Top 10 Foods Highest in Fiber

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Top 10 Foods Highest in Fiber

Dietary fiber or "roughage" is an essential nutrient required for proper digestion of foods and helping you feel full. (1)

Health benefits of fiber include reduced blood pressure, lower cholesterol, and a decreased risk for stroke, diabetes, and various gastrointestinal diseases. (1)

High fiber foods include beans, lentils, avocados, chia seeds, acorn squash, green peas, collard greens, broccoli, oranges, and sweet potato. (2) The current daily value (DV) for dietary fiber is 28 grams. (3)

Below is a list of high fiber foods, for more, see the extended lists of fiber rich foods, vegetables high in fiber, fruits high in fiber, beans high in fiber, and grains high in fiber.

Top 10 Foods High in Fiber

Navy Beans1 Navy (Haricot) Beans
Fiber
per Cup
Fiber
per 100g
Fiber
per 200 Calories
19g
(68% DV)
11g
(38% DV)
15g
(54% DV)

More Beans and Legumes High in Fiber

  • 19g (66% DV) in 1 cup of white beans
  • 16g (56% DV) in 1 cup of lentils
  • 17g (60% DV) in 1 cup of adzuki beans
  • 15g (55% DV) in 1 cup of pinto beans
  • 12g (45% DV) in 1 cup of chickpeas
  • 9g (33% DV) in 1 cup of lima beans

See the full list of beans high in fiber.

Half an avocado2 Avocados
Fiber
per Avocado
Fiber
per 100g
Fiber
per 200 Calories
13g
(48% DV)
7g
(24% DV)
8g
(30% DV)

See the list of fruits high in fiber.

Chia Seeds3 Chia Seeds
Fiber
per oz (~2 Tblsp)
Fiber
per 100g
Fiber
per 200 Calories
10g
(35% DV)
34g
(123% DV)
14g
(51% DV)

Other Nuts and Seeds High in Fiber

  • 8g (28% DV) per oz of flaxseeds
  • 5g (19% DV) per oz of pumpkin and squash seeds
  • 4g (14% DV) per oz of sesame seeds
  • 4g (13% DV) per oz of almonds
  • 3g (11% DV) per oz of pistachios
  • 3g (10% DV) per oz of pecans
  • 2g (9% DV) per oz of sunflower seeds

See the ranking for nuts and seeds high in fiber.

An acorn squash4 Acorn Squash
Fiber
per Cup Cooked
Fiber
per 100g
Fiber
per 200 Calories
9g
(32% DV)
4g
(16% DV)
16g
(56% DV)

Other Squash High in Fiber

  • 10g (36% DV) in 1 cup of hubbard squash (cooked)
  • 7g (23% DV) in 1 cup of butternut squash (cooked)
  • 6g (21% DV) in 1 cup of an average winter squash (cooked)

See the list of all vegetables high in fiber.

Green Peas5 Green Peas
Fiber
per Cup Cooked
Fiber
per 100g
Fiber
per 200 Calories
9g
(31% DV)
6g
(20% DV)
13g
(47% DV)
  • 18% DV fiber in 1 cup of podded peas

See the list of all vegetables high in fiber.

Collard Green Leaves6 Collard Greens
Fiber
per Cup Cooked
Fiber
per 100g
Fiber
per 200 Calories
8g
(27% DV)
4g
(14% DV)
24g
(87% DV)

Other Green Leafy Vegetables High in Fiber

  • 5g (18% DV) in 1 cup of cooked turnip greens
  • 4.3g (15% DV) in 1 cup of cooked spinach
  • 4.2g (15% DV) in 1 cup of cooked escarole
  • 3.7g (13% DV) in 1 cup of Swiss chard

See the list of all vegetables high in fiber.

Broccoli Stalk7 Broccoli
Fiber
per Cup Cooked
Fiber
per 100g
Fiber
per 200 Calories
5g
(18% DV)
3g
(12% DV)
19g
(67% DV)

See the list of all vegetables high in fiber.

Whole Wheat Spaghetti8 Whole Wheat Pasta
Fiber
per Cup
Fiber
per 100g
Fiber
per 200 Calories
5g
(16% DV)
4g
(14% DV)
5g
(19% DV)

Other Whole Grains High in Fiber

  • 8g (29% DV) per cup of bulgur
  • 7g (26% DV) per cup of kamut
  • 4g (14% DV) in a 2 slices of whole wheat bread
  • 4g (13% DV) per cup of brown rice

See the list of grains high in fiber.

Slices of orange9 Oranges
Fiber
per Cup
Fiber
per 100g
Fiber
per 200 Calories
4g
(15% DV)
2g
(9% DV)
10g
(36% DV)

See the list of fruits high in fiber.

Sliced Sweet Potato10 Sweet Potatoes
Fiber
per Cup
Fiber
per 100g
Fiber
per 200 Calories
4g
(14% DV)
3g
(11% DV)
7g
(25% DV)

See the list of all vegetables high in fiber.

See All 200 Foods High in Fiber

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Printable list of the top 10 foods high in fiber including beans, lentils, avocados, chia seeds, acorn squash, green peas, collard greens, broccoli, oranges, and sweet potato. The current daily value (DV) for dietary fiber is 25 grams.

Extended List of Fiber Rich Foods

FoodServingFiber
1 Mamey Appleper fruit91% DV
(25g)
2 Passion-Fruit (Granadilla)per cup88% DV
(25g)
3 Sapodillaper fruit46% DV
(13g)
4 Mamey Sapote1 cup chopped34% DV
(9g)
5 Natto (Fermented Soybeans)per cup34% DV
(9g)
6 Durianper cup chopped33% DV
(9g)
7 Guavasper cup32% DV
(9g)
8 Bulgur (Cracked Wheat)per cup29% DV
(8g)
9 Edamame (Green Soybeans)per cup29% DV
(8g)
10 Taro Rootper cup24% DV
(7g)
11 Persimmonper fruit22% DV
(6g)
12 Dried Coconutper oz17% DV
(5g)
13 Branper tablespoon6% DV
(2g)

How much fiber do you need each day?

The percent daily value (%DV) for fiber is 28 grams per day (2) and the adequate intake (AI) for adults is 38 grams per day. (3)

The Percent Daily Value (%DV) is shown on food labels to help the "average" consumer compare foods, while the adequate intake (AI) is meant to give people a more accurate daily target by age and gender. In this case, the daily value for fiber is probably set too low and should be revised higher by the FDA.

Here is the breakout of the adequate intake by age and gender for fiber: (3)

  • 1-3 years old: 19g/day
  • 4-8 years old: 25g/day
  • Boys 9-13 years old: 31g/day
  • Boys 14-18 years old: 38g/day
  • Girls 9-18 years old: 26g/day
  • Men 19-50 years old: 38g/day
  • Men 50+ years old: 30g/day
  • Women 19-50 years old: 25g/day
  • Women 50+ years old: 21g/day
  • Pregnant and Lactating Women: 28-29g/day

Differences in fiber requirements between men and women are established based on estimated energy needs, and data that suggests the amount of fiber required for protection against cardiovascular disease. In other words, men need to consume more fiber to gain the health benefits.(3)

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 %DV is a general guideline for everyone and accounts for absorption factors. It is the most common target in the U.S. and is the target on the nutrition labels of most products. 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 percent) healthy individuals and is specific to age and gender. The RDA is set by the US National Instutites of Health.
  • Adequate Intake (%AI) - Sets a target for Omega 3 and Omega 6 fats. The Adequate Intake is also set by the U.S. Institute of Medicine. It represents a number to ensure adequacy but lacks the same level of evidence as the Reference Dietary Intake. In short, the number is less accurate than the RDI.
  • Reference Dietary Intake (%RDI) -The reference dietary intake is similar to the recommended daily allowance, and is specific to age and gender. The RDI for amino acids is set by the U.N. World Health Organization.
  • See the Guide to Recommended Daily Intakes for more information.

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

Data Sources and References

  1. Health benefits of dietary fiber.
  2. U.S. Agricultural Research Service Food Data Central
  3. FDA on Daily Values
  4. Institute of Medicine Dietary Reference Intakes

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