Top 10 Foods Highest in Vitamin C

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Written by Daisy Whitbread, BSc (Hons) MSc DipIONPowered by USDA Nutrition Data
Top 10 Foods Highest in Vitamin C

Vitamin C is an essential nutrient required for the maintenance of skin, blood vessels, bones and cartilage, and wound healing. (1,2)

Vitamin C also helps protect cells against oxidative stress, which in turn provides protection against certain diseases, including cancer. (1,3)

Vitamin C, like zinc and vitamin A, also helps support your immune system. (4,5,6)

High vitamin C foods include guavas, bell peppers, kiwifruit, strawberries, oranges, papayas, broccoli, tomatoes, kale, and snow peas. The current daily value (DV) for vitamin C is 90mg. (7)

Below is a list high vitamin C foods ranked by a common serving size, use the nutrient ranking of over 200 foods high in vitamin C to see the foods highest in vitamin C by nutrient density (per gram), or see rankings of fruits high in vitamin C, and vegetables high in vitamin C.

High Vitamin C Foods

Half a guava1 Guavas
Vitamin C
per Cup		Vitamin C
per 100g		Vitamin C
per 200 Calories
377mg
(419% DV)		228mg
(254% DV)		671mg
(746% DV)
Nutrition Facts for Guavas. (Source)

See all fruits high in vitamin C.

Slices of kiwifruit2 Kiwifruit
Vitamin C
per Cup		Vitamin C
per 100g		Vitamin C
per 200 Calories
167mg
(185% DV)		93mg
(103% DV)		304mg
(338% DV)
Nutrition Facts for Kiwifruit. (Source)
Bell peppers3 Bell Peppers
Vitamin C
per Cup		Vitamin C
per 100g		Vitamin C
per 200 Calories
152mg
(169% DV)		128mg
(142% DV)		982mg
(1091% DV)
Nutrition Facts for Sweet Red Bell Peppers. (Source)

Red bell peppers provide around 50% more vitamin C than green bell peppers. View the complete comparison of green vs red bell peppers.

Strawberries4 Strawberries
Vitamin C
per Cup		Vitamin C
per 100g		Vitamin C
per 200 Calories
98mg
(108% DV)		59mg
(65% DV)		368mg
(408% DV)
Nutrition Facts for Strawberries. (Source)

More Berries High in Vitamin C

  • 36% DV in 1 cup of raspberries
  • 34% DV in 1 cup of blackberries
  • 16% DV in 1 cup of blueberries

See all fruits high in vitamin C.

Slices of orange5 Oranges
Vitamin C
per Cup		Vitamin C
per 100g		Vitamin C
per 200 Calories
96mg
(106% DV)		53mg
(59% DV)		226mg
(252% DV)
Nutrition Facts for Oranges. (Source)

More Citrus Fruit High in Vitamin C

  • 413% DV in 1 pomelo
  • 98% DV in 1 grapefruit
  • 40% DV in 1 clementine
  • 34% DV in 1 lemon
Papayas6 Papaya
Vitamin C
per Cup		Vitamin C
per 100g		Vitamin C
per 200 Calories
88mg
(98% DV)		61mg
(68% DV)		283mg
(315% DV)
Nutrition Facts for Papaya. (Source)

More Tropical Fruits High in Vitamin C

  • 88% DV in 1 cup of pineapple
  • 72% DV in 1 cup of cantaloupe melon
  • 67% DV in 1 cup of sliced mango
  • 34% DV in 1 cup of honeydew melon

See all fruits high in vitamin C.

Broccoli7 Broccoli
Vitamin C
per Cup		Vitamin C
per 100g		Vitamin C
per 200 Calories
81mg
(90% DV)		89mg
(99% DV)		525mg
(583% DV)
Nutrition Facts for Broccoli. (Source)

More Brassica Vegetables High in Vitamin C

  • 107% DV in 1 cup of brussels sprouts
  • 61% DV in 1 cup of cauliflower
  • 63% DV in 1 cup of cabbage

See all vegetables high in vitamin C.

Tomatoes8 Tomato
Vitamin C
per Cup Cooked		Vitamin C
per 100g		Vitamin C
per 200 Calories
55mg
(61% DV)		23mg
(25% DV)		253mg
(281% DV)
Nutrition Facts for Cooked Tomatoes. (Source)
Green peas9 Snow Peas
Vitamin C
per Cup		Vitamin C
per 100g		Vitamin C
per 200 Calories
38mg
(42% DV)		60mg
(67% DV)		286mg
(317% DV)
Nutrition Facts for Snow Peas. (Source)
Kale leaves10 Kale
Vitamin C
per Cup Cooked		Vitamin C
per 100g		Vitamin C
per 200 Calories
23mg
(26% DV)		18mg
(20% DV)		99mg
(110% DV)
Nutrition Facts for Cooked Kale. (Source)

More Green Leafy Vegetables High in Vitamin C

  • 44% DV in 1 cup of turnip greens
  • 35% DV in 1 cup of Swiss chard
  • 20% DV in 1 cup of spinach

See all vegetables high in vitamin C.

See All 200 Foods High in Vitamin C

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A printable list of the top 10 foods highest in vitamin C.

Vitamin C Foods by Nutrient Density (Vitamin C per Gram)

FoodServingVitamin C
#1 Acerola Cherry
View (Source)
100 grams1864% DV
(1678mg)
#2 Dried Herbs (Coriander)
View (Source)
100 grams630% DV
(567mg)
#3 Rose Hips
View (Source)
100 grams473% DV
(426mg)
#4 Guavas
View (Source)
100 grams254% DV
(228mg)
#5 Sweet Yellow Peppers
View (Source)
100 grams204% DV
(184mg)
#6 Black Currants
View (Source)
100 grams201% DV
(181mg)
#7 Thyme
View (Source)
100 grams178% DV
(160mg)
#8 Red Chilies
View (Source)
100 grams160% DV
(144mg)
#9 Scotch Kale
View (Source)
100 grams144% DV
(130mg)
#10 Kiwifruit
View (Source)
100 grams103% DV
(93mg)

Other Vitamin C Rich Foods

FoodServingVitamin C
#1 Litchis (Lychees)
View (Source)
per cup151% DV
(136mg)
#2 Green Chillies
View (Source)
1 pepper121% DV
(109mg)
#3 Kohlrabi
View (Source)
1 cup93% DV
(84mg)
#4 Parsley
View (Source)
per cup89% DV
(80mg)
#5 Orange Juice
View (Source)
per 8oz cup80% DV
(72mg)
#6 Bitter Melon
View (Source)
per cup45% DV
(41mg)
#7 Starfruit (Carambola)
View (Source)
per cup41% DV
(37mg)
#8 Garden Cress
View (Source)
1 cup38% DV
(35mg)
#9 Jalapeno Peppers
View (Source)
1 pepper18% DV
(17mg)
#10 Saffron
View (Source)
1 tbsp2% DV
(2mg)

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 takes into account absorption factors. It is the most common target in the U.S. and found on the nutrition labels of most products. It is set by the U.S. FDA.
  • Reference Dietary Intake (%RDI) - The Reference Dietary Intake (RDI) accounts for age and gender. It is set by the U.S. Institute of Medicine. The RDI for amino acids is set by the U.N. World Health Organization. The daily value (%DV) builds on the reference dietary intake to create a number for everyone.
  • 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.

    • See the Guide to Recommended Daily Intakes for more information.

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Data Sources and References

  1. Mitochondria, Energy and Cancer: The Relationship with Ascorbic Acid. J Orthomol Med. 2010; 25(1): 29–38.
  2. Office of Dietary Supplements Fact Sheet: Vitamin C
  3. L-ascorbic acid (vitamin C) induces the apoptosis of B16 murine melanoma cells via a caspase-8-independent pathway. Cancer Immunol Immunother. 2003;52:693–698.
  4. Vitamin C and Immune Function Nutrients. 2017 Nov; 9(11): 1211.
  5. The role of vitamin A and related retinoids in immune function. Nutr Rev. 1998 Jan;56(1 Pt 2):S38-48.
  6. Zinc in Human Health: Effect of Zinc on Immune Cells Mol Med. 2008 May-Jun; 14(5-6): 353–357. Published online 2008 Apr 3. doi: 10.2119/2008-00033.Prasad.
  7. FDA Daily Values Guidelines
  8. U.S. Agricultural Research Service Food Data Central