We knew vitamin C is an essential micronutrient we need to eat daily to maintain optimal health.
In fact, vitamin C is arguably linked to the birth of modern medicine itself through the creation of what we now view as the gold standard of medical science – the clinical trial.
But we wanted to know what were the most vitamin C rich foods you could find.
So we collected detailed nutrient information from the USDA Food Database to see how they compare, calorie-per-calorie.
How we measured foods rich in vitamin C
Foods come in different sizes. And everyone eats different amounts of each food.
Therefore, we wanted to know, calorie-per-calorie, which foods had the highest density of vitamin C.
That means, we divided the amount of vitamin C by the number of calories in 100 grams of each food.
That way, the numbers can be compared, side-by-side, to reveal what are the most vitamin C rich foods.
Some of these just might surprise you.
Top 50 Most Vitamin C Rich Foods – Ranked
50. Raw Lemon Juice (1.76 mg/kcal)
49. Raw Cornsalad (1.82 mg/kcal)
48. Lemon (1.83 mg/kcal)
47. Strawberry (1.84 mg/kcal)
46. Red Cabbage (1.84 mg/kcal)
45. Pumpkin Flowers (1.87 mg/kcal)
44. Turnip Greens (1.88 mg/kcal)
43. Amaranth Leaves (1.88 mg/kcal)
42. Taro Shoots (1.91 mg/kcal)
41. Cauliflower (1.93 mg/kcal)
40. Chives (1.94 mg/kcal)
39. Brussels Sprouts (1.98 mg/kcal)
38. White Icicle Radishes (2.07 mg/kcal)
37. New Zealand Spinach (2.14 mg/kcal)
36. Garden Cress (2.16 mg/kcal)
35. Tahitian Taro (2.18 mg/kcal)
34. Dock (2.18 mg/kcal)
33. Butterbur (Fuki) (2.25 mg/kcal)
32. Kohlrabi (2.30 mg/kcal)
31. Kiwifruit (2.56 mg/kcal)
30. Mustard Greens (2.59 mg/kcal)
29. Broccoli (2.62 mg/kcal)
28. Kale (2.67 mg/kcal)
27. Sesbania Flower (2.70 mg/kcal)
26. Lemon Peel (2.74 mg/kcal)
25. Green Cauliflower (2.84 mg/kcal)
24. European Black Currants (2.87 mg/kcal)
23. Water Convolvulus (2.89 mg/kcal)
22. Balsam-Pear (Bitter Gourd) Leafy Tips (2.93 mg/kcal)
21. Banana Pepper (3.06 mg/kcal)
20. Hungarian Pepper (3.20 mg/kcal)
19. Broccoli Stalks (3.33 mg/kcal)
18. Broccoli Flower Clusters (3.33 mg/kcal)
17. Guava (3.36 mg/kcal)
16. Chinese Cabbage (Pak-Choi) (3.46 mg/kcal)
15. Red Hot Chili Pepper (3.59 mg/kcal)
14. Pimento (3.69 mg/kcal)
13. Parsley (3.69 mg/kcal)
12. Drumstick Pods (3.81 mg/kcal)
11. Watercress (3.91 mg/kcal)
10. Green Sweet Pepper (4.02 mg/kcal)
9. Jalapeno Pepper (4.09 mg/kcal)
8. Tomato Juice (4.12 mg/kcal)
7. Red Sweet Pepper (4.91 mg/kcal)
6. Balsam-Pear (Bitter Gourd) Pods (4.94 mg/kcal)
5. Mustard Spinach (Tendergreen) (5.91 mg/kcal)
4. Pokeberry Shoots (5.91 mg/kcal)
3. Green, Hot Chili Pepper (6.06 mg/kcal)
2. Sweet, Yellow Pepper (6.80 mg/kcal)
1. Acerola (West Indian Cherry) (52.43 mg/kcal)
Foods Rich in Vitamin C
It’s easy to think that fruits might all claim high spots in a ranking of vitamin C rich foods.
Interestingly, oranges don’t even crack the top 50.
But many vegetables are high on the list, too. For example, several varieties of peppers are very dense in vitamin C. The Sweet Yellow Pepper is the most vitamin C rich vegetable on the list.
Most peppers are vitamin C rich foods.
And in fact, 39 of the top 50 vitamin C rich foods are vegetables.
That means, 78% of the top 50 vitamin C rich foods are vegetables!
But the number 1 spot is still claimed by a fruit. The Acerola, or West Indian Cherry, is by far the most vitamin C rich food on the list.
Top 50 vitamin C rich foods, ranked.
_For an interactive, embed-able version of the chart above, _click here_!_
Do any of your favorites make the list of the top 50 most vitamin C rich foods?