Dietary Sources of Quercetin
The antioxidant quercetin is partially responsible for that lovely red glow in your apple skin. It is also present in many other fruits, nuts, vegetables and grains.24 Many of the foods high in quercetin are full of lots of other important nutrients, such as vitamins A, C, and E, calcium, magnesium, and lycopene.7
You may want to consider organically grown versions of fruits and vegetables when looking to maximize your quercetin intake. A recent study found that tomatoes which had been organically grown had more quercetin than their conventionally grown counterparts, although green peppers had no difference in quercetin levels.25 Often different parts of the fruit or vegetable contain higher amounts of quercetin, such as apple skin and the outermost layers in onions.26-27
Fruits, Vegetables, Nuts and Grains Rich in Quercetin
| mg/100 g. | |
| Ancho peppers | 27.60 |
| Apple sauce, unsweetened | 2.00 |
| Apple, raw w/o skin | 1.50 |
| Apple, raw with skin | 4.42 |
| Apricot, raw | 2.55 |
| Bilberries, raw | 3.04 |
| Black grapes | 2.54 |
| Blueberries, frozen | 3.93 |
| Blueberries, raw | 3.11 |
| Bog whortleberries, wild frozen | 17.70 |
| Broccoli, cooked | 1.06 |
| Broccoli, raw | 3.21 |
| Buckwheat | 23.09 |
| Buckwheat flour, whole groat | 2.72 |
| Butterhead lettuce | 1.19 |
| Capers, canned | 180.77 |
| Celery, raw | 3.50 |
| Cherries, raw | 1.25 |
| Cherries, sweet canned | 3.20 |
| Cherry tomatoes, raw | 2.77 |
| Chives, raw | 4.77 |
| Chokeberries, frozen | 8.90 |
| Cocoa powder, dry, unsweetened | 20.13 |
| Coriander, raw | 5.00 |
| Corn poppy leaves | 26.30 |
| Cowberries, raw | 21.00 |
| Cranberries, raw | 14.02 |
| Cranberry juice, raw | 16.41 |
| Dill weed, fresh | 55.15 |
| Dock leaves, raw | 86.20 |
| European black currants, raw | 5.69 |
| Greek greens pie | 12.40 |
| Green beans, canned | 1.49 |
| Green beans, raw | 2.73 |
| Hot green chili peppers, raw | 16.80 |
| Hot wax yellow peppers, raw | 50.63 |
| Iceberg lettuce | 2.47 |
| Jalapeno, raw | 5.07 |
| Kale, canned | 4.50 |
| Kale, raw | 7.71 |
| Lemons, raw w/o peel | 2.29 |
| Lingonberries, raw | 12.16 |
| Lingonberry juice | 1.02 |
| Looseleaf lettuce | 1.95 |
| Lovage leaves, raw | 170.00 |
| Marinara sauce | 0.91 |
| Onions, boiled | 19.36 |
| Plums, raw | 1.20 |
| Queen Anne’s Lace leaves, raw | 1.10 |
| Red currants, raw | 0.95 |
| Red grapes | 3.54 |
| Red onion, raw | 19.93 |
| Rowanberries, frozen | 7.40 |
| Serrano peppers, raw | 15.98 |
| Spinach, raw | 4.86 |
| Spring onions, raw | 14.24 |
| Sweet potato leaves, raw | 20.54 |
| Tarragon, fresh | 10.00 |
| Tea, black brewed | 2.07 |
| Tea, decaf brewed | 2.84 |
| Tea, decaf green brewed | 2.77 |
| Tea, green brewed | 2.69 |
| Tomato juice, canned | 1.46 |
| Tomato puree, canned | 4.12 |
| Watercress, raw | 4.00 |
| White currants, raw | 1.95 |
| White sweet onion, raw | 5.19 |
| Yellow snap beans, raw | 3.03 |