The 15 Highest-Fiber Vegetables, Ranked by USDA Data (Yes, Beans Count)

Broccoli has a reputation as the high-fiber vegetable. The data says that reputation is off by a mile.

Fiber is having its moment. “Fibermaxxing” is the wellness internet’s current obsession, and for once it’s a trend dietitians actually cheer for instead of quietly rolling their eyes at. Whole Foods named fiber a top food trend for 2026.

The kicker is that most of us are nowhere close. Roughly 95% of US adults miss their daily fiber target, and average intake sits around 16 grams a day, well short of the recommendation.

Part of why the experts are on board: fiber is linked to stimulating your body’s own GLP-1, the appetite-regulating hormone that’s gotten so much attention lately. It’s one more reason the trend has real dietitian backing rather than pure hype.

Speaking of beans. If you want the vegetables that genuinely move the fiber needle, you have to talk about legumes, because they run the entire top of the list before a single leafy green shows up. So this ranking includes them, clearly labeled, right alongside the artichokes and avocados. Here are the 15 highest-fiber picks, counted down from good to unbeatable, straight from the USDA’s own numbers.

How We Ranked These

Every fiber score below comes from the USDA’s FoodData Central FNDDS dataset, the 2024-10-31 release, measured as grams of fiber per 100 grams of food. So when a food “scores a 6.7,” that means 6.7 grams of fiber in every 100 grams you eat. No numbers scraped off random blogs, no vibes.

Two things worth knowing before you scroll.

First, these 15 are the top of our eligible shortlist: one standard preparation per food, with mixed dishes, processed snacks, and restaurant items filtered out so the comparison stays clean. We tell you which preparation each number belongs to, because prep changes everything. Beans “from dried, no added fat” are a different animal from a canned, oiled, mixed-dish version, and the fiber math shifts with it.

Second, that %DV next to each food uses the FDA’s Daily Value of 28 grams, the number on nutrition labels. Your personal target may differ. Harvard pegs a general range of 25 to 35 grams a day for adults. We’re using the label standard so the percentages stay consistent.

One honest caveat up front: this ranks fiber and only fiber. A food landing low here isn’t “bad,” it just isn’t a fiber heavyweight. Broccoli still has plenty going for it. Just not this.

15. Lima Beans (18.9% DV)

The bean everyone got traumatized by in the school cafeteria deserves a second look. From frozen, no added fat, lima beans post a 5.3 and a soft, almost buttery texture that has nothing to do with the gray mush you remember.

Simmer them with olive oil, garlic, and a squeeze of lemon for a Greek-style gigantes situation, or fold them into a summer succotash with corn and tomatoes. They take on flavor like a sponge, which is exactly why plain steamed ones taste like sadness.

14. Soybeans (20.0% DV)

Cooked soybeans land at 5.6, a full 20.0% of your day’s fiber, and they bring a good hit of plant protein along for the ride.

Most people meet them as edamame, but mature cooked soybeans work stirred into a miso-braised stew or blitzed into a rougher, nuttier hummus. If straight soybeans feel like a leap, this is your gateway to the rest of the legume aisle.

13. Artichoke (20.4% DV)

Finally, a vegetable that isn’t a bean. The artichoke earns its spot at 5.7, which is wild for something most of us only eat as a spinach-dip delivery mechanism.

Steam a whole one and peel off the leaves like the world’s most patient snack, or skip the labor and keep a jar of hearts around for pasta, pizza, and grain bowls. Just know that jarred hearts packed in oil shift the numbers, so the plain per-100-gram figure here is your honest baseline.

12. Green Peas (21.1% DV)

Fresh green peas, cooked with no added fat, quietly carry a 5.9, out-fibering most of the produce aisle. Not bad for the thing kids flick off their plates.

Frozen peas are one of the great cheat codes in cooking. Toss a handful into risotto right at the end, smash them onto toast with mint and feta, or blend them into a bright spring soup. No prep, no waste, always there when you need them.

11. Blackeyed Peas (22.1% DV)

From frozen, blackeyed peas land at 6.2. The USDA files these under starchy vegetables rather than the bean bucket, so if you’re trying to eat “more vegetables” and secretly want the fiber of a legume, these are a loophole.

They’re the backbone of a good Hoppin’ John, they hold their shape in a cold summer salad, and they cook faster than most dried beans. Southern kitchens figured this out generations ago.

10. White Beans (22.5% DV)

White beans, from dried, no added fat, deliver a 6.3 and possibly the best texture-to-effort ratio of any bean here. Cannellini and great northern both count.

Mash them with garlic and good olive oil for a dip that outclasses hummus, or drop them whole into a brothy Tuscan soup with kale and rosemary. They’re creamy enough to thicken a stew just by getting slightly smashed against the side of the pot.

9. Avocado (23.9% DV)

Here’s the reveal that breaks people’s brains: raw avocado brings 6.7 grams of fiber per 100 grams, and cooked kale brings 4.4. The green thing everyone worships as the ultimate health food gets out-fibered by the one we treat as a treat.

Most of the fiber lives in the flesh, no trick to it, so a normal avocado on toast is doing real work. Mash it, slice it onto a grain bowl, or blend it into a smoothie where it disappears entirely and just makes everything creamier. Worth adding rather than agonizing over.

8. Mung Beans (25.4% DV)

Cooked mung beans hit 7.1 and cover a solid 25.4% of your daily fiber, and they cook faster than almost any other bean because they’re small and forgiving.

They’re the base of a proper dal, they sprout into those crunchy threads in a stir-fry, and they simmer into a soft, comforting kitchari when your stomach wants something gentle. Underrated in most Western kitchens, a staple in a huge chunk of the world.

7. Kidney Beans (26.4% DV)

Kidney beans, from dried, no added fat, hit 7.4, which is 26.4% of your day from the bean that already lives in your chili.

That’s basically the whole pitch. A big pot of three-bean chili, a rajma over rice, a cold bean salad for the week. Cooked from dried, they soak up whatever you simmer them in.

6. Chickpeas (27.1% DV)

Chickpeas, from dried, no added fat, bring a 7.6 and are, pound for pound, the most versatile food on this entire list. Hummus, obviously. But also roasted crunchy with paprika, simmered into a coconut chana masala, or tossed cold into a lemony salad.

The aquafaba you’d normally pour down the drain even whips into a meringue, which has nothing to do with fiber and everything to do with chickpeas being show-offs.

5. Lentils (28.2% DV)

Lentils, from dried, no added fat, land at 7.9, roughly 28.2% of your daily fiber, and they don’t need an overnight soak like most beans. That alone makes them the weeknight MVP.

Red lentils melt into a fast dal or thicken a soup. Green and black ones hold their shape for salads and a shockingly good “meaty” bolognese. If you’re new to eating more legumes and don’t want to think too hard, start here.

4. Split Peas (29.3% DV)

Split peas, from dried, no added fat, quietly out-score lentils at 8.2, and they exist almost entirely to become soup. No shame in that. A pot of split pea soup with smoked paprika, carrots, and a bay leaf is one of the cheapest, most filling meals you can make.

They break down into a natural creaminess as they cook, so you get that rich, thick spoon-coating body without adding a thing.

3. Black Beans (30.7% DV)

Black beans, from dried, no added fat, deliver a massive 8.6. That’s a huge chunk of your daily fiber from a pantry staple you can buy dried and cook by the potful.

They’re the workhorse of the taco, the base of a smoky soup, the filling in an enchilada, the surprise in a fudgy brownie that somehow works. Cook a big batch, freeze the rest, and you’ve basically fiber-proofed your week.

2. Pinto Beans (31.8% DV)

Pinto beans, from dried, no added fat, climb to 8.9, which is 31.8% of your day per 100 grams. Mashed into refried beans (no lard needed), simmered into a pot of frijoles de la olla, or rolled into a burrito, they’re the fiber champion hiding in plain sight in most kitchens.

The move is buying them dried and cooking a big pot low and slow. Canned works in a pinch, but the from-scratch version is cheaper and tastes like actual food.

1. Peruvian Beans (34.6% DV)

The undisputed champ. Peruvian beans, cooked from dried, top our shortlist at 9.7, more than a third of your daily target per 100 grams. Small, pale yellow, and criminally creamy.

They cook up smooth enough to eat straight with a little onion, garlic, and cumin, no blender required. If you’ve only ever met pinto and black beans, these are the plot twist. And they’ll comfortably out-fiber any leafy green you were planning to feel virtuous about.

Where’s the Broccoli?

Right about now you’re wondering where your usual “healthy” vegetables landed. Prepare to feel a little betrayed.

Broccoli comes in at 2.5 grams per 100 grams, cauliflower at 2.1 grams, carrots at 3.2 grams, cabbage at 2.6 grams, and a baked potato with the skin on at 2.2 grams. Brussels sprouts do respectably at 3.9 grams. Kale, the internet’s favorite, manages 4.4 grams, which is genuinely good and still gets lapped by a plain avocado.

None of these are bad foods. They’re just not fiber powerhouses, and the produce section quietly lets you believe they are. If fiber is the goal, gram for gram beans do far more than broccoli.

Soluble vs. Insoluble, Without the Biochemistry Lecture

You’ll see fiber split into two camps, and both matter.

Soluble fiber dissolves in water and turns to gel. It feeds your gut bacteria, helps steady blood sugar and cholesterol, and keeps you full longer. Beans, lentils, oats, and apples lean this way.

Insoluble fiber doesn’t dissolve. It adds bulk and keeps things, let’s say, moving on schedule. Leafy greens, whole grains, and vegetable skins lean here.

Here’s the part that saves you a lot of overthinking: almost every food on this list carries a mix of both. You don’t need to build a spreadsheet sorting your beans by fiber type. Eat a variety of the foods above and you get both for free.

How to Actually Do This Without Wrecking Your Gut

The rookie mistake with fibermaxxing is going from 16 grams a day to 35 overnight, then wondering why you feel like a balloon. That’s your gut bacteria throwing a party they weren’t ready for, and the bloating and gas are the hangover.

Ramp up slowly. Adding roughly 3 to 5 grams a day every few days over two to four weeks gives your system time to adjust. Drink more water while you do it, because fiber needs water to do its job.

A few honest notes. Supplements and psyllium powders can help, but they’re not a real swap for whole foods that bring fiber plus everything else in the package. More is not automatically better, so there’s no prize for maxing this out to an extreme. And if you live with IBS, IBD, or any ongoing gut condition, a big fiber jump is worth asking your doctor about before you dive in, since the right move there is genuinely personal.

Quick Questions People Always Ask

Wait, are beans even a vegetable? USDA’s own MyPlate says yes and no, depending on how you eat.

If you regularly eat meat, poultry, and seafood, USDA counts beans, peas, and lentils in the Vegetable Group. If you’re vegetarian, vegan, or seldom eat those foods, you can count some of them in the Protein Foods Group instead. Either way, they’ve earned their spot on your plate.

Isn’t broccoli supposed to be loaded with fiber? Less than you’d think, as the list above showed. It’s a fine vegetable. It’s just not the fiber king it’s been marketed as.

Can I just take a fiber supplement instead? You can, but it’s a backup, not a replacement. Whole foods bring fiber bundled with nutrients, water, and staying power a scoop of powder can’t match.

How much fiber do I even need? Somewhere around 25 to 35 grams a day for most adults. Most people aren’t close, which is the entire reason this trend exists.

The Bottom Line

The internet spent a year hyping fiber like it was some exotic biohack, and the answer turned out to be a humble bag of beans. Skip the broccoli guilt, cook a big pot of pintos, and let the wellness influencers catch up to what your grandmother already knew.