Top 10 Vegetables Highest in Magnesium

Photo of Daisy Whitbread Written by Daisy Whitbread
BSc (Hons) MSc DipION
Photo of Dr. Nicolette Natale Medically Reviewed by
Dr. Nicolette Natale
Evidence Based. References sourced from PubMed.
Powered by USDA Nutrition Data.
Top 10 Vegetables Highest in Magnesium

Magnesium is an essential mineral required by the body for muscle and nerve function, maintaining heart rhythm, building strong bones, and energy production. (1,2,3)

Magnesium is an electrolyte, and a deficiency in magnesium can lead to numbness, abnormal heart rhythms, coronary spasms. (4) In the long term, magnesium deficiency increases the risk of stroke, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and migraine. (5)

Vegetables are an extremely nutrient dense food group and it is no surprise that vegetables are a good source of magnesium.

Vegetables high in magnesium include spinach, Swiss chard, lima beans, acorn squash, artichokes, kale, peas, okra, sweet corn, and potatoes. The daily value (DV) for magnesium is 420mg. (6,7)

See the top 10 vegetables high in magnesium below, and for more, see the extended list of less common vegetables rich in magnesium, list of high magnesium fruits, and the article on the top 10 high magnesium foods.

List of Vegetables High in Magnesium

A Bowl of Spinach1 Spinach
Magnesium
per Cup Cooked
Magnesium
per 100g
Magnesium
per 200 Calories
157mg
(37% DV)
87mg
(21% DV)
757mg
(180% DV)
Swiss Chard2 Swiss Chard
Magnesium
per Cup Cooked
Magnesium
per 100g
Magnesium
per 200 Calories
151mg
(36% DV)
86mg
(20% DV)
860mg
(205% DV)
Lima Beans3 Lima Beans
Magnesium
per Cup Cooked
Magnesium
per 100g
Magnesium
per 200 Calories
126mg
(30% DV)
74mg
(18% DV)
120mg
(29% DV)
An acorn squash4 Acorn Squash
Magnesium
per Cup Cooked
Magnesium
per 100g
Magnesium
per 200 Calories
88mg
(21% DV)
43mg
(10% DV)
154mg
(37% DV)
Artichokes5 Artichokes (Globe or French)
Magnesium
in a Medium Artichoke
Magnesium
per 100g
Magnesium
per 200 Calories
77mg
(18% DV)
60mg
(14% DV)
255mg
(61% DV)
Leaves of Kale6 Kale
Magnesium
per Cup Cooked
Magnesium
per 100g
Magnesium
per 200 Calories
74mg
(18% DV)
57mg
(14% DV)
407mg
(97% DV)
Green Peas7 Green Peas
Magnesium
per Cup Cooked
Magnesium
per 100g
Magnesium
per 200 Calories
62mg
(15% DV)
39mg
(9% DV)
93mg
(22% DV)
Sliced Okra8 Okra
Magnesium
per Cup Raw
Magnesium
per 100g
Magnesium
per 200 Calories
57mg
(14% DV)
57mg
(14% DV)
345mg
(82% DV)
Yellow Sweet Corn9 Sweet Corn
Magnesium
per Cup Cooked
Magnesium
per 100g
Magnesium
per 200 Calories
54mg
(13% DV)
37mg
(9% DV)
86mg
(20% DV)
Potatoes10 Potatoes
Magnesium
in a Medium Potato
Magnesium
per 100g
Magnesium
per 200 Calories
48mg
(12% DV)
28mg
(7% DV)
60mg
(14% DV)

Printable One Page Sheet

Click to Print
A printable one-page sheet of the top 10 high magnesium vegetables. Vegetables high in magnesium include spinach, Swiss chard, lima beans, acorn squash, artichokes, kale, peas, okra, sweet corn, and potatoes.

Even More Magnesium Rich Vegetables

FoodServingMagnesium
1 Taro1 cup sliced17% DV
(70mg)
2 Burdock Root1 cup12% DV
(49mg)
3 Nopales1 cup sliced11% DV
(45mg)
4 Fireweed Leaves1 cup9% DV
(36mg)
5 Sweet Potato Leaves1 cup chopped7% DV
(31mg)
6 Parsleyper cup7% DV
(30mg)
7 Purslane1 cup7% DV
(29mg)
8 Beet Greensper cup fresh6% DV
(27mg)
9 Sweet Potato Leaves1 cup chopped6% DV
(25mg)
10 Garden Cress1 cup5% DV
(19mg)
11 Amaranth Leaves1 cup4% DV
(15mg)
12 Spirulina1 tbsp3% DV
(14mg)
13 Wakame Seaweed2 tbsp (1/8 cup)3% DV
(11mg)

How Much Magnesium Do You Need Everyday?

The daily value (%DV) for Magnesium is 420mg and is a general target intended for most people. The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) shows specific targets by age and gender. The RDA for magnesium is between 300mg - 420mg for most people. (7)

Life StageRDA
Children
1-3 years old80mg
4-8 years old130mg
Males
9-13 years old240mg
14-18 years old410mg
19-30 years old310mg
31-70 years old420mg
70+ years old420mg
Females
9-13 years old240mg
14-18 years old360mg
19-30 years old310mg
31-70 years old320mg
70+ years old320mg
Pregnancy
14-18 years old335mg
19-30 years old290mg
31-50 years old300mg
Lactation
14-18 years old400mg
19-30 years old350mg
31-50 years old360mg

About the Data

Data for the curated food lists comes from the USDA Food Data Central Repository.

You can check our data against the USDA by clicking the (Source) link at the bottom of each food listing.

Note: When checking data please be sure the serving sizes are the same. In the rare case you find any difference, please contact us and we will fix it right away.

About Nutrient Targets

Setting targets can provide a guide to healthy eating.

Some of the most popular targets include:
  • Daily Value (%DV) - The daily value (%DV) is a general guideline for consumption that will prevent deficiency of a particular nutrient in most people. The %DV refers to the percentage of an amount that's found in a single serving of a food. It also accounts for absorption factors. It is set by the U.S. FDA.
  • Recommended Dietary Allowance (%RDA) - The RDA sets an average daily dietary intake level that is sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of nearly all (97.5%) healthy individuals. It's more specific than the daily value, and varies by age and gender. The RDA is set by the US National Institutes of Health.
  • Reference Dietary Intake (%RDI) -The reference dietary intake is similar to the recommended daily allowance, but is specific to age and gender. The RDI for amino acids is set by the U.N. World Health Organization.
  • Adequate Intake (%AI) - This value is primarily used in reference to omega-3 and omega-6 fats. The Adequate Intake is set by the U.S. Institute of Medicine. Because there is less evidence to determine the ideal targets for consumption of these nutrients, the specific amount is considered to be less reliable. Using the term Adequate Intake, rather than one of the other terms, helps to emphasize that the ideal intake of that particular nutrient has not yet been scientifically determined.

See the Guide to Recommended Daily Intakes for more information.

Want to set your own targets? Sign up for an account and set custom targets in the daily meal planner.

Use the ranking tool links below to select foods and create your own food list to share or print.


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

Data Sources and References

  1. Limaye CS, Londhey VA, Nadkart MY, Borges NE. Magnesium and Human Health: Perspectives and Research Directions J Assoc Physicians India. 2011 Jan;59:19-22. 21751660
  2. Robertson SP, Johnson JD, Potter JD. Magnesium and the regulation of muscle contraction Biophys J. 1981 Jun;34(3):559-69. doi: 10.1016/S0006-3495(81)84868-0. 7195747
  3. Robertson SP, Johnson JD, Potter JD. Magnesium and the regulation of muscle contraction Biophys J. 1981 Jun;34(3):559-69. doi: 10.1016/S0006-3495(81)84868-0. 7195747
  4. Rude RK. Clinical manifestations of magnesium deficiency Endocrinol Metab Clin North Am. 1993 Jun;22(2):377-95. 8325293
  5. Kirkland AE, Sarlo GL, Holton KF. The Effect of Magnesium Deficiency on Neurological Disorders: A Narrative Review Article Nutrients. 2018 Jun 6;10(6):730. doi: 10.3390/nu10060730. 29882776
  6. U.S.FDA - Daily Value on the New Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels
  7. Institute of Medicine (US) Food and Nutrition Board. Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Vitamin D, and Fluoride Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 1998. 20845565
MyFoodData provides free nutrition data tools and articles to help you organize and understand the foods you eat.

Try the recipe nutrition calculator, or daily meal planner.

Create a free account to log and track foods.