Chromium Rich Vegetarian Foods in India: Chromium per 100 g in 142 Foods (IFCT 2017)

By NYUS Inc. · Published 25 October 2026

Of the 142 vegetarian foods ranked here from IFCT 2017, khoa has the most chromium per 100 g (0.119 mg), then paneer (0.110 mg) and pale brown amaranth seed (0.092 mg). The ranking uses the chromium (Cr) column of Table 5 (Minerals and Trace Elements) of the ICMR-NIN Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (IFCT 2017), for the raw food per 100 g. The values are very small (0.119 mg is 119 micrograms) and printed to three decimals, so many foods tie, and the page shows the top 26, the lowest rows, and where everyday foods such as ragi, atta, rice, dals and milk sit. It ranks the chromium in the food, not how much the body absorbs, and it says nothing about blood sugar.

What IFCT 2017 measures for chromium

IFCT 2017 reports chromium (Cr) in Table 5, Minerals and Trace Elements, in mg per 100 g edible portion, as the mean printed in the book (to three decimals, exactly as in the book). Chromium was measured by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry or by ICP-MS (PDF pages 25 and 28; the book does not say which was used for each food), and the table note on PDF page 151 says a blank cell means below the detectable limit. A blank is not a zero: chromium is blank for 15 of the 314 vegetarian rows, and those rows are not ranked here. The values are the amounts in the raw food as listed, so cooked dishes and packaged foods are not in the table.

The 26 vegetarian foods with the most chromium per 100 g

By IFCT 2017 Table 5, per 100 g of the raw food, of the 142 rows ranked here, khoa (0.119 mg), paneer (0.110 mg) and pale brown amaranth seed (0.092 mg) are the top three. Two rows share rank 25 at 0.020 mg (colocasia stem, green, and ripe banganapalli mango), so 26 rows are shown to avoid cutting a tie. Rank 1 is the most chromium, and rows with the same printed value share a rank. Our reading: the table compares rows, it does not say how much of any food to eat, the values are means of 5 or 6 regional samples, and with three decimals the gaps between neighbouring ranks are small.

The lowest printed values

At the other end of the same ranking, four rows print the smallest value, 0.001 mg per 100 g, and share rank 139 of 142: jackfruit seed (mature), linseeds, coconut water and strawberry. 13 more rows print 0.002 mg, so 17 of the 142 rows print 0.002 mg or less, and 33 print 0.003 mg or less.

This is a selection: the 142 vegetarian rows measured in exactly 5 or 6 regions with a chromium value printed, without spices and condiments, were ranked, and the top 26 (two rows tie at rank 25) are shown, not every row in the book. Spices and condiments, such as green cardamom (G020, 0.210 mg, 6 regions) and turmeric powder (G033, 0.151 mg, 6 regions), are eaten in grams, so they are left out like seasonings; mustard seeds (H013), tamarind pulp and dried arecanut are left out for the same reason, and betel leaves (C010) because they are chewed, not eaten as a food. Eggs are left out because this is a vegetarian list. Rows measured in fewer than 5 regions, or in more than 6, are not ranked (one vegetarian row, toddy, K001, was measured in 10 regions and is an alcoholic drink, so it is left out), and 4 rows measured in 5 or 6 regions have a blank chromium cell and are not ranked.

Where everyday foods sit

Each row below is measured in 5 or 6 regions, and the last column is its rank among the 142 rows described above (1 = most chromium; rows with the same printed value share a rank).

What a serving holds, with weights we chose

IFCT lists foods per 100 g, so a serving needs a weight, and each weight below is ours. Each figure is the value per 100 g times the grams, divided by 100, times 1,000 to turn mg into micrograms, to the nearest 0.1 microgram. These are raw-food or as-sold values, not what is in a cooked dish.

What the numbers say

• Cereals and millets fill 7 of the 26 rows and 3 of the top 10. Amaranth seed 0.092 mg, rice flakes 0.050 mg and ragi 0.032 mg are the three in the top 10; barley, puffed rice, bajra and varagu also make the 26.
• Leafy vegetables fill 5 of the 26 and 3 of the top 10. Tender pumpkin leaves 0.053 mg, radish leaves 0.051 mg and fenugreek leaves 0.039 mg lead them, and spinach is at 0.028 mg (rank 13).
• Milk products hold the top two places. Khoa 0.119 mg and paneer 0.110 mg per 100 g; whole cow milk is at 0.004 mg (rank 96).
• Atta, rice and many dals sit in the middle or lower. Per 100 g wheat flour (atta) 0.006 mg (rank 74), raw milled rice 0.005 mg (rank 84) and moong dal 0.002 mg (rank 126), so none of them is in the top 26.

What this page leaves out

• Absorption and cooking: IFCT 2017 reports the raw food, not how much the body takes up or what is left after cooking, and we did not read a source that gives this for Indian foods.
• Blood sugar, diabetes and any other condition: this page makes no claim about them, says nothing about which foods to eat or avoid, and does not say that chromium from food or supplements does anything for blood sugar.
• Supplements, requirements, upper limits and doses: none is quoted here.
• Eggs and non-vegetarian foods, rows with fewer than 5 or more than 6 regions, rows with a blank chromium cell, cooked dishes with no IFCT row, and packaged foods.
• Whether you have enough of any nutrient: only a doctor or registered dietitian can tell you that.

A note on health

This article is general educational content, not medical advice. It does not say that any food or supplement prevents or treats any condition. If you have diabetes or high blood sugar, are pregnant or breastfeeding, follow a restricted diet, take medicines, insulin or supplements, or have been told a nutrient is low or high, talk to a doctor or registered dietitian.

For other minerals from the same table, see manganese-rich vegetarian foods, copper-rich vegetarian foods, magnesium-rich vegetarian foods, zinc-rich vegetarian foods, iron-rich vegetarian foods and the vegetarian nutrient guide.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• ICMR-NIN, Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (IFCT 2017). Table 5 (Minerals and Trace Elements), Chromium (Cr, mg) column, per 100 g edible portion, mean values as printed, rows opened and read from the PDF on 25 Oct 2026: PDF pages 151, 153, 155, 157, 159, 163, 165, 167, 169, 171, 173, 179, 181, 183 for the rows shown, PDF pages 151 to 205 (odd pages) for all other rows, PDF page 151 for the table note on blank cells. Methods: PDF pages 25 and 28.

The serving weights, the ranks and the serving figures are NYUS's own arithmetic, and every sentence starting "Our reading" is NYUS opinion, not from a study. Names in brackets are our matching to the IFCT row names.