Spinach is the vegetable with the most iron, delivering about 6.5 mg per cup when cooked. That single cup covers more than 80% of the daily iron needs for adult men and over a third for premenopausal women. Other dark leafy greens, potatoes, and broccoli also rank well, but cooked spinach consistently tops the list among common vegetables.
Why Cooked Spinach Leads the List
Raw and cooked spinach are almost two different foods when it comes to iron. A cup of raw spinach contains less than 1 mg of iron because the leaves are mostly water and take up a lot of volume. Cooking collapses all that bulk dramatically, so a cup of cooked spinach packs in far more leaves and, with them, far more iron. That’s why you’ll sometimes see spinach listed as iron-poor and other times as iron-rich: it depends entirely on whether the measurement is raw or cooked.
Other High-Iron Vegetables
Spinach isn’t your only option. Several other vegetables contribute meaningful amounts of iron, especially when eaten regularly:
- Dark leafy greens like collard greens, kale, and dandelion greens all provide iron in the same family as spinach, though typically in smaller amounts per serving.
- Potatoes are an overlooked source, with a medium baked potato delivering roughly 1.5 to 2 mg of iron, mostly concentrated in the skin.
- Broccoli and Brussels sprouts offer moderate iron along with vitamin C, which helps your body absorb that iron more effectively.
- Tomato paste is concentrated enough to be a surprisingly good source, and its acidity further supports absorption.
Legumes Pack Even More Iron
If you’re open to looking beyond vegetables, legumes are some of the most iron-dense plant foods available. A cup of cooked lentils delivers 6.6 mg of iron, slightly edging out even cooked spinach. Chickpeas come in at 4.7 mg per cooked cup. Adding beans or lentils to your meals a few times a week can make a significant dent in your daily requirements, especially if you don’t eat meat.
How Much Iron You Actually Need
Daily iron needs vary quite a bit depending on age, sex, and diet. Adult men and anyone over 51 need about 8 mg per day. Adult women between 19 and 50 need 18 mg, more than double. Pregnant women need the most at 27 mg daily.
If you eat a mostly plant-based diet, the NIH recommends aiming for nearly twice these amounts. That’s because plant iron (called non-heme iron) isn’t absorbed as efficiently as the iron found in meat. Your body typically absorbs only a fraction of the iron listed on a nutrition label when the source is a vegetable or legume.
What Helps and Hurts Absorption
The iron content on a label doesn’t tell the whole story. Several compounds naturally present in plant foods reduce how much iron your body actually takes in. Phytates, found in whole grains, seeds, and legumes, can cut non-heme iron absorption by anywhere from 1% to 23% depending on the meal. Tannins in tea and coffee have a similar blocking effect. Drinking tea or coffee with an iron-rich meal is one of the easiest ways to accidentally undermine your iron intake.
On the flip side, vitamin C is the single best enhancer of plant iron absorption. Pairing your spinach or lentils with bell peppers, citrus, tomatoes, or broccoli can meaningfully increase how much iron makes it into your bloodstream. Even a squeeze of lemon juice on cooked greens makes a difference.
Cooking in a cast iron pot also adds iron to your food. Research from the USDA found that dishes prepared in iron pots consistently contained more available iron than the same dishes cooked in aluminum pots. Acidic foods like tomato-based sauces or dishes made with vinegar leach the most iron from the cookware, making this a simple and effective strategy for boosting your intake without changing what you eat.
Getting the Most Iron From Your Vegetables
If you’re trying to maximize iron from vegetables, a few practical choices add up. Cook your spinach rather than eating it raw, since you’ll consume many more leaves per serving. Pair iron-rich vegetables with a vitamin C source at the same meal. Save your coffee or tea for between meals instead of drinking it alongside iron-heavy foods. And if you have a cast iron skillet, use it for acidic dishes like tomato sauces and stir-fries with vinegar-based seasonings.
For most people eating a varied diet, iron deficiency isn’t a major concern. But if you’re vegetarian, vegan, pregnant, or have heavy periods, paying attention to which vegetables and legumes you’re eating, and how you’re preparing them, can make a real difference in hitting your daily targets.