20 Foods That Are High in Vitamin A

Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin that plays an essential role in maintaining vision, body growth, immune function and reproductive health.

Getting adequate amounts of vitamin A from your diet should prevent the symptoms of deficiency, which include hair loss, skin problems, dry eyes, night blindness and increased susceptibility to infections.

Deficiency is a leading cause of blindness in developing countries. In contrast, most people in developed countries get enough vitamin A from their diet.

The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) is 900 mcg for men, 700 mcg for women and 300–600 mcg for children and adolescents.

The RDA provides enough vitamin A for the vast majority of people.

Put simply, a single daily value (DV) of 900 mcg is used as a reference on nutrition labels in the United States and Canada.

This article lists 20 foods that are rich in vitamin A, plus an additional 20 fruits and vegetables rich in provitamin A (1).

20 FOODS HIGH IN VITAMIN A

Vitamin A1, also known as retinol, is only found in animal-sourced foods, such as oily fish, liver, cheese and butter.

1. Beef Liver — 713% DV per serving

1 slice: 6,421 mcg (713% DV)
100 grams: 9,442 mcg (1,049% DV)

2. Lamb Liver — 236% DV per serving

1 ounce: 2,122 mcg (236% DV)
100 grams: 7,491 mcg (832% DV)

3. Liver Sausage — 166% DV per serving

1 slice: 1,495 mcg (166% DV)
100 grams: 8,384 mcg (923% DV)

4. Cod Liver Oil — 150% DV per serving

1 teaspoon: 1,350 mcg (150% DV)
100 grams: 30,000 mcg (3,333% DV)

5. King Mackerel — 43% DV per serving

Half a fillet: 388 mcg (43% DV)
100 grams: 252 mcg (28% DV)

6. Salmon — 25% DV per serving

Half a fillet: 229 mcg (25% DV)
100 grams: 149 mcg (17% DV)

7. Bluefin Tuna — 24% DV per serving

1 ounce: 214 mcg (24% DV)
100 grams: 757 mcg (84% DV)

8. Goose Liver Pâté — 14% DV per serving

1 tablespoon: 130 mcg (14% DV)
100 grams: 1,001 mcg (111% DV)

9. Goat Cheese — 13% DV per serving

1 slice: 115 mcg (13% DV)
100 grams: 407 mcg (45% DV)

10. Butter — 11% DV per serving

1 tablespoon: 97 mcg (11% DV)
100 grams: 684 mcg (76% DV) 

11. Limburger Cheese — 11% DV per serving

1 slice: 96 mcg (11% DV)
100 grams: 340 mcg (38% DV)

12. Cheddar — 10% DV per serving

1 slice: 92 mcg (10% DV)
100 grams: 330 mcg (37% DV)

13. Camembert — 10% DV per serving

1 wedge: 92 mcg (10% DV)
100 grams: 241 mcg (27% DV)

14. Roquefort Cheese — 9% DV per serving

1 ounce: 83 mcg (9% DV)
100 grams: 294 mcg (33% DV)

15. Hard-Boiled Egg — 8% DV per serving

1 large egg: 74 mcg (8% DV)
100 grams: 149 mcg (17% DV)

16. Trout — 8% DV per serving

1 fillet: 71 mcg (8% DV)
100 grams: 100 mcg (11% DV)

17. Blue Cheese — 6% DV per serving

1 ounce: 56 mcg (6% DV)
100 grams: 198 mcg (22% DV)

18. Cream Cheese — 5% DV per serving

1 tablespoon: 45 mcg (5% DV)
100 grams: 308 mcg (34% DV)

19. Caviar — 5% DV per serving

1 tablespoon: 43 mcg (5% DV)
100 grams: 271 mcg (30% DV)

20. Feta Cheese — 4% DV per serving

1 ounce: 35 mcg (4% DV)
100 grams: 125 mcg (14% DV)

10 VEGETABLES HIGH IN PROVITAMIN A

Your body can produce vitamin A from carotenoids found in plants.

These carotenoids include beta-carotene and alpha-carotene, which are collectively known as provitamin A.

However, about 45% of people carry a genetic mutation that significantly reduces their ability to convert provitamin A into vitamin A (2, 3).

Depending on your genetics, the following vegetables might provide considerably less vitamin A than indicated.

1. Sweet Potato (cooked) — 204% DV per serving

1 cup: 1,836 mcg (204% DV)
100 grams: 1,043 mcg (116% DV)

2. Winter Squash (cooked) — 127% DV per serving

1 cup: 1,144 mcg (127% DV)
100 grams: 558 mcg (62% DV)

3. Kale (cooked) — 98% DV per serving

1 cup: 885 mcg (98% DV)
100 grams: 681 mcg (76% DV)

4. Collards (cooked) — 80% DV per serving

1 cup: 722 mcg (80% DV)
100 grams: 380 mcg (42% DV)

5. Turnip Greens (cooked) — 61% DV per serving

1 cup: 549 mcg (61% DV)
100 grams: 381 mcg (42% DV)

6. Carrot (cooked) — 44% DV per serving

1 medium carrot: 392 mcg (44% DV)
100 grams: 852 mcg (95% DV)

7. Sweet Red Pepper (raw) — 29% DV per serving

1 large pepper: 257 mcg (29% DV)
100 grams: 157 mcg (17% DV)

8. Swiss Chard (raw) — 16% DV per serving

1 leaf: 147 mcg (16% DV)
100 grams: 306 mcg (34% DV)

9. Spinach (raw) — 16% DV per serving

1 cup: 141 mcg (16% DV)
100 grams: 469 mcg (52% DV)

10. Romaine Lettuce (raw) — 14% DV per serving

1 large leaf: 122 mcg (14% DV)
100 grams: 436 mcg (48% DV)

10 FRUITS HIGH IN PROVITAMIN A

Provitamin A is generally more abundant in vegetables than fruits. But a few types of fruit provide good amounts, as shown below.

1. Mango — 20% DV per serving

1 medium mango: 181 mcg (20% DV)
100 grams: 54 mcg (6% DV)

2. Cantaloupe — 19% DV per serving

1 large wedge: 172 mcg (19% DV)
100 grams: 169 mcg (19% DV)

3. Pink or Red Grapefruit — 16% DV per serving

1 medium grapefruit: 143 mcg (16% DV)
100 grams: 58 mcg (6% DV)

4. Watermelon — 9% DV per serving

1 wedge: 80 mcg (9% DV)
100 grams: 28 mcg (3% DV)

5. Papaya — 8% DV per serving

1 small papaya: 74 mcg (8% DV)
100 grams: 47 mcg (5% DV)

6. Apricot — 4% DV per serving

1 medium apricot: 34 mcg (4% DV)
100 grams: 96 mcg (11% DV)

7. Tangerine — 3% DV per serving

1 medium tangerine: 30 mcg (3% DV)
100 grams: 34 mcg (4% DV)

8. Nectarine — 3% DV per serving

1 medium nectarine: 24 mcg (3% DV)
100 grams: 17 mcg (2% DV)

9. Guava — 2% DV per serving

1 medium guava: 17 mcg (2% DV)
100 grams: 31 mcg (3% DV)

10. Passion Fruit — 1% DV per serving

1 medium fruit: 12 mcg (1% DV)
100 grams: 64 mcg (7% DV)

HOW DO YOU MEET YOUR VITAMIN A REQUIREMENTS?

You can easily meet your requirements for vitamin A by regularly eating some of the foods listed in this article. Many foods also contain added vitamin A, including cereals, margarine and dairy products.

Since vitamin A is fat-soluble, it is more efficiently absorbed into the bloodstream when eaten with fat. Most animal-sourced foods that are rich in vitamin A are also high in fat, but the same doesn’t apply to most plant sources of provitamin A.

You can improve your absorption of provitamin A from plant sources by adding a dash of oil to your salad.

However, as mentioned above, some people have a genetic mutation that makes the conversion of provitamin A into vitamin A much less efficient (2, 3).

Because of this, vegans should take supplements or make sure to eat plenty of the fruits and vegetables listed above.

Fortunately, foods abundant in vitamin A are usually easy to come by and most are an excellent addition to a healthy diet.