Top 10 Nuts and Seeds Highest in Zinc

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Top 10 Nuts and Seeds Highest in Zinc

Zinc is an essential mineral with roles in immune function, protein synthesis, wound healing, DNA synthesis, and cell division.

Zinc is of particular interest to vegans and vegetarians since anti-nutrients like phytates limit the bioavailability and absorption of zinc from plant foods. Despite this, plant foods like nuts and seeds are still a good source of zinc.

Nuts and seeds high in zinc include squash seeds, pumpkin seeds, pine nuts, cashews, sunflower seeds, pecans, chia seeds, flax seeds, Brazil nuts, and almonds. The current daily value (DV) for zinc is 11mg.

Below is a list of the top 10 nuts high in zinc, ranked by a 1oz handful. For more see the article for vegan and vegetarian sources of zinc, and the complete nutrient ranking of over 50 high zinc nuts.

List of Nuts High in Zinc

Squash and Pumpkin Seeds1 Squash and Pumpkin Seeds
Zinc
per 1 Oz Handful
Zinc
per 100g
Zinc
per 200 Calories
3mg
(27% DV)
10mg
(94% DV)
5mg
(42% DV)
Hemp Seeds2 Hemp Seeds
Zinc
per Oz
Zinc
per 100g
Zinc
per 200 Calories
3mg
(26% DV)
10mg
(90% DV)
4mg
(33% DV)

Not sure how to eat hemp seeds? Sprinkle them on top of oatmeal, cereal, and salads. You can also mix them into yogurt or smoothies.

Pine Nuts3 Pine Nuts
Zinc
per Oz
Zinc
per 100g
Zinc
per 200 Calories
2mg
(17% DV)
6mg
(59% DV)
2mg
(17% DV)
Cashews4 Cashews (Dry Roasted)
Zinc
per 1 Oz Handful
Zinc
per 100g
Zinc
per 200 Calories
2mg
(14% DV)
6mg
(51% DV)
2mg
(18% DV)
Sunflower Seeds5 Sunflower Seeds
Zinc
per 1oz Handful
Zinc
per 100g
Zinc
per 200 Calories
2mg
(14% DV)
5mg
(48% DV)
2mg
(17% DV)
Pecans6 Pecans (Dry-Roasted)
Zinc
per Oz
Zinc
per 100g
Zinc
per 200 Calories
1mg
(13% DV)
5mg
(46% DV)
1mg
(13% DV)
Chia Seeds7 Chia Seeds
Zinc
per oz(~2 Tblsp)
Zinc
per 100g
Zinc
per 200 Calories
1mg
(12% DV)
5mg
(42% DV)
2mg
(17% DV)
Flax Seeds8 Flax Seeds
Zinc
per Oz
Zinc
per 100g
Zinc
per 200 Calories
1mg
(11% DV)
4mg
(39% DV)
2mg
(15% DV)
Brazil Nuts9 Brazil Nuts
Zinc
per 1oz Handful
Zinc
per 100g
Zinc
per 200 Calories
1mg
(10% DV)
4mg
(37% DV)
1mg
(11% DV)
Almonds10 Almonds
Zinc
per 1oz Handful
Zinc
per 100g
Zinc
per 200 Calories
1mg
(9% DV)
3mg
(30% DV)
1mg
(10% DV)

Printable One Page Sheet

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Printable list of nuts and seeds high in zinc.

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.

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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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