In this article
- How this list was ranked
- The top 25 foods with most fiber per serving
- What the ranking tells you about fiber rich foods
- Count by calories and a different top five appears
- Foods that just missed the cut
- How to choose from the top 25
- How many servings from this list cover a day
- One thing to do today
- Questions about the highest fiber foods
- Sources
Half a cup. That’s all it takes for a high fiber breakfast cereal to deliver 14 grams of fiber, half the Daily Value, according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans list of fiber sources.
Nothing else on that government list comes close per serving. But the foods with most fiber also include plenty you’d cook for dinner: beans, artichokes, peas and lentils make up a big share of the top 25 below.
How this list was ranked
Every number here comes from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans table of food sources of dietary fiber, which uses USDA FoodData Central data and lists each food in a standard portion. A half cup for beans, a cup for most vegetables and berries, one piece for whole fruit.
We ranked by fiber per standard portion, the serving you’re most likely to eat. Five items that are hard to find in a typical grocery store (sapote, lupini beans, loganberries, boysenberries and gooseberries) were left off so the list stays shoppable.
The FDA treats 20% of the 28 gram Daily Value as a high source. Every food below clears that bar in one standard serving.
The top 25 foods with most fiber per serving
| Rank and food | Portion | Fiber | % DV | Calories | Fiber per 100 calories |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. High fiber ready-to-eat cereal | 1/2 cup | 14.0 g | 50% | 62 | 22.6 g |
| 2. Navy beans, cooked | 1/2 cup | 9.6 g | 34% | 128 | 7.5 g |
| 3. Artichoke, cooked | 1 cup | 9.6 g | 34% | 89 | 10.8 g |
| 4. Lima beans, cooked | 1 cup | 9.2 g | 33% | 209 | 4.4 g |
| 5. Guava | 1 cup | 8.9 g | 32% | 112 | 7.9 g |
| 6. Green peas, cooked | 1 cup | 8.8 g | 31% | 134 | 6.6 g |
| 7. Split peas, cooked | 1/2 cup | 8.2 g | 29% | 116 | 7.1 g |
| 8. Raspberries | 1 cup | 8.0 g | 29% | 64 | 12.5 g |
| 9. Lentils, cooked | 1/2 cup | 7.8 g | 28% | 115 | 6.8 g |
| 10. Mung beans, cooked | 1/2 cup | 7.7 g | 28% | 106 | 7.3 g |
| 11. Pinto beans, cooked | 1/2 cup | 7.7 g | 28% | 123 | 6.3 g |
| 12. Blackberries | 1 cup | 7.6 g | 27% | 62 | 12.3 g |
| 13. Black beans, cooked | 1/2 cup | 7.5 g | 27% | 114 | 6.6 g |
| 14. Whole grain kernels, cooked | 1/2 cup | 7.5 g | 27% | 209 | 3.6 g |
| 15. Pumpkin, canned | 1 cup | 7.1 g | 25% | 83 | 8.6 g |
| 16. Asian pear | 1 medium | 6.5 g | 23% | 75 | 8.7 g |
| 17. Brussels sprouts, cooked | 1 cup | 6.4 g | 23% | 65 | 9.8 g |
| 18. Chickpeas, cooked | 1/2 cup | 6.3 g | 22% | 135 | 4.7 g |
| 19. Sweet potato, cooked | 1 cup | 6.3 g | 22% | 190 | 3.3 g |
| 20. Shredded wheat cereal | 1 cup | 6.2 g | 22% | 172 | 3.6 g |
| 21. Parsnips, cooked | 1 cup | 6.2 g | 22% | 110 | 5.6 g |
| 22. Wild blueberries | 1 cup | 6.2 g | 22% | 80 | 7.8 g |
| 23. Passion fruit | 1/4 cup | 6.1 g | 22% | 57 | 10.7 g |
| 24. Persimmon | 1 fruit | 6.0 g | 21% | 118 | 5.1 g |
| 25. Jicama, raw | 1 cup | 5.9 g | 21% | 46 | 12.8 g |
The spread from first to last is wide at the top and tight at the bottom. Rank 1 has more than twice the fiber of rank 25, but ranks 15 through 25 sit within about a gram of each other.
What the ranking tells you about fiber rich foods
Legumes take the most spots
Eight of the 25 are beans, peas or lentils: navy, lima, split peas, lentils, mung, pinto, black beans and chickpeas. Each one lands between 6.3 and 9.6 grams per half cup, except lima beans, which the list measures by the full cup.
Navy beans tie with artichokes for second place at 9.6 grams. If you only change one thing about how you eat, a daily half cup of any bean on this list adds roughly a quarter to a third of the Daily Value.
Vegetables and fruit split the middle
Seven vegetables and seven fruits make the cut. Artichoke, green peas and canned pumpkin lead the vegetables, while guava, raspberries and blackberries lead the fruit.
Several of these come canned, frozen or dried, so they’re easy to keep on hand. The list itself includes canned pumpkin, and peas, berries and beans are all sold frozen or dried.
Fruit and vegetables also tend to give more fiber per calorie than the legumes. Raspberries, blackberries, jicama, artichoke and Brussels sprouts all beat every bean on the list by that measure.
Grains are the surprise
Only three grain foods make the list, and two of them are breakfast cereals. A high fiber cereal is the clear winner per serving, shredded wheat lands at rank 20, and cooked whole grain kernels come in at rank 14.
Everyday grains fall short. Mayo Clinic’s chart of high fiber foods lists a cup of cooked brown rice at 3.5 grams and a slice of whole wheat bread at 2.0, though it puts a cup of cooked whole wheat spaghetti at 6.0 grams, which would tie persimmon at rank 24.
Whole grain kernels carry real fiber, 7.5 grams per half cup, but they’re also one of the most calorie dense foods on the list at 209 calories for that half cup. A smaller scoop mixed into a salad or soup still adds a useful amount.
If you’re looking for an easy way to work more of these into your meals, our recipe eBooks are built around beans, vegetables and whole grains.
Count by calories and a different top five appears
The last column in the table divides fiber by calories. Sort by that number and the order shifts:
- High fiber cereal: 22.6 grams per 100 calories
- Jicama: 12.8 grams
- Raspberries: 12.5 grams
- Blackberries: 12.3 grams
- Artichoke: 10.8 grams
Jicama jumps from last place to second because a cup has just 46 calories. At the other end, sweet potato, shredded wheat, whole grain kernels and lima beans all give less than 4.5 grams per 100 calories, since they bring more energy along with their fiber.
Neither ranking is wrong. Per serving tells you what fills a meal, and per calorie tells you what fits when you’re watching energy intake.
Foods that just missed the cut
Some well known fiber foods don’t appear because their standard portion is small. The Dietary Guidelines list gives these values:
| Food (DGA portion) | Fiber | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| Popcorn, air popped, 3 cups | 5.8 g | 169 |
| Pumpkin seeds, 1 oz | 5.2 g | 126 |
| Broccoli, cooked, 1 cup | 5.2 g | 54 |
| Avocado, 1/2 cup | 5.0 g | 120 |
| Chia seeds, 1 Tbsp | 4.1 g | 58 |
| Almonds, 1 oz | 3.5 g | 164 |
Popcorn comes the closest, at 5.8 grams for 3 cups of air popped kernels, just 0.1 gram behind jicama. Broccoli and pumpkin seeds sit a little further back at 5.2 grams each.
Chia is a good example of why portion matters. At 4.1 grams in a single tablespoon, two tablespoons would tie split peas at rank 7, but the list measures a single standard serving.
How to choose from the top 25
A list this long works best with a few simple rules. Pick the line that matches your goal:
- If you want the biggest jump at breakfast, start with a high fiber cereal (14.0 g) or shredded wheat (6.2 g).
- If you want fiber and protein at dinner, choose a half cup of navy, pinto or black beans, or lentils (7.5 to 9.6 g).
- If you’re keeping calories low, reach for jicama, raspberries, blackberries or artichoke (more than 10 g per 100 calories).
- If you need something shelf stable, keep canned pumpkin, dried split peas and lentils in the pantry.
- If you’re new to high fiber eating, add one serving from the list a day and build up from there.
Mayo Clinic recommends adding fiber gradually over a few weeks and drinking plenty of water, because a sudden increase can cause gas, bloating and cramping. If that’s been a problem for you, our gut health guides walk you through a slower ramp up.
How many servings from this list cover a day
Mayo Clinic suggests about 25 grams of fiber a day for women 50 and younger and 38 grams for men, with 21 and 30 grams after 50. The average food in this top 25 gives about 7.6 grams per serving.
That means three to four servings from the list cover most women’s target, and five servings get most men there. A morning bowl of high fiber cereal plus a half cup of lentils at lunch already adds up to 21.8 grams.
Mayo Clinic also recommends getting fiber from whole foods like these rather than relying on supplements. Supplements don’t provide the variety of fibers, vitamins and minerals that the foods themselves bring.
Want a number built for your age and sex rather than an average? Our fiber calculator works out your personal target in a few seconds.
One thing to do today
Look at your next grocery list and add two foods from the top 25 that you don’t already buy. A can of navy beans and a bag of frozen blackberries together add 17.2 grams of fiber across two servings, more than half of the 28 gram Daily Value.
Questions about the highest fiber foods
What food has the most fiber per serving?
On the Dietary Guidelines for Americans list, a half cup of high fiber ready-to-eat cereal has the most, at 14 grams. Among whole foods, navy beans and cooked artichoke tie at 9.6 grams per standard portion.
Which beans have the most fiber?
Navy beans lead with 9.6 grams per half cup, followed by split peas at 8.2, lentils at 7.8 and pinto and mung beans at 7.7 grams each.
What vegetable is highest in fiber?
Cooked artichoke tops the vegetables at 9.6 grams per cup. Green peas follow at 8.8 grams and canned pumpkin at 7.1 grams.
What fruit has the most fiber that’s easy to find?
Guava leads the common fruits at 8.9 grams per cup, with raspberries close behind at 8.0 grams and blackberries at 7.6 grams.
Is a food with 6 grams of fiber high in fiber?
Yes. The FDA considers 20% of the Daily Value a high source, which is about 5.6 grams per serving, so 6 grams qualifies.
Which high fiber foods are lowest in calories?
Jicama, raspberries and blackberries each give more than 12 grams of fiber per 100 calories. A cup of jicama has 5.9 grams for just 46 calories.
Do nuts and seeds count as high fiber foods?
They’re good sources, but their small portions keep them off this list. A tablespoon of chia has 4.1 grams and an ounce of almonds has 3.5 grams.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “Food Sources of Dietary Fiber.” Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020 to 2025. dietaryguidelines.gov
- Mayo Clinic Staff. “Dietary fiber: Essential for a healthy diet.” Mayo Clinic, 2025. www.mayoclinic.org
- Mayo Clinic Staff. “Chart of high-fiber foods.” Mayo Clinic, 2025. www.mayoclinic.org
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels.” 2024. www.fda.gov
