How much potassium is in spinach?
Spinach has 167 mg of potassium per 1 cup raw (30 g) — about 4% of the 4,700 mg Daily Value. That's 558 mg per 100 g, roughly 0.4× a medium banana (~422 mg).
USDA FoodData Central · raw · FDC 168462
Potassium by portion
| Portion | Potassium | % DV | Sodium | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 cup raw (30 g) | 167 mg | 4% | 24 mg | 7 |
| 100 g | 558 mg | 12% | 79 mg | 23 |
| 1 oz (28 g) | 158 mg | 3% | 22 mg | 7 |
% DV against the FDA Daily Value of 4,700 mg of potassium. Whole foods are naturally potassium-rich and low in sodium — the ratio heart guidelines (like DASH) favor. Values from USDA per-100 g data (FDC 168462, SR Legacy). raw.
Spinach has a reputation as a potassium powerhouse, and per 100 grams it absolutely earns it — 558 mg per 100 g is high for any vegetable. But the honest, useful number is per serving, and here spinach surprises people: 1 cup of raw spinach (30 g) delivers only about 167 mg of potassium, which is roughly 4% of the 4,700 mg Daily Value and just 0.4× a medium banana (~422 mg). The mineral is concentrated; the raw cup is not.
The raw-versus-cooked catch (this is the whole story)
The trap with spinach is volume. Raw leaves are so light and fluffy that a cup weighs just 30 grams — about a third of the 100 g the headline figure is based on — so a raw cup lands at a modest ~167 mg. Cooked spinach is a completely different number. Spinach wilts to a fraction of its raw bulk, so a cup of cooked spinach crams in many times the leaves and, with them, several times the potassium — comfortably over 800 mg, enough to top a banana. Per 100 g the cooked and raw values are similar; what changes is how much actually fits in a cup once the water cooks off. So both can be true: a raw cup is a light side of potassium, while a cooked cup is one of the richest plant sources on the plate. If you see a much bigger spinach number elsewhere, it’s almost certainly cooked.
Why the potassium is worth chasing
Potassium is the blood-pressure mineral: it counterbalances sodium and helps relax blood-vessel walls, which is why potassium-forward, lower-sodium patterns like DASH are tied to healthier blood pressure — and why most people, who sit below the 4,700 mg target, benefit from more of it. Spinach is an efficient way to get there because it brings that potassium for almost no calories (~7 in a raw cup) and very little sodium, landing on the favorable side of the sodium-to-potassium ratio heart guidelines favor. The practical move is to cook it down: a few raw handfuls wilted into eggs, soup, or a salmon dish shrink into a serving that delivers far more potassium than the same leaves eaten raw. (One note for context, not alarm: people with kidney disease are often advised to limit potassium, so treat this as reference data, not medical advice.)
For the other side of the leaf — and why a raw cup is barely a gram of it — see protein in spinach.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much potassium is in a cup of spinach?
About 167 mg of potassium in 1 cup of raw spinach (30 g), which is 558 mg per 100 g (USDA FDC 168462). The per-100 g figure is very high for a vegetable, but a raw cup is so light that a single cup delivers a modest amount.
What percent of the daily value for potassium is that?
About 4% of the FDA Daily Value of 4,700 mg per raw cup. That sounds low for a green famous for potassium, and it is — the catch is portion weight, not concentration. Cooked spinach changes the math dramatically.
How does spinach's potassium compare to a banana?
A raw cup of spinach has about 167 mg, roughly 0.4× the potassium of a medium banana (~422 mg). But that's the raw-cup comparison. Because spinach wilts down so far, a cup of cooked spinach can match or beat a banana — same leaves, far less air.
Does cooked spinach have more potassium than raw?
Per cup, far more — because it concentrates. Spinach wilts to a fraction of its raw volume when cooked, so a cup of cooked spinach packs in many times the leaves and several times the potassium of a raw cup (well over 800 mg). Per 100 g the two are similar; what changes is how much actually fits in a cup once the water cooks off. A higher potassium number you see elsewhere is almost always cooked spinach.
Why does potassium matter?
Potassium is the blood-pressure mineral — it offsets sodium and helps relax blood-vessel walls, which is why potassium-rich eating patterns like DASH are linked to healthier blood pressure. Most people fall short of 4,700 mg a day. Spinach (especially cooked) is an easy, low-calorie way to add some. This is general nutrition information, not medical advice.
When was this data last verified?
2026-06-04, against USDA FoodData Central FDC 168462 (Spinach, raw; SR Legacy). We re-verify reference pages periodically and update when USDA revises its underlying data.
Whole-food values are USDA reference data, not a Labelgrade (that score is for branded packaged products). High-potassium diets aren't for everyone — people with kidney disease are often told to limit it; this is reference data, not medical advice. See our methodology.