Vitamin E is a group of powerful antioxidants that protect your cells from oxidative stress. Many nuts and oils, as well as certain fish, vegetables, and fruit are high in vitamin E.
Adequate vitamin E levels are essential for the body to function normally. If you don’t get enough, you may become more prone to infections or experience impaired eyesight or muscle weakness.
Fortunately, vitamin E is widespread in foods. As a result, you’re unlikely to become deficient unless your body is having trouble absorbing nutrients.
Nevertheless, everyone should try to eat plenty of whole foods rich in vitamin E. The active form of vitamin E is alpha-tocopheral.
In the United States, 15 milligrams (mg) of vitamin E per day is considered enough for the vast majority of adults. This daily value (DV) is selected as a reference on nutrition labels in the US and Canada.
This article lists foods that contain vitamin E, categorized by group.
Foods high in vitamin E
- Cooking oils: wheat germ oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil
- Seeds and nuts: almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, peanut butter
- Fish: abalone, trout, salmon
- Vegetables: red sweet pepper, turnip greens, butternut squash
- Fruit: mamey sapote, avocado, mango, kiwi fruit
10 seeds and nuts high in vitamin E
Seeds and nuts are among the best sources of vitamin E.
Below are some of the richest sources of alpha-tocopherol. Many of these seeds and nuts are also high in other forms of vitamin E, such as gamma-tocopherol.
Vitamin E content listed in the table below is from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) food products database unless otherwise noted.
Seed or nutServing size: Vitamin EcontentPercent
Daily ValueSunflower seeds (dry roasted)1 ounce: 7.4 mg49.05% DVAlmonds (dry roasted)1 ounce: 6.8 mg45% DVHazelnuts (dry roasted)1 ounce: 4.3 mg29% DVPine nuts1 ounce: 2.6 mg20% DVPeanuts (dry roasted)1 ounce: 2.2 mg15% DVBrazil nuts1 ounce: 1.52 mg11% DVPistachios1 ounce: 0.8 mg5% DVPumpkin seeds1 ounce: 0.6 mg4% DVPecans1 ounce: 0.4 mg3% DVCashew nuts1 ounce: 0.3 mg2% DV
10 cooking oils high in vitamin E
The richest sources of vitamin E are cooking oils, especially wheat germ oil. Just one tablespoon of wheat germ oil may provide around 135% of DV.
Vitamin E content listed in the table below is from the USDA food products database unless otherwise noted.
Cooking oilServing size: Vitamin E contentPercentDaily ValueWheat germ oil1 tablespoon (20 mg)135% DVHazelnut oil1 tablespoon (6.4 mg)43% DVSunflower oil1 tablespoon (5.6 mg)37% DVAlmond oil1 tablespoon (5.3 mg)36% DVCottonseed oil1 tablespoon (4.8 mg)32% DVSafflower oil1 tablespoon (4.6 mg)31% DVRice bran oil1 tablespoon (4.4 mg)29% DVGrapeseed oil1 tablespoon (3.9 mg)26% DVCanola oil1 tablespoon (2.4 mg)16% DVPalm oil1 tablespoon (2.2 mg)14% DV
10 animal products high in vitamin E
The following animal-based foods are good sources of vitamin E.
Vitamin E content listed in the table below is from the USDA food products database.
Animal productServing size: Vitamin E contentPercentDaily ValueAbalone3 ounces: 3.4 mg23% DVGoose meat1 cup: 2.4 mg16% DVAtlantic salmonHalf a fillet: 2.0 mg 14% DVRainbow trout1 fillet: 2.0 mg13% DVSnails1 ounce: 1.4 mg9% DVCrayfish3 ounces: 1.3 mg8% DVFish roe1 tablespoon: 1.0 mg7% DVOctopus 3 ounces: 1.0 mg7% DVLobster3 ounces: 0.9 mg6% DVCod1 ounce: 0.8 mg 5% DV
10 fruits high in vitamin E
While fruits are generally not the best sources of vitamin E, many provide good amounts. Fruits are also rich in vitamin C, which cooperates with vitamin E as an antioxidant.
Vitamin E content listed in the table below is from the USDA food products database unless otherwise noted.
FruitServing size: Vitamin E contentPercentDaily ValueMamey SapoteHalf a fruit: 5.9 mg39% DVAvocadoHalf a fruit: 2.1 mg14% DVMango1/2 cup sliced: 0.75% DVKiwifruit1 medium fruit: 1.1 mg7% DVBlackberries1/2 cup: 0.8 mg6% DVBlack currants1/2 cup: 0.6 mg4% DVCranberries (dried)1 ounce: 0.6 mg4% DOlives (pickled)5 olives: 0.5 mg3% DVApricots1 medium apricot: 0.3 mg2% DVRaspberries10 raspberries: 0.2 mg1% DV
10 vegetables high in vitamin E
Like fruits, many vegetables are decent sources of vitamin E but don’t provide nearly as much as nuts and seeds.
Vitamin E content listed in the table below is from the USDA food products database unless otherwise noted.
VegetableServing size: Vitamin E contentPercentDaily ValueRed sweet pepper (raw)1 medium pepper: 1.9 mg13% DVTurnip greens (raw)1 cup: 1.6 mg10% DVBeet greens (cooked)1/2 cup: 1.3 mg9% DVButternut squash (cooked)1/2 cup: 1.3 mg9% DVBroccoli (boiled)1/2 cup: 1.1 mg8% DVMustard greens (cooked)1/2 cup: 1.3 mg8% DVAsparagus (cooked) 4 spears: 0.9 mg6% DVSwiss chard (raw)1 leaf: 0.9 mg6% DVCollards (raw) 1 cup: 0.8 mg5% DVSpinach (raw)1 cup: 0.6 mg4% DV
Frequently asked questions about vitamin E
What food is highest in vitamin E?
Wheat germ oil comes in the highest with 20 milligrams of vitamin E or 135% DV in just 1 tablespoon.
How do I get vitamin E in my body?
Vitamin E can be found in numerous foods, but especially in seeds, nuts, cooking oils, fish, and vegetables.
Which fruit or vegetable is rich in vitamin E?
Vegetables high in vitamin E include red sweet peppers, turnip greens, beet greens, spinach, and butternut squash. Fruit with lots of vitamin E includes mamey sapote, avocado, and mango.
Are eggs high in vitamin E?
Egg yolks contain good amounts of vitamin E (but not the egg white). The amount of vitamin E per egg yolk ranges from 0.5–25 mg depending on the diet of the hen.
Takeaway
Vitamin E is found in nearly all foods to some extent. For this reason, most people are not at risk of deficiency.
However, disorders that affect the absorption of fat, such as cystic fibrosis or liver disease, may lead to deficiency over time, especially if your diet is low in vitamin E.
Increasing your vitamin E intake is easy, even without supplements. For instance, an excellent strategy would be to add some sunflower seeds or almonds to your diet.
You can also increase the absorption of vitamin E from low fat foods by eating them with fat. Adding a tablespoon of oil to your salad could make a significant difference.