Vegetables High in Copper

Photo of Daisy Whitbread Written by Daisy Whitbread
BSc (Hons) MSc DipION
Powered by USDA Nutrition Data.
Vegetables High in Copper

Vegetables comprise some of the most nutrient dense foods in our diets and copper is one of the many important nutrients they contain.

Copper is an essential nutrient, responsible for producing blood cells, preventing anemia, and strengthening our bones. (1)

Vegetables high in copper include mushrooms, sweet potatoes, lima beans, turnip greens, beet greens, spinach, soybean sprouts, asparagus, artichokes, and green peas. (2) The current daily value (DV) for copper is 0.9mg. (3)

For more high copper vegetables see the extended list of less common vegetables rich in copper.

List of Vegetables High in Copper

Shiitake Mushrooms1 Shiitake Mushrooms
Copper
per Cup Cooked
Copper
per 100g
Copper
per 200 Calories
1.3mg
(144% DV)
0.9mg
(100% DV)
3.2mg
(356% DV)

More Mushrooms High in Copper

  • 87% DV in 1 cup of white button mushrooms
  • 52% DV in 1 cup of portobellos
  • 48% DV in 1 cup of cremini mushrooms
  • 46% DV in 1 cup of morels
  • 41% DV in 1 cup of canned mushrooms
Sweet Potatoes2 Sweet Potatoes
Copper
per Cup Mashed
Copper
per 100g
Copper
per 200 Calories
0.7mg
(79% DV)
0.3mg
(31% DV)
0.6mg
(61% DV)
Lima Beans3 Lima Beans
Copper
per Cup Cooked
Copper
per 100g
Copper
per 200 Calories
0.5mg
(58% DV)
0.3mg
(34% DV)
0.5mg
(55% DV)
Turnip Greens4 Turnip Greens
Copper
per Cup Cooked
Copper
per 100g
Copper
per 200 Calories
0.4mg
(40% DV)
0.3mg
(28% DV)
2.5mg
(281% DV)
Beet Greens5 Beet Greens
Copper
per Cup Cooked
Copper
per 100g
Copper
per 200 Calories
0.4mg
(40% DV)
0.3mg
(28% DV)
1.9mg
(207% DV)
A Bowl of Spinach6 Spinach
Copper
per Cup Cooked
Copper
per 100g
Copper
per 200 Calories
0.3mg
(35% DV)
0.2mg
(19% DV)
1.5mg
(168% DV)

Other Leafy Greens High in Copper

  • 32% DV in 1 cup of Swiss chard
  • 27% DV in 1 cup of kale
  • 23% DV in 1 cup of mustard greens
Soybean Sprouts7 Soybean Sprouts
Copper
per Cup Cooked
Copper
per 100g
Copper
per 200 Calories
0.3mg
(34% DV)
0.3mg
(37% DV)
0.8mg
(91% DV)

More Sprouts High in Copper

  • 37% DV in 1 cup of lentil sprouts
  • 36% DV in 1 cup of pea sprouts
  • 22% DV in 1 cup of mung bean sprouts
Asparagus8 Asparagus
Copper
per Cup Cooked
Copper
per 100g
Copper
per 200 Calories
0.3mg
(33% DV)
0.2mg
(18% DV)
1.5mg
(167% DV)
Artichokes9 Artichokes (Globe or French)
Copper
in a Medium Artichoke
Copper
per 100g
Copper
per 200 Calories
0.3mg
(33% DV)
0.2mg
(26% DV)
1mg
(109% DV)
Green Peas10 Green Peas
Copper
per Cup Cooked
Copper
per 100g
Copper
per 200 Calories
0.3mg
(31% DV)
0.2mg
(19% DV)
0.4mg
(46% DV)

Printable One Page Sheet

Click to Print
Printable list of vegetables high in copper including mushrooms, sweet potatoes, lima beans, turnip greens, beet greens, spinach, soybean sprouts, asparagus, artichokes, and green peas.

Less Common Copper Rich Vegetables

FoodServingCopper
1 Canned Tomato Pureeper cup80% DV
(0.7mg)
2 Yautiaper cup39% DV
(0.3mg)
3 Pickled Beetsper cup29% DV
(0.3mg)
4 Pumpkinper cup cooked25% DV
(0.2mg)
5 Jute Potherb (Molokhiya)per cup cooked25% DV
(0.2mg)
6 Kohlrabiper cup cooked24% DV
(0.2mg)
7 Lotus Rootper 10 slices23% DV
(0.2mg)
8 Canned Palm Heartsper cup22% DV
(0.2mg)
9 Taroper cup20% DV
(0.2mg)
10 Acorn Squashper cup cooked20% DV
(0.2mg)
11 Chayoteper cup cooked20% DV
(0.2mg)

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. Medline Plus on Copper
  2. U.S. Agricultural Research Service Food Data Central
  3. NIH: Dietary Supplement Label Database
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.