50+ Plant-Based Foods Rich in Calcium

It can be challenging to get enough calcium on a plant-based diet. To help you make the right dietary choices, we are bringing you a list of 50+ plant-based foods rich in calcium.

Index

What is calcium?
How much calcium do you need?
Consequences of calcium deficiency
List of plant-based foods rich in calcium
Conclusion

What is calcium?

Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the human body. 99% of our calcium is found in bones and teeth. As such, it plays a well-known role in the health and density of our teeth and bones.

However, calcium is also involved in the transmission of nerve impulses, muscle contraction, hormone secretion, as well as participating in several enzymatic processes.

How much calcium do you need?

Calcium daily requirements vary depending on your age and sex.

Sex	Age: 4 – 18	Age: 19 – 50	Age: 51 – 70	Age > 71
Male	1,300 mg	1,000 mg	1,000 mg	1,200 mg
Female	1,300 mg	1,000 mg	1,200 mg	1,200 mg

If you are taking a multivitamin, check the label to see what portion of your daily calcium intake it may supply you with.

The % DV (Percent Daily Value) you see on nutritional labels tends to be based on the standard 1,000 mg per day requirement.

Concerns about calcium supplementations have been blown out of proportion, as it’s fine to supplement it in small doses. Out of caution, however, it is still recommended to get most of your calcium from food rather than supplements.

Consequences of calcium deficiency

In the long run, not eating enough calcium has serious consequences. It impacts bone health, leading to osteomalacia (soft bones) and osteoporosis (bone loss and weakness) in adults, and rickets and stunted growth in children.

Hypocalcemia also impacts your nervous system, potentially leading to irritability, tetany (spasms of the extremities), cramps (both abdominal and muscular), and muscular stiffness.

Studies have also found that low calcium intake is associated with kidney stones, low blood pressure, and an increased risk of CVD (Cardiovascular Disease).

Conversely, an excess of calcium in your blood (hypercalcemia), whether caused by excessive intake or overactive parathyroid glands, is also a serious medical concern.

Too much calcium is associated with constipation, nausea, dry mouth, kidney stones (particularly when heavily supplemented), and poor bone health. In addition, it can negatively impact both your heart and brain.

List of plant-based foods rich in calcium

Omnivores get the majority of their calcium from dairy products such as cheese and milk. In this article, we list plant-based foods that are rich in calcium, as omitting dairy products from your diet can make meeting one’s calcium intake requirements more challenging.

However, if you incorporate many of these calcium-rich foods into your diet you are likely to meet your calcium needs without too much effort.

There are several vegetables (dark leafy greens in particular), nuts, seeds, beans, grains, and even fruits, that contain decent amounts of calcium.

Let’s review each category.

Vegetables rich in calcium

Below you’ll find a list of vegetables rich in calcium.

Food	Calories (per 100 g)	Calcium (per 100 g)	Calcium (per 100 cal)	Calcium % DV (per 100 cal)
Bok Choy	13 cal	105 mg	808 mg	81%
Kale	35 cal	254 mg	726 mg	73%
Arugula	25 cal	160 mg	640 mg	64%
Turnip Greens	32 cal	190 mg	594 mg	59%
Collards	35 cal	201 mg	574 mg	57%
Broccoli Rabe	24 cal	120 mg	500 mg	50%
Spinach	24 cal	99 mg	413 mg	41%
Rhubarb	21 cal	86 mg	410 mg	41%
Mustard Greens	24 cal	94 mg	392 mg	39%
Kelp	43 cal	168 mg	391 mg	39%
Swiss Chard	19 cal	51 mg	268 mg	27%
Celery	14 cal	36 mg	257 mg	26%
Okra	44 cal	80 mg	182 mg	18%
Blackstrap Molasses	400 cal	667 mg	167 mg	17%
Cabbage	25 cal	40 mg	160 mg	16%
Fennel	31 cal	49 mg	158 mg	16%
Broccoli	31 cal	46 mg	148 mg	15%
Green Beans	29 cal	35 mg	121 mg	12%
Brussels Sprouts	41 cal	47 mg	115 mg	11%
Artichokes	50 cal	50 mg	100 mg	10%
Butternut Squash	47 cal	47 mg	100 mg	10%
Leeks	61 cal	59 mg	97 mg	10%
Asparagus	29 cal	24 mg	83 mg	8%
Pumpkin	42 cal	33 mg	79 mg	8%
Onions	40 cal	23 mg	58 mg	6%
Edamame	127 cal	56 mg	44 mg	4%
Sweet Potato	85 cal	30 mg	35 mg	4%

As you can see, some of these have a huge amount of calcium in them. For reference, the calcium amount of cow milk is 30% DV per cup.

Keep in mind, though, that some vegetables (e.g., spinach and rhubarb) have a high content of oxalates which bind to the calcium within the plant, making it less bioavailable. You can think of it as the vegetable having calcium but being greedy with it. 🙂

For this reason, we do not recommend loading up solely on spinach, for example, in an attempt to meet calcium requirements. Variety is king.

Nuts and seeds rich in calcium

Below you’ll find a list of nuts and seeds rich in calcium.

Food	Calories (per 100 g)	Calcium (per 100 g)	Calcium (per 100 cal)	Calcium % DV (per 100 cal)
Celery Seeds	392 cal	1767 mg	451 mg	45%
Poppy Seeds	533 cal	1500 mg	281 mg	28%
Sesame Seeds	573 cal	975 mg	170 mg	17%
Chia Seeds	489 cal	643 mg	131 mg	13%
Flax Seeds	534 cal	255 mg	48 mg	5%
Almonds	567 cal	267 mg	47 mg	5%
Brazil Nuts	659 cal	160 mg	24 mg	2%

Despite being caloric, some of these seeds have enough calcium in them that even a 100 calorie “investment” can give you a sizable portion of your daily calcium requirements.

Beans and grains rich in calcium

Below you’ll find a list of some beans and grains worth considering.

Food	Calories (per 100 g)	Calcium (per 100 g)	Calcium (per 100 cal)	Calcium % DV (per 100 cal)
Winged Beans (cooked)	147 cal	142 mg	97 mg	10%
White Beans (cooked)	142 cal	73 mg	51 mg	5%
Amaranth (dry)	371 cal	159 mg	43 mg	4%
Kidney Beans (cooked)	127 cal	28 mg	22 mg	2%

Objectively, their calcium content is not huge, but it all adds up at the end of the day. Plus beans are great for you, so you should be eating them anyway and their calcium content is just an added bonus.

Fruits rich in calcium

Fruits don’t tend to be very high in calcium, but there are some exceptions. Below we list a few that are rich in calcium.

Food	Calories (per 100 g)	Calcium (per 100 g)	Calcium (per 100 cal)	Calcium % DV (per 100 cal)
Prickly Pears	41 cal	56 mg	137 mg	14%
Mulberry	43 cal	39 mg	91 mg	9%
Oranges	47 cal	40 mg	85 mg	9%
Blackberries	43 cal	29 mg	67 mg	7%
Papaya	43 cal	20 mg	47 mg	5%
Grapefruit	32 cal	12 mg	38 mg	4%
Dried Figs	304 cal	107 mg	35 mg	4%

Processed vegan foods rich in calcium

Several plant-based foods are also fortified with calcium. Some examples of vegan foods rich in calcium include:

Plant-based milk
Orange juice
Tofu prepared with calcium
Instant oatmeal
Cereals
Vegan protein
Vegan bars
Plant-based meats
Plant-based cheeses

These will often have 20% or more of the DV for calcium per serving.

Our stance is to go easy on processed foods, but if you already partake in these foods, it’s worth checking the nutritional label to verify their calcium content.

Conclusion

The take-home lesson is that the world of plant-based eating offers plenty of non-diary foods that are rich in calcium. You just have to ensure to eat a few each day to meet your daily calcium requirements.

As usual, if you question whether you are getting enough calcium, consider logging your food for a few days with an app like Cronometer. It will tell you whether you are meeting your calcium (and other micronutrients) goals.

Checking your plasma calcium levels with a blood test is always a good idea and if you experience any of the symptoms mentioned in this article, you should discuss them with your doctor.

Generally speaking, as long as you meet your daily requirements from plant-based foods you shouldn’t be deficient. As a reminder, Vitamin D facilitates the absorption of calcium, so make sure you supplement it if required.