Nutrition Diet: Which Vegetable Has the Highest Source of Vitamin A?

October 6, 2025 •

3 min read

Did you know that a single baked sweet potato can provide over 100% of your daily vitamin A needs? For anyone investigating which vegetable has the highest source of vitamin A?, the answer is a vibrant and incredibly nutritious one. This essential nutrient is key for everything from vision and immune function to reproductive health and proper organ function.

Quick Summary

The humble sweet potato is the vegetable champion for vitamin A content, which is derived from its high concentration of provitamin A carotenoids. Other top-tier vegetables include leafy greens like kale and spinach, as well as carrots and butternut squash, all providing ample nutrients when properly prepared.

Key Points

Sweet Potato is the Top Vegetable Source: The baked sweet potato provides the highest concentration of provitamin A carotenoids among common vegetables, offering over 100% of the daily recommended value in a single serving.
Fat-Soluble Absorption: Carotenoids from plant sources are best absorbed when consumed with healthy fats like olive oil or avocado.
Conversion from Carotenoids: Plant-based vitamin A comes in the form of provitamin A carotenoids, such as beta-carotene, which the body converts into active vitamin A.
Other Top Sources: Excellent vegetable sources also include leafy greens like spinach and kale, as well as other orange vegetables like carrots and butternut squash.
Essential for Vision and Immunity: Vitamin A is crucial for good eyesight, especially in low light, and for maintaining a strong immune system.
Versatile and Easy to Incorporate: These high-vitamin A vegetables can be easily added to meals through roasting, soups, salads, and smoothies.

For those seeking to maximize their vitamin A intake through plant-based foods, the undisputed winner is the sweet potato. A medium-sized sweet potato, baked with its skin, can supply over 100% of the daily recommended intake for an adult. It's crucial to understand that vegetables contain provitamin A carotenoids, like beta-carotene, which the body must convert into active vitamin A (retinol). Sweet potatoes owe their vibrant orange hue and impressive nutritional profile to these beneficial compounds. Beyond its potent vitamin A precursor content, this starchy tuber offers a wealth of fiber, vitamin C, and potassium, making it a powerful addition to any healthy diet.

The Importance of Vitamin A

Vitamin A is a fat-soluble nutrient with a host of critical functions. It is essential for maintaining normal vision, particularly in low light conditions, as it helps produce the pigments in the eye's retina. It also plays a vital role in keeping skin, mucous membranes, and the lining of internal organs healthy. A robust immune system relies on sufficient vitamin A to produce and regulate white blood cells, which helps the body fight off illness and infection. Furthermore, it supports proper heart, lung, and kidney function, as well as reproductive health and development.

Maximize Absorption with Healthy Fats

Since vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin, its absorption from plant-based sources like sweet potatoes is enhanced when consumed with a small amount of healthy fat. For example, drizzling cooked carrots or sweet potatoes with olive oil, or adding them to a salad with an avocado-based dressing, can significantly boost your body's ability to utilize the provitamin A carotenoids. Cooking these vegetables also helps break down the plant cell walls, making the carotenoids more bioavailable.

Other Top Vegetable Contenders

While the sweet potato is a top-tier source, several other vegetables provide excellent quantities of provitamin A carotenoids. These include both vibrant, orange-colored vegetables and nutrient-dense leafy greens:

Butternut Squash: A cup of baked butternut squash provides a substantial amount of vitamin A, making it a delicious and versatile option for soups, roasted sides, and purees.
Kale: This superfood is packed with nutrients, and a cup of cooked kale offers a significant dose of provitamin A.
Spinach: A cup of boiled spinach supplies over 100% of the daily value for vitamin A, alongside iron and magnesium.
Carrots: While often lauded as the best source, a cup of cooked carrots is slightly outpaced by a single sweet potato, but remains an outstanding contributor of beta-carotene.
Red Bell Peppers: Half a cup of raw sweet red bell pepper contains a good amount of vitamin A and is also rich in vitamin C.

Comparison of Vitamin A in Top Vegetables


Vegetable (cooked)	Serving Size	Vitamin A (RAE)	% Daily Value (DV)
Sweet Potato	1 medium baked	~1,403 mcg	156%
Carrots	1 cup, cooked	~1,280 mcg	142%
Spinach	1 cup, boiled	~943 mcg	105%
Butternut Squash	1 cup, baked	~1,140 mcg	127%
Kale	1 cup, cooked	~172 mcg	19%

Note: Nutrient values can vary based on cooking method and source.

How to Incorporate Vitamin A Veggies into Your Diet

Breakfast: Add spinach or kale to smoothies or scrambled eggs.
Snack: Enjoy raw carrot sticks with hummus, or snack on dried apricots.
Lunch: Make a vibrant salad with romaine lettuce, red bell peppers, and roasted sweet potato cubes.
Dinner: Roast butternut squash and carrots with a drizzle of olive oil, or add spinach to pasta sauces and stews.
Soup: Create a hearty carrot and sweet potato soup, blending the ingredients with vegetable broth and spices.

Conclusion

While many colorful and green vegetables offer significant amounts of provitamin A carotenoids, the sweet potato provides the most impressive amount per serving, making it the top contender in the category. Incorporating a variety of these nutrient-dense vegetables into your diet, prepared with a small amount of healthy fat, is the most effective strategy for meeting your vitamin A needs. A diversified diet rich in colorful produce ensures not only ample vitamin A but also a wide range of other essential nutrients for optimal health. To learn more about Vitamin A recommendations, consult the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements.

NIH Office of Dietary Supplements

Frequently Asked Questions

Cooking certain vegetables, like carrots and spinach, can actually improve the bioavailability of their provitamin A carotenoids, making them easier for the body to absorb. However, some nutrient loss can occur from overcooking.

Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin. For the body to effectively absorb the provitamin A carotenoids found in vegetables, they must be consumed with a source of healthy fat, such as olive oil or nuts.

Consuming large amounts of provitamin A carotenoids from vegetables does not lead to vitamin A toxicity. The body only converts what it needs. A harmless side effect of excessive intake can be carotenemia, which causes the skin to turn a yellow-orange color.

Sweet potatoes are noted for their high beta-carotene content, but carrots, kale, and spinach are also excellent sources.

While the orange color often indicates a high beta-carotene content, not all orange vegetables are created equal. However, vegetables like sweet potatoes, carrots, pumpkin, and butternut squash are consistently strong sources.

Preformed vitamin A (retinol) is found in animal products, while provitamin A carotenoids are found in plant-based foods. The body must convert provitamin A into active vitamin A.

Yes, adequate vitamin A is crucial for good vision, including adapting to low-light conditions. While it won't give you superhuman night vision, ensuring sufficient intake from sources like sweet potatoes and carrots can help prevent deficiencies that cause night blindness.