Zuletzt aktualisiert am 04.11.2026
I have to admit: Before I looked into the topic more closely, I only had a vague idea that magnesium had “something to do with cramps” and was probably found in bananas. Now I know that both are only partly true. Maybe you know the feeling—a calf cramp in the middle of the night, and suddenly you’re seriously wondering: What foods contain magnesium, and am I getting enough of it?
In this article, I’ll show you which foods contain magnesium, what myths there are about magnesium, and what you can do if your diet alone isn’t enough.
Your quick guide: What foods contain magnesium?
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Top sources: Cocoa powder (approx. 545 mg/100 g), Brazil nuts (379 mg/100 g), and sesame seeds (347 mg/100 g) provide the most magnesium.
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But serving size matters! We usually don’t consume cocoa powder or sesame regularly or in large quantities!
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Everyday sources are important instead: Oats, leafy greens, whole-grain bread, dark chocolate, nuts & seeds contain plenty of magnesium and are easy to add to your diet.
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Plant-based over animal-based: Plant-based foods in particular are considered sources of magnesium.
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Daily requirement: According to the DGE, women need around 300 mg of magnesium per day, while men need around 350 mg.
- More and more people are turning to magnesium supplements
How much magnesium do you need each day?
The German Nutrition Society provides an estimated value for an adequate magnesium intake: For adults, this is 300 mg for women and 350 mg for men per day. According to the DGE, the current recommendations for pregnant women are the same as for women who are not pregnant. Intensive exercise, chronic stress, or certain medical conditions can increase your needs.
And what do you need magnesium for? Find out in our article "What is magnesium good for?"
Got it all? These figures are the basis for showing you exactly how much magnesium is in specific foods.
Magnesium table: Which foods are high in magnesium?
Which foods contain magnesium, and how much is really in them? Here's our magnesium food table with the top sources:
| Food | State | Magnesium per 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| High content (150 mg or more per 100 g) | ||
| Cocoa powder, low-fat | dry | approx. 545 mg |
| Brazil nuts | raw | 379 mg |
| Sesame seeds | raw | 347 mg |
| Poppy seeds | raw | 340 mg |
| Sunflower seeds | raw | 336 mg |
| Pumpkin seeds | raw | 285 mg |
| Almonds | raw | 218 mg |
| Dark chocolate (high cocoa content) | – | approx. 199 mg |
| Peanuts | roasted | 165 mg |
| Medium content (50–149 mg per 100 g) | ||
| Wild rice | raw, uncooked | 148 mg |
| Walnuts | raw | 140 mg |
| White beans (common beans) | dried | 140 mg |
| Brown/green lentils | dried | 129 mg |
| Rolled oats | dry | 121 mg |
| Whole-wheat flour | dry | 95 mg |
| Spinach | steamed | 82 mg |
| Swiss chard | steamed | 70 mg |
| Spinach | raw | 68 mg |
| Swiss chard | raw | 66 mg |
| Red lentils | dried | 59 mg |
| Whole-grain bread | – | 57 mg |
| Low content (under 50 mg per 100 g) | ||
| White beans (common beans) | cooked | 45 mg |
| Wheat mixed bread | – | 32 mg |
| Zucchini | raw | 29 mg |
| Banana | raw | 28 mg |
| Broccoli | raw | 27 mg |
| Brown/green lentils | cooked | 22 mg |
| Red lentils | cooked | 16 mg |
| White flour, Type 405 | dry | 15 mg |
| Chicken egg | cooked | 14 mg |
| Chicken egg | raw | 13 mg |
| Whole milk, 3.5% fat | pasteurized | 11 mg |
| Coffee (beverage), filtered | – | approx. 8 mg |
The table shows it in black and white: nuts, seeds, and cocoa products lead the field, followed by whole grains and legumes. And whole-grain products easily beat white flour products when it comes to magnesium.
A small note about this: Many foods are listed here in their dry, uncooked state. When cooked, they absorb water, which dilutes the magnesium content per 100 g: 129 mg of magnesium in 100 g of dry lentils becomes only around 22 mg per 100 g of cooked lentils.
So, now we know the answer to the question of what is high in magnesium. But honestly: Do you eat 30 Brazil nuts or a whole poppy seed cake every day? Probably not. So the top sources on paper aren't necessarily practical everyday sources. Legumes, wild rice, nuts, or green leafy vegetables are more realistic - they're probably on your plate more often. So you don't meet your needs through one single top performer, but through a mix of these everyday sources.
Magnesium-rich foods by food group
Do you think in terms of food groups rather than top performers?
Here we answer the question of which foods contain magnesium, sorted by food group:
| Food | State | Magnesium per 100 g* |
|---|---|---|
| Meat and fish | ||
| Tuna | raw | 50 mg |
| Chicken breast | raw | approx. 32 mg |
| Pork tenderloin | raw | approx. 26 mg |
| Herring | raw | 26 mg |
| Salmon | raw | approx. 23 mg |
| Shrimp | raw | approx. 23 mg |
| Beef tenderloin | raw | 22 mg |
| Animal products (eggs, milk) | ||
| Chicken egg | cooked | 14 mg |
| Chicken egg | raw | 13 mg |
| Whole milk, 3.5% fat | pasteurized | 11 mg |
| Nuts and seeds | ||
| Brazil nuts | raw | 379 mg |
| Sesame seeds | raw | 347 mg |
| Poppy seeds | raw | 340 mg |
| Sunflower seeds | raw | 336 mg |
| Pumpkin seeds | raw | 285 mg |
| Almonds | raw | 218 mg |
| Peanuts | roasted | 165 mg |
| Walnuts | raw | 140 mg |
| Legumes | ||
| White beans | dried | 140 mg |
| Brown/green lentils | dried | 129 mg |
| Red lentils | dried | 59 mg |
| White beans | cooked | 45 mg |
| Brown/green lentils | cooked | 22 mg |
| Red lentils | cooked | 16 mg |
| Grains | ||
| Wild rice | raw, uncooked | 148 mg |
| Rolled oats | dry | 121 mg |
| Whole-wheat flour | dry | 95 mg |
| Whole-grain bread | – | 57 mg |
| Wheat mixed bread | – | 32 mg |
| White flour, Type 405 | dry | 15 mg |
| Vegetables | ||
| Spinach | steamed | 82 mg |
| Swiss chard | steamed | 70 mg |
| Spinach | raw | 68 mg |
| Swiss chard | raw | 66 mg |
| Zucchini | raw | 29 mg |
| Broccoli | raw | 27 mg |
| Fruit | ||
| Banana | raw | 28 mg |
| Other | ||
| Cocoa powder, low-fat | dry | approx. 545 mg |
| Dark chocolate (high cocoa content) | – | approx. 199 mg |
| Coffee (beverage), filtered | – | approx. 8 mg |
A small fairness note: Meat and fish rank noticeably lower here—plant-based sources like nuts, seeds, and whole grains simply provide more magnesium per 100 g. But plant-based foods also have a catch: phytic acid. Phytic acid can inhibit magnesium absorption in the gut. This means that not all of the magnesium in plant-based foods actually ends up in your body. But there are a few tips for minimizing the effect of phytic acid:
Reducing phytic acid—here’s how
What can you do to get as much as possible from your whole grain bread or lentils?
According to a recent study by Nsabimana et al., the common advice to simply cook these foods has surprisingly little effect: phytic acid is heat-stable.
More effective methods are:
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Soaking (around 13% less phytic acid after 24 hours in the study),
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Sprouting (almost 32% less after several days), and especially
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Fermentation (up to just under 70% less, depending on the culture)
The combination of all three methods is most effective: Soaking, sprouting, and fermenting together reduced phytic acid content by more than 85% in the study. And although the study did not specifically focus on magnesium and looked at corn as a food, we can still apply its findings, because the mechanisms are the same. In practice, this means soaking legumes overnight, choosing sourdough bread more often, and trying sprouted oats in your muesli.
Facts & myths about foods with magnesium
Which nuts and seeds contain the most magnesium? Pumpkin seeds provide around 285 mg of magnesium per 100 g, along with zinc and iron. Almonds contain 218 mg of magnesium, and walnuts around 140 mg.
When it comes to grains: Whole wheat flour contains around 95 mg of magnesium per 100 g, while white flour (Type 405) contains only about 15 mg—more than six times less, because the bran and germ are lost during milling. Wild rice (raw, uncooked) contains 148 mg of magnesium per 100 g and is a magnesium-rich alternative to white rice.
How much magnesium does a banana contain? A medium-sized banana (approx. 120 g) provides around 34 mg of magnesium. Does that make bananas a magnesium powerhouse? Not really. And that also quickly answers the question of which fruit is high in magnesium: essentially, none.
Is your diet enough? Here's how to play it safe
With a balanced diet rich in whole grains, nuts, legumes and vegetables, you can normally meet the recommended magnesium intake pretty easily.
However, there are situations where your intake may fall short:
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A lot of exercise can increase your magnesium needs. Read more about the right timing around your workout in our article "Magnesium Before or After Exercise".
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A plant-based diet that doesn't account for phytic acid.
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Unbalanced diets or strict calorie restriction (e.g. when trying to lose weight) limit the amount of nutrients you consume.
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Illness and medication: Certain illnesses or long-term medication can impair magnesium absorption - in such cases, it's best to speak with your doctor.
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High alcohol consumption over an extended period.
So what happens when everyday life gets in the way - during stressful periods or when traveling, for example, and your diet isn't as balanced as usual? A good magnesium supplement can be a useful addition. Vetain Magnesium Complex is suitable for anyone who wants to play it safe. It combines four highly bioavailable forms of magnesium (citrate, malate, bisglycinate, taurate), is vegan and has been laboratory-tested.
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Magnesium combined with other minerals
Our tip: Looking for foods that contain several nutrients in combination makes eating well easier, because you don't have to "hunt down" each nutrient individually.
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Magnesium and potassium: Potatoes and legumes contain both minerals. Per 100 g, a banana provides around 334 mg of potassium, along with some magnesium.
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Magnesium and calcium: Green leafy vegetables like spinach and Swiss chard provide calcium as well as magnesium. Per 100 g, almonds contain around 218 mg of magnesium and about 85 mg of calcium - not a record amount, but a nice bonus.
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Magnesium and zinc: Pumpkin seeds are the star here. Per 100 g, they provide around 285 mg of magnesium, along with about 6 mg of zinc and around 5 mg of iron. Whole grains also combine these minerals.
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Magnesium and iron: Legumes are often a good source of both – dried white beans provide around 140 mg of magnesium per 100 g, along with a substantial amount of iron at over 6 mg. Dried lentils offer a similarly good combination, with around 129 mg of magnesium and about 8 mg of iron per 100 g.
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Conclusion: Which foods contain the most magnesium?
Which foods are high in magnesium? The undisputed front-runner is cocoa powder, closely followed by nuts and seeds: Brazil nuts, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, and sunflower seeds provide almost as much or even more than the entire daily requirement per 100 g. Whole grains and legumes provide a reliable foundation for daily magnesium intake. Vegetables such as spinach and Swiss chard, the familiar banana, and dark chocolate round out the selection. A varied diet is key.
Also interesting: When is the right time to take magnesium? Morning or evening?
Have questions? Feel free to send me an email – I look forward to hearing from you! :)
*All values are from the German Food Code (BLS), Version 4.0 (2025) – the official German nutrient database of the Max Rubner Institute – and refer to the edible portion per 100 g.
References & Sources
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German Nutrition Society (DGE): Reference values for nutrient intake – Magnesium
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German Nutrition Society (DGE): Magnesium FAQ
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German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR)
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Max Rubner Institute (MRI): German Food Code (BLS), Version 4.0 (2025) – nutrient database for magnesium content in foods
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Nsabimana, C., Ismail, B.P., Lazarte, C.E. (2024): Effects of processing methods on phytic acid content and mineral bioavailability. Frontiers in Nutrition.
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Schuchardt JP, Hahn A. (2017): Intestinal Absorption and Factors Influencing Bioavailability of Magnesium – An Update. Current Nutrition & Food Science, 13(4).
