Top 10 Foods Highest in Beta Carotene (2024)

Written by Daisy Whitbread BSc (Hons) MSc DipION Medically Reviewed by Dr. Patricia Shelton

Evidence Based. References sourced from PubMed. Powered by USDA Nutrition Data.

Top 10 Foods Highest in Beta Carotene (3)

Beta-carotene is a carotenoid compound responsible for giving fruits and vegetables their orange pigment.

Beta-carotene is a fat-soluble vitamin, so eating it along with foods with fat such as olive oil or nuts, can help to boost absorption. (1)

Like alpha-carotene, beta-carotene is a precursor for creating vitamin A in the body. The amount of vitamin A is measured in retinol activity equivalents (RAE). (2) The current daily value for vitamin A is 900mcg of RAE. (3)

There is no official recommended daily allowance (RDA) for beta-carotene, but a figure of 10800mcg per day can be used as a general target. This is based on the rate of conversion of beta-carotene into vitamin A. It takes 12mcg of beta-carotene to create 1mcg of RAE. (2)

Foods high in beta-carotene include sweet potatoes, carrots, dark leafy greens, butternut squash, cantaloupe, lettuce, red bell peppers, apricots, broccoli, and peas.

Below is a list of the 10 best beta-carotene foods. Use the nutrient ranking of over 200 foods high in beta-carotene to sort by 100 gram serving sizes and find even more foods.

Table of Contents

  • Introduction
  • List of Foods High in Beta-Carotene
  • Where does the RDA for Beta-Carotene come from?
  • Lists By Food Group
  • References

List of Foods High in Beta-Carotene

  • Top 10 Foods Highest in Beta Carotene (4)1. Baked Sweet Potatoes + Add

    Beta-carotene
    per Cup
    Beta-carotene
    per 100g
    Beta-carotene
    per 200 Calories
    23018mcg
    (213% RDA)
    11509mcg
    (107% RDA)
    25576mcg
    (237% RDA)

    See all vegetables high in beta-carotene.

  • Top 10 Foods Highest in Beta Carotene (5)2. Carrots + Add

    Beta-carotene
    per Cup Cooked
    Beta-carotene
    per 100g
    Beta-carotene
    per 200 Calories
    12998mcg
    (120% RDA)
    8332mcg
    (77% RDA)
    47611mcg
    (441% RDA)

    Nutrition Facts for Cooked Carrots (Boiled, Drained). (Source)

  • Top 10 Foods Highest in Beta Carotene (6)3. Dark Leafy Greens (Spinach) + Add

    Beta-carotene
    per Cup Cooked
    Beta-carotene
    per 100g
    Beta-carotene
    per 200 Calories
    11318mcg
    (105% RDA)
    6288mcg
    (58% RDA)
    54678mcg
    (506% RDA)

    Nutrition Facts for Cooked Spinach (Boiled, Drained). (Source)

    More Dark Leafy Greens High in Beta-Carotene

    • 98% RDA in 1 cup of cooked kale
    • 96% RDA in 1 cup of cooked mustard greens
    • 79% RDA in 1 cup of cooked collards
    • 61% RDA in 1 cup of cooked beet greens
    • 59% RDA in 1 cup of cooked Swiss chard

    See all vegetables high in beta-carotene.

  • Top 10 Foods Highest in Beta Carotene (7)4. Butternut Squash + Add

    Beta-carotene
    per Cup Cooked
    Beta-carotene
    per 100g
    Beta-carotene
    per 200 Calories
    9369mcg
    (87% RDA)
    4570mcg
    (42% RDA)
    22850mcg
    (212% RDA)

    Nutrition Facts for Cooked Butternut Squash (Baked). (Source)

  • Top 10 Foods Highest in Beta Carotene (8)5. Cantaloupe + Add

    Beta-carotene
    per Cup
    Beta-carotene
    per 100g
    Beta-carotene
    per 200 Calories
    3575mcg
    (33% RDA)
    2020mcg
    (19% RDA)
    11882mcg
    (110% RDA)

    Nutrition Facts for Cantaloupe Melons. (Source)

    See all fruits high in beta-carotene.

  • Top 10 Foods Highest in Beta Carotene (9)6. Romaine Lettuce + Add

    Beta-carotene
    per Cup
    Beta-carotene
    per 100g
    Beta-carotene
    per 200 Calories
    2456mcg
    (23% RDA)
    5226mcg
    (48% RDA)
    61482mcg
    (569% RDA)

    Nutrition Facts for Romaine Lettuce. (Source)

  • Top 10 Foods Highest in Beta Carotene (10)7. Red Bell Peppers + Add

    Beta-carotene
    per Cup Cooked
    Beta-carotene
    per 100g
    Beta-carotene
    per 200 Calories
    2059mcg
    (19% RDA)
    1525mcg
    (14% RDA)
    10893mcg
    (101% RDA)

    Nutrition Facts for Boiled Red Bell Peppers. (Source)

    • 3% DV in 1 cup of cooked green bell peppers

    See the complete nutrition comparison of red vs green bell peppers.

  • Top 10 Foods Highest in Beta Carotene (11)8. Apricots + Add

    Beta-carotene
    per Cup
    Beta-carotene
    per 100g
    Beta-carotene
    per 200 Calories
    1696mcg
    (16% RDA)
    1094mcg
    (10% RDA)
    4558mcg
    (42% RDA)

    Nutrition Facts for Apricots. (Source)

    More Fruits High in Beta Carotene

    • 15% RDA in 1 cup of pink grapefruit
    • 10% RDA in 1 cup of mangoes
    • 6% RDA in 1 cup of guavas

    See all fruits high in beta-carotene.

  • Top 10 Foods Highest in Beta Carotene (12)9. Broccoli + Add

    Beta-carotene
    per Cup Cooked
    Beta-carotene
    per 100g
    Beta-carotene
    per 200 Calories
    1449mcg
    (13% RDA)
    929mcg
    (9% RDA)
    5309mcg
    (49% RDA)

    Nutrition Facts for Cooked Broccoli (Boiled, Drained). (Source)

  • Top 10 Foods Highest in Beta Carotene (13)10. Podded Peas + Add

    Beta-carotene
    per Cup Cooked
    Beta-carotene
    per 100g
    Beta-carotene
    per 200 Calories
    1216mcg
    (11% RDA)
    760mcg
    (7% RDA)
    2923mcg
    (27% RDA)

    Nutrition Facts for Cooked Podded Peas (Previously Frozen). (Source)

Next ➞

Where does the RDA for Beta-Carotene come from?

The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) is the average daily requirement for a particular nutrient.

The daily value (%DV) for an vitamin A is 900mcg RAE (retinol equivalents). (3)

For beta-carotene from foods, 12 mcg of beta-carotene is converted to 1mcg RAE (vitamin A) in the body. (2) This means that the the RDA for beta-carotene is equal to the %DV for vitamin A times 12. We use the 900mcg DV to set the RDA for beta-carotene, so it is 900mcg x 12 = 10800mcg (10.8mg). This is the amount that you would need if you were getting all of your vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene.

The 10800mcg can be used for comparison purposes and is not necessarily a target amount to eat in a day. This is because the target is a total of 900mcg RAE. Other sources of RAE, including alpha-carotene and vitamin A, contribute to this total.

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

  • Foods High in Beta Carotene
  • Foods Low in Beta Carotene
  • Vegetables High in Beta Carotene
  • Fruits High in Beta Carotene
  • Vegetarian Foods High in Beta Carotene
  • Dairy High in Beta Carotene
  • Breakfast Cereals High in Beta Carotene
  • Fast Foods High in Beta Carotene

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

Related

  • Foods High in Vitamin A
  • Foods High in Vitamin C
  • Foods High in Vitamin E
  • High Lycopene Foods
  • High Lutein and Zeaxanthin Foods
  • Foods High in Alpha-Carotene

Data Sources and References

  1. Ribaya-Mercado JD. Bioavailability of beta-carotene in humans Nutr Rev. 2002 Apr;60(4):104-10. doi: 10.1301/00296640260085831. 12002680
  2. National Library of Medicine - Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Arsenic, Boron, Chromium, Copper, Iodine, Iron, Manganese, Molybdenum, Nickel, Silicon, Vanadium, and Zinc.
  3. U.S.FDA - Daily Value on the New Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels

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