Ranked by what one normal serving gives, because a serving is what you eat, not 100 g.
The top five:
- fenugreek leaves (5.7 mg in one katori cooked)
- amaranth leaves (4.6 mg in one katori cooked)
- drumstick leaves (4.6 mg in one katori cooked)
- cluster beans (3.9 mg in one katori)
- radish leaves (3.8 mg in one katori cooked)
| Food | Per serving | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Fenugreek leaves (Methi sag) one katori cooked (100 g) | 5.7 mg | 5.7 mg |
| Amaranth leaves (Chaulai) one katori cooked (100 g) | 4.6 mg | 4.6 mg |
| Drumstick leaves (Saijan patta) one katori cooked (100 g) | 4.6 mg | 4.6 mg |
| Cluster beans (Gaur-ki-phalli) one katori (100 g) | 3.9 mg | 3.9 mg |
| Radish leaves (Muli ka sag) one katori cooked (100 g) | 3.8 mg | 3.8 mg |
| Arbi leaves one katori cooked (100 g) | 3.4 mg | 3.4 mg |
| Lotus root (Kamal kakdi) one katori, cut (100 g) | 3.3 mg | 3.3 mg |
| Spring onion (Hara pyaz) one katori (100 g) | 3.1 mg | 3.1 mg |
| Quinoa one katori cooked (40 g dry) | 3 mg | 7.5 mg |
| Spinach (Palak) one katori cooked (100 g) | 3 mg | 3 mg |
| Mustard leaves (Sarson ka sag) one katori cooked (100 g) | 2.8 mg | 2.8 mg |
| Amaranth seed (Ramdana) one roti's worth of flour, or a small katori cooked (30 g dry) | 2.8 mg | 9.3 mg |
| Soya chunks (soy nuggets)USDA 30 g dry, about one katori once soaked | 2.8 mg | 9.2 mg |
| Lettuce (Salad ka patta) a large bowl, raw (100 g) | 2.7 mg | 2.7 mg |
| Bathua leaves (Bathua saag) one katori cooked (100 g) | 2.7 mg | 2.7 mg |
| Horse gram (Kulthi) one katori cooked (30 g dry) | 2.6 mg | 8.8 mg |
| Kohlrabi leaves (Ganth gobhi ka saag) one katori cooked (100 g) | 2.5 mg | 2.5 mg |
| Soya bean (Bhatmas) one katori cooked (30 g dry) | 2.5 mg | 8.3 mg |
| Moth bean (Motha) one katori cooked (30 g dry) | 2.4 mg | 7.9 mg |
| Whole masoor one katori cooked (30 g dry) or masoor dal, 2.1 mg a serving | 2.3 mg | 7.6 mg |
| Kala chana (whole Bengal gram) one katori cooked (30 g dry) | 2 mg | 6.8 mg |
| Bajra one roti's worth of flour, or a small katori cooked (30 g dry) | 1.9 mg | 6.4 mg |
| Rajma (kidney beans) one katori cooked (30 g dry) | 1.9 mg | 6.2 mg |
| Chana dal one katori cooked (30 g dry) | 1.8 mg | 6.1 mg |
| Sabut urad one katori cooked (30 g dry) or urad dal, 1.4 mg a serving | 1.8 mg | 6 mg |
Iron in the 25 richest servings. Source: Indian Food Composition Tables 2017, National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR) and USDA FoodData Central.
Foods marked USDA come from USDA FoodData Central, because the Indian tables do not list them.
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Things to know before you use this list
- Spoon foods: This list leaves out foods you eat by the pinch or the spoon, such as turmeric powder, cumin seeds, coriander seeds and halim seeds, because this list compares foods you eat by the katori or the piece, and per 100 g the spoon foods would top it. Turmeric powder has 46.1 mg of iron per 100 g, and a pinch to half a teaspoon (2 g) gives 0.9 mg. See its page.
- Raw or dry: these are the values for the food as the tables measured it, raw or dry. Cooking changes them: dals and grains soak up water, and boiling vegetables moves some minerals into the water you throw away.
- Iron from plants is taken up less easily than iron from meat, so the number on this list is not the whole story.
Words from this page, explained: iron, iron deficiency, ferritin.
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