Foods high in magnesium: ranked by France's official Ciqual table
According to the 2025 Ciqual table from ANSES, France's food safety agency, the top three everyday foods highest in magnesium: “Hemp, seed, hulled” (700 mg per 100 g), “Pumpkin and squash, seed, dried” (592 mg) and “Brazil nut, no added salt” (376 mg).
What it does
Magnesium takes part in more than 300 enzyme systems. It is involved in energy production and every reaction that uses ATP, your cells' fuel, as well as in keeping cell membranes electrically charged, moving ions around and handling calcium. An adult body holds about 25 g, 50 to 60% of it in bone and a quarter in muscle; only 1% sits outside the cells. A true deficiency can drag down blood calcium and potassium, with heart and nerve symptoms.
The ranking: the 25 everyday foods highest in magnesium
| Rank | Food | Group | mg / 100 g | % NRV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hemp, seed, hulled | Nuts and seeds | 700 | 187 % |
| 2 | Pumpkin and squash, seed, dried | Nuts and seeds | 592 | 158 % |
| 3 | Brazil nut, no added salt | Nuts and seeds | 376 | 100 % |
| 4 | Sunflower, seed | Nuts and seeds | 364 | 97 % |
| 5 | Sesame seed, grilled, husked | Nuts and seeds | 346 | 92 % |
| 6 | Flaxseed, seed | Nuts and seeds | 336 | 90 % |
| 7 | Chia, seed, dried | Nuts and seeds | 335 | 89 % |
| 8 | Winkle, cooked | Seafood, cooked | 310 | 83 % |
| 9 | Biscuit (cookie) filled with fruit paste or fruit puree | Sweet biscuits | 294 | 78 % |
| 10 | Cashew nut, dry-grilled, no added salt | Nuts and seeds | 280 | 75 % |
| 11 | Soybean, seed, whole | Nuts and seeds | 280 | 75 % |
| 12 | Almond, grilled, salted | Nuts and seeds | 279 | 74 % |
| 13 | Breakfast cereals, very rich in fibre, plain, fortified with vitamins and minerals | Breakfast cereals | 274 | 73 % |
| 14 | Beans, mung, mature, seeds, dried | Legumes | 267 | 71 % |
| 15 | Amaranth, raw | Pasta, rice and grains | 248 | 66 % |
| 16 | Buckwheat, wholegrain, raw | Pasta, rice and grains | 231 | 62 % |
| 17 | Pine nut | Nuts and seeds | 227 | 61 % |
| 18 | Dark chocolate, 70% cocoa, bar | Chocolate and chocolate products | 200 | 53 % |
| 19 | Lupin, seed, dried | Legumes | 198 | 53 % |
| 20 | Quinoa, raw | Pasta, rice and grains | 197 | 53 % |
| 21 | Biscuit (cookie), vitamin and mineral content guaranteed | Sweet biscuits | 195 | 52 % |
| 22 | Seeds and peanuts, dried, salted (average) | Nuts and seeds | 194 | 52 % |
| 23 | Tomato, dried | Vegetables | 194 | 52 % |
| 24 | Broad bean, dried | Legumes | 192 | 51 % |
| 25 | Peanut, no added salt | Nuts and seeds | 190 | 51 % |
Outside the ranking, the absolute record-holders in the table are foods eaten in very small amounts: “Sea lettuce (Ulva sp.), dried or dehydrated” (2,660 mg/100 g), “Lithothamnion (Lithothamnion), dried or dehydrated” (2,650 mg/100 g), “Gut weed (Ulva sp.), dried or dehydrated” (2,260 mg/100 g).
How much you need
The EU nutrient reference value (NRV) is 375 mg a day (Regulation 1169/2011). Without enough data to calculate an average requirement, EFSA (2015) set an adequate intake of 350 mg a day for men and 300 mg for women, with no increase during pregnancy or breastfeeding. France's ANSES uses 380 mg for men and 300 mg for women. US recommended dietary allowances are higher: 400 to 420 mg for men and 310 to 320 mg for women, depending on age. ANSES also sets a safety limit, but it applies only to magnesium from supplements and fortified foods, not to the magnesium naturally present in food.
Best sources, food group by food group
| Food group | Food | mg / 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Meat | Turkey, escalope, grilled/pan-fried | 44.4 |
| Chicken, meat and skin, roasted/baked | 39.6 | |
| Duck, meat, roasted/baked | 35.8 | |
| Fish and seafood | Winkle, cooked | 310 |
| Whelk, cooked | 144 | |
| Anchovy, marinated, semi-preserved, drained (average) | 120 | |
| Eggs and dairy | Plant-based cheese, with cashew, prepacked | 120 |
| Milk powder, skimmed | 114 | |
| Egg white, powder | 88 | |
| Legumes, grains, tubers | Beans, mung, mature, seeds, dried | 267 |
| Amaranth, raw | 248 | |
| Buckwheat, wholegrain, raw | 231 | |
| Fruits and vegetables | Tomato, dried | 194 |
| Shiitake mushroom, dried | 132 | |
| Carrot, dehydrated | 118 | |
| Nuts and seeds | Hemp, seed, hulled | 700 |
| Pumpkin and squash, seed, dried | 592 | |
| Brazil nut, no added salt | 376 |
Practical tips
- Go whole grain. In the Ciqual table, cooked brown rice provides 58 mg of magnesium per 100 g (3.5 oz), versus 9 mg for cooked white rice; cooked whole-wheat pasta, 46 mg versus 22 mg for regular pasta.
- Snack on seeds and nuts. Pumpkin seeds (592 mg per 100 g), Brazil nuts (376 mg), cashews and almonds (around 280 mg): a small handful adds up fast. Dark chocolate with 70% cocoa provides 200 mg per 100 g.
- Check your water label. ANSES counts some mineral waters among magnesium sources, alongside nuts and seeds, chocolate, coffee, whole grains and shellfish.
- Supplements: ask first. The ANSES safety limit targets supplemental magnesium specifically, so talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking any.
How this ranking is built
Values per 100 g of the food as described (raw, cooked, drained…), as published by ANSES, France's food safety agency, in the 2025 Ciqual table (3484 foods; magnesium content known for 2566 of them). The everyday ranking leaves out spices, herbs, seaweed and condiments, supplements and foods for special medical purposes, baby foods, alcohol, and raw meat or fish (the cooked version is kept). To keep the examples varied, only one food per main name is kept (the richest). Values listed as “traces” count as zero; values below the quantification limit are not ranked. % NRV compares the content per 100 g with the EU nutrient reference value (375 mg per day, Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011), the one used on food labels: a benchmark, not your personal requirement.
Frequently asked questions
Which food has the most magnesium?
Top of the everyday foods in the 2025 Ciqual table from ANSES: “Hemp, seed, hulled”, with 700 mg per 100 g, ahead of “Pumpkin and squash, seed, dried” (592 mg) and “Brazil nut, no added salt” (376 mg).
How much magnesium do I need per day?
EFSA sets 350 mg a day for men and 300 mg for women; France's ANSES uses 380 mg for men. In the US, the recommended dietary allowance is 400 to 420 mg for men and 310 to 320 mg for women. On EU labels, the NRV is 375 mg.
Is dark chocolate high in magnesium?
Yes: the Ciqual table lists 200 mg per 100 g for 70% dark chocolate, more than half the EU NRV. But 20 g (0.7 oz) only provides about 40 mg, along with sugar and fat. It's a bonus, not a strategy: seeds, nuts and whole grains do better.
Sources
- Anses. Table de composition nutritionnelle des aliments Ciqual 2025. doi:10.5281/zenodo.17550133
- EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA). Scientific Opinion on Dietary Reference Values for magnesium. EFSA Journal. 2015. doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2015.4186
- Anses. Les références nutritionnelles en vitamines et minéraux. 2025. anses.fr
- Règlement (UE) n° 1169/2011 du Parlement européen et du Conseil du 25 octobre 2011 concernant l'information des consommateurs sur les denrées alimentaires, annexe XIII. Journal officiel de l'Union européenne. 2011. eur-lex.europa.eu
- Institute of Medicine. Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Vitamin D, and Fluoride. National Academies Press. 1997. doi:10.17226/5776
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