g) | 54 | 168 | 191 | |
| 23 | Peanuts, spanish (raw) | 1 oz (28 g) | 53 | 188 | 162 | |
| 24 | Peanuts, virginia (oil-roasted, without salt) | 1 oz (28 g) | 53 | 188 | 164 | |
| 25 | Soymilk (all flavors), unsweetened (with added calcium, vitamins A and D) | 1 cup (243 g) | 52 | 22 | 80 | |
| 26 | Peanuts, valencia (raw) | 1 oz (28 g) | 52 | 184 | 162 | |
| 27 | Peanut butter, chunk style (without salt) | 2 tbsp (32 g) | 51 | 160 | 188 | |
| 28 | Peanuts, all types (raw) | 1 oz (28 g) | 51 | 180 | 161 | |
| 29 | Peanut butter, reduced sodium | 2 tbsp (32 g) | 51 | 159 | 189 | |
| 30 | Peanut spread, reduced sugar | 2 tbsp (31 g) | 51 | 164 | 202 | |
| 31 | Tofu, firm (prepared with calcium sulfate and magnesium chloride (nigari)) | 0.5 cup (126 g) | 47 | 37 | 98 | |
| 32 | Vitasoy USA, Vitasoy Organic Creamy Original Soymilk | 1 cup (243 g) | 39 | 16 | 107 | |
| 33 | Soymilk, original and vanilla (with added calcium, vitamins A and D) | 1 cup (243 g) | 36 | 15 | 104 | |
| 34 | Okara | 1 cup (122 g) | 32 | 26 | 93 | |
| 35 | Soymilk (all flavors), nonfat (with added calcium, vitamins A and D) | 1 cup (243 g) | 24 | 10 | 68 | |
| 36 | Vitasoy USA, Vitasoy Light Vanilla Soymilk | 1 cup (243 g) | 24 | 10 | 73 | |
| 37 | Hummus, commercial | 2 tbsp (30 g) | 21 | 71 | 71 | |
| 38 | Hummus, home prepared | 2 tbsp (30 g) | 9 | 29 | 53 | |
| 39 | Vermicelli, made from soy | 1 cup (140 g) | 3 | 2 | 463 |
Magnesium 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 magnesium is left out rather than counted as zero. Full methodology.
Frequently asked questions
Which food is highest in magnesium?
Among legumes in the USDA database, Soybeans, mature cooked (boiled, without salt) has the most magnesium per serving: 148 mg per 1 cup (35% of the Daily Value). Per 100 g it contains 86 mg.
How much magnesium do I need per day?
The FDA Daily Value used on Nutrition Facts labels is 420 mg of magnesium 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 magnesium?
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. 12 of the 39 foods on this list reach 20% DV per serving.
Related rankings
- Foods high in potassium
- Foods high in iron
- Foods high in calcium
- Foods high in zinc
- Foods high in selenium
- Foods high in copper
- All foods high in magnesium
- Fruits high in magnesium
- Vegetables high in magnesium
- Nuts and seeds high in magnesium
- Grains high in magnesium
- Fish and seafood high in magnesium
- Meat and poultry high in magnesium
- Dairy and eggs high in magnesium
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.