Top 10 Foods Highest in Alpha-Carotene


Alpha-Carotene is a precursor to creating vitamin A in the body, and while important, is far less common than beta-carotene.
Like beta-carotene, alpha-carotene is fat soluble and therefore needs to be consumed with fat to be absorbed.
For every 24μg of alpha-carotene you consume, you create 1μg vitamin A retinol activity equivalents (RAE). (1) The recommended daily allowance (RDA) for vitamin A is 900μg of retinol activity equivalents (RAEs). While it would be unlikely to attain all your vitamin A from alpha-carotene, we calculate the daily intake target of alpha-carotene to be 24 times the amount of vitamin A (per the conversion to retinol equivalents). Thus the recommended dietary allowance for alpha-carotene is: 900μg x 24 or 21600μg per day.
Again, you do not actually have to worry about meeting the RDA as beta-carotene, and vitamin A both contribute to the RDA, and the calculated RDA is intended as a guide to compare foods.
Foods high in alpha-carotene include orange vegetables like pumpkin, carrots, and winter squash. Other alpha-carotene food sources include tangerines, tomatoes, collards, napa cabbage, sweet potatoes, avocados, and bananas. Below are the top 10 foods highest in alpha-carotene, for more, see the nutrient ranking of foods high in alpha-carotene.
List of Foods High in Alpha Carotene

#1: Pumpkin
Alpha-carotene per Cup Cooked | Alpha-carotene per 100g | Alpha-carotene per 200 Calories |
---|---|---|
6652μg (31% DV) | 2715μg (13% DV) | 27150μg (126% DV) |

#2: Carrots
Alpha-carotene per Cup Cooked | Alpha-carotene per 100g | Alpha-carotene per 200 Calories |
---|---|---|
5891μg (27% DV) | 3776μg (17% DV) | 21577μg (100% DV) |

#3: Butternut Squash
Alpha-carotene per Cup Cooked | Alpha-carotene per 100g | Alpha-carotene per 200 Calories |
---|---|---|
2317μg (11% DV) | 1130μg (5% DV) | 5650μg (26% DV) |

#4: Tangerines
Alpha-carotene per Cup | Alpha-carotene per 100g | Alpha-carotene per 200 Calories |
---|---|---|
197μg (1% DV) | 101μg (0% DV) | 381μg (2% DV) |
#5: Tomatoes
Alpha-carotene per Cup Cooked | Alpha-carotene per 100g | Alpha-carotene per 200 Calories |
---|---|---|
150μg (1% DV) | 101μg (0% DV) | 1122μg (5% DV) |

#6: Collard Greens
Alpha-carotene per Cup Cooked | Alpha-carotene per 100g | Alpha-carotene per 200 Calories |
---|---|---|
129μg (1% DV) | 68μg (0% DV) | 412μg (2% DV) |

#7: Napa Cabbage
Alpha-carotene per Cup Cooked | Alpha-carotene per 100g | Alpha-carotene per 200 Calories |
---|---|---|
53μg (0% DV) | 49μg (0% DV) | 817μg (4% DV) |
#8: Sweet Potato
Alpha-carotene per Cup Baked | Alpha-carotene per 100g | Alpha-carotene per 200 Calories |
---|---|---|
49μg (0% DV) | 43μg (0% DV) | 96μg (0% DV) |
#9: Avocados
Alpha-carotene per Avocado | Alpha-carotene per 100g | Alpha-carotene per 200 Calories |
---|---|---|
48μg (0% DV) | 24μg (0% DV) | 30μg (0% DV) |

#10: Bananas
Alpha-carotene per Cup Sliced | Alpha-carotene per 100g | Alpha-carotene per 200 Calories |
---|---|---|
38μg (0% DV) | 25μg (0% DV) | 56μg (0% DV) |
See All 200 Foods High in Alpha Carotene

From the Nutrient Ranking Tool
- Foods High in Alpha Carotene
- Foods Low in Alpha Carotene
- Vegetables High in Alpha Carotene
- Fruits High in Alpha Carotene
- Vegetarian Foods High in Alpha Carotene
- Breakfast Cereals High in Alpha Carotene
- Fast Foods High in Alpha Carotene
View more food groups with the nutrient ranking tool, or see ratios with the nutrient ratio tool.
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Data Sources and References
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