Foodmanac nutrient guide

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

Iron helps red blood cells move oxygen from the lungs to the body.

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

See top Iron foods Daily needs table Warnings

Iron benefits in the body

Supports hemoglobin and oxygen transport.
Helps normal energy metabolism.
Supports brain development during growth.
Helps reduce risk of iron deficiency when intake is enough.
Works best when the diet includes both iron and absorption helpers.

Who should pay attention?

Menstruation raises iron needs for many females.
Pregnancy greatly increases iron needs.
Plant iron is absorbed less easily than heme iron from animal foods.
Vitamin C foods can help the body absorb non-heme iron.

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.

Iron 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.

Iron daily requirements by age, sex, and life stage
Group	Recommended intake
Children 1–3 years	7 mg/day
Children 4–8 years	10 mg/day
Ages 9–13 years	8 mg/day
Teen boys 14–18 years	11 mg/day
Teen girls 14–18 years	15 mg/day
Adult men	8 mg/day
Women 19–50 years	18 mg/day
Adults 51+ years	8 mg/day
Pregnancy	27 mg/day
Lactation	9–10 mg/day

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

Iron warnings and safe-use notes

Accidental iron overdose can be very dangerous for children.
Keep iron supplements away from children.
Do not take iron supplements unless a clinician recommends them.
People with hemochromatosis should avoid extra iron unless prescribed.

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 Iron

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

Common Iron food sources first, followed by other high-Iron foods
Rank	Food source	Iron amount
Common practical foods with Iron
1	Goose, liver, raw	30.5 mg
2	Beef, variety meats and by-products, spleen, raw	44.6 mg
3	Mollusks, clam, mixed species, cooked, breaded and fried	13.9 mg
4	Lentils, pink or red, raw	7.39 mg
5	Noodles, egg, spinach, enriched, dry	4.2 mg
6	Soybeans, mature seeds, raw	15.7 mg
7	Seeds, sesame butter, paste	19.2 mg
Other foods high in Iron
8	Spices, thyme, dried	124 mg
9	Spices, basil, dried	89.8 mg
10	Spearmint, dried	87.5 mg
11	Spices, marjoram, dried	82.7 mg
12	Whale, beluga, meat, dried (Alaska Native)	72.4 mg
13	Cereals ready-to-eat, RALSTON Enriched Wheat Bran flakes	67.7 mg
14	Babyfood, cereal, oatmeal, with honey, dry	67.2 mg
15	Spices, cumin seed	66.4 mg
16	Seaweed, Canadian Cultivated EMI-TSUNOMATA, dry	66.4 mg
17	Baby Toddler cereal, oatmeal, dry	64.1 mg
18	Babyfood, cereal, oatmeal, dry fortified	64.1 mg
19	Babyfood, cereal, Oatmeal, dry, GERBER, SINGLE GRAIN, fortified	64 mg
20	Baby Toddler cereal, oatmeal with fruit, dry	61 mg
21	Spices, turmeric, ground	55 mg
22	Parsley, freeze-dried	53.9 mg
23	Babyfood, cereal, rice, dry fortified	53 mg
24	Baby Toddler cereal, rice, dry	53 mg
25	Baby Toddler cereal, rice with fruit, dry	50.4 mg
26	Seal, bearded (Oogruk), meat, dried (Alaska Native)	49.6 mg
27	Cereals, QUAKER, Quick Oats with Iron, Dry	49.4 mg
28	Spices, dill weed, dried	48.8 mg
29	Babyfood, cereal, barley, dry fortified	48.2 mg
30	Baby Toddler cereal, barley, dry	48.2 mg
31	Babyfood, cereal, brown rice, dry, instant	47.6 mg
32	Babyfood, cereal, rice, with bananas, dry	47.5 mg
33	Babyfood, rice cereal, dry, EARTHS BEST ORGANIC WHOLE GRAIN, fortified only with iron	47.5 mg
34	Babyfood, cereal, mixed, with bananas, dry	47.5 mg
35	Babyfood, cereal, high protein, with apple and orange, dry	47.5 mg
36	Cereal, O's, multigrain	46.6 mg
37	Babyfood, cereal, oatmeal, with bananas, dry	45 mg
38	Babyfood, cereal, whole wheat, with apples, dry fortified	45 mg
39	Spices, celery seed	44.9 mg
40	Walrus, meat, dried (Alaska Native)	43 mg
41	Spices, bay leaf	43 mg
42	Cereals, MALT-O-MEAL, chocolate, dry	42.9 mg
43	Spices, coriander leaf, dried	42.5 mg
44	Cereals, QUAKER, Instant Grits, Redeye Gravy & Country Ham flavor, dry	42 mg
45	Lamb, variety meats and by-products, spleen, raw	41.9 mg
46	Cereals ready-to-eat, MALT-O-MEAL, OAT BLENDERS with honey & almonds	41.4 mg
47	Cereals, MALT-O-MEAL, Farina Hot Wheat Cereal, dry	40.9 mg
48	Beef, variety meats and by-products, spleen, cooked, braised	39.4 mg
49	Cereals, QUAKER, corn grits, instant, plain, dry	38.8 mg
50	Lamb, variety meats and by-products, spleen, cooked, braised	38.7 mg
51	Cereals ready-to-eat, RALSTON Corn Biscuits	38.4 mg
52	Cereals, QUAKER, Instant Grits, Ham 'n' Cheese flavor, dry	38.2 mg
53	Spices, savory, ground	37.9 mg
54	Babyfood, rice and apples, dry	37 mg
55	Spices, anise seed	37 mg
56	Spices, oregano, dried	36.8 mg
57	Cocoa, dry powder, unsweetened, HERSHEY'S European Style Cocoa	36 mg
58	Spices, poultry seasoning	35.3 mg
59	Cereals ready-to-eat, POST, HONEY BUNCHES OF OATS, honey roasted	34.8 mg
60	Cereals ready-to-eat, MALT-O-MEAL, Blueberry MUFFIN TOPS Cereal	34.3 mg
61	Cereals ready-to-eat, POST, HONEY BUNCHES OF OATS, with almonds	33.8 mg
62	Cereals ready-to-eat, MALT-O-MEAL, HONEY GRAHAM SQUARES	33.8 mg
63	Spices, fenugreek seed	33.5 mg
64	Cereals, farina, enriched, assorted brands including CREAM OF WHEAT, quick (1-3 minutes), dry	33.4 mg
65	Seal, bearded (Oogruk), meat, partially dried (Alaska Native)	33 mg
66	Cereals ready-to-eat, RALSTON CRISP RICE	32.7 mg
67	Spices, tarragon, dried	32.3 mg
68	Cereals ready-to-eat, RALSTON TASTEEOS	32.1 mg
69	Cereals ready-to-eat, QUAKER WHOLE HEARTS oat cereal	32.1 mg
70	Cereals, CREAM OF WHEAT, 2 1/2 minute cook time, dry	32 mg
71	Spices, chervil, dried	32 mg
72	Cereals ready-to-eat, rice, puffed, fortified	31.7 mg
73	Cereals ready-to-eat, wheat, puffed, fortified	31.7 mg
74	Cereals, MALT-O-MEAL, Maple & Brown Sugar Hot Wheat Cereal, dry	31.3 mg
75	Cereals ready-to-eat, MALT-O-MEAL, Honey BUZZERS	31 mg
76	Cereals ready-to-eat, QUAKER, QUAKER CRUNCHY BRAN	31 mg
77	Cereals, MALT-O-MEAL, original, plain, dry	30.9 mg
78	Cereal, O's, plain	30.9 mg
79	Duck, domesticated, liver, raw	30.5 mg
80	Cereals, QUAKER, corn grits, instant, cheddar cheese flavor, dry	30.4 mg
81	Cereals, QUAKER, Instant Grits Product with American Cheese Flavor, dry	30.4 mg
82	Cereals, QUAKER, Instant Grits, Country Bacon flavor, dry	30.4 mg
83	Cereal, oat squares	30.1 mg
84	Cereals ready-to-eat, MALT-O-MEAL, Honey Nut SCOOTERS	30 mg
85	Cereals ready-to-eat, POST, ALPHA-BITS	30 mg
86	Cereals ready-to-eat, MALT-O-MEAL, COLOSSAL CRUNCH	30 mg
87	Cereals ready-to-eat, MALT-O-MEAL, MARSHMALLOW MATEYS	30 mg
88	Babyfood, cereal, mixed, dry fortified	30 mg
89	Cereals ready-to-eat, MALT-O-MEAL, BERRY COLOSSAL CRUNCH	30 mg
90	Baby Toddler cereal, multigrain, dry	30 mg
91	Cereals, QUAKER, Instant Grits, Butter flavor, dry	30 mg
92	Cereals ready-to-eat, MALT-O-MEAL, COCO-ROOS	30 mg
93	Cereals ready-to-eat, MALT-O-MEAL, CINNAMON TOASTERS	30 mg
94	Babyfood, Multigrain whole grain cereal, dry fortified	30 mg
95	Cereals ready-to-eat, QUAKER, Toasted Multigrain Crisps	29.9 mg
96	Cereals, CREAM OF WHEAT, 1 minute cook time, dry	29.8 mg
97	Cereals ready-to-eat, QUAKER, QUAKER Honey Graham LIFE Cereal	29.7 mg
98	Cereals ready-to-eat, QUAKER, Oatmeal Squares, cinnamon	29.5 mg
99	Cereals ready-to-eat, MALT-O-MEAL, Frosted Mini SPOONERS	29.4 mg
100	Cereal, other, plain	29.4 mg

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Iron do in the body?

Iron helps red blood cells move oxygen from the lungs to the body.

How much Iron 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 Iron?

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

Can too much Iron 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.