Foods High in Folate (and When Folic Acid Matters More)
The Short Answer
The best folate sources per serving are edamame (482 mcg DFE per cup), lentils (358 mcg), black-eyed peas (356 mcg), and cooked spinach (263 mcg). Adults need 400 mcg DFE a day, or 600 mcg in pregnancy. Anyone who could become pregnant should also get 400 mcg of folic acid daily, since it helps prevent neural tube defects.
What Is the Difference Between Folate and Folic Acid?
People use the two words interchangeably. They aren't quite the same thing.
Folate is vitamin B9 as it naturally occurs in food, in beans, leafy greens, and liver. Your body uses it to make DNA and new cells, including red blood cells.
Folic acid is the synthetic form used in supplements and fortified foods like enriched bread, pasta, and rice. It's better absorbed than food folate.
Because absorption differs, folate is measured in dietary folate equivalents (DFE):
| Source | DFE value |
|---|---|
| 1 mcg of folate from food | 1 mcg DFE |
| 1 mcg of folic acid taken with food or in fortified food | 1.7 mcg DFE |
| 1 mcg of folic acid supplement on an empty stomach | 2 mcg DFE |
How Much Folate Do You Need?
| Group | RDA |
|---|---|
| Adults | 400 mcg DFE/day |
| Pregnancy | 600 mcg DFE/day |
| Breastfeeding | 500 mcg DFE/day |
There's also an upper limit of 1,000 mcg a day, but only for folic acid from supplements and fortified foods. Natural folate in food has no upper limit.
Why Does Folic Acid Matter So Much Before Pregnancy?
This is one of the clearest wins in all of nutrition science, and it still gets less attention than it deserves.
The neural tube, which becomes the baby's brain and spine, forms and closes very early in pregnancy. When it doesn't close properly, the result is a neural tube defect such as spina bifida or anencephaly.
In 1991, the Medical Research Council Vitamin Study tested folic acid in 1,817 women across seven countries, all at high risk because of a previous affected pregnancy. Folic acid supplements cut the risk of another neural tube defect by 72 percent. The other vitamins tested showed no significant protective effect.
The US Public Health Service responded in 1992 by recommending 400 mcg of folic acid a day for all women capable of becoming pregnant. In 1998, the US made folic acid fortification of enriched cereal grain products mandatory. A CDC analysis estimated that fortification prevents about 1,326 neural tube defect-affected births every year.
The CDC still repeats the message:
CDC recommends that women of reproductive age get 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid daily to help prevent certain birth defects. Most vitamins sold in the U.S. have the recommended amount—check the label for 400 mcg of folic acid. https://t.co/0zqC2eVbhO#NationalNutritionMonth pic.twitter.com/JGLEwyRZCU
— CDC (@CDCgov) March 7, 2023
Because the neural tube closes so early, the folic acid needs to be in place before pregnancy, not after a positive test. That's why the recommendation covers anyone who could become pregnant. If you're pregnant or planning to be, our guide to the best calorie trackers for pregnant women covers the other nutrients worth watching.
Which Foods Are Highest in Folate?
All values come from USDA FoodData Central, calculated for the portion shown.
Which beans and legumes have the most folate?
| Food | Portion | Folate | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edamame | 1 cup (155 g) | 482 mcg DFE | 188 |
| Lentils, boiled | 1 cup (198 g) | 358 mcg DFE | 230 |
| Black-eyed peas, boiled | 1 cup (171 g) | 356 mcg DFE | 198 |
| Pinto beans, boiled | 1 cup (171 g) | 294 mcg DFE | 245 |
| Chickpeas, boiled | 1 cup (164 g) | 282 mcg DFE | 269 |
| Black beans, boiled | 1 cup (172 g) | 256 mcg DFE | 227 |
Legumes win this one easily. A single cup of edamame gets you past the adult RDA on its own. Lentils come close. If you're working on your fiber and iron too, beans are doing triple duty. See foods high in fiber and foods high in iron.
Which vegetables have the most folate?
| Food | Portion | Folate | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spinach, boiled | 1 cup (180 g) | 263 mcg DFE | 41 |
| Broccoli, boiled | 1 cup (156 g) | 168 mcg DFE | 55 |
| Asparagus, boiled | 1/2 cup (90 g) | 134 mcg DFE | 20 |
| Brussels sprouts, boiled | 1 cup (156 g) | 94 mcg DFE | 56 |
| Beets, boiled | 1/2 cup (85 g) | 68 mcg DFE | 37 |
| Romaine lettuce, raw | 1 cup shredded (47 g) | 64 mcg DFE | 8 |
The word "folate" actually comes from the Latin for leaf, which makes sense given this table. Spinach and asparagus deliver a lot for almost no calories.
Folate breaks down with heat and leaches into cooking water. Steaming or microwaving vegetables, rather than boiling them for a long time, keeps more of it.
Which other foods have folate?
| Food | Portion | Folate | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beef liver, braised | 3 oz (85 g) | 215 mcg DFE | 162 |
| Avocado | 1/2 fruit (100 g) | 81 mcg DFE | 160 |
| Orange juice, fresh | 1 cup (248 g) | 74 mcg DFE | 112 |
| Sunflower seeds, dry roasted | 1 oz (28 g) | 67 mcg DFE | 165 |
| Papaya | 1 cup (145 g) | 54 mcg DFE | 62 |
| Orange | 1 fruit (131 g) | 39 mcg DFE | 62 |
| Peanuts, dry roasted | 1 oz (28 g) | 27 mcg DFE | 166 |
| Egg, large, hard-boiled | 1 egg (50 g) | 22 mcg DFE | 78 |
Liver is the richest animal source by far. Avocado is a solid everyday pick, and there's more on its calories in calories in an avocado.
How much folate is in enriched grains?
| Food | Portion | Folate | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| White rice, enriched, cooked | 1 cup (158 g) | 153 mcg DFE | 205 |
| Spaghetti, enriched, cooked | 1 cup (124 g) | 148 mcg DFE | 196 |
| White bread, enriched | 1 slice (29 g) | 50 mcg DFE | 77 |
This is the strange part. A cup of enriched white rice delivers nearly as much folate as a cup of broccoli, almost entirely thanks to added folic acid. Enrichment quietly adds a lot of folate to the American diet. If you eat mostly whole grains or avoid grains, you miss that boost and need to make it up elsewhere.
What Does a 400 mcg DFE Day Look Like?
| Meal | What's on the plate | Folate |
|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | 1 cup fresh orange juice | 74 mcg DFE |
| Lunch | Soup made with 1 cup lentils | 358 mcg DFE |
| Dinner | 1/2 cup asparagus on the side | 134 mcg DFE |
| Total | 566 mcg DFE |
Three simple choices clear the adult RDA and come close to the pregnancy target. The lentils do most of the work.
Keep in mind that for anyone who could become pregnant, the CDC advice is 400 mcg of folic acid on top of the folate in food. Food alone doesn't replace that.
Can You Get Too Much Folic Acid?
Not from natural food folate. From folic acid in supplements and fortified foods, the upper limit is 1,000 mcg a day.
The main concern is that high folic acid intake can hide a vitamin B12 deficiency. It corrects the anemia that would normally act as a warning sign, while the nerve damage from low B12 keeps progressing. That matters most for older adults and people on vegan diets, who are more likely to run low on B12. Our guide for vegan food trackers covers B12 in more detail.
How Do You Know If You're Getting Enough Folate?
Tracking your intake is the practical starting point, especially since the numbers mix natural folate and folic acid. Forkd's micronutrient tracker reads folate alongside iron, B12, and the rest of its 15+ nutrients from a photo, a voice note, or a line of text, using per-ingredient USDA values. Search the App Store for "AI Calorie Tracker: Forkd".
For a wider view of the nutrients worth watching, read what micronutrients should I track.
Frequently Asked Questions
What food has the most folate?
Per serving, edamame leads common foods at 482 mcg DFE per cup, followed by lentils (358 mcg DFE) and black-eyed peas (356 mcg DFE). Among animal foods, beef liver has 215 mcg DFE per 3 ounces. Cooked spinach is the top vegetable at 263 mcg DFE per cup.
Is folate the same as folic acid?
Not exactly. Folate is the natural form of vitamin B9 found in foods like beans and leafy greens. Folic acid is the synthetic form in supplements and fortified foods, and your body absorbs it more efficiently. Folic acid is the form proven in trials to prevent neural tube defects.
How much folic acid should I take if I could become pregnant?
The CDC recommends 400 mcg of folic acid every day for anyone who could become pregnant, in addition to folate from food. Most multivitamins sold in the US contain that amount. People who have had a previous pregnancy affected by a neural tube defect may be advised to take a higher dose under medical supervision.
Does cooking destroy folate?
Some of it. Folate is sensitive to heat and dissolves into cooking water, so long boiling loses more than steaming or microwaving. Eating some folate-rich foods raw, like romaine, spinach, or avocado, also helps.
Can too much folic acid be harmful?
The upper limit for folic acid from supplements and fortified foods is 1,000 mcg a day. The main risk above that is masking a vitamin B12 deficiency, which can allow nerve damage to progress unnoticed. Natural folate from food doesn't carry this risk.
Key Takeaways
- Adults need 400 mcg DFE of folate a day, rising to 600 mcg DFE in pregnancy and 500 mcg DFE while breastfeeding.
- Top food sources: edamame (482 mcg DFE per cup), lentils (358 mcg DFE), black-eyed peas (356 mcg DFE), and cooked spinach (263 mcg DFE).
- Folic acid cut neural tube defect risk by 72 percent in the landmark MRC trial, and US grain fortification prevents about 1,326 affected births a year.
- Anyone who could become pregnant should get 400 mcg of folic acid daily, in addition to food folate.
- Folic acid above 1,000 mcg a day can mask a vitamin B12 deficiency.
References
- National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. Folate: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. RDAs, upper limit, and B12 masking. ods.od.nih.gov
- Institute of Medicine (1998). Dietary Reference Intakes for Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Vitamin B12, Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, and Choline, chapter on folate. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- MRC Vitamin Study Research Group. (1991). Prevention of neural tube defects: results of the Medical Research Council Vitamin Study. The Lancet, 338(8760), 131-137. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Williams J, Mai CT, Mulinare J, et al. (2015). Updated estimates of neural tube defects prevented by mandatory folic acid fortification, United States, 1995-2011. MMWR, 64(1), 1-5. cdc.gov
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About Folic Acid. cdc.gov
- USDA FoodData Central. Folate (DFE) and calorie values for edamame (168411), lentils (172421), black-eyed peas (173759), pinto beans (175200), chickpeas (173757), black beans (173735), spinach (168463), broccoli (169967), asparagus (168390), Brussels sprouts (169971), beets (169146), romaine lettuce (169247), beef liver (168626), avocado (171705), orange juice (169098), sunflower seeds (170563), papaya (169926), orange (169097), dry-roasted peanuts (173806), hard-boiled egg (173424), enriched white rice (168878), enriched spaghetti (169737), and enriched white bread (174924). fdc.nal.usda.gov
Written by
Vineet Karhail builds Forkd, the AI-powered calorie and nutrition tracking app, and writes its research-backed guides on calories, macros, and micronutrients.
