Folate-Rich Foods: Top Sources Ranked, Plus How Much You Need

Folate at a glance

• Why it matters: folate (vitamin B9) is needed to make DNA and RNA, for normal cell division and to convert homocysteine to methionine. A shortage can cause megaloblastic anemia, one of the hallmarks of folate deficiency (NIH ODS).
• Best natural sources: vegetables (especially dark green leafy vegetables), fruits and fruit juices, nuts, beans and peas, seafood, eggs, dairy, meat, poultry and grains. NIH names spinach, liver, asparagus and Brussels sprouts among the richest.
• Folic acid is added to many grains: since 1998, U.S. enriched breads, cereals, flours, pastas and rice must contain added folic acid (FDA, summarized by NIH ODS).
• Before pregnancy: anyone who could become pregnant should get 400 mcg of folic acid every day to help prevent neural tube defects (CDC).
• Top natural sources per serving here: chicken liver, edamame and beef liver.

How much folate do you need?

The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) from the National Academies, summarized by the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, is 400 micrograms of dietary folate equivalents (mcg DFE) a day for everyone 14 and older, 600 mcg DFE during pregnancy and 500 mcg DFE while breastfeeding. Children need 150 to 300 mcg DFE depending on age, and infants have an Adequate Intake of 65 to 80 mcg DFE. The Daily Value (DV) on Nutrition Facts labels is also 400 mcg DFE, so a food with 80 mcg DFE provides 20% DV, which counts as a high source.

Most people in the U.S. get enough folate. In NHANES 2013 to 2014, average intakes from food were 602 mcg DFE a day for men and 455 mcg DFE for women 20 and older (NIH ODS). Some groups fall short, though: even counting supplements, 19% of teen girls ages 14 to 18 and 17% of women ages 19 to 30 do not meet the average requirement, which is why folic acid advice focuses on people who could become pregnant.

Folate, folic acid and DFE explained

Folate is the general term for the naturally occurring forms of the vitamin in food and for the forms in supplements and fortified foods. Folic acid is the synthetic form used in fortified foods and most dietary supplements; some supplements use 5-MTHF (methylfolate) instead (NIH ODS). The body absorbs folic acid better than food folate: at least 85% of folic acid is bioavailable when taken with food, compared with only about 50% of the folate naturally present in food, and nearly 100% of supplemental folic acid is bioavailable when taken without food.

To account for this, the Food and Nutrition Board created dietary folate equivalents (DFEs):

• 1 mcg DFE = 1 mcg of food folate
• 1 mcg DFE = 0.6 mcg of folic acid from fortified foods or supplements taken with food
• 1 mcg DFE = 0.5 mcg of folic acid from a supplement taken on an empty stomach

On food labels, mcg DFE = mcg of natural folate + (1.7 × mcg of folic acid). Labels must list folate in mcg DFE, and if folic acid has been added they must also show the folic acid in mcg in parentheses. FDA does not require folate on the label unless folic acid has been added (NIH ODS). That is why a supplement with 400 mcg of folic acid is labeled about 680 mcg DFE: NIH lists common adult doses as 680 to 1,360 mcg DFE (400 to 800 mcg folic acid).

Folate-rich foods list (per serving)

Values are for the form listed (cooked unless noted) and are in mcg DFE, which counts folic acid at 1.7 times its weight. Enriched and fortified grains get most of their folate from added folic acid. Fortified cereals vary by brand and change over time: the two cereal rows are single USDA-analyzed products and are only examples, so check the Nutrition Facts label on what you buy; NIH lists 100 mcg DFE for a serving of breakfast cereal fortified with 25% of the DV. Black-eyed peas appear twice because the forms differ: fresh (green) black-eyed peas match the 105 mcg DFE that NIH lists, while dried black-eyed peas cooked from dry are higher. Canned kidney beans are left out because sources disagree (NIH lists 46 mcg DFE per ½ cup; the USDA SR Legacy canned entries work out to about 18 to 29 mcg DFE), so the table shows red kidney beans boiled from dried instead. Meat, poultry, most fish and dairy are low in folate: NIH lists 3 to 12 mcg DFE per serving for chicken breast, ground beef, halibut and 1% milk.

Enriched grains: why folic acid is in your bread

In January 1998, FDA began requiring manufacturers to add 140 mcg of folic acid per 100 g to enriched breads, cereals, flours, corn meals, pastas, rice and other grain products to reduce the risk of neural tube defects (NTDs). According to NIH ODS, fortification raised average folic acid intakes in the U.S. by about 190 mcg a day, and NTD rates have declined by 28% since it began. In April 2016, FDA also approved the voluntary addition of up to 154 mcg of folic acid per 100 g to corn masa flour. Canada has required added folic acid in many grain products since November 1998.

This means many people get folic acid without realizing it, from enriched rice, pasta and white bread as well as fortified cereals. MedlinePlus lists enriched breads, cereals, flours, cornmeals, pastas and rice among the fortified foods. If a grain product lists folic acid on its Nutrition Facts label, it has been fortified. For whole grains and other fiber-rich staples, see our high-fiber foods list.

Planning a pregnancy: folic acid and neural tube defects

Neural tube defects are serious birth defects of the brain (such as anencephaly) and spine (such as spina bifida). NIH explains that they result from a failure of the neural tube to close on days 21 to 28 after conception, and CDC notes they happen in the first few weeks of pregnancy, often before you know you are pregnant. Because about 50% of U.S. pregnancies are unplanned (NIH ODS), the advice applies to anyone who could become pregnant, not only those who are trying.

• CDC: everyone who could become pregnant should get 400 mcg of folic acid every day. CDC says folic acid is the only type of folate shown to help prevent NTDs, and it recommends starting at least 1 month before conception and continuing during pregnancy.
• U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (2023, grade A): all persons planning to or who could become pregnant should take a daily supplement containing 400 to 800 mcg (0.4 to 0.8 mg) of folic acid, starting at least 1 month before conception and continuing through the first 2 to 3 months of pregnancy.
• Food and Nutrition Board (via NIH ODS): consume 400 mcg of folic acid daily from supplements, fortified foods or both, in addition to food folate from a varied diet.
• After a pregnancy affected by an NTD: talk with your doctor before trying again. CDC says the current recommendation is 4,000 mcg of folic acid a day starting 1 month before pregnancy and through the first 3 months. This is above the UL, so it should be taken only under medical supervision (NIH ODS).

Food folate still matters: the pregnancy RDA is 600 mcg DFE, and NIH notes that this level might be difficult for some women to reach through diet alone, and that the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends a prenatal vitamin for most pregnant women. Read more in our article on pregnancy after 40: screening and risks.

Deficiency and who is at risk

NIH ODS describes isolated folate deficiency as uncommon in the U.S.; it usually occurs alongside other nutrient shortfalls because of its strong link with poor diet, alcohol use disorder and malabsorptive disorders. The main sign is megaloblastic anemia (large, abnormal red blood cells), with symptoms such as weakness, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, irritability, headache, heart palpitations and shortness of breath. Deficiency can also cause sores on the tongue and inside the mouth, changes in skin, hair or fingernail color, digestive symptoms and higher homocysteine levels. During pregnancy, low folate raises the risk of NTDs and has been associated with low birth weight and preterm delivery.

According to NIH, the groups most likely to have low folate status include:

• People with alcohol use disorder: alcohol interferes with folate absorption and liver uptake, speeds its breakdown and increases its loss in urine.
• Women and teens who could become pregnant, some of whom get too little folate even when they take supplements.
• Pregnant women, whose needs rise to 600 mcg DFE a day.
• People with malabsorptive disorders such as tropical sprue, celiac disease and inflammatory bowel disease (about 20% to 60% of people with IBD have folate deficiency), and people with reduced stomach acid from atrophic gastritis or stomach surgery.
• People with the MTHFR 677C>T variant, who convert folate to its active form less efficiently. NIH lists about 25% of Hispanics, 10% of Caucasians and Asians and 1% of African Americans as homozygous for this variant.

Folate and vitamin B12 work together, and low levels of either can cause the same type of anemia, so clinicians often check both. See our vitamin B12-rich foods list and our article on B12, folate and chronic fatigue.

What the research shows

Folic acid supplements, with or without vitamin B12, lower homocysteine levels. NIH ODS concludes that they reduce the risk of stroke, especially in populations with low folate status, but do not affect other cardiovascular outcomes such as heart attacks. Most clinical trials have not shown that folic acid improves cognitive function or prevents dementia. For cancer, adequate dietary folate might reduce the risk of some cancers, but the effects of folic acid supplements are unclear, and a 2015 expert panel convened by the National Toxicology Program and NIH ODS concluded that folic acid supplements do not reduce cancer risk in people who already have adequate folate status. In short, for most people the best approach is a varied diet with folate-rich foods, plus folic acid if you could become pregnant. For a related nutrient that also lowers homocysteine, see our article on betaine (TMG) and homocysteine.

Easy ways to eat more folate

• Cook a pot of lentils or beans: our lentil vegetable soup pairs lentils with spinach, and our three-bean chili uses kidney, black and pinto beans. See our top legumes and beans.
• Add greens to everything: try our chickpea spinach curry, spinach tomato egg scramble or a hummus veggie wrap with romaine and spinach.
• Put asparagus or broccoli on the plate: our lemon herb chicken with asparagus and tofu vegetable stir-fry with broccoli are easy weeknight options. Browse more healthy vegetables.
• Use avocado: fresh guacamole, avocado toast or a black bean burrito bowl combines avocado with beans.
• Snack on sunflower seeds and peanuts, or try our nut and seed trail mix. Oranges and orange juice add smaller amounts; see our healthiest fruits.
• Eating plant-based? Beans, lentils, greens and fortified grains cover folate well; our guide to plant-based protein sources covers the rest of the plate, and you will still need a reliable source of vitamin B12.

Related on HealAtlas

• Vitamin B12-rich foods
• Foods high in iron
• Vitamin C-rich foods
• Zinc-rich foods
• Calcium-rich foods
• Potassium-rich foods
• Magnesium-rich foods
• High-fiber foods list
• B12, folate and chronic fatigue
• Vitamin B12 deficiency: signs and risks
• Pregnancy after 40: screening and risks
• Healthy whole-food recipes