Legumes high in zinc (per serving)
39 legumes ranked by zinc per common serving, from USDA FoodData Central. Vermicelli, made from soy leads with 5.9 mg per 1 cup (54% of the Daily Value), followed by Beans, adzuki (4.1 mg) and Beans, white (2.9 mg).
Top 10 at a glance
Top 10 legumes highest in zinc
- Vermicelli, made from soy1 cup (140 g) · 463 kcal5.9 mg54% DV
- Beans, adzuki (mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt)1 cup (230 g) · 294 kcal4.1 mg37% DV
- Beans, white (mature seeds, canned)1 cup (262 g) · 299 kcal2.9 mg27% DV
- Lentils, mature seeds (cooked, boiled, without salt)1 cup (198 g) · 230 kcal2.5 mg23% DV
- Chickpeas (garbanzo beans, bengal gram) (mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt)1 cup (164 g) · 269 kcal2.5 mg23% DV
- Cowpeas, common (blackeyes (crowder, southern), mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt)1 cup (171 g) · 198 kcal2.2 mg20% DV
- Beans, cranberry (roman) (mature seeds, canned)1 cup (260 g) · 216 kcal2.2 mg20% DV
- Beans, navy (mature seeds, canned)1 cup (262 g) · 296 kcal2 mg18% DV
- Tofu, raw (firm, prepared with calcium sulfate)0.5 cup (126 g) · 181 kcal2 mg18% DV
- Soybeans, mature cooked (boiled, without salt)1 cup (172 g) · 296 kcal2 mg18% 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 11 mg.
| # | Food | Serving | Zinc (mg) | % Daily Value | Per 100 g | kcal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vermicelli, made from soy | 1 cup (140 g) | 5.9 | 4.2 | 463 | |
| 2 | Beans, adzuki (mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt) | 1 cup (230 g) | 4.1 | 1.8 | 294 | |
| 3 | Beans, white (mature seeds, canned) | 1 cup (262 g) | 2.9 | 1.1 | 299 | |
| 4 | Lentils, mature seeds (cooked, boiled, without salt) | 1 cup (198 g) | 2.5 | 1.3 | 230 | |
| 5 | Chickpeas (garbanzo beans, bengal gram) (mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt) | 1 cup (164 g) | 2.5 | 1.5 | 269 | |
| 6 | Cowpeas, common (blackeyes (crowder, southern), mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt) | 1 cup (171 g) | 2.2 | 1.3 | 198 | |
| 7 | Beans, cranberry (roman) (mature seeds, canned) | 1 cup (260 g) | 2.2 | 0.8 | 216 | |
| 8 | Beans, navy (mature seeds, canned) | 1 cup (262 g) | 2 | 0.8 | 296 | |
| 9 | Tofu, raw (firm, prepared with calcium sulfate) | 0.5 cup (126 g) | 2 | 1.6 | 181 | |
| 10 | Soybeans, mature cooked (boiled, without salt) | 1 cup (172 g) | 2 | 1.1 | 296 | |
| 11 | Peas, split (mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt) | 1 cup (196 g) | 2 | 1 | 231 | |
| 12 | Beans, small white (mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt) | 1 cup (179 g) | 2 | 1.1 | 254 | |
| 13 | Beans, black (mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt) | 1 cup (172 g) | 1.9 | 1.1 | 227 | |
| 14 | Tempeh | 1 cup (166 g) | 1.9 | 1.1 | 319 | |
| 15 | Peanuts, virginia (oil-roasted, without salt) | 1 oz (28 g) | 1.9 | 6.6 | 164 | |
| 16 | Lima beans, large (mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt) | 1 cup (188 g) | 1.8 | 0.9 | 216 | |
| 17 | Broadbeans (fava beans), mature seeds (cooked, boiled, without salt) | 1 cup (170 g) | 1.7 | 1 | 187 | |
| 18 | Mung beans, mature seeds (cooked, boiled, without salt) | 1 cup (202 g) | 1.7 | 0.8 | 212 | |
| 19 | Tofu, soft (prepared with calcium sulfate and magnesium chloride (nigari)) | 1 cup (1/2" cubes) (248 g) | 1.6 | 0.6 | 151 | |
| 20 | Pigeon peas (red gram), mature seeds (cooked, boiled, without salt) | 1 cup (168 g) | 1.5 | 0.9 | 203 | |
| 21 | Mungo beans, mature seeds (cooked, boiled, without salt) | 1 cup (180 g) | 1.5 | 0.8 | 189 | |
| 22 | Peanut spread, reduced sugar | 2 tbsp (31 g) | 1.1 | 3.5 | 202 | |
| 23 | Tofu, firm (prepared with calcium sulfate and magnesium chloride (nigari)) | 0.5 cup (126 g) | 1 | 0.8 | 98 | |
| 24 | Peanut butter with omega-3, creamy | 2 tbsp (32 g) | 1 | 3.1 | 195 | |
| 25 | Peanuts, valencia (raw) | 1 oz (28 g) | 0.9 | 3.3 | 162 | |
| 26 | Peanuts, all types (oil-roasted, without salt) | 1 oz shelled (32 nuts) (28 g) | 0.9 | 3.3 | 170 | |
| 27 | Vitasoy USA, Vitasoy Organic Creamy Original Soymilk | 1 cup (243 g) | 0.9 | 0.4 | 107 | |
| 28 | Vitasoy USA, Vitasoy Light Vanilla Soymilk | 1 cup (243 g) | 0.9 | 0.4 | 73 | |
| 29 | Peanut butter, chunk style (without salt) | 2 tbsp (32 g) | 0.9 | 2.8 | 188 | |
| 30 | Peanut butter, reduced sodium | 2 tbsp (32 g) | 0.9 | 2.8 | 189 | |
| 31 | Peanut Butter, smooth | 2 tbsp (32 g) | 0.9 | 2.7 | 188 | |
| 32 | Peanut butter, smooth style (without salt) | 2 tbsp (32 g) | 0.8 | 2.5 | 191 | |
| 33 | Soymilk (all flavors), unsweetened (with added calcium, vitamins A and D) | 1 cup (243 g) | 0.8 | 0.3 | 80 | |
| 34 | Okara | 1 cup (122 g) | 0.7 | 0.6 | 93 | |
| 35 | Soymilk, original and vanilla (with added calcium, vitamins A and D) | 1 cup (243 g) | 0.6 | 0.3 | 104 | |
| 36 | Peanuts, spanish (raw) | 1 oz (28 g) | 0.6 | 2.1 | 162 | |
| 37 | Hummus, commercial | 2 tbsp (30 g) | 0.4 | 1.4 | 71 | |
| 38 | Hummus, home prepared | 2 tbsp (30 g) | 0.3 | 1.1 | 53 | |
| 39 | Soymilk (all flavors), nonfat (with added calcium, vitamins A and D) | 1 cup (243 g) | 0.2 | 0.1 | 68 |
Zinc 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 zinc is left out rather than counted as zero. Full methodology.
Frequently asked questions
Which food is highest in zinc?
Among legumes in the USDA database, Vermicelli, made from soy has the most zinc per serving: 5.9 mg per 1 cup (54% of the Daily Value). Per 100 g it contains 4.2 mg.
How much zinc do I need per day?
The FDA Daily Value used on Nutrition Facts labels is 11 mg of zinc 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 zinc?
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. 6 of the 39 foods on this list reach 20% DV per serving.
Related rankings
- Foods high in potassium
- Foods high in magnesium
- Foods high in iron
- Foods high in calcium
- Foods high in selenium
- Foods high in copper
- All foods high in zinc
- Fruits high in zinc
- Vegetables high in zinc
- Nuts and seeds high in zinc
- Grains high in zinc
- Fish and seafood high in zinc
- Meat and poultry high in zinc
- Dairy and eggs high in zinc
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.