The index, distilled

The 50 most nutrient-dense foods, ranked

Every common food we cover, ranked 1 to 100 on beneficial nutrients per calorie. This is the top 50.

Original ranking by NutriVerdict

Reviewed by Irene Taranina, Editor · July 2026

Nutrient density measures how many beneficial nutrients a food delivers for each calorie it costs. We score 1,170 common foods from 1 to 100 using the peer-reviewed NRF9.3 method applied to public-domain USDA data. The 50 foods below top that list. Leafy greens, fresh herbs and a handful of seafood and organ meats dominate, because they pack vitamins and minerals into very few calories. A low score is not a verdict of "bad"; it usually just means a food is energy-dense.

#	Food	Category	Score	Calories	Top nutrient (%DV)
1	Spinach, raw	Vegetables	100	23 kcal	Vitamin A 52%
2	Parsley, fresh	Vegetables	100	36 kcal	Vitamin C 148%
3	Watercress, raw	Vegetables	100	11 kcal	Vitamin C 48%
4	Beet greens, raw	Vegetables	100	22 kcal	Vitamin A 35%
5	Chicory greens, raw	Vegetables	100	23 kcal	Vitamin A 32%
6	Basil, fresh	Spices & herbs	100	23 kcal	Vitamin A 29%
7	Kale, raw	Vegetables	99	35 kcal	Vitamin C 104%
8	Nopales, raw	Vegetables	99	16 kcal	Calcium 13%
9	Collards, raw	Vegetables	99	32 kcal	Vitamin C 39%
10	Taro leaves, raw	Vegetables	99	42 kcal	Vitamin C 58%
11	Turnip greens, raw	Vegetables	99	32 kcal	Vitamin C 67%
12	Broccoli raab, raw	Vegetables	99	22 kcal	Vitamin C 22%
13	Mustard greens, raw	Vegetables	99	27 kcal	Vitamin C 78%
14	Thyme, fresh	Spices & herbs	99	101 kcal	Vitamin C 178%
15	Dill weed, fresh	Spices & herbs	99	43 kcal	Vitamin C 94%
16	Spearmint, fresh	Spices & herbs	99	44 kcal	Iron 66%
17	Spices, basil, dried	Spices & herbs	99	233 kcal	Iron 499%
18	Spices, coriander leaf, dried	Spices & herbs	99	279 kcal	Vitamin C 630%
19	Endive, raw	Vegetables	98	17 kcal	Vitamin A 12%
20	Chives, raw	Vegetables	98	30 kcal	Vitamin C 65%
21	Arugula, raw	Vegetables	98	25 kcal	Vitamin C 17%
22	Pimento, canned	Vegetables	98	23 kcal	Vitamin C 94%
23	Pork, fresh, variety meats and by-products, liver, raw	Pork	98	134 kcal	Vitamin A 722%
24	Spices, paprika	Spices & herbs	98	282 kcal	Vitamin A 273%
25	Spearmint, dried	Spices & herbs	98	285 kcal	Iron 486%
26	Spices, thyme, dried	Spices & herbs	98	276 kcal	Iron 689%
27	Spices, oregano, dried	Spices & herbs	98	265 kcal	Iron 204%
28	Spices, marjoram, dried	Spices & herbs	98	271 kcal	Iron 459%
29	Spices, savory, ground	Spices & herbs	98	272 kcal	Iron 211%
30	Spices, dill weed, dried	Spices & herbs	98	253 kcal	Iron 271%
31	Okra, raw	Vegetables	97	33 kcal	Vitamin C 26%
32	Pumpkin, raw	Vegetables	97	26 kcal	Vitamin A 47%
33	Asparagus, raw	Vegetables	97	20 kcal	Iron 12%
34	Grape leaves, raw	Vegetables	97	93 kcal	Vitamin A 153%
35	Beverages, Acai berry drink, fortified	Beverages	97	62 kcal	Vitamin E 74%
36	Goose, liver, raw	Poultry	97	133 kcal	Vitamin A 1034%
37	Spices, chili powder	Spices & herbs	97	282 kcal	Vitamin E 254%
38	Peppermint, fresh	Spices & herbs	97	70 kcal	Vitamin C 35%
39	Spices, parsley, dried	Spices & herbs	97	292 kcal	Vitamin C 139%
40	Spices, pepper, red or cayenne	Spices & herbs	97	318 kcal	Vitamin A 231%
41	Spices, chervil, dried	Spices & herbs	97	237 kcal	Iron 178%
42	Kohlrabi, raw	Vegetables	96	27 kcal	Vitamin C 69%
43	Broccoli, raw	Vegetables	96	34 kcal	Vitamin C 99%
44	Radicchio, raw	Vegetables	96	23 kcal	Vitamin E 15%
45	Turkey, all classes, liver, raw	Poultry	96	128 kcal	Vitamin A 896%
46	Chicken, liver, all classes, raw	Poultry	96	119 kcal	Vitamin A 367%
47	Baobab powder	Fruits & juices	96	250 kcal	Vitamin C 192%
48	Lemon peel, raw	Fruits & juices	96	47 kcal	Vitamin C 143%
49	Wheat bran, crude	Grains & pasta	96	216 kcal	Dietary fiber 153%
50	Beef, variety meats and by-products, spleen, raw	Beef	96	105 kcal	Iron 248%

Source: USDA FoodData Central · Public domain

Want the story behind the ranking? Read why these foods score so high, or browse rankings by goal such as high protein or high fiber.