Copper Rich Vegetarian Foods in India: 25 Foods Ranked by Copper per 100 g (IFCT 2017)

By NYUS Inc. · Published 25 October 2026

Of the 25 vegetarian foods ranked here from IFCT 2017, sunflower seeds have the most copper per 100 g (2.78 mg), then cashew nuts (2.23 mg) and black sesame (1.76 mg). The ranking uses the copper (Cu) column of Table 5 (Minerals and Trace Elements) of the ICMR-NIN Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (IFCT 2017), raw or dry food per 100 g, and the page also shows where everyday foods such as almonds, dals, atta, spinach and milk sit. It ranks the copper in the food, not how much the body absorbs or what is left after cooking, which IFCT does not report.

What IFCT 2017 measures for copper

IFCT 2017 reports copper (Cu) in Table 5, Minerals and Trace Elements, in mg per 100 g edible portion, as the mean printed in the book. The book measured copper by atomic absorption spectrophotometry (PDF page 25), and the table note on PDF page 151 says a blank cell means below the detectable limit. A blank is not a zero: of the 528 rows in Table 5, copper is blank for only 3 (tender palm fruit, E048, and two fish rows), and none of them is ranked here.

25 vegetarian foods ranked by copper per 100 g

By IFCT 2017 Table 5, per 100 g of the raw or dry food, of the 25 foods ranked here, sunflower seeds (2.78 mg), cashew nuts (2.23 mg) and black gingelly seeds (1.76 mg) are the top three, and cowpea, brown (0.81 mg) is last of the 25. 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, and the values are means of 5 or 6 regional samples.

This is a selection: the 147 vegetarian rows measured in 5 or 6 regions with a copper value printed, without spices and condiments, were ranked, and the top 25 are shown, not every row in the book. Spices and condiments, such as green cardamom (G020, 0.92 mg, 6 regions), are eaten in grams, so they are left out like seasonings; mustard seeds (H013, 0.69 mg), tamarind pulp and dried arecanut are left out for the same reason. Eggs are left out because this is a vegetarian list. Rows measured in fewer than 5 regions 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 147 rows described above (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, to the nearest 0.01 mg. These are raw-food or as-sold values, not what is left in a cooked dish.

What the numbers say

• Nuts and seeds fill 7 of the top 10 and 12 of the 25. Sunflower seeds 2.78 mg, cashew nuts 2.23 mg, black sesame 1.76 mg, walnut 1.52 mg, white sesame 1.50 mg, niger seeds 1.37 mg and linseeds 1.34 mg per 100 g are the first seven rows.
• Pulses fill 13 of the 25 rows, 3 of them in the top 10. Whole red gram 1.32 mg, whole horse gram 1.29 mg and brown soya bean 1.29 mg lead them, and the dals in the 25 are toor dal 1.14 mg, moong dal 0.97 mg, masoor dal 0.96 mg and chana dal 0.82 mg.
• Almond is rank 13 and groundnut rank 19. Per 100 g almond 1.08 mg and groundnut 0.92 mg, against cashew nuts at 2.23 mg.
• Wheat, rice, milk and vegetables are lower. Per 100 g wheat flour (atta) 0.48 mg, raw milled rice 0.23 mg, spinach 0.17 mg and whole cow milk 0.03 mg, so none of them is in the top 25.

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.
• Hair, skin and health: this page makes no claim about them.
• Supplements, requirements, upper limits and doses: none is quoted here.
• Eggs and non-vegetarian foods, rows with fewer than 5 regions, 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 prevents or treats any condition. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, follow a restricted diet, take medicines 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 zinc-rich vegetarian foods, magnesium-rich vegetarian foods, iron-rich vegetarian foods, selenium-rich vegetarian foods, manganese-rich vegetarian foods, the dry fruits and nuts nutrition chart and the vegetarian nutrient guide.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• ICMR-NIN, Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (IFCT 2017). Table 5 (Minerals and Trace Elements), Copper (Cu, mg) column, per 100 g edible portion, mean values as printed, rows opened and read from the PDF on 25 Oct 2026: PDF pages 153, 155, 179, 181 for the ranked rows, PDF pages 151 to 205 (odd pages) for all other rows, PDF page 151 for the table note on blank cells. Analytical methods table, PDF page 25.

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.

Related nutrient guides

• Iron-rich vegetarian foods
• Zinc-rich vegetarian foods
• Selenium-rich vegetarian foods
• Magnesium-rich vegetarian foods
• Vegetarian nutrient guide