The main provitamin A carotenoid, giving orange and dark-green produce its pigment.
Every figure here is per 100 g of the food, not per serving. That makes foods comparable to each other, but it is not how anyone eats: 100 g of a dried spice and 100 g of a leafy green are very different portions, so a high position in this list does not tell you what a meal contributes.
Nutrient values are per 100 g of the USDA reference entry named on this page and vary with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.
No FDA Daily Value is established for beta-carotene, so no % DV is shown.
24 entries with a measured beta-carotene value, highest first.
Capsicum annuum
Ground dried Capsicum annuum peppers, ranging from sweet to hot and sometimes smoked over oak. The USDA entry is per 100 g of the…
Capsicum annuum
Dried ground fruit of hot Capsicum annuum varieties. The USDA entry is per 100 g of the dried spice; a shake over a dish is well…
Ipomoea batatas
A starchy storage root in the morning glory family, unrelated to the potato. Flesh colour ranges from white through orange to…
Daucus carota subsp. sativus
The taproot of a cultivated umbellifer, orange in most modern varieties because of selective breeding for carotene. Purple,…
Spinacia oleracea
A fast-growing leafy annual in the amaranth family, eaten raw as young leaves or cooked as mature ones. It wilts to a fraction of…
Petroselinum crispum
A biennial Apiaceae herb eaten fresh in quantity in dishes such as tabbouleh and used as a garnish elsewhere. It is unusually…
Cucurbita moschata
A winter squash with dense orange flesh and a hard tan skin, stored for months after harvest. Its carotenoid content rises during…
Coriandrum sativum
The fresh leaf of Coriandrum sativum, the same plant that yields coriander seed. A well-documented genetic variation in olfactory…
Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris
A leafy form of the same species as beetroot, grown for its leaves and thick stalks rather than its root. The coloured stems owe…
Salvia officinalis
The grey-green leaf of Salvia officinalis, used fresh or dried and traditionally paired with fatty meats. The USDA entry is per…
Ocimum basilicum
The fresh leaves of Ocimum basilicum, used raw or added at the end of cooking because its aroma compounds are heat-sensitive. It…
Brassica oleracea var. sabellica
A loose-leaved cabbage that does not form a head, eaten raw in salads or cooked. Like other Brassica oleracea vegetables it…
Thymus vulgaris
A small-leaved Mediterranean subshrub used fresh or dried, and one of the few herbs that stands up to long cooking. Its…
Capsicum annuum
Non-pungent cultivars of Capsicum annuum, harvested green or left to ripen to red, yellow or orange. Ripening changes their…
Eruca vesicaria
A peppery salad leaf in the mustard family, eaten raw or briefly wilted. Its sharpness comes from isothiocyanates released when…
Origanum vulgare
The dried leaf of Origanum vulgare, dominated by the phenols carvacrol and thymol. The USDA entry is per 100 g of dried leaf,…
Prunus cerasus
The sour cherry species, distinct from sweet cherries and grown largely for juice, concentrate and processing. Montmorency is the…
Cuminum cyminum
The dried seed of Cuminum cyminum, used whole or ground across South Asian, Middle Eastern and Latin American cooking. The USDA…
Citrus x paradisi
A large, bitter-sweet citrus fruit, a hybrid of pomelo and sweet orange. Pink and red varieties owe their colour to lycopene,…
Mangifera indica
A tropical stone fruit in the cashew family, with hundreds of cultivars differing sharply in fibre, sweetness and aroma. Eaten…
Brassica oleracea var. gemmifera
Small axillary buds that grow along a thick stalk, another cultivar of Brassica oleracea. Modern varieties have been bred for…
Asparagus officinalis
The young shoots of a perennial lily relative, harvested in spring. White asparagus is the same plant grown covered so the spears…
Solanum lycopersicum
The fruit of a nightshade plant, used culinarily as a vegetable. Its red colour comes from lycopene, which becomes considerably…
Pisum sativum
Immature seeds of the pea plant, eaten fresh or frozen while still sweet and starchy rather than dried. Unlike the dried pulses…