High-Fibre Vegetarian Foods in India: 28 Foods Ranked (IFCT 2017)
Whole pulses, seeds, millets and a few fruits and vegetables top the Indian food tables for fibre. This guide ranks 28 foods by total dietary fibre per 100 g using Table 1 of the ICMR-NIN Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (IFCT 2017), then shows what a serving we chose holds. It ranks the fibre in the food as listed, mostly dry or raw, not the fibre in a cooked plate.
The short answer
By IFCT 2017, linseeds have the most fibre of the 28 foods here at 26.17 g per 100 g, then whole chana at 25.22 g and whole urad at 20.41 g. Whole moong has 17.04 g, brown rajmah 16.95 g, barley 15.64 g, atta 11.36 g and raw ragi grain 11.18 g. White-flesh guava has 8.59 g. Our reading: dry foods look far ahead of fruit and vegetables per 100 g because they hold almost no water, so look at the serving table too.
28 foods ranked by total fibre per 100 g
Each row is one IFCT 2017 Table 1 row (proximate principles and dietary fibre), per 100 g edible portion as listed in the book, mean value as printed. Pulses, grains, seeds and nuts are dry or raw; leaves, pods, peas and fruit are raw; where IFCT lists several varieties we use one row and name it. We chose 28 common foods, not every row: IFCT 2017 has other dry pulses in the same range, for example black field bean (B007) at 23.40 g and whole red gram (B022) at 22.84 g. Insoluble and soluble are the two parts IFCT lists under total.
| Food (IFCT 2017 Table 1 row) | Total fibre per 100 g | Insoluble | Soluble |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linseeds (flaxseed, alsi) (H014) | 26.17 g | 21.83 g | 4.33 g |
| Bengal gram, whole, dry (whole chana) (B002) | 25.22 g | 22.70 g | 2.52 g |
| Black gram, whole, dry (whole urad) (B004) | 20.41 g | 15.47 g | 4.94 g |
| Green gram, whole, dry (whole moong) (B011) | 17.04 g | 14.59 g | 2.44 g |
| Gingelly seeds, white (white sesame, til) (H011) | 16.99 g | 13.49 g | 3.51 g |
| Rajmah, brown, dry (B019) | 16.95 g | 14.33 g | 2.62 g |
| Lentil, whole, brown, dry (whole masoor) (B014) | 16.82 g | 14.16 g | 2.66 g |
| Barley (jau) (A004) | 15.64 g | 9.98 g | 5.66 g |
| Bengal gram dal, dry (chana dal) (B001) | 15.15 g | 12.67 g | 2.48 g |
| Almond (H001) | 13.06 g | 10.55 g | 2.52 g |
| Black gram dal, dry (urad dal) (B003) | 11.93 g | 7.58 g | 4.35 g |
| Bajra (pearl millet) (A003) | 11.49 g | 9.14 g | 2.34 g |
| Wheat flour, atta (A019) | 11.36 g | 9.73 g | 1.63 g |
| Ragi (the grain, raw) (A010) | 11.18 g | 9.51 g | 1.67 g |
| Lentil dal, dry (masoor dal) (B013) | 10.43 g | 8.60 g | 1.83 g |
| Jowar (sorghum) (A005) | 10.22 g | 8.49 g | 1.73 g |
| Green gram dal, dry (moong dal) (B010) | 9.37 g | 7.75 g | 1.62 g |
| Red gram dal, dry (toor dal) (B021) | 9.06 g | 6.67 g | 2.39 g |
| Guava, white flesh (E028) | 8.59 g | 7.14 g | 1.45 g |
| Drumstick leaves, raw (moringa leaves) (C019) | 8.21 g | 6.12 g | 2.10 g |
| Drumstick, pods (moringa pods) (D046) | 6.83 g | 5.60 g | 1.23 g |
| Peas, fresh (D061) | 6.32 g | 5.04 g | 1.28 g |
| Pear (E051) | 4.48 g | 4.02 g | 0.46 g |
| Rice, raw, brown (A013) | 4.43 g | 3.60 g | 0.82 g |
| Ladies finger (bhindi, okra) (D056) | 4.08 g | 2.80 g | 1.28 g |
| Rice, raw, milled (white rice) (A015) | 2.81 g | 1.99 g | 0.82 g |
| Apple, big (E001) | 2.59 g | 1.43 g | 1.16 g |
| Banana, ripe, robusta (E012) | 1.94 g | 1.23 g | 0.71 g |
Spices such as fenugreek seeds, coriander seeds and cumin also rank very high per 100 g in IFCT 2017, and so does dried oyster mushroom, but they are eaten in grams or are not a staple here, so they are left out of this ranking.
Whole pulses have more fibre than split dal
IFCT lists whole and split forms of the same pulse, and brown and milled rice, as separate rows, so we can put them side by side, per 100 g dry or raw.
| Pair | Whole or brown | Split or milled | Whole is about |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bengal gram (chana) | 25.22 g (B002) | 15.15 g (B001) | 1.7 times |
| Black gram (urad) | 20.41 g (B004) | 11.93 g (B003) | 1.7 times |
| Green gram (moong) | 17.04 g (B011) | 9.37 g (B010) | 1.8 times |
| Lentil (masoor) | 16.82 g (B014) | 10.43 g (B013) | 1.6 times |
| Rice, brown vs milled | 4.43 g (A013) | 2.81 g (A015) | 1.6 times |
Our reading: the whole pulse has about 1.6 to 1.8 times the fibre of its split dal per 100 g, and brown rice about 1.6 times that of milled rice on this basis. We compare the protein side of the same pairs in which dal has the most protein and the rice pair in brown rice vs white rice.
Fibre in a serving, with weights we chose
IFCT lists food per 100 g, so a serving needs a weight, and these are ours. Each figure is fibre per 100 g times the grams, divided by 100, to the nearest 0.1 g. Pulses and flour are dry weights, before cooking.
| Serving (weights are ours) | Total fibre |
|---|---|
| 30 g whole chana, dry (B002) | 7.6 g |
| 30 g rajmah, dry (B019) | 5.1 g |
| 30 g whole moong, dry (B011) | 5.1 g |
| 30 g chana dal, dry (B001) | 4.5 g |
| 30 g toor dal, dry (B021) | 2.7 g |
| 40 g wheat flour (atta) (A019) | 4.5 g |
| 20 g linseeds (H014) | 5.2 g |
| 20 g almonds (H001) | 2.6 g |
| 100 g white-flesh guava (E028) | 8.6 g |
| 100 g fresh peas (D061) | 6.3 g |
| 100 g drumstick pods (D046) | 6.8 g |
| 100 g big apple (E001) | 2.6 g |
| 100 g ripe robusta banana (E012) | 1.9 g |
What the numbers say
- Whole pulses lead the staples. Whole chana 25.22 g, whole urad 20.41 g, whole moong 17.04 g and brown rajmah 16.95 g per 100 g dry; 30 g of dry whole chana holds about 7.6 g.
- Millets and atta are in one band. Bajra 11.49 g, atta 11.36 g, ragi 11.18 g and jowar 10.22 g per 100 g, against 2.81 g for raw milled rice. See millets vs rice and wheat.
- Among fresh foods, guava leads. White-flesh guava 8.59 g, drumstick leaves 8.21 g, drumstick pods 6.83 g and fresh peas 6.32 g per 100 g. See calories in common Indian fruits.
For protein in the same pulses, see our chana, rajma, lobia and soybean guide; for oats, which IFCT 2017 does not list, see are oats good for weight loss; for another nutrient ranked from the same book, see calcium-rich vegetarian foods in India. For another table of the same book that includes linseeds, see omega-3 (ALA) rich vegetarian foods.
What this page leaves out
- Cooked values: IFCT 2017 Table 1 gives these foods dry or raw, with no cooked dal, rice or roti row, and cooking adds water, so a cooked plate carries less fibre per 100 g than the table.
- Rows we did not pick (other pulses, most vegetables and fruits, nuts, spices) and foods with no IFCT row, such as oats, and any packaged "high fibre" product.
- A fibre target, and anything about digestion, bowel habits, weight or health outcomes: the page adds up food data and makes no such claim.
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Join the NYUS waitlistFrequently asked questions
Which vegetarian foods have the most fibre?
Of the 28 foods we chose, IFCT 2017 Table 1 gives linseeds (H014) 26.17 g of total dietary fibre per 100 g, whole Bengal gram or whole chana (B002) 25.22 g and whole black gram or whole urad (B004) 20.41 g. Other high rows include whole green gram (B011) 17.04 g and brown rajmah (B019) 16.95 g. Those are dry or raw weights; linseeds are eaten in spoonfuls, so 20 g holds about 5.2 g by our arithmetic.
Which has more fibre, whole dal or split dal?
In IFCT 2017 the whole form has about 1.6 to 1.8 times the fibre of the split dal per 100 g dry: whole chana 25.22 g against chana dal 15.15 g, whole moong 17.04 g against moong dal 9.37 g. Cooked dal holds water, so a cooked portion will carry less per 100 g, and IFCT 2017 has no cooked dal row, so we give no cooked figure.
How much fibre is in guava, apple and banana?
Per 100 g edible portion, IFCT 2017 gives white-flesh guava (E028) 8.59 g, big apple (E001) 2.59 g and ripe robusta banana (E012) 1.94 g of total dietary fibre. For 100 g servings we chose, that is the same number of grams. IFCT 2017 has no oats row, so oats are not ranked here.
How much fibre do I need each day?
We have not looked up a fibre target for any age or condition, so this guide gives none and makes no claim about digestion, weight or health. It ranks the fibre in the food as listed in IFCT 2017, not what a cooked meal gives you. Ask a doctor or registered dietitian what amount is right for you.
Sources
- ICMR-NIN, Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (IFCT 2017). Table 1 (Proximate Principles and Dietary Fibre), dietary fibre total, insoluble and soluble columns, per 100 g edible portion, rows opened and read from the PDF twice on 24 Oct 2026: PDF page 41: A003, A004, A005, A010, A013, A015; PDF page 42: A019, B001, B002, B003, B004, B007, B010, B011, B013; PDF page 43: B014, B019, B021, B022; PDF page 44: C019; PDF page 47: D046; PDF page 48: D056, D061; PDF page 49: E001, E012; PDF page 50: E028; PDF page 51: E051; PDF page 55: H001, H011, H014.
The serving weights, the serving fibre figures and the whole-to-split ratios 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.