Top 20 Vegetables High in Potassium

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Top 20 Vegetables High in Potassium

Potassium is an essential nutrient used to maintain fluid and electrolyte balance in the body.

A deficiency in potassium causes fatigue, irritability, and hypertension (increased blood pressure).

Overdose of potassium from natural sources is nearly impossible, however, it is possible to consume too much potassium via potassium salts which can lead to nausea, vomiting, and even cardiac arrest.

For those with chronic kidney disease (CKD) who need to lower their potassium, this list can serve as a guide on what vegetables to eat or avoid depending on your own restrictions. Most people with CKD should not consume more than 200mg of potassium per serving, or 2000mg per day. This article can only be used as a guide, but the amount of potassium you eat each day should be set by your care provider. See also our list of low potassium vegetables for more ideas.

Vegetables high in potassium include beet greens, lima beans, Swiss chard, potatoes, acorn squash, spinach, bok choy, mushrooms, tomatoes, and, sweet potatoes. The current daily value (DV) for potassium is 4700mg, recently increased from 3500mg by the FDA.

Below is a list of vegetables high in potassium, for more, see the articles on high potassium foods, and high potassium fruits.

You can also use the nutrient ranking tool to see the full list of 200 vegetables high in potassium, and sort by highest or lowest.

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Less Common Potassium Rich Vegetables

FoodServingPotassium
1. Yams per cup 26% DV
(1224mg)
2. Yautia per cup 17% DV
(807mg)
3. Bamboo Shoots per cup cooked 14% DV
(640mg)
4. Taro per cup cooked 14% DV
(639mg)
5. Kohlrabi per cup cooked 12% DV
(561mg)
6. Mustard Spinach per cup cooked 11% DV
(513mg)
7. Jute Potherb (Molokhiya) per cup cooked 10% DV
(479mg)
8. Celeriac per cup 10% DV
(468mg)
9. Pea Sprouts per cup 10% DV
(457mg)
10. Bittermelon per cup cooked 8% DV
(396mg)

How much potassium do you need each day?

The daily value (%DV) for Potassium is 4700mg and is a general target intended for most people. Adquate intakes (%AI) take age and gender into account and range from 2000mg - 3400mg for most people.

Life StageAI
Infants
0-6 months old400mg
7-12 months old860mg
Children
1-3 years old2000mg
4-8 years old2300mg
Males
9-13 years old2500mg
14-18 years old3000mg
19+ years old3400mg
Females
9-13 years old2300mg
14-18 years old2300mg
19+ years old2600mg
Pregnancy
14-18 years old2600mg
19+ years old2900mg
Lactation
14-18 years old2500mg
19-30 years old2800mg
Source: National Library of Medicine Dietary Reference Intakes for Potassium

About the Data

Data for the curated food lists comes from the USDA Food Data Central Repository.

You can check our data against the USDA by clicking the (Source) link at the bottom of each food listing.

Note: When checking data please be sure the serving sizes are the same. In the rare case you find any difference, please contact us and we will fix it right away.

About Nutrient Targets

Setting targets can provide a guide to healthy eating.

Some of the most popular targets include:
  • Daily Value (%DV) - The daily value (%DV) is a general guideline for consumption that will prevent deficiency of a particular nutrient in most people. The %DV refers to the percentage of an amount that\'s found in a single serving of a food. It also accounts for absorption factors. It is set by the U.S. FDA.
  • Recommended Dietary Allowance (%RDA) - The RDA sets an average daily dietary intake level that is sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of nearly all (97.5%) healthy individuals. It\'s more specific than the daily value, and varies by age and gender. The RDA is set by the US National Institutes of Health.
  • Reference Dietary Intake (%RDI) -The reference dietary intake is similar to the recommended daily allowance, but is specific to age and gender. The RDI for amino acids is set by the U.N. World Health Organization.
  • Adequate Intake (%AI) - This value is primarily used in reference to omega-3 and omega-6 fats. The Adequate Intake is set by the U.S. Institute of Medicine. Because there is less evidence to determine the ideal targets for consumption of these nutrients, the specific amount is considered to be less reliable. Using the term Adequate Intake, rather than one of the other terms, helps to emphasize that the ideal intake of that particular nutrient has not yet been scientifically determined.

See the Guide to Recommended Daily Intakes for more information.

Want to set your own targets? Sign up for an account and set custom targets in the daily food log.

Use the ranking tool links below to select foods and create your own food list to share or print.


View more nutrients with the nutrient ranking tool, or see ratios with the nutrient ratio tool.

Data Sources and References

  1. U.S. Agricultural Research Service Food Data Central
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