Key takeaways:
Potassium is an important nutrient that supports heart, nerve, and muscle function.
There are many foods that are high in potassium, including avocados, squash, legumes, and potatoes.
Most people don’t need to worry about getting too much potassium. But certain health conditions and medications can put you at risk for having high potassium levels, which can be dangerous.
Potassium is an important nutrient your body needs every day to support heart, nerve, and muscle function. Your body can’t make potassium, so you have to get it from food. Many people think of bananas as the best source of potassium. But plenty of other foods — including avocados, squash, and legumes — contain even more potassium per serving.
Below, we’ll cover which foods are high in potassium, how much potassium you need, and when you may need to pay closer attention to your potassium intake.
Which foods are high in potassium?
Many foods are high in potassium, including those listed below.
Food | Serving size | Potassium per serving | Percent daily value (% DV) |
|---|---|---|---|
Avocados | 1 avocado | 975 mg | |
Dried apricots | ½ cup | 755 mg | 16% |
Lentils | 1 cup, cooked | 731 mg | 16% |
Squash (acorn) | 1 cup, mashed | 644 mg | 14% |
Raisins | ½ cup | 618 mg | 13% |
Baked potato | 1 medium | 610 mg | 13% |
Kidney beans | 1 cup, canned | 607 mg | 13% |
Mango | 1 mango | 565 mg | |
Sweet potato | 1 medium | 542 mg | |
Cantaloupe | 1 cup, cubed | 427 mg | 10% |
Banana | 1 medium | 422 mg | 9% |
Spinach | 2 cups, raw | 334 mg | 7% |
Salmon | 3 oz, cooked filet | 326 mg | 7% |
Tomatoes | 1 medium | 292 mg | 6% |
Greek yogurt, plain | 6 oz | 240 mg | 5% |
Orange | 1 medium | 232 mg | |
Broccoli | ½ cup, cooked | 229 mg | 5% |
Grapefruit | ½ medium grapefruit | 166 mg | |
Cucumber | 1 cup | 153 mg | |
Coffee | 1 cup | 116 mg | 2% |
This isn’t an exhaustive list of all potassium-containing foods. For example, many fruits and vegetables are good sources.
The FDA requires the percent daily value (% DV) for potassium to be listed on Nutrition Facts labels. This can help you figure out how much potassium is in some of your favorite foods that aren’t listed here.
What does potassium do for the body?
Potassium is an important electrolyte. This means it’s a mineral with an electrical charge. Electrolytes help your body carry out key functions every day. Potassium works closely with other electrolytes, such as sodium, calcium, and magnesium.
Potassium helps:
Muscles contract
Nerves send signals
Keep fluids balanced in your body
Support bone health
Your body manage other nutrients and electrolytes
Because of these roles, potassium is especially important for your heart and blood pressure. It’s also important for muscle, nerve, and kidney function. Research has linked potassium-rich diets with a lower risk of:
Heart disease
Stroke
Osteoporosis
Kidney stones
Potassium may also help balance the effects of eating too much salt. Too much salt can raise blood pressure, which can increase your risk of heart disease and stroke. Potassium can help your kidneys remove extra sodium through your urine. Eating less salt can also help support healthy potassium levels.
How much potassium do you need?
Unlike with some other nutrients, there’s no set recommended daily amount (RDA) for potassium. This is because there isn’t enough data from the general population to determine an RDA.
But there are still guidelines for how much potassium most people need on an average day. The National Institute of Health (NIH) refers to this number as the “adequate intake.” These amounts are outlined in the table below.
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Age | Male | Female | Pregnancy | Nursing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Birth-6 months | 400 mg | 400 mg | - | - |
7-12 months | 860 mg | 860 mg | - | - |
1-3 years | 2,000 mg | 2,000 mg | - | - |
4-8 years | 2,300 mg | 2,300 mg | - | - |
9-13 years | 2,500 mg | 2,300 mg | - | - |
14-18 years | 3,000 mg | 2,300 mg | 2,600 mg | 2,500 mg |
19-50 years | 3,400 mg | 2,600 mg | 2,900 mg | 2,800 mg |
51+ years | 3,400 mg | 2,600 mg | - | - |
It’s important to note that these values don’t apply to everyone. Many chronic medical conditions can affect how much potassium you may need, or how well your body can absorb or hold onto potassium.
What are the symptoms of low potassium levels?
For most adults, a normal potassium level is between 3.5 mEq/L and 5.2 mEq/L. This can be measured with a blood test. A low potassium level is called hypokalemia.
A small, temporary drop in potassium usually doesn’t cause symptoms. It typically takes a large or sudden drop in potassium for you to notice the effects.
Symptoms of low potassium may include:
Fatigue
Muscle weakness or spasms
Tingling or numbness
Constipation
Heart palpitations or irregular heartbeats
Dizziness or fainting
How much potassium is too much?
If you have normal kidney function, you probably don’t have to worry about getting too much potassium from your diet. That’s because healthy kidneys remove extra potassium from your blood and send it out of your body in your urine. This helps keep potassium levels in a safe range.
But people with kidney disease do need to pay attention to their potassium intake. When kidney function is impaired, your kidneys may not be able to get rid of potassium at a normal rate. Because of this, people with kidney disease may need to limit how much potassium they get.
High potassium levels in your blood (hyperkalemia) can be dangerous. This is because too much potassium can interfere with your heartbeat. In severe cases, it can cause heart rhythm problems that can be life-threatening.
Even if you have normal kidney function, taking potassium supplements or frequently using salt substitutes (which contain potassium) can also lead to hyperkalemia. That’s one reason many over-the-counter (OTC) potassium supplements contain no more than 99 mg of potassium per tablet or capsule.
It’s particularly important to avoid potassium supplements if you take medications that can increase your potassium levels, including:
Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, like lisinopril
Beta blockers, like metoprolol
Potassium-sparing diuretics, like amiloride
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
Sulfamethoxazole / trimethoprim (Bactrim)
Because of the dangers of hyperkalemia, you should only take potassium supplements with guidance from a healthcare professional.
Frequently asked questions
Most people don’t need potassium supplements. You can get enough potassium from food, and healthy kidneys keep your potassium levels in a normal range. Certain medical conditions can lead to increased potassium loss from your body (hypokalemia). But given the dangers of high potassium levels, you should only take supplements under the guidance of a healthcare professional.
Low potassium is most often caused by certain medical conditions or medications, not by inadequate dietary intake. Causes of low potassium can include:
Repeated vomiting or diarrhea
Uncontrolled diabetes
Dialysis treatment
Alcohol use disorder
Certain medications, such as diuretics (water pills)
Most people don’t need to worry about lowering their potassium levels. But if a blood test shows you have high potassium (hyperkalemia), talk with a healthcare professional about next steps. Depending on how high your level is, they may recommend dietary changes, medication changes, or treatments that help remove extra potassium from your body. Very high potassium may need urgent treatment because it can cause serious heart rhythm problems.
No, low potassium isn’t a sign of cancer. Some people with cancer may have low potassium as a result of low appetite or their chemotherapy treatment. But if you have a low potassium level on your lab work, you shouldn’t worry about an undiagnosed cancer. A healthcare professional can help you figure out the cause.
Most people don’t need potassium supplements. You can get enough potassium from food, and healthy kidneys keep your potassium levels in a normal range. Certain medical conditions can lead to increased potassium loss from your body (hypokalemia). But given the dangers of high potassium levels, you should only take supplements under the guidance of a healthcare professional.
Low potassium is most often caused by certain medical conditions or medications, not by inadequate dietary intake. Causes of low potassium can include:
Repeated vomiting or diarrhea
Uncontrolled diabetes
Dialysis treatment
Alcohol use disorder
Certain medications, such as diuretics (water pills)
Most people don’t need to worry about lowering their potassium levels. But if a blood test shows you have high potassium (hyperkalemia), talk with a healthcare professional about next steps. Depending on how high your level is, they may recommend dietary changes, medication changes, or treatments that help remove extra potassium from your body. Very high potassium may need urgent treatment because it can cause serious heart rhythm problems.
No, low potassium isn’t a sign of cancer. Some people with cancer may have low potassium as a result of low appetite or their chemotherapy treatment. But if you have a low potassium level on your lab work, you shouldn’t worry about an undiagnosed cancer. A healthcare professional can help you figure out the cause.
The bottom line
Potassium is an essential nutrient that you get through your diet. And many people in the U.S. don’t get enough. Eating more potassium-rich foods may support heart health, especially when they’re part of a balanced diet. Fruit, vegetables, legumes, dairy products, and some fish can all help you meet your daily potassium needs. But people with certain health conditions should be mindful of their potassium intake. And it’s important not to take potassium supplements unless recommended by a healthcare professional.
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References
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Koo, H., et al. (2018). The ratio of urinary sodium and potassium and chronic kidney disease progression. Medicine.
MedlinePlus. (2024). Fluid and electrolyte balance.
MedlinePlus. (2025). Low blood potassium.
MyFoodData. (n.d.). Avocados.
MyFoodData. (n.d.). Baked sweet potatoes.
MyFoodData. (n.d.). Cucumber.
MyFoodData. (n.d.). Mangos.
MyFoodData. (n.d.). Navel oranges.
MyFoodData. (n.d.). Pink grapefruit.
National Kidney Foundation. (2016). Six steps to controlling high potassium.
Office of Dietary Supplements. (2021). Potassium: Fact sheet for consumers. National Institutes of Health.
Office of Dietary Supplements. (2022). Potassium: Fact sheet for health professionals. National Institutes of Health.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2024). The nutrition facts label.
Weaver, C. M. (2013). Potassium and health. Advances in Nutrition.
