Iron-rich foods for vegetarians and vegans
40 plant-based and dairy sources of iron ranked per serving: Soybeans, mature cooked leads with 8.8 mg. Vitamin C per serving is shown because it boosts non-heme iron absorption.
Plant (non-heme) iron is absorbed at roughly a third the rate of heme iron from meat, so vegetarians need more total iron and benefit from pairing it with vitamin C and keeping tea, coffee and calcium supplements away from iron-rich meals. The list below ranks plant and dairy foods by iron per serving and shows vitamin C alongside. Fortified cereals, which often carry 100% DV per serving, are excluded so the list reflects naturally occurring iron.
Ranked list
| # | Food | Group | Serving | kcal | Iron (%DV) | Vitamin C (%DV) | Protein (%DV) | Fiber (%DV) | NRF9.3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Soybeans, mature cooked (boiled, without salt) | Legumes | 1 cup | 296 | 49% | 3.2% | 63% | 37% | 68 |
| 2 | Beans, white (mature seeds, canned) | Legumes | 1 cup | 299 | 44% | 0% | 38% | 45% | 57 |
| 3 | Tofu, raw (regular, prepared with calcium sulfate) | Legumes | 0.5 cup | 94 | 37% | 0.1% | 20% | 1.3% | 104 |
| 4 | Lentils, mature seeds (cooked, boiled, without salt) | Legumes | 1 cup | 230 | 37% | 3.3% | 36% | 56% | 70 |
| 5 | Spinach, cooked (boiled, drained, without salt) | Vegetables | 1 cup | 41 | 36% | 20% | 11% | 15% | 518 |
| 6 | Teff, cooked | Grains | 1 cup | 255 | 29% | — | 20% | 25% | 46 |
| 7 | Beans, small white (mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt) | Legumes | 1 cup | 254 | 28% | 0% | 32% | 66% | 72 |
| 8 | Lima beans, immature seeds (raw) | Vegetables | 1 cup | 176 | 27% | 41% | 21% | 27% | 88 |
| 9 | Beans, navy (mature seeds, canned) | Legumes | 1 cup | 296 | 27% | 2% | 39% | 48% | 48 |
| 10 | Chickpeas (garbanzo beans, bengal gram) (mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt) | Legumes | 1 cup | 269 | 26% | 2.4% | 29% | 45% | 46 |
| 11 | Beans, adzuki (mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt) | Legumes | 1 cup | 294 | 26% | 0% | 35% | 60% | 61 |
| 12 | Beans, black (mature seeds, canned, low sodium) | Legumes | 1 cup | 218 | 25% | 7.2% | 29% | 59% | 72 |
| 13 | Soybeans, green (cooked, boiled, drained, without salt) | Vegetables | 1 cup | 254 | 25% | 34% | 44% | 27% | 75 |
| 14 | Lima beans, large (mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt) | Legumes | 1 cup | 216 | 25% | 0% | 29% | 47% | 62 |
| 15 | Tempeh | Legumes | 1 cup | 319 | 25% | 0% | 67% | — | 41 |
| 16 | Beans, yellow (mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt) | Legumes | 1 cup | 255 | 24% | 3.5% | 32% | 66% | 73 |
| 17 | Cowpeas, common (blackeyes (crowder, southern), mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt) | Legumes | 1 cup | 198 | 24% | 0.8% | 26% | 40% | 59 |
| 18 | Seeds, sesame seeds (whole, roasted and toasted) | Nuts and seeds | 1 oz | 160 | 23% | 0% | 9.6% | 14% | 54 |
| 19 | Beans, great northern (mature seeds, canned, low sodium) | Legumes | 1 cup | 299 | 23% | 3.8% | 39% | 46% | 53 |
| 20 | Beans, cranberry (roman) (mature seeds, canned) | Legumes | 1 cup | 216 | 22% | 2.3% | 29% | 58% | 53 |
| 21 | Chard, swiss (cooked, boiled, drained, without salt) | Vegetables | 1 cup, chopped | 35 | 22% | 35% | 6.6% | 13% | 513 |
| 22 | Beans, pink (mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt) | Legumes | 1 cup | 252 | 22% | 0% | 31% | 32% | 57 |
| 23 | Peas, edible-podded (frozen, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt) | Vegetables | 1 cup | 83 | 21% | 39% | 11% | 18% | 138 |
| 24 | Parsley, fresh | Vegetables | 1 cup chopped | 22 | 21% | 89% | 3.6% | 7.1% | 441 |
| 25 | Edamame, frozen (prepared) | Vegetables | 1 cup | 188 | 20% | 20% | 37% | 35% | 84 |
| 26 | Beans, pinto (mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt) | Legumes | 1 cup | 245 | 20% | 1.5% | 31% | 55% | 64 |
| 27 | Cereals, oats (regular and quick, not fortified, dry) | Grains | 1 cup | 307 | 19% | 0% | 21% | 29% | 33 |
| 28 | Tomatoes, red (ripe, canned, stewed) | Vegetables | 1 cup | 66 | 19% | 22% | 4.6% | 9.1% | 82 |
| 29 | Spelt, cooked | Grains | 1 cup | 246 | 18% | 0% | 21% | 27% | 40 |
| 30 | Mungo beans, mature seeds (cooked, boiled, without salt) | Legumes | 1 cup | 189 | 18% | 2% | 27% | 41% | 66 |
| 31 | Wheat, KAMUT khorasan (cooked) | Grains | 1 cup | 227 | 17% | — | 20% | 26% | 36 |
| 32 | Asparagus, raw | Vegetables | 1 cup | 27 | 16% | 8.3% | 5.9% | 10% | 236 |
| 33 | Mung beans, mature seeds (cooked, boiled, without salt) | Legumes | 1 cup | 212 | 16% | 2.2% | 28% | 55% | 63 |
| 34 | Quinoa, cooked | Grains | 1 cup | 222 | 15% | 0% | 16% | 18% | 40 |
| 35 | Tofu, soft (prepared with calcium sulfate and magnesium chloride (nigari)) | Legumes | 1 cup (1/2" cubes) | 151 | 15% | 0.6% | 36% | 1.8% | 57 |
| 36 | Tomatoes, crushed (canned) | Vegetables | 0.5 cup | 39 | 15% | 12% | 3.5% | 8.4% | 126 |
| 37 | Beet greens, cooked (boiled, drained, without salt) | Vegetables | 1 cup (1" pieces) | 39 | 15% | 40% | 7.4% | 15% | 461 |
| 38 | Mushrooms, white (cooked, boiled, drained, without salt) | Vegetables | 1 cup pieces | 44 | 15% | 6.9% | 6.8% | 12% | 115 |
| 39 | Peas, mature seeds (sprouted, raw) | Vegetables | 1 cup | 149 | 15% | 14% | 21% | — | 52 |
| 40 | Seeds, sesame butter (tahini, from roasted and toasted kernels (most common type)) | Nuts and seeds | 2 tbsp | 178 | 15% | 0% | 10% | 10% | 23 |
Method. Iron per common serving among fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds, grains, dairy and eggs in the USDA whole-food pool; fortified products excluded; one entry per food family. Data: USDA FoodData Central. Full methodology and references.
Other guides
- Anti-inflammatory foods, ranked by nutrient profile
- Foods high in electrolytes
- The most nutrient-dense foods
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.