Wondering how much fibre is in the foods you eat every day? Here's my high-fibre foods list: 50 whole foods and pantry staples, with the fibre in a typical serve. These are the foods my clients ask about all the time. Keep it handy and you'll be fibre-smart, whatever's on your plate.
General information only, not a substitute for personalised advice from your healthcare practitioner. Figures are approximate and vary with variety, ripeness and cooking.
How to use this list
The Adequate Intake for adults in Australia is 25g of fibre a day for women and 30g for men (NHMRC Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand). You don't need to count every gram. Use the list to spot easy swaps and additions, like chickpeas in a salad, chia on your porridge or the skin left on your potatoes.
Variety matters as much as quantity. Different foods bring different types of fibre, so aim for a mix from every group below. You'll find the five types of fibre explained in my Re-think Fibre guide.
My top 10 high-fibre foods, per serve
- Chickpeas, cooked: 12.5g per cup
- Lentils, cooked: 11.8g per 150g
- Black beans, cooked: 11.3g per ¾ cup
- Avocado: 10.1g per medium avocado
- Chia seeds: 9.6g per 2 tablespoons
- Edamame, cooked: 8.1g per cup
- Raspberries: 8.0g per cup
- Artichoke, cooked: 6.8g per medium artichoke
- Brussels sprouts: 6.4g per cup
- Barley, cooked: 6.0g per cup
Free download: Get my printable Fibre Cheat Sheet to keep on the fridge or in your bag.
Fibre in legumes
| Food | Serve | Fibre |
|---|---|---|
| Chickpeas, cooked | 164g (1 cup) | 12.5g |
| Lentils, cooked | 150g (¾ cup) | 11.8g |
| Black beans, cooked | 130g (¾ cup) | 11.3g |
| Edamame, cooked | 155g (1 cup) | 8.1g |
| Green peas, cooked | 160g (1 cup) | 6.2g |
Legumes are some of the richest fibre foods you can eat. I add beans or lentils to soups, curries and salads several times a week.
Fibre in seeds and nuts
| Food | Serve | Fibre |
|---|---|---|
| Chia seeds | 28g (2 tbsp) | 9.6g |
| Flaxseeds (linseeds) | 14g (1 tbsp) | 3.8g |
| Almonds | 28g (a handful) | 3.5g |
| Pumpkin seeds (pepitas) | 28g (a handful) | 1.7g |
A spoonful of chia or ground flaxseed over breakfast is one of the easiest fibre boosts there is.
Fibre in grains
| Food | Serve | Fibre |
|---|---|---|
| Barley, cooked | 157g (1 cup) | 6.0g |
| Quinoa, cooked | 185g (1 cup) | 5.2g |
| Bulgur wheat, cooked | 182g (1 cup) | 4.2g |
| Rolled oats | 40g (½ cup dry) | 4.0g |
| Brown rice, cooked | 195g (1 cup) | 3.5g |
| Wholemeal bread | 28g (1 slice) | 1.9g |
| Popcorn, air-popped | 8g (1 cup) | 1.2g |
| White bread | 28g (1 slice) | 0.8g |
| White rice, cooked | 186g (1 cup) | 0.8g |
Easy swap: brown rice instead of white gives you more than four times the fibre in the same bowl.
Fibre in fruit
| Food | Serve | Fibre |
|---|---|---|
| Avocado | 150g (1 medium) | 10.1g |
| Raspberries | 123g (1 cup) | 8.0g |
| Figs, dried | 40g | 5.6g |
| Pear, with skin | 178g (1 medium) | 5.5g |
| Apple, with skin | 182g (1 medium) | 4.4g |
| Blueberries | 148g (1 cup) | 3.6g |
| Banana | 118g (1 medium) | 3.1g |
| Strawberries | 152g (1 cup) | 3.0g |
| Medjool date | 24g (1 large) | 1.6g |
Keep the skin on your apples and pears. I keep a bag of raspberries in the freezer for smoothies and porridge.
Fibre in vegetables
| Food | Serve | Fibre |
|---|---|---|
| Artichoke, cooked | 120g (1 medium) | 6.8g |
| Brussels sprouts | 156g (1 cup) | 6.4g |
| Sweet potato, with skin | 150g (1 medium) | 5.0g |
| Cabbage, cooked | 150g (1 cup) | 3.8g |
| Beetroot, cooked | 136g (1 cup) | 3.8g |
| Sweet corn, cooked | 164g (1 cup) | 3.6g |
| White potato, with skin | 150g (1 medium) | 3.2g |
| Broccoli, cooked | 91g (½ cup) | 3.0g |
| Red potato, with skin | 150g (1 medium) | 3.0g |
| Sweet potato fries, baked | 85g (small serve) | 2.9g |
| Cauliflower, cooked | 124g (1 cup) | 2.8g |
| Eggplant, cooked | 99g (1 cup) | 2.5g |
| Spinach, cooked | 90g (½ cup) | 2.2g |
| White potato, no skin | 150g | 2.1g |
| Carrot, raw | 61g (1 medium) | 1.7g |
| Tomato | 123g (1 medium) | 1.5g |
| Zucchini, cooked | 113g (1 cup) | 1.5g |
| Mushrooms, cooked | 156g (1 cup) | 1.5g |
| Cucumber, with skin | 104g (½ cucumber) | 0.5g |
The skin matters: a potato with its skin on has about half as much fibre again as a peeled one. I rarely peel.
Fermented foods and dairy
| Food | Serve | Fibre |
|---|---|---|
| Sauerkraut | 75g (½ cup) | 2.2g |
| Plain yoghurt | 170g (¾ cup) | 0g |
Yoghurt has no fibre of its own, which makes it the perfect base for adding some: stir through chia, ground flaxseed, berries or a spoonful of fibre.
An easy day that reaches 30g
| Meal | What to eat | Fibre |
|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | ½ cup rolled oats with 2 tbsp chia seeds and a pear | About 19g |
| Lunch | Salad with 1 cup chickpeas | About 12.5g |
| Dinner | Salmon with ½ cup broccoli and a medium sweet potato, skin on | About 8g |
That's almost 40g. If you're increasing your fibre, build up slowly over a few weeks and drink plenty of water.
An easy way to add more types
Food comes first. On the days your plate needs a hand, I made Love Your Gut All The Fibres: five whole foods (flaxseed, acacia, chia, green banana and lemon myrtle) giving you soluble, insoluble, prebiotic, fermentable and resistant starch fibre in one spoonful. No psyllium, inulin or emulsifiers. Stir a tablespoon into yoghurt, porridge or a smoothie.
Frequently asked questions
Which food has the most fibre?
Per typical serve, legumes lead this list: cooked chickpeas, lentils and black beans each give more than 11g. Chia seeds are also very high for a small serve, at 9.6g in 2 tablespoons.
Which fruit has the most fibre?
Avocado and raspberries top the fruit list, with about 10g and 8g per serve. Pears and apples eaten with the skin on are good everyday choices too.
How much fibre should I eat a day?
The Adequate Intake for adults in Australia is 25g a day for women and 30g for men, from a variety of plant foods.
Does cooking change the fibre in food?
Cooking changes texture more than total fibre, though serve sizes shrink or swell as foods lose or absorb water. That's why this list gives fibre per typical serve.
Free download: Get my printable Fibre Cheat Sheet to keep on the fridge or in your bag.
About the author
Lee Holmes, Clinical Nutritionist, author of 12 books and founder of Supercharged Food (since 2010) and Love Your Gut. Her latest book is Eat to Heal, and she co-hosts The Lee & Irene Show podcast with Irene Falcone. More about Lee.
General information only, not a substitute for personalised advice from your healthcare practitioner. Fibre figures are approximate per serve and vary with variety, ripeness and cooking. Adequate Intake figures: NHMRC Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand.
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