The most nutrient-dense foods
50 whole foods with the highest nutrient density per calorie on the NRF9.3 index: Spinach, cooked, Chard, swiss, Beet greens, cooked and more, with calories and %DV per serving.
Nutrient density is how much nutrition a food delivers per calorie. The NRF9.3 index (Drewnowski, 2009) sums the % Daily Value of nine nutrients to encourage (protein, fiber, vitamins A, C and E, calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium), each capped at 100%, and subtracts three to limit (saturated fat, added sugar, sodium), all per 100 kcal. Leafy greens dominate any per-calorie measure; the table also shows calories per serving so you can judge absolute amounts.
Ranked list
| # | Food | Group | Serving | kcal | Protein (%DV) | Fiber (%DV) | Vitamin A (%DV) | Vitamin C (%DV) | Potassium (%DV) | NRF9.3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spinach, cooked (boiled, drained, without salt) | Vegetables | 1 cup | 41 | 11% | 15% | 105% | 20% | 18% | 518 |
| 2 | Chard, swiss (cooked, boiled, drained, without salt) | Vegetables | 1 cup, chopped | 35 | 6.6% | 13% | 60% | 35% | 20% | 513 |
| 3 | Beet greens, cooked (boiled, drained, without salt) | Vegetables | 1 cup (1" pieces) | 39 | 7.4% | 15% | 61% | 40% | 28% | 461 |
| 4 | Turnip greens, cooked (boiled, drained, without salt) | Vegetables | 1 cup, chopped | 29 | 3.3% | 18% | 61% | 44% | 6.2% | 446 |
| 5 | Broccoli raab, cooked | Vegetables | 1 NLEA serving | 21 | 6.5% | 8.5% | 21% | 35% | 6.2% | 441 |
| 6 | Parsley, fresh | Vegetables | 1 cup chopped | 22 | 3.6% | 7.1% | 28% | 89% | 7.1% | 441 |
| 7 | Collards, raw | Vegetables | 1 cup, chopped | 12 | 2.1% | 4.9% | 10% | 36% | 3.1% | 433 |
| 8 | Cabbage, chinese (pak-choi) (cooked, boiled, drained, without salt) | Vegetables | 1 cup, shredded | 20 | 5.3% | 6.1% | 40% | 49% | 13% | 429 |
| 9 | Mustard greens, raw | Vegetables | 1 cup, chopped | 15 | 3.2% | 6.4% | 9.4% | 44% | 4.6% | 387 |
| 10 | Dandelion greens, raw | Vegetables | 1 cup, chopped | 25 | 3% | 6.9% | 31% | 21% | 4.6% | 373 |
| 11 | Cornsalad, raw | Vegetables | 1 cup | 12 | 2.2% | — | 22% | 24% | 5.5% | 351 |
| 12 | Purslane, cooked (boiled, drained, without salt) | Vegetables | 1 cup | 21 | 3.4% | — | 12% | 13% | 12% | 332 |
| 13 | New Zealand spinach, cooked (boiled, drained, without salt) | Vegetables | 1 cup, chopped | 22 | 4.7% | 9% | — | 32% | 3.9% | 330 |
| 14 | Cress, garden (raw) | Vegetables | 1 cup | 16 | 2.6% | 2% | 19% | 38% | 6.4% | 324 |
| 15 | Butterbur, (fuki) (raw) | Vegetables | 1 cup | 13 | 0.7% | — | 0.3% | 33% | 13% | 290 |
| 16 | Escarole, cooked (boiled, drained, no salt added) | Vegetables | 1 cup | 22 | 3.5% | 15% | 16% | 5.5% | 7.8% | 290 |
| 17 | Broccoli, chinese (cooked) | Vegetables | 1 cup | 19 | 2% | 7.9% | 8% | 28% | 4.9% | 289 |
| 18 | Asparagus, frozen (cooked, boiled, drained, without salt) | Vegetables | 1 cup | 32 | 11% | 10% | 8% | 49% | 6.6% | 285 |
| 19 | Cabbage, chinese (pe-tsai) (cooked, boiled, drained, without salt) | Vegetables | 1 cup, shredded | 17 | 3.6% | 7.2% | 6.3% | 21% | 5.7% | 280 |
| 20 | Malabar spinach, cooked | Vegetables | 1 cup | 10 | 2.6% | 3.3% | 2.8% | 2.9% | 2.4% | 255 |
| 21 | Peppers, jalapeno (raw) | Vegetables | 1 cup, sliced | 26 | 1.6% | 9% | 5.4% | 119% | 4.7% | 252 |
| 22 | Squash, summer (zucchini, includes skin, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt) | Vegetables | 1 cup, sliced | 27 | 4.1% | 6.4% | 11% | 26% | 10% | 246 |
| 23 | Peppers, sweet (red, frozen, chopped, boiled, drained, without salt) | Vegetables | 1 cup, chopped or strips | 22 | 2.6% | 3.9% | 14% | 62% | 2.1% | 246 |
| 24 | Kale, cooked (boiled, drained, without salt) | Vegetables | 1 cup | 42 | 6.9% | 17% | 19% | 23% | 3.6% | 245 |
| 25 | Broccoli, cooked (boiled, drained, without salt) | Vegetables | 1 stalk, medium (7-1/2" - 8" long) | 63 | 8.6% | 21% | 15% | 130% | 11% | 237 |
| 26 | Tomatoes, orange (raw) | Vegetables | 1 cup, chopped | 25 | 3.7% | 5.1% | 13% | 28% | 7.1% | 233 |
| 27 | Brussels sprouts, raw | Vegetables | 1 cup | 38 | 7% | 15% | 3.7% | 140% | 8.9% | 222 |
| 28 | Okra, raw | Vegetables | 1 cup | 33 | 3.9% | 11% | 4% | 26% | 6.4% | 221 |
| 29 | Cabbage, savoy (raw) | Vegetables | 1 cup, shredded | 19 | 2.8% | 7.8% | 3.9% | 24% | 3.4% | 220 |
| 30 | Pumpkin, raw | Vegetables | 1 cup (1" cubes) | 30 | 2.3% | 2.1% | 55% | 12% | 8.4% | 220 |
| 31 | Pepper, banana (raw) | Vegetables | 1 cup | 33 | 4.1% | 15% | 2.3% | 114% | 6.8% | 212 |
| 32 | Broccoli, flower clusters (raw) | Vegetables | 1 cup flowerets | 20 | 4.2% | 5.8% | — | 74% | 4.9% | 212 |
| 33 | Peppers, serrano (raw) | Vegetables | 1 cup, chopped | 34 | 3.7% | 14% | 5.5% | 52% | 6.8% | 211 |
| 34 | Pumpkin flowers, cooked (boiled, drained, without salt) | Vegetables | 1 cup | 20 | 2.9% | 4.3% | 13% | 7.4% | 3% | 210 |
| 35 | Broccoli, stalks (raw) | Vegetables | 1 stalk | 32 | 6.8% | — | 2.5% | 118% | 7.9% | 201 |
| 36 | Peas, edible-podded (boiled, drained, without salt) | Vegetables | 1 cup | 67 | 10% | 16% | 9.2% | 85% | 8.2% | 200 |
| 37 | Cauliflower, frozen (cooked, boiled, drained, without salt) | Vegetables | 1 cup (1" pieces) | 34 | 5.8% | 17% | 0% | 63% | 5.3% | 200 |
| 38 | Onions, spring or scallions (raw) | Vegetables | 1 cup, chopped | 32 | 3.7% | 9.3% | 5.6% | 21% | 5.9% | 194 |
| 39 | Cauliflower, green (raw) | Vegetables | 1 cup | 20 | 3.8% | 7.3% | 0.6% | 63% | 4.1% | 193 |
| 40 | Tomatoes, red (ripe, cooked) | Vegetables | 1 cup | 43 | 4.6% | 6% | 6.4% | 61% | 11% | 193 |
| 41 | Cowpeas, young pods with seeds (raw) | Vegetables | 1 cup | 41 | 6.2% | 11% | 7.1% | 34% | 4.3% | 191 |
| 42 | Onions, young green (tops only) | Vegetables | 1 cup chopped | 19 | 1.4% | 4.6% | 16% | 11% | 2.4% | 191 |
| 43 | Peas and carrots, frozen (unprepared) | Vegetables | 0.5 cup | 37 | 4.8% | 8.5% | 37% | 8.7% | 2.9% | 183 |
| 44 | Squash, winter (butternut, raw) | Vegetables | 1 cup, cubes | 63 | 3.2% | 9.8% | 83% | 12% | 9.8% | 180 |
| 45 | Radishes, raw | Vegetables | 1 cup slices | 19 | 1.6% | 6.6% | 0% | 19% | 5.8% | 179 |
| 46 | Cabbage, red (raw) | Vegetables | 1 cup, chopped | 28 | 2.2% | 6.7% | 5.5% | 53% | 5.1% | 179 |
| 47 | Radishes, oriental (raw) | Vegetables | 1 cup slices | 21 | 1.4% | 6.6% | 0% | 28% | 5.6% | 177 |
| 48 | Cabbage, cooked (boiled, drained, without salt) | Vegetables | 0.5 cup, shredded | 17 | 1.9% | 5.1% | 0.3% | 31% | 3.1% | 175 |
| 49 | Carrots, cooked (boiled, drained, without salt) | Vegetables | 0.5 cup slices | 27 | 1.2% | 8.4% | 74% | 3.1% | 3.9% | 172 |
| 50 | Bamboo shoots, cooked (boiled, drained, without salt) | Vegetables | 1 cup (1/2" slices) | 14 | 3.7% | 4.3% | 0% | 0% | 14% | 171 |
Method. NRF9.3 per 100 kcal as described above, among 1,677 whole foods with at least 10 kcal per serving; 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
- Iron-rich foods for vegetarians and vegans
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.