15 Whole Grains High in Fiber

Photo of Daisy Whitbread Written by Daisy Whitbread
BSc (Hons) MSc DipION
Photo of Dr. Patricia Shelton Medically Reviewed by
Dr. Patricia Shelton
Evidence Based. References sourced from PubMed.
Powered by USDA Nutrition Data.
15 Whole Grains High in Fiber

A high fiber diet promotes gut health and healthy gut bacteria, while decreasing the risk of heart disease, colon cancer, and other serious medical conditions. (1)

Whole grains are rich in nutrients and have high levels of bran, giving them high amounts of fiber. When whole grains are refined—for example, processing whole wheat flour into white flour, or brown rice into white rice—most of the fiber (along with other important nutrients) is removed.

Bulgur (made from whole wheat) has the most fiber of all grains with 8.2 grams (29% DV) per cup. Other grains high in fiber include kamut, teff, pearl barley, quinoa, whole-wheat pasta, buckwheat, oatmeal, whole wheat bread, and brown rice. The current daily value (DV) for fiber is 28 grams. (2)

Below is a list of 15 grains high in fiber ranked by the amount of fiber per cup cooked. To sort the list by 100 gram or 200 calorie serving sizes, see the nutrient ranking tool list of grains high in fiber.

Grains High in Fiber

Bulgur1 Bulgur (Cracked Wheat)
Fiber
per Cup
Fiber
per 100g
Fiber
per 200 Calories
8g
(29% DV)
5g
(16% DV)
11g
(39% DV)
Kamut2 Kamut (Khorasan - Wheat)
Fiber
per Cup
Fiber
per 100g
Fiber
per 200 Calories
7g
(26% DV)
4g
(15% DV)
7g
(23% DV)
Teff3 Teff
Fiber
per Cup
Fiber
per 100g
Fiber
per 200 Calories
7g
(25% DV)
3g
(10% DV)
6g
(20% DV)
Pearl Barley4 Pearl Barley
Fiber
per Cup
Fiber
per 100g
Fiber
per 200 Calories
6g
(21% DV)
4g
(14% DV)
6g
(22% DV)
A bowl of quinoa5 Quinoa
Fiber
per Cup
Fiber
per 100g
Fiber
per 200 Calories
5g
(19% DV)
3g
(10% DV)
5g
(17% DV)
Whole Wheat Spaghetti6 Whole Wheat Pasta
Fiber
per Cup
Fiber
per 100g
Fiber
per 200 Calories
5g
(16% DV)
4g
(14% DV)
5g
(19% DV)
Buckwheat7 Buckwheat
Fiber
per Cup
Fiber
per 100g
Fiber
per 200 Calories
5g
(16% DV)
3g
(10% DV)
6g
(21% DV)
A bowl of oatmeal with blueberries8 Oatmeal
Fiber
per Cup
Fiber
per 100g
Fiber
per 200 Calories
4g
(14% DV)
2g
(6% DV)
5g
(17% DV)
Whole Wheat Bread9 Whole Wheat Bread
Fiber
per 2 Slices
Fiber
per 100g
Fiber
per 200 Calories
4g
(14% DV)
6g
(21% DV)
5g
(17% DV)
Brown Rice10 Brown Rice
Fiber
per Cup
Fiber
per 100g
Fiber
per 200 Calories
4g
(13% DV)
2g
(6% DV)
3g
(11% DV)
Wild Rice11 Wild Rice
Fiber
per Cup
Fiber
per 100g
Fiber
per 200 Calories
3g
(11% DV)
2g
(6% DV)
4g
(13% DV)
Millet12 Millet
Fiber
per Cup
Fiber
per 100g
Fiber
per 200 Calories
2g
(8% DV)
1g
(5% DV)
2g
(8% DV)
Couscous13 Couscous
Fiber
per Cup
Fiber
per 100g
Fiber
per 200 Calories
2g
(8% DV)
1g
(5% DV)
2g
(9% DV)
Cornmeal14 Cornmeal (Grits)
Fiber
per Cup
Fiber
per 100g
Fiber
per 200 Calories
2g
(7% DV)
1g
(3% DV)
2g
(8% DV)
Bran Muffin15 Bran
Fiber
per Tablespoon
Fiber
per 100g
Fiber
per 200 Calories
2g
(6% DV)
21g
(75% DV)
13g
(47% DV)

How much fiber do you need each day?

The daily value (DV) for fiber is 28 grams per day. (2) This is the amount shown on food labels to help the average person compare the health benefits of different foods. However, for many people, this amount is actually too low.

The adequate intake (AI) is a more accurate daily target, and varies by age and gender. The AI for fiber is up to 38 grams per day. (3) We've included the specific values below for various groups below, so you can determine what your personal target should be.

The average American consumes far less than the DV for fiber, let alone the AI for their demographic group. (4)

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

Life StageRDA
Children
1-3 years old19g
4-8 years old25g
Males
9-13 years old31g
14-50 years old38g
50+ years old30g
Females
9-18 years old26g
19-50 years old25g
50+ years old21g
Pregnancy
14-50 years old29g
Lactation
14-50 years old29g
Extensive research has been done to determine how much fiber is needed to provide protection against cardiovascular disease, colon cancer, and other serious health concerns. This research shows that men need more fiber than women in order to get the maximum health benefits, which is why the AI targets are higher for men. (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 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.

Want to set your own targets? Sign up for an account and set custom targets in the daily meal planner.

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. Thomas M. Barber, Stefan Kabisch, Andreas F. H. Pfeiffer and Martin O. Weickert The Health Benefits of Dietary Fibre Nutrients. 2020 Oct; 12(10): 3209.
  2. FDA on Daily Values
  3. Institute of Medicine Dietary Reference Intakes
  4. Diane Quagliani, MBA, RDN, LDN and Patricia Felt-Gunderson, MS, RDN, LDN Closing America’s Fiber Intake Gap Am J Lifestyle Med. 2017 Jan-Feb; 11(1): 80–85. Published online 2016 Jul 7. doi: 10.1177/1559827615588079
  5. U.S. Agricultural Research Service Food Data Central
MyFoodData provides free nutrition data tools and articles to help you organize and understand the foods you eat.

Try the recipe nutrition calculator, or daily meal planner.

Create a free account to log and track foods.