The ten everyday foods with the most iron per 100 grams in USDA FoodData Central's SR Legacy data - led by braised pork liver at 17.92 mg.
Among everyday foods in USDA FoodData Central's SR Legacy data, Pork Liver has the most iron: 17.92 mg per 100 g (braised). Unsweetened Baking Chocolate (17.4 mg) and whole roasted Sesame Seeds (14.76 mg) follow. Foods are counted as eaten, each food once; organ meats other than liver, spices, fortified foods, powders and supplements are excluded.
This list ranks everyday foods by total iron per 100 grams, using only one USDA data system: the SR Legacy foods in FoodData Central. 'Everyday' is defined by written rules, set out in the methodology, that anyone can check against the database. Every figure links to the FoodData Central entry it came from. Values are total iron as published; the data does not separate heme from non-heme iron, and a value per 100 g says nothing about how much a typical portion supplies. This page reports what the official data says; it is not dietary advice.
Braised pork liver is listed at 17.92 mg of iron per 100 g in USDA FoodData Central - the highest of any everyday food under this list's rules.
Unsweetened baking chocolate squares are listed at 17.4 mg of iron per 100 g. Sweetened dark chocolate is lower: the 70-85% cacao entry is 11.9 mg, the 45-59% entry 8.02 mg.
Whole roasted and toasted sesame seeds are listed at 14.76 mg of iron per 100 g, the highest plant food under this list's rules. Hulled sesame kernels are much lower (7.78 mg), because much of the iron is in the hull.
Pan-fried chicken liver is listed at 12.88 mg of iron per 100 g; the simmered entry is 11.63 mg.
Pan-fried lamb liver is listed at 10.2 mg of iron per 100 g; the braised entry is 8.28 mg.
Common octopus cooked with moist heat is listed at 9.54 mg of iron per 100 g.
Wild Eastern oysters cooked with moist heat are listed at 9.21 mg of iron per 100 g; cooked Pacific oysters are almost identical at 9.2 mg.
Hulled pumpkin and squash seed kernels are listed at 8.82 mg of iron per 100 g as sold (dried); roasted kernels are 8.07 mg.
Natto, a Japanese food of fermented soybeans, is listed at 8.6 mg of iron per 100 g.
Hulled hemp seeds (hemp hearts) are listed at 7.95 mg of iron per 100 g, just ahead of dried chia seeds at 7.72 mg.
| # | Name | food_category | fdc_description | fdc_id |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pork Liver | Liver | Pork, fresh, variety meats and by-products, liver, cooked, braised | 167863 |
| 2 | Unsweetened Baking Chocolate | Chocolate | Baking chocolate, unsweetened, squares | 167568 |
| 3 | Sesame Seeds (whole, roasted) | Seeds | Seeds, sesame seeds, whole, roasted and toasted | 170151 |
| 4 | Chicken Liver | Liver | Chicken, liver, all classes, cooked, pan-fried | 174491 |
| 5 | Lamb Liver | Liver | Lamb, variety meats and by-products, liver, cooked, pan-fried | 172533 |
| 6 | Octopus | Shellfish | Mollusks, octopus, common, cooked, moist heat | 174249 |
| 7 | Oysters | Shellfish | Mollusks, oyster, eastern, wild, cooked, moist heat | 171980 |
| 8 | Pumpkin Seeds (pepitas) | Seeds | Seeds, pumpkin and squash seed kernels, dried | 170556 |
| 9 | Natto | Legumes | Natto | 172443 |
| 10 | Hemp Seeds (hulled) | Seeds | Seeds, hemp seed, hulled | 170148 |
Foods are ranked by total iron (mg per 100 g) as published in USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy data type (the final release of the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference). No other database is mixed in. 'Everyday' is defined mechanically: Every candidate is an SR Legacy entry and every rule below was applied to the full SR Legacy food list, not a shortlist. (1) Food groups: only Dairy and Egg; Poultry; Pork; Beef; Lamb and Veal; Finfish and Shellfish; Legumes; Nuts and Seeds; Vegetables; Fruits; Cereal Grains and Pasta; and, from Sweets, chocolate. Spices and herbs, breakfast cereals, baked goods, snacks, beverages, sausages and luncheon meats, sauces and soups, mixed dishes, fast and restaurant foods, baby foods and the regional American Indian/Alaska Native group are out. (2) As eaten: meat, poultry, fish and shellfish only from cooked entries; legumes only cooked, roasted or fermented (no raw or dry uncooked entries; tofu as sold); grains only cooked; nuts, seeds, fruit, vegetables and cheese as sold. (3) Out: organ meats other than liver (spleen, lungs, kidneys, heart, giblets, brain, tongue, pancreas, thymus, tripe); game meats and game birds (FDC 'Game meat' entries, emu, ostrich, pheasant, quail, squab); imported-product entries (New Zealand, Australian); brand-named entries; fortified or enriched foods; reduced-fat, fat-free, low-sodium and 'added solution' variants; powders, flours, meals, protein isolates and concentrates, vital wheat gluten, gelatin, dry milk and supplements; dried, sun-dried, freeze-dried or dehydrated foods other than nuts and seeds, including dried salted fish; breaded or battered and canned entries; brans and germ; nut and seed butters and pastes; fresh herbs, fungi and seaweeds; food parts sold separately (e.g. potato skins); caviar and roe; formulated or meatless products; cottonseed (not a retail food); and entries FDC labels 'mixed species' or 'unspecified', which do not identify a specific product. (4) Each food once: entries that differ only by cut, grade, trim, cooking method, salt, cacao percentage, wild versus farmed, or variety are one food, represented by its highest-valued qualifying entry. Fresh meats are grouped by FDC's leading name (Beef, Veal, Lamb, Pork, Chicken, Turkey), with liver, bacon and ham counted as separate foods. Values are shown exactly as published.
Under this list's rules, braised pork liver: 17.92 mg per 100 g in USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy, FDC 167863).
They are higher by weight - SR Legacy lists braised beef spleen at 39.36 mg and dried thyme at 123.6 mg of iron per 100 g - but this list excludes organ meats other than liver and excludes herbs and spices, which are used in small amounts.
SR Legacy lists braised beef liver at 6.54 mg of iron per 100 g and pan-fried beef liver at 6.17 mg - below pork, chicken and lamb liver, so it does not make the top ten.
It depends on the product. SR Legacy lists raw firm tofu prepared with calcium sulfate at 2.66 mg of iron per 100 g and raw regular tofu prepared with calcium sulfate at 5.36 mg.
The U.S. Recommended Dietary Allowance set by the National Academies is 8 mg per day for adult men and for women 51 and older, 18 mg per day for women aged 19-50, and 27 mg per day during pregnancy. This page does not give dietary advice.
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