Iron Rich Foods Chart
Iron per 100 g and per 100 kcal, ranked. Competing lists mix per-serving and per-100 g numbers until nothing compares; this is one USDA dataset, one basis, sortable by density.
| Food | Per 100 g | Per 100 kcal | %DV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheerios (plain) | 28.9 mg | 7.8 mg | 161% DV |
| Spirulina (dried) | 28.5 mg | 9.8 mg | 158% DV |
| Rice Krispies | 28.0 mg | 7.5 mg | 156% DV |
| Corn flakes | 19.4 mg | 5.1 mg | 108% DV |
| Sesame seeds | 14.6 mg | 2.5 mg | 81% DV |
| Dark chocolate (70–85%) | 11.9 mg | 2.0 mg | 66% DV |
| Frosted Flakes | 11.6 mg | 3.0 mg | 64% DV |
| Poppy seeds | 9.8 mg | 1.9 mg | 54% DV |
| Cinnamon Toast Crunch | 9.4 mg | 2.3 mg | 52% DV |
| Oysters (cooked) | 9.2 mg | 9.0 mg | 51% DV |
| Pumpkin seeds | 8.4 mg | 1.5 mg | 46% DV |
| Hemp seeds (hulled) | 8.0 mg | 1.4 mg | 44% DV |
| Chia seeds | 7.7 mg | 1.6 mg | 43% DV |
| Mussels (cooked) | 6.7 mg | 3.9 mg | 37% DV |
| Wheat germ (raw) | 6.3 mg | 1.7 mg | 35% DV |
| Cashews | 6.0 mg | 1.1 mg | 33% DV |
| Flax seeds | 5.7 mg | 1.1 mg | 32% DV |
| Waffles | 5.6 mg | 2.0 mg | 31% DV |
| Chocolate chip cookie | 5.6 mg | 1.1 mg | 31% DV |
| Pine nuts | 5.5 mg | 0.8 mg | 31% DV |
| Oat bran (raw) | 5.4 mg | 2.2 mg | 30% DV |
| Protein bar | 5.4 mg | 1.3 mg | 30% DV |
| Sunflower seeds | 5.2 mg | 0.9 mg | 29% DV |
| Pretzels (hard) | 4.6 mg | 1.2 mg | 25% DV |
| Tahini | 4.4 mg | 0.7 mg | 25% DV |
| Chocolate hazelnut spread | 4.4 mg | 0.8 mg | 24% DV |
| Rolled oats (dry) | 4.3 mg | 1.1 mg | 24% DV |
| Sunflower seed butter | 4.1 mg | 0.7 mg | 23% DV |
| Almond butter | 4.1 mg | 0.7 mg | 23% DV |
| Granola | 4.0 mg | 0.8 mg | 22% DV |
Common questions
How much iron do I need per day?
The FDA daily value is 18 mg for adults — 27 mg in pregnancy. The per-100-kcal column shows density: plant sources like spinach and legumes look very different per calorie than per gram.
Where do these numbers come from?
USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy and Foundation Foods), synced per food with source entry IDs on each food page. One dataset, one per-100 g basis, per-100 kcal computed here.
Method
Values are USDA FoodData Central per-100 g figures (SR Legacy / Foundation), the same rows behind every food page on this site; per-100 kcal is computed as nutrient ÷ kcal × 100. DV = FDA daily value for adults (18 mg for this nutrient, 21 CFR 101.9).