Yes, broccoli contains iron. A cup of cooked broccoli provides roughly 1 mg of iron, while a cup of raw broccoli has about 0.7 mg. That’s a modest but meaningful amount, especially because broccoli comes with a built-in advantage: it’s naturally rich in vitamin C, which helps your body absorb the type of iron found in plants.
How Much Iron Broccoli Actually Provides
The iron in broccoli is non-heme iron, the form found in all plant foods. Non-heme iron is harder for your body to absorb than the heme iron in meat, but broccoli partially compensates for this because of its high vitamin C content. Vitamin C increases the amount of non-heme iron your body can take up from a meal, and broccoli delivers both nutrients in a single package.
To put the numbers in perspective, adult men and women over 51 need about 8 mg of iron per day. Women between 19 and 50 need 18 mg daily, largely due to menstrual blood loss. A cup of cooked broccoli covers roughly 12% of the daily requirement for men and about 6% for premenopausal women. It’s not a powerhouse on its own, but it adds up when combined with other iron-containing foods throughout the day.
How Broccoli Compares to Other Foods
Broccoli sits in the middle of the pack for plant-based iron sources. Half a cup of cooked spinach delivers about 3.4 mg of iron, more than three times what the same volume of broccoli provides. A 75-gram serving of beef or lamb (roughly 2.5 ounces) contains 1.5 to 2.4 mg, and that iron is in the more absorbable heme form.
Raw spinach, interestingly, offers far less iron per serving than cooked spinach. A full cup of raw spinach has only 0.9 mg because cooking concentrates it dramatically. The same principle applies to broccoli: cooking reduces its volume, so cooked servings pack in more nutrients per bite than raw ones. Spinach also contains compounds called oxalates that can interfere with mineral absorption, which partially offsets its higher iron content. Broccoli is relatively low in these absorption blockers, giving it a practical advantage despite the smaller numbers on paper.
What Helps and Hurts Iron Absorption
The iron you absorb from broccoli depends heavily on what else is on your plate. Research published in the British Journal of Nutrition tested how specific compounds affect iron uptake from vegetables, including broccoli, and the differences were striking.
Tannins, the bitter compounds found in tea, coffee, and red wine, nearly eliminated iron absorption from a broccoli meal in one experiment. Adding 500 mg of tannic acid dropped absorption from about 30% down to 1.5%. Phytates, found in whole grains and legumes, also reduced absorption significantly, though less dramatically. If you’re eating broccoli specifically to boost your iron intake, pairing it with tea or coffee at the same meal works against you.
On the helpful side, vitamin C is the most reliable absorption booster, and broccoli already contains a generous amount. You can amplify the effect further by adding other vitamin C-rich foods to the meal: bell peppers, tomatoes, citrus, or strawberries. Eating broccoli alongside a small portion of meat or fish also helps, because heme iron from animal sources enhances the absorption of non-heme iron eaten at the same time.
Best Ways to Cook Broccoli for Nutrition
How you cook broccoli matters more than you might expect. Boiling is the worst option for preserving nutrients. Submerging broccoli in a large pot of water leaches water-soluble vitamins and beneficial compounds into the cooking liquid, which most people pour down the drain. Overcooking in any method has a similar effect, breaking down vitamin C through heat degradation.
Steaming retains the highest levels of vitamin C and antioxidants, making it the best choice if you want to preserve the nutrient that helps iron absorption. Microwaving is a close second. The short cook time and minimal water contact limit nutrient loss, and some research suggests microwaving actually increases levels of certain protective compounds in broccoli. The general rule: use as little water as possible and cook just until the broccoli is tender-crisp. If you do boil it, using the cooking water in a soup or sauce recaptures some of the nutrients that leached out.
Making Broccoli Count Toward Your Iron Goals
Broccoli alone won’t meet your daily iron needs, but it’s a smart contributor to a varied diet. Its real strength is the combination of iron and vitamin C in one food, plus relatively low levels of the compounds that block absorption. For vegetarians and vegans who rely entirely on non-heme iron, broccoli is a more efficient source than its raw numbers suggest.
A practical approach: include broccoli as one of several iron-rich foods across your meals. Pair it with lentils, tofu, fortified cereals, or leafy greens, and add a squeeze of lemon or a side of tomatoes. Avoid drinking tea or coffee with the meal if iron is a priority. These small adjustments can double or triple the amount of iron your body actually absorbs from the same plate of food.