Top 10 Foods Highest in Vitamin C

Vitamin C is an essential nutrient required for the maintenance of many body tissues, including skin, blood vessels, bones, and cartilage. Vitamin C is also essential for wound healing. (1,2)

Vitamin C helps protect cells against oxidative stress, which in turn provides protection against certain diseases, including cancer. (1,3)

Vitamin C, like zinc and vitamin A, also helps support your immune system. (4,5,6)

High vitamin C foods include guavas, bell peppers, kiwifruit, strawberries, oranges, papayas, broccoli, tomatoes, kale, and snow peas. The current daily value (DV) for vitamin C is 90mg. (7)

Below is a list of high vitamin C foods ranked by a common serving size. Use the nutrient ranking of over 200 foods high in vitamin C to see the foods highest in vitamin C by nutrient density (per gram), or see rankings of fruits high in vitamin C, and vegetables high in vitamin C.

• 1. Guavas

  Vitamin C per Cup	Vitamin C per 100g	Vitamin C per 200 Calories
  377mg (419% DV)	228mg (254% DV)	671mg (746% DV)

  Nutrition Facts for Guavas. (Source)

  See all fruits high in vitamin C.

• 2. Kiwifruit

  Vitamin C per Cup	Vitamin C per 100g	Vitamin C per 200 Calories
  167mg (185% DV)	93mg (103% DV)	304mg (338% DV)

  Nutrition Facts for Kiwifruit. (Source)
• 3. Bell Peppers

  Vitamin C per Cup	Vitamin C per 100g	Vitamin C per 200 Calories
  152mg (169% DV)	128mg (142% DV)	982mg (1091% DV)

  Nutrition Facts for Sweet Red Bell Peppers. (Source)

  Red bell peppers provide around 50% more vitamin C than green bell peppers. View the complete comparison of green vs red bell peppers.

• 4. Strawberries

  Vitamin C per Cup	Vitamin C per 100g	Vitamin C per 200 Calories
  98mg (108% DV)	59mg (65% DV)	368mg (408% DV)

  Nutrition Facts for Strawberries. (Source)

  More Berries High in Vitamin C

  • 36% DV in 1 cup of raspberries
  • 34% DV in 1 cup of blackberries
  • 16% DV in 1 cup of blueberries

  See all fruits high in vitamin C.

• 5. Oranges

  Vitamin C per Cup	Vitamin C per 100g	Vitamin C per 200 Calories
  96mg (106% DV)	53mg (59% DV)	226mg (252% DV)

  Nutrition Facts for Oranges. (Source)

  More Citrus Fruit High in Vitamin C

  • 413% DV in 1 pomelo
  • 98% DV in 1 grapefruit
  • 40% DV in 1 clementine
  • 34% DV in 1 lemon
• 6. Papaya

  Vitamin C per Cup	Vitamin C per 100g	Vitamin C per 200 Calories
  88mg (98% DV)	61mg (68% DV)	283mg (315% DV)

  Nutrition Facts for Papaya. (Source)

  More Tropical Fruits High in Vitamin C

  • 88% DV in 1 cup of pineapple
  • 72% DV in 1 cup of cantaloupe melon
  • 67% DV in 1 cup of sliced mango
  • 34% DV in 1 cup of honeydew melon

  See all fruits high in vitamin C.

• 7. Broccoli

  Vitamin C per Cup	Vitamin C per 100g	Vitamin C per 200 Calories
  81mg (90% DV)	89mg (99% DV)	525mg (583% DV)

  Nutrition Facts for Raw Broccoli. (Source)

  More Brassica Vegetables High in Vitamin C

  • 107% DV in 1 cup of brussels sprouts
  • 61% DV in 1 cup of cauliflower
  • 63% DV in 1 cup of cabbage

  See all vegetables high in vitamin C.

• 8. Tomato

  Vitamin C per Cup Cooked	Vitamin C per 100g	Vitamin C per 200 Calories
  55mg (61% DV)	23mg (25% DV)	253mg (281% DV)

  Nutrition Facts for Cooked Tomatoes. (Source)
• 9. Snow Peas

  Vitamin C per Cup	Vitamin C per 100g	Vitamin C per 200 Calories
  38mg (42% DV)	60mg (67% DV)	286mg (317% DV)

  Nutrition Facts for Raw Snow Peas. (Source)
• 10. Kale

  Vitamin C per Cup Cooked	Vitamin C per 100g	Vitamin C per 200 Calories
  23mg (26% DV)	18mg (20% DV)	99mg (110% DV)

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

  More Green Leafy Vegetables High in Vitamin C

  • 44% DV in 1 cup of turnip greens
  • 35% DV in 1 cup of Swiss chard
  • 20% DV in 1 cup of spinach

  See all vegetables high in vitamin C.

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Vitamin C Foods by Nutrient Density (Vitamin C per Gram)

Food	Serving	Vitamin C
1. Acerola Cherry	100 grams	1864% DV (1678mg)
2. Dried Herbs (Coriander)	100 grams	630% DV (567mg)
3. Rose Hips	100 grams	473% DV (426mg)
4. Guavas	100 grams	254% DV (228mg)
5. Sweet Yellow Peppers	100 grams	204% DV (184mg)
6. Black Currants	100 grams	201% DV (181mg)
7. Thyme	100 grams	178% DV (160mg)
8. Red Chilies	100 grams	160% DV (144mg)
9. Scotch Kale	100 grams	144% DV (130mg)
10. Kiwifruit	100 grams	103% DV (93mg)

Other Vitamin C Rich Foods

Food	Serving	Vitamin C
1. Litchis (Lychees)	per cup	151% DV (136mg)
2. Green Chillies	1 pepper	121% DV (109mg)
3. Kohlrabi	1 cup	93% DV (84mg)
4. Parsley	per cup	89% DV (80mg)
5. Orange Juice	per 8oz cup	80% DV (72mg)
6. Bitter Melon	per cup	45% DV (41mg)
7. Starfruit (Carambola)	per cup	41% DV (37mg)
8. Garden Cress	1 cup	38% DV (35mg)
9. Jalapeno Peppers	1 pepper	18% DV (17mg)
10. Saffron	1 tbsp	2% DV (2mg)

Vitamin C Requirements By Age and Gender

The recommended daily allowance (RDA) for Vitamin C ranges from 15mg to 120mg per day. The daily value for vitamin C is 90mg per day. (7)

Life Stage	RDA
Infants*
0-6 months old	40mg
7-12 months old	50mg
Children
1-3 years old	15mg
4-8 years old	25mg
Males
9-13 years old	45mg
14-18 years old	75mg
19-50 years old	90mg
50+ years old	90mg
Females
9-13 years old	45mg
14-18 years old	65mg
19-50 years old	75mg
50+ years old	75mg
Pregnancy
14-18 years old	80mg
18+ years old	85mg
Lactation
14-18 years old	115mg
18+ years old	120mg

*The amounts for children less than 12 months old is the adequate intake (AI) not RDA.
Source: Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin C.

From the Nutrient Ranking Tool

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

• Foods High in Vitamin C
• Foods Low in Vitamin C
• Vegetables High in Vitamin C
• Fruits High in Vitamin C
• Vegetarian Foods High in Vitamin C
• Nuts High in Vitamin C
• Beans High in Vitamin C
• Dairy High in Vitamin C
• Breakfast Cereals High in Vitamin C
• Fast Foods High in Vitamin C

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

Related

• Foods to Support Your Immune System
• Foods For Healthy Aging
• Vitamin A Foods
• High Zinc Foods
• Vitamin E Foods
• Beta Carotene Food Sources
• High Lycopene Foods
• High Iron Foods

Data Sources and References

1. Lane DJ, Chikhani S, Richardson V, Richardson DR. Mitochondria, Energy and Cancer: The Relationship with Ascorbic Acid Biochim Biophys Acta. 2013 Jun;1833(6):1527-41. doi: 10.1016/j.bbamcr.2013.02.010. Epub 2013 Feb 26. 23481043
2. Sinclair PR, Gorman N, Shedlofsky SI, Honsinger CP, Sinclair JF, Karagas MR, Anderson KE. Role of Vitamin C in Skin Diseases J Lab Clin Med. 1997 Aug;130(2):197-201. doi: 10.1016/s0022-2143(97)90096-2. 9280147
3. Wu SJ, Ng LT, Lin CC. L-ascorbic acid (vitamin C) induces the apoptosis of B16 murine melanoma cells via a caspase-8-independent pathway Eur J Pharmacol. 2005 Aug 22;518(2-3):96-106. doi: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2005.06.021. 16054126
4. Ströhle A, Wolters M, Hahn A. Vitamin C and Immune Function Inflamm Allergy Drug Targets. 2011 Feb;10(1):54-63. doi: 10.2174/187152811794352105. 21184650
5. Yamamoto M. The role of vitamin A and related retinoids in immune function World Rev Nutr Diet. 1991;64:58-84. doi: 10.1159/000418570. 2028624
6. Prasad AS. Zinc in human health: effect of zinc on immune cells Exp Gerontol. 2008 May;43(5):370-7. doi: 10.1016/j.exger.2007.10.013. Epub 2007 Nov 1. 18054190
7. U.S.FDA - Daily Value on the New Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels