20 Foods With More Potassium Than a Banana

Potassium, also known by its chemical symbol, “K,” is a mineral critical for your body’s daily function. One of the most popular sources of daily potassium is bananas. However, you may be surprised to learn that bananas are not the best potassium-rich food.

A number of other high-potassium foods actually have more potassium than a banana. Incorporating these potassium-rich foods into your diet can help you reap the health benefits of potassium, diversify your microbiome, and reduce your sugar intake.

What Is Potassium and Why Is It Important?

It’s hard to understate the importance of dietary potassium. Potassium is a mineral, which means that it is a naturally occurring element present in many foods. Your body cannot make potassium on its own, so your potassium stores are entirely dependent on what you’re eating every day. Potassium functions as an electrolyte, helping your body regulate its internal water content and blood pressure.

Potassium also drives many biological processes, such as the function of the heart, skeletal muscles, and nerve conduction systems.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the average person requires 4700 mg of potassium a day. ^[1] United States Department of Agriculture.

However, the USDA also notes that many people fall short of this recommendation. Paying attention to your daily potassium intake can help you ensure you are falling within the recommended daily range of this important nutrient. Read on to learn more about potassium-rich foods.

20 Potassium-Rich Foods That Beat a Banana

What food has potassium and is better than a banana? Consider the following best potassium-rich foods.

Food	Potassium per serving (mg)	Health perk	Serving suggestion
1. Cooked green beets	1309	Eating beet greens can add vision-boosting nutrients such as beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin to your diet.^[2] Cleveland Clinic. 5 Health Benefits of Beets, published: August 19, 2022	1 cup
2. Cooked fufu	1080	Fufu is a West African dough made from cassava roots. In addition to being a high-potassium food, it is also high in vitamin C.^[3] Healthline. What Is Cassava? Health Benefits and How to Prepare It, published: Apr 19, 2023	1 cup
3. Cooked Swiss chard	961	Swiss chard is an excellent source of daily nutrients such as vitamins A, C, E, and K, magnesium, copper, manganese, and iron.	1 cup
4. Cooked white Lima beans	955	Lima beans are an incredible source of fiber high in protein and nutrients such as manganese, magnesium, and copper.^[4] Healthline. Lima Beans: Nutrients, Benefits, Downsides, and More, published June 14, 2021	1 cup
5. Baked potato with skin	926	This is a low-fat, potassium-rich food that also boasts other nutrients such as vitamin C and iron.^[5] Myfooddata. Baked Potato (With Skin)	1 medium
6. Cooked yam	911	Yams may have anti-inflammatory properties, and they are full of healthy dietary fiber. ^[6] Webmd. Health Benefits of Yams, published August 29, 2023	1 cup
7. Cooked spinach	839	Spinach is a powerfully nutritious food that provides 400% of your daily value of Vitamin K in one serving and half your daily value of vitamin A and folate. ^[7] Clevelandclinic. 7 Reasons You Should Eat More Spinach, published february 16, 2024	1 cup
8. Jackfruit	739	Jackfruit is a versatile fruit that is potassium-rich and can also be used as a meat substitute.^[8] Healthline. Why Is Jackfruit Good for You? Nutrition, Benefits and How To Eat It, published on June 14, 2023	1 cup
9. Guava	688	Guava is a food that has potassium, and it also contains a good amount of vitamin C and fiber.	1 cup
10. Plain low-fat yogurt	573	Yogurt is not only a high-potassium food but also a great source of calcium, B vitamins, and probiotics.^[9] Healthline. 6 Impressive Health Benefits of Yogurt, published on March 10, 2023	8 ounces
11. Cooked sweet potato	572	Eating a sweet potato can help you maximize your fiber intake while also getting a number of vitamins that support your immune function. ^[10] Healthline. 6 Surprising Health Benefits of Sweet Potatoes, Published Feb 8, 2024	1 cup
12. Cooked broccoli rabe	550	Also known as rapini, this potassium-rich food is a good source of vitamins A, C, and K. ^[11] Webmd. What Are the Health Benefits of Broccoli Rabe? Published on June 14, 2024	1 cup
13. Salmon	535	Salmon is full of omega-3 fatty acids, which are believed to be beneficial for heart health.^[12] Healthline. Salmon Nutrition and Health Benefits, Published October 25, 2023	3 ounces
14. Clams	534	Clams are an ideal source of protein and healthy fats, and they are also a low-calorie food.^[13] Webmd. Health Benefits of Shellfish, published on April 15, 2025	3 ounces
15. Pomegranate juice	533	Pomegranate juice is high in antioxidants and may have anti-cancer properties.^[14] Clevelandclinic. The Health Benefits of Pomegranates, published on June 13, 2022	1 cup
16. Cooked portobello mushrooms	529	Mushrooms are some of the only foods that have been linked to improved immunity.^[15] Clevelandclinic.7 Impressive Reasons To Eat Mushrooms, published on December 23, 2022	1 cup
17. Canned stewed tomatoes	528	Stewed tomatoes are nutrient dense, shelf-stable, and light on the pocketbook.	1 cup
18. Tomato juice	527	Tomato juice contains lycopene, which is a powerful antioxidant.^[16] Mercy Omoye Shafe, Nontobeko Myllet Gumede, Trevor Tapiwa Nyakudya, Eliton Chivandi Lycopene: A Potent Antioxidant with Multiple Health Benefits J Nutr Metab. 2024 Jun 8;2024:6252426. doi: 10.1155/2024/6252426	1 cup
19. Cooked white beans	502	These beans are full of dietary fiber, which can help keep cholesterol in a healthy range. ^[17] Harvard. Legume of the month: White beans, published March 1, 2019	1 cup
20. Cooked artichoke	480	Artichokes are a low-calorie and low-fat food option, and they are packed with antioxidants. ^[18] Clevelandclinic.10 Health Benefits of Artichokes, February 23, 2024	1 cup

Why Bananas Aren’t the Only Option

A small banana has a decent amount of potassium, at about 422 milligrams, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). ^[19] Potassium

A larger, medium-sized banana may contain up to 451 milligrams of potassium, ^[20] Food Sources of Potassium but it also has 112 calories and 14 grams of sugar, which is about as much sugar as eating a handful of M&M’S. ^[21] M&M’s, Ingredients Nutrition Information For higher potassium, lower-sugar options, the twenty potassium-rich foods above have the nutritional edge.

While all the foods listed above beat a banana in terms of their potassium content, simply maximizing your daily potassium content should not be your goal—you want to stay within the prescribed daily range of potassium, not exceed it.

Your nutritional goal, instead, should be to have your dietary vitamins and minerals come from a variety of nutrient-dense sources. When your primary source of potassium is simply a daily banana, you are missing out on the variety of dietary fibers and micronutrients that come from alternative sources of potassium, particularly “super foods” such as spinach, salmon, and yogurt. ^[22] Harvard. 10 superfoods to boost a healthy diet, published October 3, 2022

Tips for Boosting Your Potassium Intake

The first step to enhancing your daily potassium intake is simply being aware of potassium’s crucial role in your overall wellness. Knowing there are other foods, aside from bananas, that have a high potassium content can help motivate you to broaden your nutritional horizons.

To boost your potassium intake, keep in mind these tips:

1. Incorporate potassium-rich foods into your snack time:

Instead of tossing a banana into your backpack, consider bringing along a can of tomato juice or wild-caught salmon instead.

2. Use potassium-dense ingredients when cooking:

To add more dietary potassium into your daily menu, toss some white navy beans into your chili or add some portobello mushrooms on top of your burger.

3. Use potassium to help counterbalance sodium:

To incentivize your intake of potassium, consider the fact that potassium is a helpful counterweight to another electrolyte, sodium. Too much sodium intake is associated with high blood pressure, but adequate dietary potassium can reduce the effects of excess sodium, according to the American Heart Association. ^[23] American Heart Association, How Potassium Can Help Control High Blood Pressure, published on May 21, 2024

4. Think of potassium when considering dietary restrictions:

Many potassium-rich foods can actually be useful when it comes to meeting nutritional needs, especially when you’re adhering to a particular dietary restriction. For example, if you are following a low-carb diet, swapping out a banana for spinach can help you boost your potassium while keeping your sugar intake low.

If you follow a vegan diet, a potassium-rich food like jackfruit can be a helpful stand-in for meat, especially when it’s in the shredded form.

Summary & FAQs

Eating food with potassium can help you optimize your nutritional profile in a number of ways. Potassium is an essential mineral needed to support the health of your heart, muscles, and nerves, and it also functions as an electrolyte to help your body regulate water balance and blood pressure.

Potassium comes in many different forms, not just from bananas. Eating a variety of foods high in potassium, such as a number of vegetables, fruits, and lean proteins, can benefit your body by supporting your heart health, gut health, and immunity.

Can you get too much potassium?

Yes, it is possible to have too much potassium in your diet. The recommended daily intake of potassium is 4700mg. Overshooting this can cause a condition known as hyperkalemia, which can be dangerous.

However, it would be hard to tip into this medical condition solely via diet alone, without also supplementing with potassium or a prescription medication that changes the way your body holds on to or excretes potassium.

Can you have too little potassium?

Yes, in fact, many people are not meeting the recommended daily intake of potassium. If this is a chronic deficit in your diet, it’s possible to become hypokalemic (a condition of low potassium), which can also be dangerous.

This type of condition is more likely if you have had fluid losses, such as from an illness involving vomiting or diarrhea, or if you take a diuretic medication that causes you to excrete potassium.

Should people with kidney issues avoid high-potassium foods?

Yes, it is important to carefully watch how much potassium you are eating (as well as sodium and phosphorus) if you have kidney issues.

When the kidneys become damaged, it can be hard for them to filter out extra potassium, which means that potassium may linger longer in your system and put you at risk of having too much potassium in your blood.

This is why it’s important to speak with your medical provider about your nutritional needs when you have a chronic medical condition such as kidney disease. ^[24] National Kidney Foundation. Potassium in Your CKD Diet, published May 05, 2023

Following a specific dietary guideline can help ensure that you avoid tipping into hyperkalemia or hypokalemia.