nutrition · 2 min read
Which food is highest in potassium? Top foods per serving and per 100 g
Beet greens, white beans, tomato paste and dried apricots are the foods highest in potassium. See the ranking per serving and per 100 g, and why bananas miss the top ten.
Written by Lifebar Desk · Checked against the sources listed below
Published 25 Sept 2026
Key takeaways
- Per serving, cooked beet greens and white beans top the list at over 1,100 mg.
- Per 100 g, dried fruit and tomato paste lead because the water has been removed.
- A banana has about 420 mg, well behind potatoes, beans, squash and leafy greens.
The short answer: leafy greens and beans win per serving, dried fruit and tomato paste win per gram. Bananas, the food everyone names, are not close to the top.
Highest potassium per serving
| Food | Serving | Potassium (mg) |
|---|---|---|
| Beet greens, cooked | 1 cup | ~1,310 |
| White beans, canned | 1 cup | ~1,190 |
| Swiss chard, cooked | 1 cup | ~960 |
| Potato, baked with skin | 1 medium | ~930 |
| Acorn squash, cooked cubes | 1 cup | ~900 |
| Spinach, cooked | 1 cup | ~840 |
| Dried apricots | ½ cup | ~755 |
| Lentils, boiled | 1 cup | ~730 |
| Avocado | 1 cup cubes | ~730 |
| Coconut water | 1 cup | ~600 |
| Banana | 1 medium | ~420 |
Highest potassium per 100 g
| Food | Potassium per 100 g (mg) |
|---|---|
| Dried apricots | ~1,160 |
| Tomato paste | ~1,010 |
| Raisins | ~750 |
| Prunes | ~730 |
| Swiss chard, cooked | ~550 |
| Potato, baked with skin | ~535 |
| Avocado | ~485 |
| Spinach, cooked | ~465 |
| Lentils, boiled | ~370 |
| Banana | ~360 |
Values are approximate and drawn from USDA FoodData Central and the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Varieties and preparation shift them.
Why the two rankings differ
Drying concentrates everything, so dried fruit and tomato paste look enormous per gram but come in small servings. Greens and beans are mostly water yet are eaten in large portions, which is why they lead per serving. For daily intake, the per-serving table is the more useful one.
Putting it into a day
Adults need around 3,400 mg (men) or 2,600 mg (women) a day. A baked potato at lunch and a cup of beans or cooked greens at dinner covers more than half of that. For a longer list organised by food group, see our guide to potassium-rich foods, and if you are also short on magnesium, the two minerals overlap heavily in the foods high in magnesium and potassium.
A caution
If you have kidney disease or take ACE inhibitors, ARBs or potassium-sparing diuretics, a high-potassium diet can push blood levels too high. Check with your doctor before loading up on the foods at the top of these tables.
Frequently asked
What single food has the most potassium?
Among everyday foods, a cup of cooked beet greens (about 1,300 mg) or canned white beans (about 1,190 mg) delivers the most in one serving.
What fruit is highest in potassium?
Dried apricots, prunes and raisins lead by weight. Among fresh fruit, avocado, banana, cantaloupe and oranges are the strongest.
Is potassium lost when cooking vegetables?
Boiling leaches potassium into the water. Steaming, roasting, or keeping the cooking liquid in soups and stews retains most of it.
Sources
Educational content, talk to your clinician before changing treatment.
