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. (1,2)

The current daily value (DV) for zinc is 11mg. (3) This is a target intended for the general population, but some people may have different needs for zinc based on their age, gender, diet, or medical factors.

Zinc may be of particular interest to vegans and vegetarians. Compounds present in many plant foods, such as phytates, limit the absorption of zinc from these foods. (4) To compensate for this, people on a plant based diet should aim to eat about 50% more zinc than those in the general population. (5)

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.

Below is a list of the top 10 nuts high in zinc, ranked by a 1 ounce (oz) handful. For more see the article for vegan and vegetarian sources of zinc, high zinc vegetables, and high zinc fruits.

List of Nuts High in Zinc

• 1. Squash and Pumpkin Seeds + Add

  Zinc per 1 Oz Handful	Zinc per 100g	Zinc per 200 Calories
  3mg (27% DV)	10mg (94% DV)	5mg (42% DV)

  Nutrition Facts for Roasted Squash And Pumpkin Seeds (With Shells). (Source)
• 2. Hemp Seeds + Add

  Zinc per Oz	Zinc per 100g	Zinc per 200 Calories
  3mg (26% DV)	10mg (90% DV)	4mg (33% DV)

  Nutrition Facts for Hemp Seeds (Hulled). (Source)

  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.

• 3. Pine Nuts + Add

  Zinc per Oz	Zinc per 100g	Zinc per 200 Calories
  2mg (17% DV)	6mg (59% DV)	2mg (17% DV)

  Nutrition Facts for Dried Pine Nuts. (Source)
• 4. Cashews (Dry Roasted) + Add

  Zinc per 1 Oz Handful	Zinc per 100g	Zinc per 200 Calories
  2mg (14% DV)	6mg (51% DV)	2mg (18% DV)

  Nutrition Facts for Dry Roasted Cashews. (Source)
• 5. Sunflower Seeds + Add

  Zinc per 1oz Handful	Zinc per 100g	Zinc per 200 Calories
  2mg (14% DV)	5mg (48% DV)	2mg (17% DV)

  Nutrition Facts for Dry Roasted Sunflower Seeds. (Source)
• 6. Pecans (Dry-Roasted) + Add

  Zinc per Oz	Zinc per 100g	Zinc per 200 Calories
  1mg (13% DV)	5mg (46% DV)	1mg (13% DV)

  Nutrition Facts for Dry Roasted Pecans. (Source)
• 7. Chia Seeds + Add

  Zinc per oz(~2 Tblsp)	Zinc per 100g	Zinc per 200 Calories
  1mg (12% DV)	5mg (42% DV)	2mg (17% DV)

  Nutrition Facts for Chia Seeds. (Source)
• 8. Flax Seeds + Add

  Zinc per Oz	Zinc per 100g	Zinc per 200 Calories
  1mg (11% DV)	4mg (39% DV)	2mg (15% DV)

  Nutrition Facts for Flax Seeds. (Source)
• 9. Brazil Nuts + Add

  Zinc per 1oz Handful	Zinc per 100g	Zinc per 200 Calories
  1mg (10% DV)	4mg (37% DV)	1mg (11% DV)

  Nutrition Facts for Brazilnuts. (Source)
• 10. Almonds + Add

  Zinc per 1oz Handful	Zinc per 100g	Zinc per 200 Calories
  1mg (9% DV)	3mg (30% DV)	1mg (10% DV)

  Nutrition Facts for Dry Roasted Almonds. (Source)

Printable One Page Sheet

Click to Print

From the Nutrient Ranking Tool

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

• Foods High in Zinc
• Foods Low in Zinc
• Vegetables High in Zinc
• Fruits High in Zinc
• Vegetarian Foods High in Zinc
• Nuts High in Zinc
• Grains High in Zinc
• Beans High in Zinc
• Dairy High in Zinc
• Breakfast Cereals High in Zinc
• Fast Foods High in Zinc

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

Related

• Zinc Foods
• High Zinc Vegetables
• High Zinc Fruits
• High Protein Nuts
• High Fiber Nuts
• The Best 10 Foods For Healthy Hair And Nails

Data Sources and References

1. Haase H, Rink L. Zinc and the immune system Metallomics. 2014 Jul;6(7):1175-80. doi: 10.1039/c3mt00353a. 24531756
2. Rasouli M, Rahimi A, Soleimani M, Keshel SH. Zinc in Wound Healing Modulation Acta Histochem. 2021 Oct;123(7):151785. doi: 10.1016/j.acthis.2021.151785. Epub 2021 Sep 6. 34500185
3. U.S.FDA - Daily Value on the New Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels
4. Gibson RS, Raboy V, King JC. Dietary factors influencing zinc absorption Nutr Rev. 2018 Nov 1;76(11):793-804. doi: 10.1093/nutrit/nuy028. 30010865
5. Agnoli C, Baroni L, Bertini I, Ciappellano S, Fabbri A, Papa M, Pellegrini N, Sbarbati R, Scarino ML, Siani V, Sieri S. Zinc and vegetarian diets Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2017 Dec;27(12):1037-1052. doi: 10.1016/j.numecd.2017.10.020. Epub 2017 Oct 31. 29174030