Vitamin C Foods: Chart per 100 g

The lemon has kept its reputation as a vitamin C source even though peppers, broccoli, kale and Brussels sprouts comfortably beat it. In this chart it sits well behind vegetables that almost nobody associates with vitamin C.

Vitamin C contributes to the normal function of the immune system, protects cells from oxidative stress and increases iron absorption from plant foods.

The German DGE gives 95 mg per day for women and 110 mg for men; smokers need more. Percentages below use 110 mg.

#	Food	Vitamin C per 100 g	Share of daily reference	Category	Source
1	Chili	143.7 mg	131 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA
2	Paprika	127.7 mg	116 %	Fruit & vegetables	–
3	Jalapeños	118.6 mg	108 %	Dry goods & tinned	–
4	Kale	93.4 mg	85 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA
5	Broccoli	89.2 mg	81 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA
6	Brussels sprouts	85 mg	77 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA
7	Lychee	71.5 mg	65 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA
8	Kohlrabi	62 mg	56 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA
9	Papaya	60.9 mg	55 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA
10	Strawberries	58.8 mg	53 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA
11	Kiwi	58.8 mg	53 %	Other	USDA
12	Pineapple	58.6 mg	53 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA
13	Red cabbage	57 mg	52 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA
14	Lemon	53 mg	48 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA
15	Orange	48.5 mg	44 %	Other	USDA
16	Cauliflower	48.2 mg	44 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA
17	Pak Choi	45 mg	41 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA
18	Pointed cabbage	42 mg	38 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA
19	Blackcurrants	41 mg	37 %	Fruit & vegetables	–
20	Peas	40 mg	36 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA
21	Green peas	40 mg	36 %	Other	USDA
22	White cabbage	36.6 mg	33 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA
23	Mango	36.4 mg	33 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA
24	Elderberry	36 mg	33 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA
25	lamb's lettuce	35 mg	32 %	Fruit & vegetables	BLS
26	Orange juice	33.6 mg	31 %	Chilled	USDA
27	Savoy cabbage	31 mg	28 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA
28	Swiss chard	30 mg	27 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA
29	Lime	29.1 mg	26 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA
30	Spinach	28.1 mg	26 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA
31	Gooseberries	27.7 mg	25 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA
32	Raspberries	26.2 mg	24 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA
33	Chestnuts	26 mg	24 %	Dry goods & tinned	USDA
34	Rutabaga	25 mg	23 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA
35	Okra	23 mg	21 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA
36	Blackberries	21 mg	19 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA
37	Turnip	21 mg	19 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA
38	Potatoes	19.7 mg	18 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA
39	Spring onions	18.8 mg	17 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA
40	Chicken liver	17.9 mg	16 %	Meat & fish	USDA
41	Zucchini	17.9 mg	16 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA
42	Parsnips	17 mg	15 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA
43	Quince	15 mg	14 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA
44	Arugula	15 mg	14 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA
45	Sweet potato	14.8 mg	13 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA
46	Radishes	14.8 mg	13 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA
47	Cranberries	14 mg	13 %	Dry goods & tinned	USDA
48	Cherry tomatoes	13.7 mg	12 %	Other	–
49	Cherry tomatoes	13.7 mg	12 %	Fruit & vegetables	–
50	Tomato	13.7 mg	12 %	Other	USDA

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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
Parsley	133 mg	5 g	6.65 mg
Watercress	43 mg	10 g	4.3 mg
Dill	85 mg	5 g	4.25 mg
Lemon juice	38.7 mg	10 g	3.87 mg
Tomato paste	21.9 mg	15 g	3.29 mg
Lime juice	30 mg	10 g	3 mg

Sensitive to heat, light and water

Vitamin C is the most fragile nutrient on this site. Long boiling in plenty of water can halve the content or worse; brief steaming or eating raw keeps most of it. The chart values are for the raw food – what reaches the plate is lower, depending on preparation. A point rarely made anywhere: high-dose supplements are not the same as the vitamin in food. In a controlled trial, four weeks of training improved insulin sensitivity only in the participants who took no vitamin C or E – 1,000 mg of vitamin C and 400 IU of vitamin E per day cancelled the training effect. This does not apply to the amounts found in food.

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 food has the most vitamin C?

Among the foods covered here: red peppers, chilli, broccoli, kale and Brussels sprouts – all well ahead of citrus.

How much vitamin C per day?

The German DGE gives 95 mg for women and 110 mg for men, 105 mg in pregnancy and 125 mg while breastfeeding. The US RDA is lower at 75 and 90 mg. Smokers need more.

Are lemons high in vitamin C?

Around 53 mg per 100 g – respectable, but far behind red pepper at roughly 128 mg. And people eat half a pepper far more often than half a lemon.

Does vitamin C prevent colds?

Vitamin C contributes to the normal function of the immune system. That extra intake prevents colds in well-supplied people is not convincingly shown by trials, so we only state what is established.

References

The figures in the chart come from the nutrient databases named below. The statements in the running text on this page rest on the following work:

Hallberg L, Brune M, Rossander L: Iron absorption in man: ascorbic acid and dose-dependent inhibition by phytate. Am J Clin Nutr 1989. doi:10.1093/ajcn/49.1.140
Ristow M et al.: Antioxidants prevent health-promoting effects of physical exercise in humans. PNAS 2009. doi:10.1073/pnas.0903485106

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.