15 Foods That Are High in Vitamin C

Fill Up on Foods That Boost Collagen and Promote Healing


Vitamin C also helps your bones and teeth stay strong. It improves the absorption of nonheme iron, the form of iron present in plant-based foods and it's also necessary to make certain neurotransmitters and for protein metabolism. Your immune system relies on vitamin C, too.

Since it's a water-soluble vitamin, your body doesn't store vitamin C so you need to replace your vitamin C stores daily. The National Institutes of Health recommends that men get 90 milligrams daily and women get 75 milligrams of vitamin C per day with even higher recommended doses for women who are pregnant or lactating.

If you eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables you're probably getting enough. But if you're not sure, it might help to add any of these 15 foods that are high in vitamin C to your daily menu.


Oranges and Orange Juice

Orange juice

Verywell / Alexandra Shytsman 

One 8-ounce glass of orange juice contains 120 milligrams of vitamin C, so it only takes one serving to get a day's worth of vitamin C. 





Verywell / Alexandra Shytsman

Grapefruits are related to oranges, so it's no surprise they're also high in vitamin C. One-half of a grapefruit has 45 milligrams of vitamin C, plus fiber, potassium, and plenty of vitamin A.



Green Peppers

green peppers sliced on a wooden cutting board

Verywell / Alexandra Shytsman


Green bell peppers can be sliced or chopped and added to a salad or used as an ingredient in a variety of dishes. Choose peppers that are bright green with unblemished skin.﻿﻿


Red Sweet Peppers

Red bell pepper

Verywell / Alexandra Shytsman

Red sweet peppers are high in vitamin C, just like green bell peppers, but they have a milder flavor. One cup of sliced, raw, red sweet pepper delivers about 117 milligrams of vitamin C and has 28 calories. It's also loaded with fiber, vitamin A, and several B-complex vitamins.




Strawberry carton

 Verywell / Alexandra Shytsman

Strawberries are sweet, juicy, and loaded with vitamin C. One cup of strawberry slices had 98 milligrams. Strawberries are also a very good source of fiber and folate and a good source of potassium and magnesium.

A handful of strawberries makes an excellent snack. You can also add strawberry slices to oatmeal, cold cereal, or yogurt for a healthy breakfast.




Verywell / Alexandra Shytsman 

One cup of raw chopped broccoli has 81 mg vitamin C﻿. That's not quite as much as orange juice, but a big serving of raw broccoli provides most of the vitamin C you'll need for one day. Depending on the cooking method, the amount of vitamin C is reduced will vary.﻿﻿

One cup of chopped cooked broccoli has about 50 milligrams of vitamin C, an amount that's still impressive. To increase the amount of available vitamin C you can reduce cooking time. For example, just lightly steam the veggie.

One cup of broccoli (either raw or cooked) has about 30 calories.﻿﻿ Broccoli is also an excellent source of calcium, potassium, fiber, vitamins A and K, and lots of antioxidants.




Verywell / Alexandra Shytsman

Luscious green kiwi—or kiwifruit—is an excellent source of vitamin C.﻿﻿ One small fruit has more than 60 milligrams. Kiwifruit is also rich in potassium and fiber but low in calories. One fruit has about 40 calories.﻿﻿ Kiwi is tasty all on its own or mixed with other fresh fruits and nuts for a healthy fruit salad.


Brussels Sprouts

Brussel sprouts

Verywell / Alexandra Shytsman

Brussels sprouts are rich in vitamin C. Even after being cooked, one cup yields more than your daily requirement of C. They're also high in most vitamins and minerals, fiber, and antioxidants.



Cooked Cabbage

Cooked cabbage

Verywell / Alexandra Shytsman

Raw cabbage can add a bit of vitamin C to your daily intake, but cooked cabbage has even more. Although cooking reduces the amount of vitamin C in any food,﻿﻿ it also reduces the volume, so you'll get more vitamin C per cup of cooked cabbage. 


That's why one cup of raw cabbage has about 30mg of vitamin C, while one cup of cooked cabbage has closer to 60 mg. Cabbage also contains antioxidants, minerals, vitamin K, and fiber.


Tomato Juice

Tomato juice

Verywell / Alexandra Shytsman

A raw tomato isn't a bad source of vitamin C—in fact, it has about 20 milligrams.﻿﻿ But you'll get so much more vitamin C when tomatoes are concentrated into juice. One 8-ounce glass of tomato juice has more than 120 milligrams of vitamin C. It's also rich in vitamin A and lycopene, an antioxidant that's good for your heart.﻿﻿





Verywell / Alexandra Shytsman






Verywell / Alexandra Shytsman

Eating cantaloupe is a refreshing way to cool off on a hot summer day, plus it's an excellent source of vitamin C. One cup of cubed cantaloupe has almost 60 milligrams, plus plenty of potassium, niacin, and vitamin A.﻿﻿ It's also low in calories, with 54 per cup.



Honeydew Melon


Verywell / Alexandra Shytsman

One cup of honeydew melon balls has about 30 milligrams of vitamin C.﻿﻿ It's also high in potassium and is a good source of several B-complex vitamins and vitamin K. That cup of melon balls only has about 60 calories.﻿﻿ Serve honeydew melon slices for dessert or as a snack or use them in fruit salad recipes.




Verywell / Alexandra Shytsman

Pineapples are super-sweet and delicious, and they're also loaded with vitamin. A cup of pineapple chunks has about 80 milligrams.﻿﻿ It's also a good source of potassium, magnesium, folate, and fiber. A cup of pineapple chunks has about 80 calories.﻿﻿

Serve fresh raw pineapple slices as a snack or as a dessert. Pineapple also makes a tasty addition to tropical fruit smoothies.




Verywell / Alexandra Shytsman

Potatoes are well known for their potassium content, but they're also high in vitamin C.﻿﻿ Potatoes are also a good source of niacin and magnesium. Plus, eating potatoes is a good way to add fiber to your diet as long as you eat the potato skins (also called jackets).


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16 Sources
  1. National Institutes of Health. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Vitamin C Factsheet for Professionals.

  2. USDA FoodData Central. Orange juice, 100%, NFS.

  3. Oliveira R. The glorious greatness of grapefruit. UC Davis Integrative Medicine.

  4. Grapefruit. US Department of Agriculture.

  5. Bell Peppers. US Department of Agriculture.

  6. Vegetables grown in New York. Fresh Connect: New York Farmers’ Markets. New York State Government.

  7. USDA FoodData Central. Pepper, sweet, red, raw.

  8. USDA FoodData Central. Strawberries, raw.

  9. Zeng C. Effects of different cooking methods on the vitamin C content of selected vegetables. Nutrition & Food Science. 2013; 43(5): 438-443. doi:10.1108/NFS-11-2012-0123

  10. Broccoli. US Department of Agriculture.

  11. Kiwi. US Department of Agriculture.

  12. Antioxidants: what you need to know. American Academy of Family Physicians.

  13. Mehta N, Patani P, Singhvi I. A review on tomato lycopene. Int J Pharm Sci Res 2018; 9(3): 916-23.doi: 10.13040/IJPSR.0975-8232.9(3).916-23

  14. USDA FoodData Central. Cauliflower, raw.

  15. Honeydew Melon. US Department of Agriculture.

  16. Pineapple. US Department of Agriculture.

Additional Reading
  • United States Department of Agriculture. Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central.