Foods High in Potassium and Why They Matter

Potassium is a mineral that helps your nerves, muscles and heart work properly, and it offsets some of sodium’s effect on blood pressure. Adult women need about 2,600 milligrams a day and men about 3,400 mg, according to the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Beans, lentils, potatoes, winter squash, dried fruit, bananas, leafy greens, yogurt, milk and fish are among the richest everyday sources.

Why potassium matters

Every cell in your body uses potassium. It helps maintain fluid balance, carries nerve signals and keeps muscles, including the heart, contracting normally. It also helps the kidneys get rid of sodium and relaxes blood vessel walls, which is why eating patterns rich in potassium are linked with lower blood pressure, especially when sodium is kept in check too.

The DASH eating plan from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute was designed with that in mind. It leans heavily on vegetables, fruit, beans and low-fat dairy, all strong potassium sources. Severe potassium deficiency from diet alone is rare. Low blood potassium, called hypokalemia, usually results from prolonged vomiting or diarrhea, kidney problems or certain diuretics rather than from what’s on your plate. Even so, the Dietary Guidelines have named potassium a nutrient of public health concern because many Americans eat less than they need.

How much you need

These are the adequate intakes set in 2019 by the National Academies and published by NIH:

Group	Potassium per day
Women 19 and older	2,600 mg
Men 19 and older	3,400 mg
Pregnancy, 19 and older	2,900 mg
Breastfeeding, 19 and older	2,800 mg
Teen girls, 14–18	2,300 mg
Teen boys, 14–18	3,000 mg

You’ll notice the Daily Value on food labels is 4,700 mg, which is higher. That figure is based on an earlier recommendation, and it serves as a fixed reference for the %DV rather than a personal target.

Foods with the most potassium

Approximate values based on NIH and USDA FoodData Central data:

Food	Portion	Approximate potassium
Dried apricots	½ cup	about 750 mg
Lentils, cooked	1 cup	about 730 mg
Acorn squash, cooked and mashed	1 cup	about 640 mg
Baked potato	1 medium	about 600–900 mg, depending on size and skin
Kidney beans, canned	1 cup	about 600 mg
Plain low-fat yogurt	1 cup	roughly 500 mg or more
Orange juice	1 cup	about 500 mg
Banana	1 medium	about 420 mg
Milk, 1%	1 cup	about 365 mg
Spinach, raw	2 cups	about 330 mg
Salmon, cooked	3 oz	about 325 mg
Tomato	1 medium	about 290 mg

The banana’s reputation is well earned, but you can see it isn’t alone at the top. Starchy vegetables and pulses tend to carry the most per serving.

Easy ways to add more

• Keep the skins on. A potato eaten with its skin delivers more potassium and fiber than the flesh alone. Scrub it well, bake it and eat the whole thing.
• Add a can of beans. Rinsed beans slip easily into soups, salads, tacos and pasta. Our beginner’s guide to beans and lentils has plenty of ideas.
• Lean on tomato products. Tomato sauce, paste and canned tomatoes are concentrated sources; choose no-salt-added versions when you can.
• Make yogurt or milk a daily habit. Both add potassium along with calcium and protein.
• Snack on dried fruit in small amounts. A small handful of apricots or raisins goes a long way.
• Cook winter squash in the colder months. Acorn and butternut squash roast beautifully and keep well.

Put a few of these together and the numbers climb quickly. A banana and a cup of milk at breakfast (about 785 mg), a cup of cooked lentils in a soup or salad at lunch (about 730 mg), and a baked potato with a piece of salmon at dinner (roughly 925 to 1,225 mg) add up to around 2,400 to 2,700 mg before you count snacks or other vegetables.

Potassium and sodium work as a pair

You can’t fully separate these two minerals. Diets that are high in sodium and low in potassium are hardest on blood pressure, so the most effective shift often does both at once: cooking more meals from whole foods, which naturally raises potassium, while relying less on packaged and restaurant foods, which carry most of our sodium. Our tips on how to cut back on salt cover the sodium side.

When to be careful

More potassium isn’t right for everyone. People with chronic kidney disease, and those taking certain blood pressure or heart medicines, including ACE inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers and potassium-sparing diuretics, can build up too much potassium in the blood, which can disturb heart rhythm. Many salt substitutes swap sodium for potassium chloride, so they can be risky in those situations. Potassium supplements shouldn’t be taken unless a doctor prescribes them. If you have kidney or heart conditions, your doctor or a registered dietitian can tell you how much is right for you.

In short

Most people benefit from more potassium, and the easiest way to get it is the same advice you hear for overall health: more vegetables, fruit, beans and dairy, and fewer heavily salted packaged foods. Bake a potato, open a can of lentils, and the numbers start to take care of themselves.