The 30 Best Vegan Vitamin E Food [Data]

Vitamin E is one of the more well-known antioxidants, which is a group of vitamins that are known to fight inflammation, heart disease, and even certain types of cancers.

Other than certain types of fish, all the best vitamin E sources are plants, so most people don’t struggle getting enough vitamin E.

I’ve created a few different tables of the best vegan vitamin E sources on this page.

How Much Vitamin E Do You Need?

The RDA for adults is 15 mg per day. That’s a minimum per day, and should be easy to get without special preparation.

With that being said, vitamin E deficiency is very uncommon because it can be found in significant quantities in a variety of foods, as you’ll see shortly.

The Best Overall Plant-Based Vitamin E Sources

Using the USDA’s nutritional database, I collected nutrition data for over 120+ whole, vegan foods.

I’ve broken down the best ones per 100 calories and per serving below on this page, but here we’ll look at the ones that are highest in both categories.

We can do this with a simple bubble chart. Click on it to see a bigger version.

I understand it may be hard to see some, but what we’re looking for are the ones in the most upper-right quadrant.

It’s clear that 5 foods are the very best for vitamin E:

1. Sunflower seeds
2. Swiss chard
3. Spinach
4. Almonds
5. Hazelnuts

Then there’s a line of plant foods that separate them from that cluster in the lower left-hand corner. These are the second tier of the best vitamin E sources: 

1. Peanuts
2. Pine nuts
3. Red bell pepper
4. Rapini
5. Turnip greens
6. Mustard greens

The Best Vegan Vitamin E Food Sources (Per serving)

If you have trouble eating a high volume of foods, finding sources of vitamin E that have a lot per serving is a good idea.

After sorting my data by the amount of Vitamin E in a typical serving, here’s the top 30 foods:

Nuts in general are amazing for vitamin E. A 1/2 cup of almonds is almost the RDA by itself.

Vegetables like swiss chard and spinach are also high on the list, along with red bell peppers, parsnips, and eggplant.

Like I said earlier, vitamin E can be found in a diverse set of foods. There are multiple grains, beans, and fruits also on this list, covering every main whole food type.

The Best Vegan Vitamin E Sources per 100 Grams

For the table above, I defined a serving by what I felt was reasonable, which isn’t the most scientific way of going about this.

The “standard” way of comparing nutrients in food is to look at the amount per 100 grams, which is what we’ll do now to give you an alternative.

Food	Vitamin E (mg) per 100 grams
Sunflower seeds	35.17
Almonds	25.63
Hazelnut	15.04
Pine nuts	9.33
Peanuts	8.33
Brazil nut	5.65
Seaweed (dried)	5.00
Pistachio nuts	2.86
Turnip greens	2.85
Spinach	2.03
Mustard greens	2.02
Avocado	1.97
Swiss chard	1.89
Olive	1.63
Rapini	1.62
Red bell pepper	1.58
Asparagus	1.50
Parsnip	1.49
Pecans	1.39
Cranberry	1.32
Blackberry	1.17
Watercress	1.00
Leek	0.92
Cashew	0.92
Mango	0.90
Raspberry	0.89
Apricot	0.89
Black beans	0.87
Rye grain	0.85
Hemp seeds	0.80

Seeds and nuts still dominate the list, they just have a lot of vitamin E.

The only downside is that they also have a lot of calories. But, you really don’t need to eat much of them to get your RDA, so it shouldn’t be that big of an issue.

The Best Vegan Vitamin E Sources per 100 Calories

I normalized the data I collected by calculating the vitamin E per 100 calories of each food, rather than per serving.

If you’re trying to lose weight but still want to make sure you’re getting enough vitamin E, stick to the top foods here:

Food	Serving	Vitamin E (mg) per 100 calories
Swiss chard	10 leafs	10.0
Spinach	1 bunch	8.8
Turnip greens	1 cup	8.7
Watercress	10 sprigs	8.3
Mustard greens	1 cup	7.5
Rapini	5 stalks	7.3
Asparagus	4 spears	6.9
Sunflower seeds	1/2 cup	6.02
Red bell pepper	1 large	6.0
Almonds	1/2 cup	4.4
Tomato	1 large	3.0
Cranberry	1 cup	2.9
Blackberry	1 cup	2.7
Hazelnut	0.5 cup	2.4
Broccoli	1 cup	2.3
Parsnip	1 cup	2.0
Celery	1 stalk	1.9
Peach	1 medium	1.9
Kale	2 cup	1.9
Apricot	1 cup	1.9
Green bell pepper	1 large	1.8
Arugula	1 cup	1.8
Seaweed (dried)	1 tbsp	1.8
Nectarine	1 large	1.7
Raspberry	10 berries	1.7
Carrot	1 large	1.6
Leek	1 leek	1.5
Mango	1 fruit	1.5
Peanuts	0.5 cup	1.5
Pine nuts	0.5 cup	1.4
Olive	5 small	1.4

Nuts still appear on the list, but close to the bottom because of how calorie dense they are.

In their place, the vegetables rise up further. All the same vegetables from the first list make an appearance near the top of this one.

To summarize, vitamin E isn’t particularly hard to get on any diet, even a vegan diet. A significant deficiency is rare, but you can avoid any risk (at least from your diet) by including any of the top vegan vitamin E sources I’ve listed in this post.

Vegan Recipes High in Vitamin E

You can certainly eat nuts and seeds by themselves if you’d like, but you can also incorporate them into recipes.

Here are a few good recipes to get you started:

• Super Seedy Granola Bars
• Seed & Carrot Roast Loaf
• Quinoa and Mixed Seed Crackers

FAQs About Plant-Based Vitamin E

Is a vitamin E supplement necessary?

In most cases, vegans can obtain sufficient vitamin E from a well-planned and balanced diet that includes a variety of plant-based foods. However, individual dietary habits and preferences may vary, and some vegans might choose to take vitamin E supplements as a precaution.

It’s essential for individuals to consult with a healthcare professional before considering supplementation to determine their specific needs, as excessive intake of certain vitamins, including vitamin E, can have adverse effects.

Are there any challenges in absorbing vitamin E from plant-based sources compared to animal-based sources?

While vitamin E is readily available in plant-based foods, some factors may affect its absorption. Vitamin E absorption is enhanced when consumed with dietary fats, so pairing vitamin E-rich foods with healthy fats, like avocados or nuts, can optimize absorption.

Additionally, avoiding excessive consumption of antinutrients, such as phytates and oxalates found in some plant foods, may reduce the absorption of vitamin E.

What are the signs of a vitamin E deficiency in individuals following a vegan diet?

A deficiency in vitamin E is relatively uncommon, but individuals following a vegan diet should be aware of potential signs. Symptoms of vitamin E deficiency may include muscle weakness, vision problems, and impaired immune function. However, it’s essential to note that these symptoms are rare and often associated with severe deficiencies.

Regular health check-ups and blood tests can help monitor nutrient levels and address any concerns about potential deficiencies in your vegan diet.