Top 10 Healthy High Fat Foods

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Top 10 Healthy High Fat Foods

Fat is an essential macronutrient with a range of important functions, including insulating the body, helping us absorb vitamins, and acting as an energy store. Each gram of fat contains 9 calories, making it the most calorie-dense nutrient, and eating too much can therefore lead to weight gain.

Not all fats are created equal, however, and healthy fats are an essential part of a balanced diet. In fact, including some healthy fats and reducing your consumption of the less healthy types (trans fats and saturated fats) is extremely beneficial to health. In particular, it can reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease and other conditions associated with inflammation in the body, such as rheumatoid arthritis.

For more information, see the list of unhealthy high fat foods to avoid.

Healthy high-fat foods include avocados, tofu, nuts, seeds, fish, peanut butter, soybeans, flaxseed oil, cheese, and eggs. (1) The daily value (DV) for fats is 78 grams. (2) Below are the top 10 healthy foods highest in fat. For more, see the complete ranking of 200 foods high in fat.

List of Healthy High Fat Foods

Half an avocado1 Avocados
Fat
per Avocado
Fat
per 100g
Fat
per 200 Calories
29g
(38% DV)
15g
(19% DV)
18g
(23% DV)

More Fruits High in Healthy Fats

  • 13g (20% DV) per cup of durian
  • 2.3g (3% DV) in 5 medium olives

See the ranking of fruits high in fat.

A block of tofu2 Tofu
Fat
per Cup
Fat
per 100g
Fat
per 200 Calories
22g
(28% DV)
9g
(11% DV)
12g
(16% DV)
  • 18g (23% DV) in 1 cup of tempeh
Macadamia Nuts3 Macadamia Nuts
Fat
per 1 Oz Handful
Fat
per 100g
Fat
per 200 Calories
22g
(28% DV)
76g
(97% DV)
21g
(27% DV)

More Nuts High in Healthy Fats

  • 20g (26% DV) in 1 oz of pecans
  • 19g (25% DV) in 1 oz of pine nuts
  • 19g (24% DV) in 1 oz of walnuts

See the complete list of nuts and seeds high in fat.

Salmon Fillets4 Fish (Salmon)
Fat
per 6oz Fillet
Fat
per 100g
Fat
per 200 Calories
21g
(27% DV)
12g
(16% DV)
12g
(15% DV)

More Fish High in Healthy Fats

  • 30g (39% DV) in a 6oz mackerel fillet
  • 26g (33% DV) in a 5oz herring fillet
  • 11g (14% DV) in a 6oz tuna steak

See the list of fish high in fat.

A Spoon of Peanut Butter5 Peanut Butter
Fat
per 2 Tblsp
Fat
per 100g
Fat
per 200 Calories
16g
(21% DV)
51g
(66% DV)
17g
(22% DV)

More Nut Butters High in Healthy Fats

  • 18g (23% DV) in 2 tblsp of almond butter
  • 16g (20% DV) in 2 tblsp on cashew butter
  • 16g (20% DV) in 2 tblsp of tahini (sesame seed butter)
Soy Beans6 Boiled Soybeans (Edamame)
Fat
per Cup
Fat
per 100g
Fat
per 200 Calories
15g
(20% DV)
9g
(12% DV)
10g
(13% DV)

Other than soy, most beans contain very little fat.

Oil from a bottle7 Flaxseed Oil
Fat
per Tblsp
Fat
per 100g
Fat
per 200 Calories
14g
(17% DV)
100g
(128% DV)
23g
(29% DV)

Other healthy oils include canola, avocado, walnut, sesame, and grapeseed. All of which provide 17% DV fat per tbsp.

Dark chocolate squares8 Dark Chocolate (85% Cocoa)
Fat
per 1oz Square
Fat
per 100g
Fat
per 200 Calories
12g
(16% DV)
43g
(55% DV)
14g
(18% DV)
  • A whole 3.5oz bar of dark chocolate contains 42g (54% DV) of fat
  • 45-59% dark chocolate contains 9g (11% DV) fat per oz
Slices of Cheddar Cheese9 Cheddar Cheese
Fat
per Oz
Fat
per 100g
Fat
per 200 Calories
9g
(12% DV)
33g
(43% DV)
17g
(21% DV)

More Healthy Dairy Products High in Fat

  • 16g (20% DV) in a 16oz glass of whole milk
  • 12g (15% DV) in a tbsp of butter
  • 10g (12% DV) in a 16oz glass of low-fat milk
  • 8g (10% DV) in a cup of whole yogurt

See all high fat dairy products.

Eggs10 Eggs
Fat
in 1 Large Egg
Fat
per 100g
Fat
per 200 Calories
5g
(7% DV)
11g
(14% DV)
14g
(18% DV)

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Printable list of healthy high-fat foods.

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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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
  2. FDA on Daily Values
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