Calcium is one of the most important minerals for bone strength, among other roles.
However, it’s something that many people struggle to get, especially on a restrictive diet like a vegan diet.
While fruits can be a part of a healthy diet, they really don’t provide too much calcium, although some are better than others.
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What’s the RDA for Calcium?
The recommended amount of calcium varies among gender and age.
However, adults should aim for 1,000 mg of calcium per day for either men or women.
There are tolerable upper limits to calcium intake (set to 2,500 mg for adults), but it’s rare to exceed this limit unless someone is also taking calcium supplements.
Fruits High in Calcium
I used the USDA’s food database to collect calcium data for a wide variety of fruits.
The sorted table below shows the amount of calcium per 100 grams of each fruit. The RDA column is based on 1,000 mg for adults.
| Food | Calcium (mg) | Calcium (% RDA) |
|---|---|---|
| Date (dried) | 64.17 | 6.42 |
| Orange | 43.05 | 4.30 |
| Tangerine | 36.67 | 3.67 |
| Fig | 35.00 | 3.50 |
| Blackberry | 29.17 | 2.92 |
| Jackfruit | 24.24 | 2.42 |
| Strawberry | 15.93 | 1.59 |
| Pineapple | 13.10 | 1.31 |
| Cherry | 13.04 | 1.30 |
| Apricot | 12.73 | 1.27 |
| Grapefruit | 11.86 | 1.19 |
| Mango | 11.01 | 1.10 |
| Grapes | 10.20 | 1.02 |
| Pear | 8.99 | 0.90 |
| Cantaloupe | 8.82 | 0.88 |
| Cranberry | 8.00 | 0.80 |
| Plum | 6.06 | 0.61 |
| Melon | 6.00 | 0.60 |
| Peach | 6.00 | 0.60 |
| Durian | 5.98 | 0.60 |
| Apple | 5.83 | 0.58 |
| Nectarine | 5.77 | 0.58 |
| Banana | 5.15 | 0.51 |
| Pummelo | 3.94 | 0.39 |
| Plantain | 2.96 | 0.30 |
A typical serving of fruit is 100-200 grams for reference.
It’s clear that fruit isn’t a great source of calcium. You would have to eat over a dozen oranges (average weight 120 grams) to meet the RDA, which is clearly impractical.
While the fruits highest in calcium can contribute a chunk of someone’s RDA, they likely won’t play the biggest role.
Which Fruits Have the Most Calcium?
Dried dates have the most calcium with 64 mg per 100 gram serving, but since they are a dried food this is a bit misleading. Fully hydrated dates are relatively low in calcium.
The next best fruits for calcium are oranges and tangerines, with 43 mg and 37 mg of calcium respectively. This equates to around 4% of the RDA for calcium per serving, which is still relatively low.
Which Fruits Have the Least Calcium?
While fruits are not a great source of calcium to begin with, some fruits have next to no calcium altogether.
Several fruits have less than 1% of the RDA for calcium in a single 100 gram serving, which includes commonly eaten fruits like:
- Bananas – 5.15 mg
- Apples – 5.83 mg
- Peaches – 6.00 mg
- Melon – 6.00 mg
- Plums – 6.06 mg
Are Other Foods Better for Calcium Than Fruits?
Fruits are not one of the best plant-based sources of calcium. For example, 100 grams of sesame seeds has 975 mg of calcium, which meets the RDA of calcium alone for most people.
Even the fruits highest in calcium only match-up with other vegetables that are low in calcium like lettuce and carrots.
If someone is trying to get more calcium, they should focus on seeds, nuts, and certain leafy greens.
The top plant-based sources of calcium overall include:
- Sesame seeds
- Chia seeds
- Almonds
- Flaxseed
- Kale
- Collard greens
- Turnip greens
Seeds and nuts have a lot of calories, so if someone is watching their calorie intake, they should focus more on leafy greens like kale and collard greens.
