Potassium-Rich Foods: What to Eat and How Much

Cooked leafy greens, beans, potatoes with the skin on, plain yogurt and fruit such as bananas and cantaloupe are among the best sources of potassium per serving: a cup of cooked beet greens has 1,309 mg and a baked potato with skin has 926 mg¹. Adult women need 2,600 mg a day and men 3,400 mg².

Most adults in the US eat less than that, and for most people with healthy kidneys, getting more from food may help blood pressure, especially if it is already high^{2, 3}. The exception is anyone whose kidneys can't clear potassium well, covered below. For supplements, forms and safety, see our potassium evidence page.

Per standard serving, these foods are among the highest in potassium in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans' list, which uses USDA FoodData Central values¹:

• Beet greens, cooked, 1 cup: 1,309 mg
• Swiss chard, cooked, 1 cup: 961 mg
• Lima beans, cooked, 1 cup: 955 mg
• Potato, baked with skin, 1 medium: 926 mg
• Yam, cooked, 1 cup: 911 mg
• Acorn squash, cooked, 1 cup: 896 mg
• Spinach, cooked, 1 cup: 839 mg
• Plain nonfat yogurt, 8 ounces: 625 mg
• Adzuki beans, cooked, half a cup: 612 mg
• Sweet potato, cooked, 1 cup: 572 mg

Less familiar foods also rank near the top of that list, including cooked fufu (1,080 mg a cup), cooked amaranth leaves (846 mg a cup) and cooked breadfruit (808 mg a cup)¹.

Cooking shrinks leafy greens, so a cup of cooked spinach holds far more leaves, and far more potassium, than a cup of raw: 2 cups of raw spinach have 334 mg². Nutrition labels compare potassium against a Daily Value of 4,700 mg, and a food with 20% or more of the Daily Value counts as a high source².

Potassium is spread across almost every food group, so there are high-potassium choices for any diet, vegetarian included. All amounts below are per standard portion¹.

Vegetables, beans and lentils

• Butternut squash, cooked, 1 cup: 582 mg
• Portabella mushrooms, cooked, 1 cup: 529 mg
• White beans, cooked, half a cup: 502 mg
• Lentils, cooked, half a cup: 366 mg
• Avocado, half a cup: 364 mg
• Edamame, cooked, half a cup: 338 mg

Fruit

• Guava, 1 cup: 688 mg
• Kiwifruit, 1 cup: 562 mg
• Cantaloupe, 1 cup: 473 mg
• Banana, 1 medium: 451 mg
• Grapefruit, 1 fruit: 415 mg
• Dried peaches, a quarter cup: 399 mg; dried apricots, a quarter cup: 378 mg

Dairy and soy

• Plain low-fat yogurt, 8 ounces: 573 mg
• Low-fat kefir, 1 cup: 399 mg
• Skim milk, 1 cup: 382 mg
• Unsweetened soy milk, 1 cup: 292 mg

Fish, meat and other protein foods

• Clams, 3 ounces: 534 mg
• Salmon, 3 ounces: about 280 to 535 mg, depending on the type
• Tempeh, half a cup: 342 mg
• Cod, 3 ounces: 316 mg
• Pistachios, 1 ounce: 286 mg

Drinks

• Prune juice, 1 cup: 707 mg
• Carrot juice, 1 cup: 689 mg
• Passion-fruit juice, 1 cup: 687 mg
• Tomato juice, 1 cup: 527 mg
• Orange juice, 1 cup: 496 mg
• Unsweetened coconut water, 1 cup: 396 mg

Coconut water is often sold for rehydration; our page on potassium and hydration covers what the evidence shows.

A medium banana has 422 mg of potassium in the NIH table and 451 mg in the Dietary Guidelines list; both draw on USDA FoodData Central but give different figures for a medium banana^{2, 1}. That is roughly a sixth of the 2,600 mg an adult woman needs each day².

Bananas are a good source, not the top one. A baked potato with skin has 926 mg, about twice as much, and a cup of cooked spinach has 839 mg¹.

The National Academies set Adequate Intakes for potassium in 2019. There wasn't enough evidence for a formal requirement, so the values reflect the intakes of healthy people²:

• Men 19 and older: 3,400 mg a day
• Women 19 and older: 2,600 mg a day (2,900 mg in pregnancy, 2,800 mg while breastfeeding)
• Teens 14 to 18: 3,000 mg for boys, 2,300 mg for girls (2,600 mg in pregnancy, 2,500 mg while breastfeeding)
• Children: 2,000 mg at ages 1 to 3, 2,300 mg at 4 to 8, and 2,500 mg (boys) or 2,300 mg (girls) at 9 to 13
• Babies: 400 mg up to 6 months and 860 mg at 7 to 12 months

On average, men in the US get 3,016 mg a day from food and women 2,320 mg². No upper limit has been set, because in healthy people working kidneys clear extra potassium from food in the urine. Very large amounts from supplements or potassium salt substitutes are different: they can overwhelm even healthy kidneys and push blood potassium too high. These targets don't apply to people with kidney disease or on medicines that keep potassium in the body².

The foods above are the ones that help, and the effect is clearest in people who already have high blood pressure. Potassium relaxes blood vessels and helps the kidneys excrete sodium².

• Trials: in 22 randomized trials with 1,606 adults (20 trials gave potassium supplements and 2 gave dietary advice), more potassium lowered systolic blood pressure by 3.49 mmHg and diastolic by 1.96 mmHg, an effect seen in people with high blood pressure but not in those with normal readings³.
• Who gains most: in trials in people with high blood pressure, potassium supplements lowered systolic pressure by 4.48 mmHg, more in those eating a lot of salt, taking no blood pressure medicine, or starting with little potassium⁴.
• Whole diet: in the DASH trial, a diet rich in fruit, vegetables and low-fat dairy lowered blood pressure by 5.5/3.0 mmHg more than a typical American diet in 459 adults, and by 11.4/5.5 mmHg in the 133 with high blood pressure⁵. That diet supplies about three times the potassium of the average American diet, along with more magnesium and calcium, so potassium's own share can't be separated out².
• Stroke and heart disease: in cohort studies, a 1.64 g a day higher potassium intake went with a 21% lower risk of stroke across 247,510 adults⁶. Among 10,709 adults who each collected at least two 24-hour urine samples, each extra 1,000 mg a day of potassium in the urine, a marker of intake, went with an 18% lower risk of heart attack, stroke or a heart procedure⁷.

Cohort studies show associations, not proof, and a 2018 government review found the observational evidence on potassium and stroke inconsistent². The trial evidence on blood pressure is firmer. Our page on potassium for high blood pressure weighs it, and our blood pressure hub covers the other options.

Related conditions

• Elevated Blood Pressure
• Chronic Kidney Disease
• Ischemic Stroke

Potassium-enriched salt substitutes cut sodium and add potassium at the same time. In a trial of 20,995 adults in rural China who had had a stroke or were 60 or older with high blood pressure, villages that switched to a substitute of 75% sodium chloride and 25% potassium chloride had 14% fewer strokes, 13% fewer major cardiovascular events and 12% fewer deaths over about 4.7 years. Serious problems from high potassium were no more common than with regular salt, but the trial left out people who reported serious kidney disease or took a potassium-sparing diuretic or a potassium supplement⁸.

For adults who use table salt, the World Health Organization's 2025 guideline suggests switching to a lower-sodium substitute that contains potassium. The advice is not meant for children or pregnant women, for whom evidence is lacking, or for people with kidney problems or other conditions or medicines that limit how much potassium the kidneys excrete⁹.

Salt substitutes vary widely, from about 440 mg to 2,800 mg of potassium per teaspoon. People with kidney disease or on medicines that raise potassium should ask a clinician before using one².

Food, for almost everyone. The body absorbs about 85% to 90% of the potassium in food². In a crossover trial in 35 healthy adults, potassium from potatoes was absorbed as well as potassium gluconate from a supplement, at over 94%¹⁰.

• Supplements are small: most potassium supplements contain 99 mg or less, about 2% of the Daily Value, because some potassium chloride drugs above that dose caused small-bowel injuries².
• They add little: among Americans who take a supplement with potassium, it adds an average of 87 mg a day².
• More isn't always better: in a 2020 dose-response analysis of 32 trials, the blood pressure benefit weakened once intake rose by more than about 30 mmol (1,170 mg) a day, and above about 80 mmol (3,130 mg) a day blood pressure rose again in people already taking blood pressure medicine, though few trials tested such high amounts¹¹.

Prescription potassium is a different matter: clinicians use it when a blood test shows a shortfall, often in people taking diuretics². Our potassium page covers the forms and when a supplement makes sense.

Many of the same foods are good sources of magnesium, which is concentrated in leafy greens, legumes, nuts, seeds and whole grains¹². Potassium and magnesium values per serving^{1, 12}:

• Spinach: 839 mg potassium per cooked cup; 78 mg magnesium per boiled half cup
• Black beans: 306 mg potassium and 60 mg magnesium per cooked half cup
• Edamame: 338 mg potassium and 50 mg magnesium per cooked half cup
• Plain low-fat yogurt: 573 mg potassium and 42 mg magnesium per 8 ounces
• Soy milk: 292 mg potassium (unsweetened) and 61 mg magnesium per cup
• Banana: 451 mg potassium and 32 mg magnesium per medium fruit

The two minerals are linked in the body: a shortage of magnesium makes the kidneys lose potassium, and more than half of people with significant low potassium may also be low in magnesium². See our magnesium page for the evidence on supplements.

This day uses the standard portions from the lists above and comes to about 3,600 mg, above the 3,400 mg men need and well above the 2,600 mg women need^{1, 2}:

• Breakfast: 8 ounces of plain nonfat yogurt (625 mg) with a banana (451 mg)
• Lunch: a cup of cooked spinach (839 mg) with your main dish
• Dinner: a baked potato with skin (926 mg) and 3 ounces of cod (316 mg)
• Snack: a cup of cantaloupe (473 mg)

Values vary with size, variety and cooking, so treat totals as estimates. Food labels list potassium, which makes it easy to check packaged foods².

If your kidneys can't clear potassium well, even normal amounts from food can push blood levels too high, a condition called hyperkalemia². That applies to:

• people with chronic kidney disease²
• people taking ACE inhibitors such as benazepril or ARBs such as losartan, which reduce how much potassium the kidneys excrete²
• people taking potassium-sparing diuretics such as spironolactone or amiloride²
• people with type 1 diabetes, heart failure, adrenal insufficiency or liver disease, who are also at risk²

These medicines are examples, not a full list, so if you take any regular medicine, ask your clinician or pharmacist whether it affects your potassium. High potassium can cause no symptoms, so people at risk are checked with blood tests; severe cases can cause muscle weakness, paralysis, tingling, palpitations and dangerous heart rhythms².

Restriction isn't automatic, even in kidney disease. A 2018 international kidney conference noted growing evidence that plant-rich eating patterns are linked to better outcomes, and little data that changing the diet brings abnormal blood potassium back to normal¹³. It also reviewed how high potassium is treated, both long term and in an emergency¹³. Your renal team will set your target from your blood tests.

Foods lower in potassium, and how cooking helps

Per serving, lower-potassium choices include white rice (54 mg per cup), an egg (69 mg), white bread (37 mg a slice), an apple with skin (195 mg) and part-skim mozzarella (36 mg per 1.5 ounces)². Cooking in water, pressure cooking and microwaving lower the potassium in every food group studied, vegetables and legumes included. Soaking lowers it in tubers, roots and leafy vegetables, and cooking in water and soaking remove the most¹⁴. Our kidney health hub has more.

Low blood potassium (hypokalemia, below about 3.6 mmol/L) is rare in healthy people and is diagnosed with a blood test, not a symptom list. It affects up to 21% of people in hospital, usually because of medicines².

• Mild: constipation, tiredness, muscle weakness and feeling unwell²
• Severe (below about 2.5 mmol/L): passing large amounts of urine, poor blood sugar control, muscle paralysis, weak breathing and irregular heart rhythms²
• Common causes: diarrhea, vomiting, diuretics such as furosemide or thiazides, laxative overuse and heavy sweating; a low-potassium diet alone rarely causes it²

Because low magnesium can drive potassium losses, clinicians often check and treat both together². Our page on electrolyte balance explains how the minerals work together.

Supplements in this guide

• Potassium
• Magnesium
• Calcium

We searched PubMed for systematic reviews, meta-analyses and randomized trials on potassium intake, blood pressure, stroke and cardiovascular risk. We read the abstracts of 10 studies, checked the full text of two of them for trial details, and cite all of them. Food values come from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans' list of potassium sources (USDA FoodData Central data) and the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements fact sheets on potassium and magnesium. We also read the World Health Organization's 2025 guideline on salt substitutes. All were read in October 2026.

Limits: food values vary with variety, portion and cooking. Most blood pressure trials enrolled people with high blood pressure and tested potassium supplements rather than foods, and the stroke and heart findings come from observational studies.

1. U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans: Food Sources of Potassium (standard portions; data from USDA FoodData Central). https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/sites/default/files/2024-08/Food-Sources-Potassium-Standard-508C.pdf
2. National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. Potassium: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Potassium-HealthProfessional/
3. Aburto NJ, et al. Effect of increased potassium intake on cardiovascular risk factors and disease: systematic review and meta-analyses. BMJ. 2013;346:f1378. doi:10.1136/bmj.f1378 Our study summary.
4. Filippini T, et al. The effect of potassium supplementation on blood pressure in hypertensive subjects: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Int J Cardiol. 2017;230:127-135. doi:10.1016/j.ijcard.2016.12.048
5. Appel LJ, et al. A clinical trial of the effects of dietary patterns on blood pressure. DASH Collaborative Research Group. N Engl J Med. 1997;336(16):1117-24. doi:10.1056/NEJM199704173361601
6. D'Elia L, et al. Potassium intake, stroke, and cardiovascular disease a meta-analysis of prospective studies. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2011;57(10):1210-9. doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2010.09.070
7. Ma Y, et al. 24-Hour Urinary Sodium and Potassium Excretion and Cardiovascular Risk. N Engl J Med. 2022;386(3):252-263. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2109794
8. Neal B, et al. Effect of Salt Substitution on Cardiovascular Events and Death. N Engl J Med. 2021;385(12):1067-1077. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2105675 Our study summary.
9. World Health Organization. Use of lower-sodium salt substitutes: WHO guideline. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2025. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240105591
10. Macdonald-Clarke CJ, et al. Bioavailability of potassium from potatoes and potassium gluconate: a randomized dose response trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2016;104(2):346-53. doi:10.3945/ajcn.115.127225
11. Filippini T, et al. Potassium Intake and Blood Pressure: A Dose-Response Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. J Am Heart Assoc. 2020;9(12):e015719. doi:10.1161/JAHA.119.015719 Our study summary.
12. National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. Magnesium: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Magnesium-HealthProfessional/
13. Clase CM, et al. Potassium homeostasis and management of dyskalemia in kidney diseases: conclusions from a Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) Controversies Conference. Kidney Int. 2020;97(1):42-61. doi:10.1016/j.kint.2019.09.018
14. Batista RAB, et al. Potassium reduction in food by preparation technique for the dietetic management of patients with chronic kidney disease: a review. J Hum Nutr Diet. 2021;34(4):736-746. doi:10.1111/jhn.12846