Top 10 Foods Highest in Alpha-Carotene

Top 10 Foods Highest in Alpha-Carotene

Like beta-carotene, alpha-Carotene is a precursor to creating vitamin A in the body.

Both alpha-carotene and beta-carotene are fat-soluble so they need to be consumed with fat to be absorbed efficiently in the digestive tract. (1)

The amount of active vitamin A in the body is measured in retinol activity equivalents (RAE). (2)

For every 24mcg of alpha-carotene you consume, the body creates 1mcg of RAE. (2) The daily value (%DV) for vitamin A is 900mcg of RAE. (3)

We calculate the daily intake target of alpha-carotene to be 24 times the daily value (DV) for vitamin A, which comes to 21600mcg (21.6mg) of alpha-carotene per day. If you were getting all of your vitamin A from alpha-carotene, then this is the amount that you would need.

In truth, it's not necessary to worry about meeting this target for alpha-carotene consumption. The goal is to get enough RAE in total, and other forms, such as beta-carotene, and vitamin A, also contribute to this total. The calculated RDA is simply a guide for comparing foods.

Foods high in alpha-carotene include orange vegetables like pumpkin, carrots, and winter squash. Other alpha-carotene food sources include tangerines, tomatoes, collards, napa cabbage, sweet potatoes, avocados, and bananas.

Below are the top 10 foods highest in alpha-carotene, for more, see the nutrient ranking of foods high in alpha-carotene.

List of Foods High in Alpha Carotene

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View more nutrients with the nutrient ranking tool, or see ratios with the nutrient ratio tool.

Data Sources and References

  1. Ribaya-Mercado JD. Bioavailability of beta-carotene in humans Nutr Rev. 2002 Apr;60(4):104-10. doi: 10.1301/00296640260085831. 12002680
  2. National Library of Medicine - Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Arsenic, Boron, Chromium, Copper, Iodine, Iron, Manganese, Molybdenum, Nickel, Silicon, Vanadium, and Zinc.
  3. U.S.FDA - Daily Value on the New Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels
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