The 30 Best Vegan Potassium Sources [Chart + Table]

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Potassium is an important mineral, although it’s not any harder to get on a vegan diet than an omnivorous diet.

I’ve put together a list of the top 30 vegan potassium sources for convenience, using data from the USDA’s food database.

Surprisingly, bananas don’t fall in the top 30, despite being most people’s go-to recommendation for potassium (they do have a good amount, but you’ll have to eat many bananas to match the foods below, which most people don’t do).

vegan potassium

How Much Potassium Do You Need? (RDA)

For adults of either gender, the NIH has set the RDA to 4,700 mg per day.

potassium rda

Note the units: Potassium is usually measured in mg instead of grams.

The Top Potassium-Rich Vegan Foods

This table contains the amount of potassium per 100 grams and per 100 calories of each food. 

Click on the headings to sort.

FoodPotassium (mg) per 100 gramsPotassium (mg) per 100 calories
Seaweed (dried)1357475
Hemp seeds1200217
Pistachio nuts1024183
Pumpkin seeds919206
Flaxseed811152
Almonds733127
Peanuts705124
Date696252
Hazelnut680108
Brazil nut659100
Pine nuts59789
Chestnut592242
Lima beans570464
Cashew56598
Spinach5582432
Lotus root556752
Soybeans539382
Bamboo shoot5334518
Adzuki beans532416
Rye grain510151
Avocado507304
Plantain487400
Sesame seeds46882
Jackfruit448471
Walnut44167
Durian436297
Oats429110
Cowpeas418431
Guava416619
Pecans41059
White potato407589
Chia seeds40784
Kidney beans403317
Ginger400400
Garlic400300
Wheat flour (whole-grain)394119
Navy beans389278
Mustard greens3841433
Swiss chard3791999
Parsnip375499
Arugula3701480
Artichoke370788
Lentils369318
Macadamia nut36951
Banana358402
Coconut meat356101
Black beans355269
Kale348973
Sweet potato337391
Watercress3282733
Buckwheat groats32093
Carrot319767
Brussels sprouts317884
Broccoli316929
Water spinach3131591
Beets305693
Cauliflower2991185
Okra299916
Turnip greens296906
Chickpeas291177
Chicory root290405
Cassava271170
Corn270314
Fava bean268244
Cantaloupe267777
Mung bean266253
Squash2621627
Zucchini2611533
Celery2591844
Apricot259541
Bok choy2511956
Peas244303
Tomato2371306
Radish2331400
Fig232313
Eggplant229916
Melon228633
Asparagus2231031
Cherry222352
Pummelo216569
Collard greens213724
Red bell pepper211805
Green bean211682
Nectarine201455
Rapini196886
Grapes192276
Peach190491
Lettuce (red leaf)1871445
Leek180296
Green bell pepper175870
Quinoa172143
Lychee171256
Cabbage170686
Orange169370
Mango168279
Tangerine166311
Blackberry162376
Plum158347
Strawberry153480
Raspberry153290
Cucumber147961
Onion147367
Grapefruit143387
Gourd139686
Lemon138471
Amaranth135132
Pear116204
Pineapple110219
Apple107206
Lime101340
Vital wheat gluten10027
Barley9376
Napa cabbage87731
Cranberry80174
Rice3527
Olive65

Types of Vegan Foods High in Potassium

Let’s summarize the highlights of the table above:

  • Leafy greens – Spinach is an amazing source of many vitamins and minerals, and potassium is no exception. Other leafy greens like swiss chard and bok choy also have a lot of potassium.
  • Seeds – Most seeds have a good amount of potassium. However, some seeds have much more than others (e.g. hemp seeds have about 3 times as much as sesame seeds).
  • Nuts – Most nuts are high in calcium, but also have a lot of calories. Pistachios and almonds are right near the top of the list in terms of potassium per 100 grams.

The Most Efficient Potassium Sources for Vegans

There’s one last way we can look at the data we’ve looked at above.

By plotting the potassium per serving against the amount per 100 calories, we can find the best foods to get potassium foods if you want to minimize your overall serving and calorie intake.

The best overall foods should gravitate to the top-right of the chart. (Click it to enlarge)

vegan sources of potassium bubble chart

While none quite hit that top-right corner, it’s clear that some of the top sources stand out from the rest:

  • Spinach
  • Swiss chard
  • Eggplant
  • Bamboo shoot
  • Squash
  • Zucchini

Why is Potassium Important?

In case you’re not quite sure why potassium is so important to get in your diet, here’s a quick refresher.

Potassium deficiency is linked with 4 main disorders and diseases:

  • Hypertension (high blood pressure) and stroke
  • Kidney stones
  • Bone health
  • Poor blood glucose control (can lead to type 2 diabetes).

A lack of potassium can also contribute towards muscle and leg cramps, which affects athletes in particular.

Vegan Recipes High in Potassium

Based on what we’ve seen, someone looking to get more potassium should focus primarily on getting more leafy greens into their diet, and having a few nuts and seeds are a bonus.

There are a ton of plant-based recipes that are high in potassium, but I’ll get you started with a few of my go-to ones.

Hearty Vegan Lentil Soup

spinach lentil soup

Lentils aren’t that high in potassium, but they do contain a ton of other minerals like folate and iron.

They’re also great in soups, and leafy greens like spinach go extremely well in soups.

This is a simple 1 pot recipe that doesn’t take that long to make, and you can make a huge batch to last you multiple meals.

Simple Vegan Ramen

vegan ramen with bok choy

Bok choy is one of the best vegan sources of potassium, and I typically like to eat it in some sort of ramen dish.

Not all ramen noodles are vegan-friendly, but they do exist in most places.

You can also sub out the ramen noodles for another type of noodle like rice noodles or soba noodles, which are usually vegan.

Raw Power Protein Balls

raw high protein seed balls

These protein balls are simple to make and one of my favorite snacks.

It combines many of the top plant-based sources of potassium per 100 grams, including: hemp seeds, flaxseed, chia seeds, and almonds.

About the author

Dale Cudmore

Your friendly neighborhood vegan from Toronto. I've spent over 6 years as a freelance nutrition writer and researcher. During this time, I've tested over 50 vegan protein powders, and over 100 other types of vegan supplements.