Nutrient guide
Potassium-Rich Foods: Top Sources Ranked (Beyond Bananas) and How Much You Need
Potatoes, beans, leafy greens, squash, dried fruit and more, ranked by milligrams of potassium per serving using USDA data, with daily needs by age and important safety notes for kidney disease and certain medicines.
This page is for general education and is not medical advice. Talk with your clinician or a registered dietitian before major diet changes or starting supplements, especially if you take medication, are pregnant, or have a chronic condition. See our medical disclaimer.
Potassium at a glance
- Why it matters: potassium is needed for normal cell function, nerve transmission, muscle contraction and kidney function, and it works closely with sodium to regulate fluid balance (NIH ODS).
- Most people fall short: national survey data summarized by NIH show U.S. adults average about 3,016 mg a day (men) and 2,320 mg a day (women) from food, below the Adequate Intakes of 3,400 mg and 2,600 mg.
- Best sources: fruits and vegetables, especially potatoes and sweet potatoes with the skin, cooked leafy greens, winter squash and dried fruit, plus beans, lentils and soy. Fish, poultry, milk, yogurt and nuts also contribute.
- Top picks per serving here: Beet greens (boiled), White beans (boiled), Swiss chard (boiled).
How much potassium do you need?
In 2019 the National Academies set Adequate Intakes (AIs) for potassium, summarized by the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements: 3,400 mg a day for adult men and 2,600 mg a day for adult women, with different amounts for teens, children and during pregnancy and breastfeeding. The Daily Value (DV) used on Nutrition Facts labels is 4,700 mg, so a food with 470 mg provides 10% DV.
Potassium-rich foods list (per serving)
| Food | Serving | Potassium | %DV | kcal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beet greens (boiled) | 1 cup (144 g) | 1,309 mg | 28% | 39 |
| White beans (boiled) | 1 cup (179 g) | 1,004 mg | 21% | 249 |
| Swiss chard (boiled) | 1 cup (175 g) | 960 mg | 20% | 35 |
| Potato, baked with skin | 1 medium (173 g) | 925 mg | 20% | 161 |
| Acorn squash (baked) | 1 cup cubes (205 g) | 895 mg | 19% | 115 |
| Soybeans (boiled) | 1 cup (172 g) | 885 mg | 19% | 296 |
| Spinach (boiled) | 1 cup (180 g) | 838 mg | 18% | 41 |
| Dried apricots | ½ cup (65 g) | 755 mg | 16% | 157 |
| Pinto beans (boiled) | 1 cup (171 g) | 745 mg | 16% | 245 |
| Lentils (boiled) | 1 cup (198 g) | 730 mg | 16% | 230 |
| Kidney beans (boiled) | 1 cup (177 g) | 713 mg | 15% | 225 |
| Edamame (prepared) | 1 cup (155 g) | 675 mg | 14% | 188 |
| Prunes (dried plums) | ½ cup (87 g) | 636 mg | 14% | 209 |
| Black beans (boiled) | 1 cup (172 g) | 610 mg | 13% | 227 |
| Butternut squash (baked) | 1 cup cubes (205 g) | 582 mg | 12% | 82 |
| White mushrooms (boiled) | 1 cup (156 g) | 555 mg | 12% | 44 |
| Sweet potato, baked in skin | 1 medium (114 g) | 541 mg | 12% | 103 |
| Salmon, Atlantic wild (cooked) | 3 oz (85 g) | 533 mg | 11% | 155 |
| Yogurt, plain low-fat | 8 oz (227 g) | 531 mg | 11% | 143 |
| Orange juice | 1 cup (248 g) | 496 mg | 11% | 112 |
| Avocado | ½ fruit (100 g) | 485 mg | 10% | 160 |
| Chickpeas (boiled) | 1 cup (164 g) | 477 mg | 10% | 269 |
| Broccoli (boiled) | 1 cup (156 g) | 457 mg | 10% | 55 |
| Halibut (cooked) | 3 oz (85 g) | 448 mg | 10% | 94 |
| Cantaloupe | 1 cup cubes (160 g) | 427 mg | 9% | 54 |
| Banana | 1 medium (118 g) | 422 mg | 9% | 105 |
| Milk, 2% | 1 cup (244 g) | 341 mg | 7% | 122 |
| Medjool dates | 2 dates (48 g) | 334 mg | 7% | 133 |
| Tomato | 1 medium (123 g) | 291 mg | 6% | 22 |
| Pistachios (dry roasted) | 1 oz (28 g) | 282 mg | 6% | 160 |
| Raisins | ¼ cup (36 g) | 267 mg | 6% | 108 |
| Orange | 1 medium (131 g) | 237 mg | 5% | 62 |
| Pumpkin seeds (dried) | 1 oz (28 g) | 226 mg | 5% | 157 |
| Chicken breast (roasted) | 3 oz (85 g) | 217 mg | 5% | 140 |
| Almonds (dry roasted) | 1 oz (28 g) | 199 mg | 4% | 167 |
Potassium, sodium and blood pressure
According to the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, low potassium intakes increase the risk of high blood pressure, especially when combined with high sodium intakes, while higher potassium intakes may help lower blood pressure. The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) eating pattern, which emphasizes potassium from fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy, lowered systolic blood pressure by an average of 5.5 mmHg and diastolic by 3.0 mmHg in trials. DASH also supplies more magnesium and calcium, so potassium’s independent contribution cannot be determined. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute describes DASH as rich in potassium, calcium, magnesium, fiber and protein and lower in sodium.
Read more: potassium and blood pressure: what research shows, potassium for blood pressure beyond cutting salt, foods that lower blood pressure and how less salt can lower blood pressure.
Easy ways to eat more potassium
- Bake or roast potatoes and sweet potatoes with the skin on, as in our roasted sweet potato and black bean bowl or sheet-pan salmon with broccoli and sweet potato.
- Cook a pot of beans or lentils: try three-bean vegetable chili or lentil vegetable soup.
- Wilt spinach or chard into curries and soups, like our chickpea spinach curry.
- Snack on a banana, an orange, a few dried apricots or fresh guacamole with vegetables; see more healthy snack ideas.
- Have plain yogurt with fruit, such as a yogurt berry parfait.
- Beans, lentils and potatoes are budget-friendly staples; see eating healthy on a budget.
⚠️ Who should check with a clinician first
The AIs do not apply to people whose kidneys cannot excrete potassium normally. If you have chronic kidney disease, or take medicines that raise potassium such as ACE inhibitors (for example benazepril), angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) (for example losartan) or potassium-sparing diuretics (for example amiloride), talk with your clinician or a registered dietitian before increasing potassium, because even ordinary intakes can cause high blood potassium (hyperkalemia), which can lead to dangerous heart rhythms. Salt substitutes often replace sodium with potassium chloride and can contain roughly 440 to 2,800 mg of potassium per teaspoon, so ask first before using them. Some other diuretics (loop and thiazide types) do the opposite and can lower potassium; clinicians monitor levels in people taking them. Do not take potassium supplements unless a clinician recommends them.
Common questions
Are bananas the best source of potassium?
Bananas are a good source, about 422 mg in a medium banana by USDA data, but they are not the top source per serving. Foods such as beet greens (boiled), white beans (boiled) and swiss chard (boiled) provide more in a typical serving, and potatoes, beans, cooked leafy greens and dried fruit are all strong choices.
Can you get too much potassium from food?
For healthy people with normal kidney function, NIH notes that high potassium intakes from food do not pose a health risk because the kidneys remove the excess, and the National Academies did not set an upper limit for potassium. The exception is people whose bodies cannot excrete potassium normally, such as those with chronic kidney disease or who take certain medicines; for them even intakes below the AI can raise blood potassium (hyperkalemia), so they should follow their care team’s advice.
Should I take a potassium supplement?
Most people can raise potassium with food. NIH notes that most over-the-counter potassium supplements contain no more than 99 mg per serving (about 2% of the Daily Value), partly because of FDA safety concerns about some higher-dose potassium chloride products. Talk with your clinician before using potassium supplements or potassium-based salt substitutes, especially if you have kidney disease or take blood pressure or heart medicines.
Do potassium-rich foods help lower blood pressure?
NIH reports that low potassium intakes raise the risk of high blood pressure, especially when sodium intake is high, and that higher intakes may help lower blood pressure. The DASH eating pattern, which is rich in potassium from fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy, lowered blood pressure in trials, although it also adds magnesium and calcium, so potassium’s separate effect cannot be pinned down. See our potassium and blood pressure research review.
How can I tell how much potassium is in packaged food?
Check the Nutrition Facts label. Potassium is now required on the label, listed in milligrams and as a percent of the 4,700 mg Daily Value. Foods providing 20% DV or more per serving are considered high sources (NIH ODS). Our guide to reading Nutrition Facts labels explains the rest of the panel.
Related on HealAtlas
Sources
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements: Potassium Fact Sheet for Health Professionals
- FDA: Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI): DASH Eating Plan
- NIH MedlinePlus: Potassium in diet
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, The Nutrition Source: Potassium
- USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) nutrient data