Foodmanac nutrient guide

100 Foods High In Folate With Benefits, Daily Needs and Warnings

Folate helps the body make DNA and new cells. It is especially important before and during pregnancy.

Use this page to understand Folate benefits, daily requirements, safety notes, and the top Foodmanac food sources.

See top Folate foods Daily needs table Warnings

Folate benefits in the body

Helps the body make DNA and genetic material.
Supports red blood cell formation.
Supports normal growth and cell division.
Helps reduce neural tube defect risk when taken before pregnancy.
Works with vitamin B12 in one-carbon metabolism.

Who should pay attention?

Pregnancy raises folate needs.
Leafy greens, beans, lentils, and fortified grains can add folate.
Alcohol use can affect folate status.
Vitamin B12 status matters when interpreting folate intake.

How to use this list

Compare foods by measured database values.
Choose foods that fit your diet and culture.
Check serving size before judging a food.
Use medical advice for disease-specific diets.

Folate daily body requirements

Daily needs change by age, sex, pregnancy, lactation, body size, health, medicines, and activity. The table gives general U.S. reference values for healthy people.

Folate daily requirements by age, sex, and life stage
Group	Recommended intake
Children 1–3 years	150 mcg DFE/day
Children 4–8 years	200 mcg DFE/day
Ages 9–13 years	300 mcg DFE/day
Ages 14+ years	400 mcg DFE/day
Pregnancy	600 mcg DFE/day
Lactation	500 mcg DFE/day
People who may become pregnant	400 mcg folic acid/day from fortified foods or supplements

These values are education guidance, not a personal prescription. Your clinician can adjust targets for medical conditions.

Folate warnings and safe-use notes

High folic acid intake can mask vitamin B12 deficiency signs.
Pregnant people should follow clinician guidance on prenatal supplements.
People taking seizure medicines should ask a clinician before supplementing.
Food folate from whole foods is not usually a concern for healthy people.

Before you use the food ranking

A high value in the table does not automatically make a food best for everyone. Calories, allergies, sodium, added sugar, preparation, and portion size also matter.

Also, some foods are rich because they are dried, concentrated, fortified, or cooked. Compare similar serving sizes before making a meal decision.

Top 100 Foods High In Folate

Practical foods people commonly eat when searching for foods high in Folate are shown first. After those practical sources, Foodmanac shows other foods with the highest Folate values in the database. The nutrient values themselves are not changed.

Common Folate food sources first, followed by other high-Folate foods
Rank	Food source	Folate amount
Common practical foods with Folate
1	Goose, liver, raw	738 µg
2	Noodles, egg, spinach, enriched, dry	354 µg
3	Chickpeas (garbanzo beans, bengal gram), mature seeds, raw	557 µg
4	Asparagus, frozen, unprepared	191 µg
5	Brussels sprouts, frozen, unprepared	123 µg
6	Avocados, raw, California	89 µg
7	Orange juice, frozen concentrate, unsweetened, undiluted, with added calcium	77 µg
Other foods high in Folate
8	Yeast extract spread	5880 µg
9	Yeast extract spread	5880 µg
10	Cereals ready-to-eat, QUAKER, CAP'N CRUNCH with CRUNCHBERRIES	2760 µg
11	Cereals ready-to-eat, QUAKER, CAP'N CRUNCH	2630 µg
12	Cereals ready-to-eat, QUAKER, QUAKER CRUNCHY BRAN	2630 µg
13	Cereals ready-to-eat, QUAKER, SWEET CRUNCH/QUISP	2630 µg
14	Cereals ready-to-eat, QUAKER, CAP'N CRUNCH'S PEANUT BUTTER CRUNCH	2630 µg
15	Cereals ready-to-eat, QUAKER, Christmas Crunch	2600 µg
16	Leavening agents, yeast, baker's, active dry	2340 µg
17	Yeast	2340 µg
18	Cereals ready-to-eat, QUAKER, KING VITAMAN	2260 µg
19	Cereals ready-to-eat, QUAKER, QUAKER OAT CINNAMON LIFE	2230 µg
20	Cereals ready-to-eat, QUAKER, QUAKER OAT LIFE, plain	2200 µg
21	Cereals ready-to-eat, MALT-O-MEAL, Crispy Rice	2050 µg
22	Cereals, MALT-O-MEAL, original, plain, dry	1920 µg
23	Cereals, MALT-O-MEAL, chocolate, dry	1920 µg
24	Formulated bar, LUNA BAR, NUTZ OVER CHOCOLATE	1770 µg
25	Formulated bar, MARS SNACKFOOD US, SNICKERS MARATHON Double Chocolate Nut Bar	1540 µg
26	Cereals, MALT-O-MEAL, Maple & Brown Sugar Hot Wheat Cereal, dry	1500 µg
27	Formulated bar, MARS SNACKFOOD US, SNICKERS MARATHON Honey Nut Oat Bar	1480 µg
28	Formulated bar, MARS SNACKFOOD US, SNICKERS MARATHON Energy Bar, all flavors	1330 µg
29	Cereals ready-to-eat, MALT-O-MEAL, GOLDEN PUFFS	1250 µg
30	Cereals ready-to-eat, QUAKER, Toasted Multigrain Crisps	1240 µg
31	Formulated bar, MARS SNACKFOOD US, SNICKERS MARATHON Chewy Chocolate Peanut Bar	1240 µg
32	Formulated bar, MARS SNACKFOOD US, SNICKERS MARATHON MULTIGRAIN CRUNCH BAR	1240 µg
33	Cereals ready-to-eat, MALT-O-MEAL, Frosted Mini SPOONERS	1220 µg
34	Cereals ready-to-eat, QUAKER, Oatmeal Squares, cinnamon	1220 µg
35	Cereals ready-to-eat, QUAKER, Oatmeal Squares	1210 µg
36	Cereals ready-to-eat, RALSTON TASTEEOS	1200 µg
37	Cereals ready-to-eat, GENERAL MILLS, CHEERIOS	1200 µg
38	Cereals ready-to-eat, POST, GRAPE-NUTS Flakes	1160 µg
39	Cereals ready-to-eat, POST, HONEY BUNCHES OF OATS, pecan bunches	1160 µg
40	Cereals ready-to-eat, MALT-O-MEAL, COCO-ROOS	1120 µg
41	Cereals ready-to-eat, POST Bran Flakes	1120 µg
42	Cereals ready-to-eat, MALT-O-MEAL, CINNAMON TOASTERS	1120 µg
43	Cereals ready-to-eat, MALT-O-MEAL, Honey Nut SCOOTERS	1120 µg
44	Cereals ready-to-eat, MALT-O-MEAL, Blueberry MUFFIN TOPS Cereal	1120 µg
45	Cereals ready-to-eat, MALT-O-MEAL, OAT BLENDERS with honey	1120 µg
46	Cereals ready-to-eat, POST, ALPHA-BITS	1120 µg
47	Cereals ready-to-eat, MALT-O-MEAL, HONEY GRAHAM SQUARES	1120 µg
48	Cereals ready-to-eat, MALT-O-MEAL, MARSHMALLOW MATEYS	1120 µg
49	Cereals ready-to-eat, POST, HONEY BUNCHES OF OATS, honey roasted	1120 µg
50	Cereals ready-to-eat, MALT-O-MEAL, COLOSSAL CRUNCH	1120 µg
51	Cereals ready-to-eat, MALT-O-MEAL, BERRY COLOSSAL CRUNCH	1120 µg
52	Cereals ready-to-eat, MALT-O-MEAL, OAT BLENDERS with honey & almonds	1120 µg
53	Formulated bar, POWER BAR, chocolate	1050 µg
54	Cereals ready-to-eat, POST, HONEY BUNCHES OF OATS, with almonds	1050 µg
55	Nutrition bar (PowerBar)	1050 µg
56	Cereals ready-to-eat, MALT-O-MEAL, TOOTIE FRUITIES	1050 µg
57	Cereal, K's, plain	1030 µg
58	Cereals ready-to-eat, RALSTON CRISP RICE	1030 µg
59	Cereal, oat bunches	1020 µg
60	Cereals ready-to-eat, MALT-O-MEAL, Apple ZINGS	1020 µg
61	Cereal, O's, multigrain	1010 µg
62	Cereal, rice crispy, plain	995 µg
63	Nutritional powder mix, high protein (Herbalife)	971 µg
64	Nutritional powder mix, high protein, NFS	971 µg
65	Beverages, nutritional shake mix, high protein, powder	971 µg
66	Cereals ready-to-eat, QUAKER, HONEY GRAHAM OH!S	945 µg
67	Cereals ready-to-eat, MALT-O-MEAL, CHOCOLATE MARSHMALLOW MATEYS	893 µg
68	Cereals ready-to-eat, SUN COUNTRY, KRETSCHMER Wheat Germ, Regular	892 µg
69	Nutritional powder mix, sugar free (Carnation Instant Breakfast)	850 µg
70	Nutrition bar (Snickers Marathon Protein Bar)	850 µg
71	Beverage, instant breakfast powder, chocolate, sugar-free, not reconstituted	850 µg
72	Formulated bar, MARS SNACKFOOD US, SNICKERS MARATHON Protein Performance Bar, Caramel Nut Rush	850 µg
73	Cereals, ready-to-eat, MALT-O-MEAL, Blueberry Mini SPOONERS	848 µg
74	Cereals ready-to-eat, MALT-O-MEAL, Fruity DYNO-BITES	840 µg
75	Cereals ready-to-eat, SUN COUNTRY, KRETSCHMER Honey Crunch Wheat Germ	805 µg
76	Leavening agents, yeast, baker's, compressed	785 µg
77	Duck, domesticated, liver, raw	738 µg
78	Formulated bar, SLIM-FAST OPTIMA meal bar, milk chocolate peanut	725 µg
79	Nutrition bar (South Beach Living Meal Bar)	725 µg
80	Nutrition bar (Slim Fast Original Meal Bar)	725 µg
81	Turkey, all classes, liver, cooked, simmered	691 µg
82	Turkey, all classes, liver, raw	677 µg
83	Yardlong beans, mature seeds, raw	658 µg
84	Beverages, UNILEVER, SLIMFAST Shake Mix, powder, 3-2-1 Plan	653 µg
85	Nutritional powder mix, sugar free (Slim Fast)	653 µg
86	Nutritional powder mix, high protein (Slim Fast)	653 µg
87	Beverages, UNILEVER, SLIMFAST Shake Mix, high protein, whey powder, 3-2-1 Plan,	653 µg
88	Nutritional powder mix (Slim Fast)	653 µg
89	Mothbeans, mature seeds, raw	649 µg
90	Cowpeas, catjang, mature seeds, raw	639 µg
91	Cowpeas, common (blackeyes, crowder, southern), mature seeds, raw	633 µg
92	Cereals ready-to-eat, POST, FRUITY PEBBLES	627 µg
93	Mung beans, mature seeds, raw	625 µg
94	Beans, adzuki, mature seeds, raw	622 µg
95	Cereal, other, honey	622 µg
96	Cereals ready-to-eat, POST, GOLDEN CRISP	616 µg
97	Beans, cranberry (roman), mature seeds, raw	604 µg
98	Cereals ready-to-eat, POST, HONEY BUNCHES OF OATS with vanilla bunches	594 µg
99	Chicken, liver, all classes, raw	588 µg
100	Cereals ready-to-eat, frosted oat cereal with marshmallows	587 µg

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Folate do in the body?

Folate helps the body make DNA and new cells. It is especially important before and during pregnancy.

How much Folate do I need each day?

Your need depends on age, sex, pregnancy, lactation, health, medicines, and other factors. Use the table above for general daily reference values.

Which foods contain the most Folate?

The table ranks foods by Foodmanac database values. Always compare serving size and preparation before choosing a food.

Can too much Folate be harmful?

Yes, excessive intake can be unsafe for some nutrients, supplements, and health conditions. Review the warnings above and seek medical advice when needed.

References

Foodmanac uses database values for rankings. Daily needs and warning notes are based on public nutrition references.