All nutrients

Beta-carotene

An orange plant pigment that the body converts into vitamin A as needed. It gives carrots, sweet potatoes and squash their color, and dark leafy greens contain it too, hidden by chlorophyll.

Sources: MedlinePlus (US National Library of Medicine)

Best food sources of beta-carotene

Richest foods in each food group, per 100 g. Some foods, such as dried herbs, spices and oils, are eaten in far smaller amounts than 100 g, so a high rank does not always mean a meaningful contribution to a meal.

miscellaneous92 foods measured

  1. 1Kombu or Japanese kelp (Laminaria japonica), dried or dehydrated393000 µg
  2. 2Wakame (Undaria pinnatifida), dried or dehydrated104000 µg
  3. 3Dulse (Palmaria palmata), dried or dehydrated15700 µg
  4. 4Toothed wrack or bladder wrack (Fucus serratus et vesiculosus), dried or dehydrated12400 µg
  5. 5Sea thong (Himanthalia elongata), dried or dehydrated6620 µg
  6. 6Parsley, fresh5050 µg
  7. 7Marjoram, dried4810 µg
  8. 8Harissa (hot spicy sauce), prepacked4000 µg

fruits, vegetables, legumes and nuts370 foods measured

  1. 1Carrot, dehydrated34000 µg
  2. 2Carrot, frozen, raw12800 µg
  3. 3Sweet potato, cooked10500 µg
  4. 4Carrot, steamed8930 µg
  5. 5Carrot, boiled/cooked in water, tender8700 µg
  6. 6Sweet potato, raw8510 µg
  7. 7Carrot, boiled/cooked in water, crunchy8470 µg
  8. 8Carrot, raw8290 µg

beverages63 foods measured

  1. 1Carrot juice, pure juice9300 µg
  2. 2Vegetable juice (average)4790 µg
  3. 3Mixed fruits juice, orange based, multivitamin880 µg
  4. 4Apricot nectar786 µg
  5. 5Mango nectar784 µg
  6. 6Passion fruit juice, fresh525 µg
  7. 7Mixed fruits juice, reconstituted from a concentrate, standard449 µg
  8. 8Fruit nectar - orange base, vitamins added427 µg

fats and oils25 foods measured

  1. 1Blended fat (vegetable and animal origins), 50-63% fat880 µg
  2. 2Dairy fat 20% fat, light, spreadable, unsalted732 µg
  3. 3Vegetable fat (margarine type), spreadable, 50-63% fat, light, unsalted, with plant sterols esters592 µg
  4. 4Vegetable fat (margarine type), spreadable, 50-63% fat, light, unsalted, rich in omega 3547 µg
  5. 5Vegetable fat (margarine type), 60% fat, unsalted, sunflowerseed528 µg
  6. 6Vegetable fat (margarine type), spreadable, 50-63% fat, light, unsalted518 µg
  7. 7Fat spreadfat content unknown, unsalted (average)516 µg
  8. 8Vegetable fat (margarine type), 50-63% fat, light, lightly salted507 µg

meat, egg and fish62 foods measured

  1. 1Spicy pork sausage with red pepper, no precision663 µg
  2. 2Merguez sausage, beef and mutton, cooked560 µg
  3. 3Plant-based pâté, prepacked362 µg
  4. 4Plant-based sausage with tofu (not vegan)289 µg
  5. 5Liver, young cow, raw232 µg
  6. 6Liver, young cow, cooked182 µg
  7. 7Beef, meat balls, cooked160 µg
  8. 8Sausage (average)144 µg

ice cream and sorbet14 foods measured

  1. 1Ice lolly542 µg
  2. 2Ice cream, in box172 µg
  3. 3Ice cream, box or cup (average)172 µg
  4. 4Peach melba (with vanilla ice cream and raspberry sauce)132 µg
  5. 5Ice cream or sorbet or ice pop, flavoured (average)93.6 µg
  6. 6Ice cream, luxury, in cup91.4 µg
  7. 7Ice cream, chocolate coated42 µg
  8. 8Iced nougat27 µg

sugar and confectionery95 foods measured

  1. 1Chocolate croissant, prepacked335 µg
  2. 2Melon and almond Candy on a unleavened bread layer249 µg
  3. 3Brioche240 µg
  4. 4Brioche, prepacked158 µg
  5. 5Madeleine cake, pure butter, prepacked151 µg
  6. 6Butter pound cake, prepacked139 µg
  7. 7Brioche, pure butter132 µg
  8. 8Fruit pie with confectioner's custard129 µg

milk and milk products130 foods measured

  1. 1Mascarpone cheese, from cow's milk258 µg
  2. 2Milk, powder, whole170 µg
  3. 3Mozzarella cheese, from buffala's milk170 µg
  4. 4Gorgonzola cheese, from cow's milk168 µg
  5. 5Tomme cheese, from mountain or Savoy161 µg
  6. 6Asiago cheese, from cow's milk150 µg
  7. 7Abondance cheese, from cow's milk149 µg
  8. 8Cantal, Salers or Laguiole cheese, from cow's milk140 µg

Other13 foods measured

  1. 1Puff pastry, cooked115 µg
  2. 2Pastry, short crust, baked114 µg
  3. 3Maize/corn flour97 µg
  4. 4Shortbread dough, cooked77.4 µg
  5. 5Soya flour72 µg
  6. 6Pastry, short crust, pure butter, cooked54.8 µg
  7. 7Puff pastry, raw48 µg
  8. 8Shortbread dough, pure butter, cooked38.1 µg

cereal products25 foods measured

  1. 1Pop-corn or air-popped maize, unsalted89 µg
  2. 2Puffed salty snacks, made from maize/corn, without peanuts33 µg
  3. 3Salty snacks, crackers, garnished or filled with cheese20 µg
  4. 4Lens based pasta, gluten-free, boiled18.9 µg
  5. 5Couscous (precooked durum wheat semolina), cooked, unsalted13.7 µg
  6. 6Barley, whole, raw13 µg
  7. 7Pearled barley, raw13 µg
  8. 8Corn tortilla wrap, to be filled12.7 µg

Values per 100 g from CIQUAL. Percentages are shares of the adult daily reference intake (EU Regulation 1169/2011, fiber from EFSA). Foods whose value is below the detection limit or reported as traces are not ranked, since the amount is unknown rather than zero.