Nutrient list · USDA values per 100 g
Foods High in Iron
Quick answer
Corn Flakes comes first with 28 mg per 100 g. 32 foods in the CalorTracker database qualify, ranked highest first.
To qualify, a food needs iron of at least 3.6 mg per 100 g, a fifth of the FDA Daily Value for iron and the FDA's cutoff for a high claim on a label. 32 foods reach it, and Corn Flakes comes first at 28 mg per 100 g.
Fortified foods, mostly breakfast cereals, report the iron added to them, so a fortified product can sit far above foods that carry iron naturally. This list ranks the total amount USDA reports and says nothing about how much of it the body takes up.
| Food | Iron per 100 g | Calories per 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| 1.Corn Flakes | 28 mg | 365 kcal |
| 2.Sesame Seeds | 14.6 mg | 573 kcal |
| 3.Chicken Liver | 11.6 mg | 167 kcal |
| 4.Sun-Dried Tomatoes | 9.09 mg | 258 kcal |
| 5.Tahini | 8.95 mg | 595 kcal |
| 6.Pumpkin Seeds | 8.82 mg | 559 kcal |
| 7.Hemp Seeds | 7.95 mg | 553 kcal |
| 8.Chia Seeds | 7.72 mg | 486 kcal |
| 9.Oysters | 7.16 mg | 79 kcal |
| 10.Mussels | 6.72 mg | 172 kcal |
| 11.Cashews | 6.68 mg | 553 kcal |
| 12.Waffles (Frozen) | 6.59 mg | 309 kcal |
| 13.Beef Liver | 6.54 mg | 191 kcal |
| 14.Dark Chocolate (60-69% Cacao) | 6.32 mg | 579 kcal |
| 15.Pine Nuts | 5.53 mg | 673 kcal |
| 16.Beef Jerky | 5.42 mg | 410 kcal |
| 17.Worcestershire Sauce | 5.3 mg | 77 kcal |
| 18.Molasses | 4.72 mg | 290 kcal |
| 19.Instant Oatmeal | 4.68 mg | 68 kcal |
| 20.Anchovies | 4.63 mg | 210 kcal |
| 21.Pretzels | 4.58 mg | 384 kcal |
| 22.Quinoa (Uncooked) | 4.57 mg | 368 kcal |
| 23.Venison | 4.47 mg | 158 kcal |
| 24.White Rice (Raw) | 4.31 mg | 365 kcal |
| 25.Granola | 3.95 mg | 489 kcal |
| 26.Pistachios | 3.92 mg | 560 kcal |
| 27.French Bread | 3.91 mg | 272 kcal |
| 28.Mixed Nuts | 3.73 mg | 607 kcal |
| 29.Dinner Roll | 3.72 mg | 310 kcal |
| 30.Almonds | 3.71 mg | 579 kcal |
| 31.White Beans | 3.7 mg | 139 kcal |
| 32.Macadamia Nuts | 3.69 mg | 718 kcal |
How this list is calculated
Foods are ranked by iron per 100 g, highest first. Every value is computed from the USDA FoodData Central record behind each food's page, which CalorTracker stores per 100 g. Nothing is estimated or rounded before ranking, and foods with equal values are ordered by name.
USDA values are for the food as sold or cooked, so a fortified food such as a breakfast cereal shows the vitamins and minerals added to it.
This list draws on every food in the CalorTracker food database (461 foods). A food qualifies with iron of at least 3.6 mg per 100 g. A food USDA has no measurement for is left out, never counted as zero. The cutoff is 20% of the FDA Daily Value for iron, the share the FDA uses for a "high in" claim on a label; here it is applied to 100 g, not to a label serving. To keep out foods that are only high because they are concentrated, a typical serving, the household measure on the food's page, must also supply at least 0.9 mg of iron. A food without a listed portion is left out.
32 foods qualify, and the table shows all of them.
Every number comes from USDA FoodData Central, the US government's food composition database, through the food pages linked in the table. The same method is written out on how we calculate, and our sources are listed on sources.
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Source: USDA FoodData Central, retrieved . How we calculate.