Foods High in Potassium: 20 Best Sources (Chart)

Potassium doesn’t get much attention, but it’s very important. It keeps your heart beating steadily, lets your muscles and nerves work, and helps lower blood pressure. Yet most Americans don’t get enough, especially if they eat few vegetables, fruits and beans. Here are the foods highest in potassium.

The short answer: the best sources are beans and lentils, potatoes and sweet potatoes with the skin, leafy greens (spinach, beet greens), dried fruit (apricots, prunes, raisins), avocado and tomato products. Bananas are a good source, but not the best. The US recommends 3,400 mg a day for men and 2,600 mg for women. Eating more potassium lowers blood pressure, and people who eat more have fewer strokes. Just be careful if you have kidney disease or take certain blood pressure medicines.

20 foods high in potassium (per serving)

The values below are approximate, from the US Department of Agriculture and the National Institutes of Health (NIH Office of Dietary Supplements). The %DV column shows how much of the 4,700 mg Daily Value on food labels one serving gives you.

Food	Serving	Potassium	%DV
Beet greens, cooked	1 cup	1,309 mg	28%
White beans, canned	1 cup	1,189 mg	25%
Potato, baked with skin	1 medium	926 mg	20%
Spinach, cooked	1 cup	839 mg	18%
Dried apricots	½ cup	755 mg	16%
Lentils, cooked	1 cup	731 mg	16%
Prunes	½ cup	699 mg	15%
Tomato paste	¼ cup	664 mg	14%
Raisins	½ cup	618 mg	13%
Kidney beans, canned	1 cup	607 mg	13%
Coconut water	1 cup	600 mg	13%
Sweet potato, baked	1 medium	542 mg	12%
Orange juice	1 cup	496 mg	11%
Avocado	½ fruit	485 mg	10%
Banana	1 medium	422 mg	9%
Milk (1%)	1 cup	366 mg	8%
Chicken breast	3 oz	332 mg	7%
Salmon	3 oz	326 mg	7%
Pistachios	1 oz	285 mg	6%
Broccoli, cooked	½ cup	229 mg	5%

A few tips:

• Keep the skin on potatoes and bake or steam them. If you boil them, some of the potassium goes into the water.
• Dried fruit is rich in potassium, but also in sugar and calories. A small handful is enough.
• Fruit juice has potassium too, but whole fruit is better: it has fiber and fills you up more.

To see how many calories are in a banana, read our article on calories in a banana.

How much potassium do you need?

In 2019, the US National Academies set these amounts for adults (NIH Office of Dietary Supplements):

Group	Potassium per day
Men	3,400 mg
Women	2,600 mg
Pregnant women	2,900 mg
Breastfeeding women	2,800 mg

The Daily Value on food labels is higher, 4,700 mg. Since 2020, potassium has to be listed on the Nutrition Facts label, so you can check it on packaged foods.

Here’s an example of a day with more than 4,000 mg:

Meal	What you eat	Potassium
Breakfast	Oatmeal with 1 cup of milk and a banana	about 900 mg
Snack	A small handful of dried apricots (¼ cup)	about 380 mg
Lunch	White bean and tomato salad (1 cup beans)	about 1,400 mg
Dinner	3 oz salmon, a baked potato with skin and 1 cup of cooked spinach	about 2,100 mg
Total		about 4,800 mg

Why potassium matters: what the research says

Blood pressure and stroke

A review in the BMJ combined 22 trials and studies with over 127,000 people. Eating more potassium lowered systolic blood pressure by about 3.5 mmHg in adults, and more in people with high blood pressure. In studies that followed people over time, those who ate more potassium had 24% fewer strokes (Aburto et al., BMJ, 2013).

Less salt, more potassium

Potassium works partly by balancing the effects of sodium (salt). In a large trial in 600 villages in China, almost 21,000 people at high risk swapped their regular salt for a salt substitute made of 75% regular salt and 25% potassium chloride. Over about five years, they had 14% fewer strokes, 13% fewer heart and blood vessel events and 12% fewer deaths than with regular salt (Neal et al., New England Journal of Medicine, 2021). Careful: salt substitutes aren’t for people with kidney disease.

Muscles and heart

Without potassium, muscles – including your heart – can’t contract, and nerves can’t send signals. A real shortage can cause cramps, weakness and an irregular heartbeat.

Careful: when potassium can be dangerous

In a healthy person, the kidneys get rid of extra potassium, so it’s almost impossible to get too much from food. But be careful if:

• you have kidney disease
• you take medicines for blood pressure or heart failure, such as ACE inhibitors, ARBs or potassium-sparing diuretics
• you’re thinking about potassium supplements or salt substitutes made with potassium chloride

In these cases, potassium can build up in the blood (hyperkalemia) and cause serious heart rhythm problems. Talk to your doctor before changing your intake or taking supplements.

How to eat more potassium

1. Eat at least 5 servings of fruit and vegetables a day, including leafy greens.
2. Eat beans and lentils several times a week – in soups, chili, salads or tacos.
3. Keep the skin on potatoes and bake or steam them.
4. Snack on a little dried fruit or nuts instead of chips or cookies.
5. Eat less salt and fewer ultra-processed foods. They bring a lot of sodium and little potassium. Read more about ultra-processed foods.
6. Choose food over supplements, unless your doctor tells you otherwise.

Keep track of what you eat. With NutriSmart, you snap a photo of what you eat and the app counts calories, protein, carbs, fat and fiber, and shows how you’re doing against your daily goal.Get the app free

More nutrient-rich food lists: foods high in vitamin D, foods high in iron, high-fiber foods and high protein foods.

The bottom line

Potassium is found mostly in beans, lentils, potatoes with the skin, leafy greens, dried fruit, avocado and tomato products. Bananas are a good source, but not the best. Men need about 3,400 mg a day and women about 2,600 mg. Eating more lowers blood pressure, and people who eat more have fewer strokes. Choose food over supplements, and talk to your doctor if you have kidney disease or take blood pressure medicine.