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Foods high in manganese are mostly whole grains, nuts and seeds, legumes, shellfish, leafy greens, tea and spices. According to USDA FoodData Central, 3 ounces of cooked blue mussels has about 5.8 milligrams of manganese, roughly 251% of the Daily Value, and half a cup of cooked teff about 3.6 milligrams. Meat, poultry, eggs and dairy contribute almost none in the ODS food table. Below is a USDA table of manganese rich foods with values per serving and per 100 grams, the official intake references, how little manganese the body absorbs, and why, according to ODS, the safety concerns involve inhaled dust and water rather than food.
Peptide Labs does not sell manganese products or food. This article is general nutrition information, not medical advice.
Key Takeaways
- Mussels, teff, pine nuts, hazelnuts, oats, tofu, pumpkin seeds, pecans and brown rice lead the USDA table per serving.
- Refined grains keep much less manganese than whole grains: brown rice has about three times the manganese of enriched white rice in USDA data.
- Adult Adequate Intakes are 2.3 milligrams a day for men and 1.8 for women; the label Daily Value is 2.3.
- Deficiency is very rare, and ODS knows of no group likely to get too little.
- Per ODS, manganese toxicity has been seen in welders and miners who inhaled manganese dust and in people with very high levels in drinking water, not from food.
Foods high in manganese: USDA table
The values below come from the USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy database. Serving sizes are USDA portions, and the percent Daily Value uses the FDA label value of 2.3 milligrams. Amounts vary with variety, soil and preparation, so use the numbers as close guides rather than exact figures.
| Food and serving | Manganese per serving (mg) | % Daily Value | Per 100 g (mg) | FDC ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mussels, blue, cooked, 3 oz | 5.78 | 251% | 6.8 | 174217 |
| Teff, cooked, 1/2 cup | 3.60 | 157% | 2.86 | 168918 |
| Pine nuts, dried, 1 oz | 2.50 | 108% | 8.80 | 170591 |
| Hazelnuts, dry roasted, 1 oz | 1.57 | 68% | 5.55 | 170583 |
| Tofu, firm (calcium sulfate), 1/2 cup | 1.49 | 65% | 1.18 | 172475 |
| Oats, dry, 1/2 cup | 1.47 | 64% | 3.63 | 173904 |
| Pumpkin seeds, roasted, 1 oz | 1.27 | 55% | 4.49 | 170557 |
| Cloves, ground, 1 tsp | 1.26 | 55% | 60.1 | 171321 |
| Pecans, dry roasted, 1 oz | 1.12 | 48% | 3.93 | 170183 |
| Brown rice, medium-grain, cooked, 1/2 cup | 1.07 | 47% | 1.10 | 168875 |
| Oysters, Pacific, cooked, 3 oz | 1.04 | 45% | 1.22 | 174250 |
| Walnuts, English, 1 oz | 0.97 | 42% | 3.41 | 170187 |
| Clams, cooked, 3 oz | 0.85 | 37% | 1.00 | 171975 |
| Chickpeas, boiled, 1/2 cup | 0.84 | 37% | 1.03 | 173757 |
| Spinach, boiled, 1/2 cup | 0.84 | 37% | 0.94 | 168463 |
| Raspberries, raw, 1 cup | 0.82 | 36% | 0.67 | 167755 |
| Edamame, prepared, 1/2 cup | 0.79 | 35% | 1.02 | 168411 |
| Chia seeds, 1 oz | 0.77 | 34% | 2.72 | 170554 |
| Pineapple, raw chunks, 1/2 cup | 0.76 | 33% | 0.93 | 169124 |
| Whole-wheat bread, 1 slice | 0.70 | 30% | 2.17 | 172688 |
| Almonds, dry roasted, 1 oz | 0.63 | 28% | 2.23 | 170158 |
| Quinoa, cooked, 1/2 cup | 0.58 | 25% | 0.63 | 168917 |
| Dark chocolate, 70-85% cacao, 1 oz | 0.55 | 24% | 1.95 | 170273 |
| Black tea, brewed, 1 cup | 0.52 | 23% | 0.22 | 173227 |
| Blueberries, raw, 1 cup | 0.50 | 22% | 0.34 | 171711 |
| Lentils, boiled, 1/2 cup | 0.49 | 21% | 0.49 | 172421 |
| Cinnamon, ground, 1 tsp | 0.45 | 20% | 17.5 | 171320 |
| White rice, enriched, cooked, 1/2 cup | 0.37 | 16% | 0.47 | 168878 |
| Banana, 1 medium | 0.32 | 14% | 0.27 | 173944 |
| White bread, 1 slice | 0.16 | 7% | 0.54 | 174924 |
Spices top the per-100-gram column, but nobody eats 100 grams of cloves, so the per-serving column is the more useful one. By that measure shellfish, whole grains, nuts and soy foods carry the most, and a day that includes oats, a whole-grain side, beans or tofu and a few nuts reaches the Daily Value without any special effort.
Whole grains: where most manganese comes from
ODS notes that grain products, tea and vegetables are the top sources of manganese in the diets of US adults. The USDA numbers show the effect of refining: half a cup of cooked medium-grain brown rice has about 1.07 milligrams, while the same amount of enriched white rice has about 0.37, and a slice of whole-wheat bread carries more than four times the manganese of a slice of white bread.
Teff is the standout grain in USDA data, with oats close behind per serving. Our guides to teff, oats, brown rice and quinoa cover their fiber, gluten status and cooking notes. Many of these grains overlap with high fiber foods, so choosing one often delivers the other.
Nuts, seeds and legumes
Ounce for ounce, pine nuts carry the most manganese of the common nuts in SR Legacy, followed by hazelnuts, pecans and walnuts, with pumpkin seeds and chia not far behind. The trade-off is energy density: USDA lists pecans at about 710 calories per 100 grams and pine nuts at about 673, so a measured handful works better than eating from the bag. See our guides to pine nuts, hazelnuts, pecans and walnuts.
Legumes add manganese in larger portions. ODS names soybeans and other legumes among the main sources, and USDA data show firm tofu, edamame, chickpeas and lentils each supplying a fifth or more of the Daily Value per half cup. Our tofu and chickpeas guides go further.
Shellfish, tea, fruit and spices
Mussels are in a class of their own in USDA data, and oysters and clams are also rich sources, which matches the ODS list of food sources. Our mussels and oysters guides cover their safety notes. Most other animal foods are not meaningful sources: the ODS food table lists shrimp, canned tuna, chicken breast, ground beef, eggs, milk and yogurt at zero.
Tea is a quiet contributor because people drink it often; a cup of brewed black tea provides about a fifth of the Daily Value in USDA data. Among fruits, raspberries, pineapple and blueberries lead (see pineapple). Spices such as ground cloves and cinnamon are extremely concentrated, though typical kitchen amounts are small, and ODS also mentions black pepper.
How much manganese do adults need?
In its 2001 review, the Food and Nutrition Board found too little data to set an average requirement for manganese, so it set Adequate Intakes (AIs) based on usual intakes of healthy people instead of RDAs, according to ODS. The adult values are reference facts, not personal targets:
| Group (ODS Table 1) | Adequate Intake (mg/day) | Upper Intake Level (mg/day) |
|---|---|---|
| Men 19 and older | 2.3 | 11 |
| Women 19 and older | 1.8 | 11 |
| Pregnancy (19 and older) | 2.0 | 11 |
| Breastfeeding (19 and older) | 2.6 | 11 |
| Teens 14 to 18 (boys / girls) | 2.2 / 1.6 | 9 |
| Children 4 to 8 | 1.5 | 3 |
The Daily Value on food and supplement labels is 2.3 milligrams, and FDA does not require manganese on the label unless it has been added, per ODS. National survey data on manganese are thin because NHANES does not measure it, but the most recent FDA Total Diet Study estimates found intakes that met or exceeded the AI for every age group, and ODS concludes that most people obtain adequate amounts.
Absorption: why iron matters
People absorb only about 1% to 5% of the manganese in food, according to ODS, and the body adjusts: absorption rises when intake is low and falls when it is high, and more than 90% of absorbed manganese leaves through bile. Iron and manganese appear to share an intestinal transporter, and ODS reports that higher iron intake and iron stores are linked with lower manganese absorption. That may be one reason men seem to absorb less manganese than women. The flip side is that iron deficiency increases manganese absorption. Our guide to foods high in iron covers the iron side.
Manganese is not magnesium
The names are close, but they are different minerals with very different amounts involved: the adult Daily Value for magnesium is 420 milligrams versus 2.3 for manganese, per FDA label rules. Many of the same foods, such as whole grains, nuts, seeds and legumes, supply both. See our magnesium food guide for that table.
Manganese foods and safety
ODS states plainly that there is no evidence of manganese toxicity from high dietary intakes, so the foods in this table are not a concern on that front. Toxicity has occurred in people working in welding and mining who breathed manganese dust over long periods, and in people drinking water with very high manganese levels. It mainly affects the nervous system, with tremors, muscle spasms, hearing changes and unsteadiness that can progress to movement problems resembling Parkinson’s disease, per ODS. Iron deficiency and chronic liver disease make people more susceptible.
The Tolerable Upper Intake Level for adults is 11 milligrams a day, including during pregnancy and breastfeeding, and it does not apply to people taking manganese under medical supervision, according to ODS. ODS also reports no known clinically relevant interactions between manganese and medications. Anyone considering a manganese supplement, especially with liver disease, should ask a clinician first.
Deficiency is very rare
ODS describes manganese deficiency as very rare in humans, with signs that have not been firmly established, and it lists no groups of people likely to have inadequate intakes. Research on manganese and bone health or blood sugar is limited and inconsistent, and there are no trials of manganese alone for bone health, so claims built on those links are ahead of the evidence.
Frequently Asked Questions
What food is highest in manganese?
Among everyday foods in USDA data, cooked blue mussels lead by a wide margin per serving, followed by teff, pine nuts and hazelnuts. Ground cloves are the most concentrated per 100 grams.
Are bananas high in manganese?
Moderately. A medium banana provides about 14% of the Daily Value in USDA data, less than raspberries, pineapple or blueberries per typical serving.
Does coffee or tea have manganese?
Both contain some. Brewed black tea provides about a fifth of the Daily Value per cup in USDA data, and ODS lists brewed coffee as a minor source.
Do meat, eggs and dairy contain manganese?
Very little. The ODS food table lists chicken breast, ground beef, eggs, milk and yogurt at zero, so manganese rich foods are mostly plant foods and shellfish.
Can you get too much manganese from food?
ODS reports no evidence of toxicity from high dietary intakes. The known cases involve inhaled dust in jobs such as welding and mining, or water with very high manganese levels.
Do I need a manganese supplement?
ODS says deficiency is very rare and most people get enough from food. Talk to a clinician before adding one, particularly if you have liver disease.
Related reading: foods high in iodine, foods high in zinc and third-party tested supplements.
Questions about a label? Contact us or read our Buyer’s Guide. Food comes first; follow the label and ask a healthcare provider before starting a supplement, especially if you take medicines, are pregnant or have a thyroid condition. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Last reviewed October 2026.
Related guides: Foods High in Iodine: Seafood, Dairy, Eggs and Iodized Salt, Foods High in Magnesium: USDA Table of Seeds, Nuts, Beans and Greens, High Fiber Foods: USDA List of Fruits, Vegetables, Beans and Grains.