Vitamin A Foods: Chart per 100 g

Vitamin A comes in two forms and this chart does not separate them: preformed retinol in animal foods, and beta-carotene in plants. For the question "is there enough?" that does not matter. For "is it too much?" it is the whole question.

Vitamin A contributes to the maintenance of normal vision, normal skin and mucous membranes, and to the normal function of the immune system.

The German DGE gives 700 µg retinol equivalents per day for women and 850 µg for men (800 from age 65). Percentages below use 800 µg.

#	Food	Vitamin A per 100 g	Share of daily reference	Category	Source
1	Beef liver	4,968 µg	621 %	Meat & fish	USDA
2	Chicken liver	3,296 µg	412 %	Meat & fish	USDA
3	Carrot	835 µg	104 %	Other	USDA
4	Carrots	835 µg	104 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA
5	Sweet potato	787 µg	98 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA
6	lamb's lettuce	534 µg	67 %	Fruit & vegetables	BLS
7	Spinach	469 µg	59 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA
8	Pumpkin	426 µg	53 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA
9	Provolone	372 µg	47 %	Dairy & cheese	BLS
10	Mixed leaf salads	370 µg	46 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA
11	Lettuce	370 µg	46 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA
12	Cream	345 µg	43 %	Other	BLS
13	Swiss chard	306 µg	38 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA
14	Paneer	302 µg	38 %	Dairy	–
15	Goat cheese	288 µg	36 %	Dairy	USDA
16	Caviar	271 µg	34 %	Chilled	USDA
17	Egg	262 µg	33 %	Chilled	BLS
18	Camembert	241 µg	30 %	Dairy	USDA
19	Kale	241 µg	30 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA
20	Sour cream	240 µg	30 %	Dairy	BLS
21	Halloumi	226 µg	28 %	Dairy	BLS
22	Pak Choi	223 µg	28 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA
23	Parmesan	207 µg	26 %	Chilled	USDA
24	Blue cheese	198 µg	25 %	Dairy	USDA
25	Dried apricots	180 µg	23 %	Dry goods & tinned	USDA
26	Mozzarella	179 µg	22 %	Dairy	USDA
27	Lettuce	166 µg	21 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA
28	Gouda	165 µg	21 %	Dairy	USDA
29	Paprika	157 µg	20 %	Fruit & vegetables	–
30	Feta	125 µg	16 %	Other	USDA
31	Feta cheese	125 µg	16 %	Chilled	USDA
32	Sour Cream	124 µg	16 %	Other	USDA
33	Ricotta	120 µg	15 %	Dairy	USDA
34	Arugula	119 µg	15 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA
35	Endive	108 µg	14 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA
36	Apricot	96 µg	12 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA
37	Leek	83 µg	10 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA
38	Fava beans	67 µg	8 %	Dry goods & tinned	BLS
39	Soy milk	58 µg	7 %	Drinks	USDA
40	Red cabbage	56 µg	7 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA
41	Jalapeños	54 µg	7 %	Dry goods & tinned	–
42	Mango	54 µg	7 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA
43	Spring onions	50 µg	6 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA
44	Mackerel	50 µg	6 %	Meat & fish	USDA
45	Savoy cabbage	50 µg	6 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA
46	Chili	48 µg	6 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA
47	Fennel	48 µg	6 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA
48	Mussels	48 µg	6 %	Meat & fish	USDA
49	Papaya	47 µg	6 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA
50	Curd	44 µg	6 %	Dairy	BLS

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High values, small amounts

These ingredients score very high per 100 g but are eaten by the teaspoon, not by the plate. That is why they are not in the chart above. The right-hand column shows what a usual amount actually contributes.

Ingredient	per 100 g	usual amount	in that amount
Vegan butter or margarine	819 µg	10 g	81.9 µg
Butter	684 µg	10 g	68.4 µg
Whipped cream	411 µg	15 g	61.7 µg
Paprika powder	2,463 µg	2 g	49.3 µg
Chili flakes	2,081 µg	2 g	41.6 µg
Chili powder	1,483 µg	2 g	29.7 µg

The one nutrient here where too much is a real question

Vitamin A is fat-soluble and is stored. Liver tops this chart by a wide margin and delivers several times the daily reference in one portion. In a study of 22,748 pregnant women, certain malformations were 3.5 times more frequent at intakes above 15,000 IU of preformed vitamin A per day; one portion of liver exceeds that. Professional bodies therefore advise pregnant women against liver, especially in the first trimester. None of this applies to beta-carotene from plants, which the body converts only as needed. And because vitamin A is fat-soluble, a little fat in the same meal noticeably improves absorption.

How much of it adds up across your week?

Up-Food calculates over 30 nutrients from the real ingredient amounts in your weekly plan – using the same verified values you see in this chart.

See the weekly plan

Frequently Asked Questions

Which foods are highest in vitamin A?

Liver by a wide margin, then carrots, sweet potato, pumpkin, spinach, kale and butter. In plant foods it is present as beta-carotene.

How much vitamin A per day?

The German DGE gives 700 µg retinol equivalents for women and 850 µg for men, 800 µg from age 65, 800 µg in pregnancy and 1,300 µg while breastfeeding.

Can you get too much vitamin A?

Yes, and that makes it the exception here. Vitamin A is stored rather than excreted. In practice only liver and high-dose supplements matter; vegetables cannot cause an excess.

Why are carrots recommended with fat?

Because vitamin A and its precursor beta-carotene are fat-soluble. Without any fat in the meal the body absorbs considerably less.

Where these numbers come from

All values come from the Up-Food ingredient database: 370 foods, with values from USDA FoodData Central or the German Federal Food Code (BLS). Every row names its source. Daily reference intakes are the D-A-CH reference values of the German Nutrition Society. Data as of 2026-09-19.

What this chart is not
A nutrient chart is a set of measurements, not dietary advice and not medical information. Whether someone is actually short of a nutrient shows in a blood test, not in a list. For symptoms, or before taking supplements, a doctor is the right address.