Vitamin C-Rich Foods in India: 33 Foods Ranked (IFCT 2017)
Searches for vitamin C-rich Indian foods usually return orange and lemon lists with no source. This guide ranks 33 Indian foods by vitamin C (the table's total ascorbic acid) per 100 g using Table 2 (water-soluble vitamins) of the ICMR-NIN Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (IFCT 2017), shows what a serving we chose holds, and sets no vitamin C target. It ranks raw foods as listed, not cooked dishes.
The short answer
By IFCT 2017, gooseberry (amla) has the most vitamin C of these foods at 252 mg per 100 g, then pink-flesh guava at 222 mg and white-flesh guava at 214 mg. Yellow, green and red capsicum have 127, 123 and 112 mg, and raw drumstick leaves 108 mg. Orange pulp has 43 mg, ripe papaya 43 mg and spinach 30 mg. Our reading: guava and capsicum sit far above orange in this table, and leaves such as drumstick, agathi and amaranth are well ahead of spinach.
33 foods ranked by vitamin C per 100 g
Each row is one IFCT 2017 Table 2 row (water-soluble vitamins), total ascorbic acid in mg per 100 g edible portion as listed in the book, mean value, rounded to the nearest mg (one decimal under 10 mg). All rows are raw, and where IFCT lists several varieties we use one row and name it. This is a selection of common foods, not every row in the book.
| Food (IFCT 2017 Table 2 row) | Vitamin C per 100 g |
|---|---|
| Gooseberry (amla) (E021) | 252 mg |
| Guava, pink flesh (E029) | 222 mg |
| Guava, white flesh (E028) | 214 mg |
| Capsicum, yellow (D035) | 127 mg |
| Capsicum, green (D033) | 123 mg |
| Agathi leaves, raw (C001) | 121 mg |
| Capsicum, red (D034) | 112 mg |
| Drumstick leaves, raw (moringa leaves) (C019) | 108 mg |
| Chillies, green, all varieties (G008) | 94 mg |
| Mango, green, raw (kachha aam) (D057) | 90 mg |
| Amaranth leaves, green, raw (chaulai) (C002) | 84 mg |
| Drumstick, pods (moringa pods) (D046) | 72 mg |
| Radish leaves (C031) | 66 mg |
| Knol-khol (ganth gobhi) (D053) | 65 mg |
| Mustard leaves (sarson) (C026) | 60 mg |
| Fenugreek leaves (methi) (C020) | 58 mg |
| Strawberry (E063) | 50 mg |
| Lemon, juice (nimbu) (E033) | 48 mg |
| Cauliflower (D036) | 47 mg |
| Lime, sweet, pulp (mosambi) (E034) | 47 mg |
| Bitter gourd, jagged, elongate (karela) (D004) | 47 mg |
| Cabbage, violet (C016) | 43 mg |
| Papaya, ripe (E049) | 43 mg |
| Orange, pulp (E047) | 43 mg |
| Peas, fresh (D061) | 38 mg |
| Pineapple (E053) | 36 mg |
| Cabbage, green (C015) | 33 mg |
| Spinach, raw (palak) (C033) | 30 mg |
| Mango, ripe, kesar (E039) | 29 mg |
| Tomato, ripe, hybrid (D075) | 25 mg |
| Potato, brown skin, big (F006) | 23 mg |
| Ladies finger (bhindi, okra) (D056) | 23 mg |
| Banana, ripe, robusta (E012) | 4.8 mg |
Vitamin C 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 the table value above times the grams, divided by 100, to the nearest mg (one decimal under 10 mg).
| Serving (weights are ours) | Vitamin C |
|---|---|
| 50 g gooseberry (amla) (E021) | 126 mg |
| 100 g white-flesh guava (E028) | 214 mg |
| 100 g green capsicum (D033) | 123 mg |
| 50 g raw drumstick leaves (C019) | 54 mg |
| 10 g green chilli (G008) | 9.4 mg |
| 100 g orange pulp (E047) | 43 mg |
| 100 g ripe papaya (E049) | 43 mg |
| 100 g green cabbage (C015) | 33 mg |
| 100 g raw spinach (C033) | 30 mg |
| 100 g tomato (D075) | 25 mg |
| 100 g potato (F006) | 23 mg |
| 100 g ripe robusta banana (E012) | 4.8 mg |
What the numbers say
- Amla and guava lead. Gooseberry 252 mg, pink guava 222 mg and white guava 214 mg per 100 g; 100 g of white guava holds about 214 mg, against 43 mg in 100 g of orange pulp.
- Capsicums and green leaves are high. Green capsicum 123 mg, drumstick leaves 108 mg, amaranth leaves 84 mg and fenugreek leaves 58 mg per 100 g, against 30 mg for spinach. See calories in common Indian vegetables.
- Everyday fruit sits lower. Ripe papaya 43 mg, pineapple 36 mg and ripe robusta banana 4.8 mg per 100 g. See calories in common Indian fruits.
For another nutrient ranked from the same book, see calcium-rich vegetarian foods in India; for protein with a vitamin C source, see the high-protein Indian foods guide.
What this page leaves out
- Cooked values: IFCT 2017 Table 2 gives these foods raw, with no cooked dish row, so a cooked plate differs from the table. We make no claim about how cooking changes vitamin C.
- Juices, packaged foods and supplements, and any food outside the 33 chosen.
- A vitamin C target, and anything about immunity, colds, iron absorption or other health outcomes: the page adds up food data and makes no such claim. For how much iron is in foods, see iron-rich vegetarian foods in India.
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Join the NYUS waitlistFrequently asked questions
Which Indian foods have the most vitamin C?
Of the 33 foods here, IFCT 2017 Table 2 gives gooseberry or amla (E021) 252 mg of vitamin C per 100 g, pink-flesh guava (E029) 222 mg and white-flesh guava (E028) 214 mg, then capsicums at 123 to 127 mg and raw drumstick leaves (C019) at 108 mg. These are raw values; IFCT 2017 has no cooked rows.
Does guava or orange have more vitamin C?
IFCT 2017 Table 2 lists white-flesh guava (E028) at 214 mg of vitamin C per 100 g and orange pulp (E047) at 43 mg, so by the table guava is far ahead per 100 g. Sweet lime pulp (E034) is 47 mg and lemon juice (E033) 48 mg per 100 g.
How much vitamin C is in tomato, potato, spinach or banana?
Per 100 g raw, IFCT 2017 Table 2 lists tomato (D075) at 25 mg, potato (F006) at 23 mg, spinach (C033) at 30 mg and ripe robusta banana (E012) at 4.8 mg. A 100 g serving holds those amounts by our arithmetic.
How much vitamin C do I need each day?
We have not looked up a vitamin C target for any age or condition, so this guide gives none and makes no claim about health or immunity. It lists the vitamin C in raw foods as printed in IFCT 2017, not in a cooked dish or a supplement. If you have a medical condition or take medicines or supplements, ask a doctor or registered dietitian what amount is right for you.
Sources
- ICMR-NIN, Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (IFCT 2017). Table 2 (Water Soluble Vitamins), total ascorbic acid (mg) per 100 g edible portion, rows opened and read from the PDF on 24 Oct 2026; the total ascorbic acid (VITC) column is the last column of the table: PDF page 73: C001, C002; PDF page 74: C015, C016, C019, C020, C026; PDF page 75: C031, C033, D004; PDF page 76: D033, D034; PDF page 77: D035, D036, D046, D053; PDF page 78: D056, D057, D061, D075; PDF page 79: E012; PDF page 80: E021, E028, E029, E033, E034; PDF page 81: E039, E047, E049, E053; PDF page 82: E063, F006; PDF page 84: G008.
The serving weights, the serving vitamin C figures and every sentence starting "Our reading" are NYUS's own arithmetic or opinion, not from a study. Names in brackets are our matching to the IFCT row names.