Foods high in vitamin C: 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 vitamin C: “Acerola, flesh and skin, pitted, raw (Martinique)” (2,850 mg per 100 g), “Cashew apple,flesh and skin,, raw (Martinique)” (556 mg) and “Guava, flesh without skin, mashed (Martinique)” (492 mg).
What it does
Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, is a cofactor for a handful of key enzymes: those that make the collagen in your skin, tendons and blood vessels, carnitine and certain neurotransmitters. That's why severe deficiency, scurvy, hits connective tissue first. It also acts as an antioxidant and helps you absorb iron from plant foods. Your body loses a little every day, and EFSA calculates requirements to replace those losses and keep an adequate body pool. Fruit and vegetables are the main sources.
The ranking: the 25 everyday foods highest in vitamin C
| Rank | Food | Group | mg / 100 g | % NRV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Acerola, flesh and skin, pitted, raw (Martinique) | Fruits | 2,850 | 3562 % |
| 2 | Cashew apple,flesh and skin,, raw (Martinique) | Fruits | 556 | 695 % |
| 3 | Guava, flesh without skin, mashed (Martinique) | Fruits | 492 | 615 % |
| 4 | Guacamole, prepacked | Plant-based spreads | 359 | 449 % |
| 5 | Black currant, raw | Fruits | 181 | 226 % |
| 6 | Sweet pepper, red, canned, drained | Vegetables | 171 | 214 % |
| 7 | Chili pepper, raw | Vegetables | 144 | 180 % |
| 8 | Drumstick or moringa pods, raw | Vegetables | 141 | 176 % |
| 9 | Lemon zest, raw | Fruits | 129 | 161 % |
| 10 | Sweet pepper, yellow, sautéed/pan-fried, without added fat | Vegetables | 126 | 158 % |
| 11 | Sweet pepper, green, yellow or red, raw | Vegetables | 121 | 151 % |
| 12 | Curly kale, raw | Vegetables | 120 | 150 % |
| 13 | Mung bean, sprouted, canned, drained | Vegetables | 106 | 132 % |
| 14 | Kale, raw | Vegetables | 93.4 | 117 % |
| 15 | Pesto sauce, prepacked | Sauces | 92.6 | 116 % |
| 16 | Broccoli, raw | Vegetables | 91.2 | 114 % |
| 17 | Romanesco cauliflower or romanesco broccoli, raw | Vegetables | 88.1 | 110 % |
| 18 | Brussels sprout, raw | Vegetables | 85 | 106 % |
| 19 | Longan, flesh without skin, pitted, raw | Fruits | 84 | 105 % |
| 20 | Kiwi fruit, flesh without skin, with seeds, raw | Fruits | 81.9 | 102 % |
| 21 | Red berries (raspberries, strawberries, red currants, black currants), raw | Fruits | 77.5 | 97 % |
| 22 | Cereal flakes with nuts, fortified with vitamins and minerals | Breakfast cereals | 75.8 | 95 % |
| 23 | Sweet pepper, green, cooked | Vegetables | 74.4 | 93 % |
| 24 | Cereal flakes with fruits, not fortified | Breakfast cereals | 74 | 92 % |
| 25 | Massissi, flesh, raw (Martinique) | Vegetables | 73.2 | 92 % |
How much you need
The EU nutrient reference value (NRV) is 80 mg a day (Regulation 1169/2011). EFSA (2013) recommends 110 mg a day for men and 95 mg for women, plus 10 mg during pregnancy and 60 mg during breastfeeding. France's ANSES uses 110 mg for all adults, 120 mg in pregnancy and 170 mg while breastfeeding. The US recommended dietary allowance is lower, 90 mg for men and 75 mg for women, but it goes up by 35 mg for smokers, whose higher oxidative stress uses up vitamin C faster.
Best sources, food group by food group
| Food group | Food | mg / 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Meat | Sweetbread, calf, braised or grilled/pan-fried | 39.4 |
| Liver, chicken, cooked | 27.9 | |
| Brain, pork, braised | 14 | |
| Fish and seafood | Clam, boiled/cooked in water | 22.1 |
| Squid, boiled/cooked in water | 8.5 | |
| Octopus, common, cooked | 8 | |
| Eggs and dairy | Mare's milk, whole | 15 |
| Milk powder, whole | 7.55 | |
| Fermented milk, yogurt type with bifidus, with fruits, with sugar(s) | 7.42 | |
| Legumes, grains, tubers | Pigeon-pea, immature, fresh, raw | 39 |
| Potato flakes, dehydrated, plain | 31 | |
| Potato, new, raw | 25 | |
| Fruits and vegetables | Acerola, flesh and skin, pitted, raw (Martinique) | 2,850 |
| Cashew apple,flesh and skin,, raw (Martinique) | 556 | |
| Guava, flesh without skin, mashed (Martinique) | 492 | |
| Nuts and seeds | Chestnut, raw | 41.6 |
| Alfalfa, seeds | 26 | |
| Soybean, seed, whole | 6 |
Practical tips
- Bell pepper beats orange. In the Ciqual table, raw red bell pepper provides 121 mg per 100 g (3.5 oz), blackcurrants 181 mg and kiwi 82 mg, versus 47.5 mg for orange. 100 g of raw red pepper exceeds EFSA's reference intake for women.
- Keep some of it raw. Boiling takes a toll: the Ciqual table lists 91 mg per 100 g for raw broccoli but 18 mg for boiled broccoli, and 48 mg for raw cauliflower versus 10 mg boiled.
- Frozen counts. Also per the Ciqual table, frozen broccoli provides 68 mg per 100 g before cooking and frozen Brussels sprouts 74 mg, not far from the fresh raw versions.
- Pair it with plant iron. It boosts non-heme iron absorption (ANSES): raw vegetables or fruit with a lentil meal is a smart habit if you eat little meat.
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; vitamin C content known for 1830 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 (80 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 vitamin C?
Top of the everyday foods in the 2025 Ciqual table from ANSES: “Acerola, flesh and skin, pitted, raw (Martinique)”, with 2,850 mg per 100 g, ahead of “Cashew apple,flesh and skin,, raw (Martinique)” (556 mg) and “Guava, flesh without skin, mashed (Martinique)” (492 mg).
How much vitamin C do I need per day?
EFSA recommends 110 mg a day for men and 95 mg for women. In the US, the recommended dietary allowance is 90 mg for men and 75 mg for women, plus 35 mg for smokers. The EU label NRV is 80 mg.
Does cooking destroy vitamin C?
Partly, especially boiling. In the Ciqual table, broccoli drops from 91 mg per 100 g raw to 18 mg boiled, and cauliflower from 48 mg to 10 mg. Red bell pepper stays very rich once pan-fried (144 mg). Keep some raw produce on your plate every day.
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 vitamin C. EFSA Journal. 2013. doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2013.3418
- 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 Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Selenium, and Carotenoids. National Academies Press. 2000. doi:10.17226/9810
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