Magnesium-rich Indian foods:
how much is in dal, nuts,
seeds and greens.
Indian kitchens are full of magnesium: in dals, millets, nuts, seeds and leafy greens. The catch is that the everyday staples, white rice and maida, carry very little. This magnesium rich foods India chart shows exactly how much magnesium is in the foods you already eat, using India’s own food tables, which dal, nut, seed and green gives the most, a sample day that reaches 440 mg, and how cooking and soaking change what you get.
Magnesium rich foods India chart: the short answer
What Indian food is highest in magnesium?
Seeds and nuts are the richest: per 100 g, sunflower seeds give 413 mg, black til 390 mg, flaxseed 349 mg, almonds 318 mg and cashews 307 mg. Rajgira (325 mg), soya bean (259 mg), urad dal and rajma (173 mg each), chaulai leaves (194 mg) and ragi (146 mg) follow. Indian men need 440 mg a day and women 370 mg.
Magnesium helps your muscles relax, your nerves send signals and your cells turn food into energy. It contributes to normal muscle function, normal psychological function, the maintenance of normal bones and the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.6 India’s daily need is 440 mg for men and 370 mg for women.2
All the numbers below come from the Indian Food Composition Tables (IFCT 2017), measured by the National Institute of Nutrition in Hyderabad on Indian foods, per 100 g of the raw edible part.1 To make them useful, we also show how much you get in a normal serving: two rotis, one katori of dal, a handful of nuts or a spoon of seeds.
Millets and grains: ragi, jowar and bajra beat white rice
Which millet has the most magnesium?
Rajgira (amaranth seed) has the most, at 325 mg per 100 g, followed by ragi at 146 mg, jowar at 133 mg, whole wheat atta at 125 mg and bajra at 124 mg. Polished white rice has only 19 mg, because milling removes the magnesium-rich outer layers.
Most of a grain’s magnesium sits in the bran and germ, the outer layers. Whole-grain flours keep them; polishing rice and refining flour into maida strip them away.1 That makes the switch from white rice to a millet roti one of the biggest magnesium upgrades in an Indian kitchen.
| Grain or flour | Per 100 g | Per serving |
|---|---|---|
| Rajgira (amaranth seed) | 325 mg | 98 mg in 30 g (a laddoo or porridge) |
| Ragi (finger millet) flour | 146 mg | 88 mg in 2 rotis or a dosa (60 g flour) |
| Jowar (sorghum) | 133 mg | 80 mg in 2 bhakris (60 g flour) |
| Whole wheat atta | 125 mg | 75 mg in 2 rotis (60 g flour) |
| Bajra (pearl millet) | 124 mg | 74 mg in 2 rotis (60 g flour) |
| White rice, polished | 19 mg | 11 mg in a plate of rice (60 g raw) |
Ragi has a second advantage: it is also India’s richest grain source of calcium, at 364 mg per 100 g.1 Our magnesium deficiency guide explains why diets built on white rice and maida so often fall short.
Which dal has the most magnesium?
Which dal has the most magnesium?
Urad dal and rajma lead at 173 mg per 100 g, followed by moong dal at 155 mg, toor dal at 119 mg and chana dal at 118 mg. Masoor dal has 75 mg. Soya bean beats them all at 259 mg. One katori of cooked dal, made from about 30 g of dry dal, gives roughly 25 to 50 mg.
Dal is the backbone of magnesium in a vegetarian Indian diet, because you eat it every day. About 30 g of dry dal makes one katori (about 150 g) of cooked dal.
| Dal or bean (raw, dry) | Per 100 g | Per katori (30 g dry) |
|---|---|---|
| Soya bean | 259 mg | 78 mg |
| Urad dal (black gram) | 173 mg | 52 mg |
| Rajma (red kidney beans) | 173 mg | 52 mg |
| Moong dal (green gram) | 155 mg | 47 mg |
| Toor dal (arhar, red gram) | 119 mg | 36 mg |
| Chana dal (Bengal gram) | 118 mg | 35 mg |
| Masoor dal (red lentil) | 75 mg | 23 mg |
Tip: mixing dals, such as urad and moong in a dal makhani or a mixed-dal tadka, and adding a spoon of soya chunks or a handful of rajma lifts the magnesium of an everyday meal without changing the taste much.
Which nuts are highest in magnesium?
Which nuts are high in magnesium?
Almonds and cashews are the richest everyday nuts, at 318 mg and 307 mg per 100 g. A small handful of 28 g gives about 89 mg from almonds and 86 mg from cashews. Peanuts give about 55 mg and walnuts about 50 mg per handful.
| Nut | Per 100 g | Per handful (28 g) |
|---|---|---|
| Almonds (badam) | 318 mg | 89 mg |
| Cashews (kaju) | 307 mg | 86 mg |
| Peanuts (moongphali) | 197 mg | 55 mg |
| Walnuts (akhrot) | 180 mg | 50 mg |
A handful of almonds is about 23 nuts. Soaked or not, the magnesium stays; soaking mainly makes them easier to chew and digest.
Which seeds are highest in magnesium?
Which seeds are high in magnesium?
Seeds are the most concentrated magnesium foods of all. Per 100 g, sunflower seeds give 413 mg, black til 390 mg and flaxseed (alsi) 349 mg. Pumpkin seeds give about 156 mg in a 28 g handful and chia seeds about 111 mg. One tablespoon of til, flax or sunflower seeds adds roughly 35 to 40 mg.
| Seed | Per 100 g | Per serving |
|---|---|---|
| Pumpkin seeds | About 550 mg | 156 mg per 28 g |
| Sunflower seeds | 413 mg | 41 mg per tablespoon (10 g) |
| Black til (sesame) | 390 mg | 39 mg per tablespoon (10 g) |
| Flaxseed (alsi) | 349 mg | 35 mg per tablespoon (10 g) |
| Chia seeds | About 395 mg | 111 mg per 28 g |
Pumpkin and chia values are from US food tables, because IFCT does not list them.3 The other seeds are IFCT values.1 Til laddoo, a spoon of roasted alsi on your dal-rice, or a seed mix in curd are easy ways to add 40 to 80 mg a day.
Which vegetables are high in magnesium?
Which vegetables are high in magnesium?
Dark leafy greens. Per 100 g of fresh leaves, chaulai (amaranth) gives 194 mg, drumstick leaves (moringa) 97 mg, palak (spinach) 87 mg and methi 64 mg. About 100 g of fresh leaves cooks down to a small katori of sabzi.
| Leafy green (fresh) | Per 100 g |
|---|---|
| Chaulai (amaranth leaves) | 194 mg |
| Drumstick leaves (moringa) | 97 mg |
| Palak (spinach) | 87 mg |
| Methi (fenugreek leaves) | 64 mg |
Magnesium sits at the centre of chlorophyll, the green pigment in leaves, which is why the darkest greens carry the most. Cook greens in a little water and eat them with that water, as in a palak dal or a saag, so the magnesium stays on your plate.
Milk, fruit and drinks: helpful, but smaller sources
What drink is high in magnesium?
Coconut water gives about 60 mg in a 240 ml glass, and soy milk about 61 mg a cup. A glass of cow’s milk gives only about 20 mg. Among fruits, a banana gives about 35 mg and four dry dates about 22 mg, so fruit and milk add to your day but cannot cover it alone.
| Food or drink | Per 100 g | Per serving |
|---|---|---|
| Coconut water | 25 mg | About 60 mg per glass (240 ml) |
| Soy milk | — | 61 mg per cup |
| Dates, dry | 74 mg | 22 mg in 4 dates (30 g) |
| Banana, ripe | 35 mg | About 35 mg in 1 medium banana |
| Paneer | 27 mg | 27 mg in 100 g |
| Cow’s milk | 8 mg | About 20 mg per glass (250 ml) |
Milk, paneer and banana values are from IFCT 2017;1 coconut water and soy milk are from US food tables.4,3 Dairy is a superb source of calcium and protein, just not of magnesium.
How to get 400 mg of magnesium a day from food
How to get 400 mg of magnesium a day from food?
Build each meal on a whole grain or millet, a dal and a leafy green, and add a handful of nuts and a spoon of seeds. A day of ragi dosa, almonds, rotis with toor dal and palak, roasted til, and rajma-rice gives about 450 mg, enough for a man’s 440 mg target.
| Meal | What you eat | Magnesium (about) |
|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | Ragi dosa or ragi porridge (50 g ragi flour) | 73 mg |
| Mid-morning | A small handful of almonds (20 g, about 16 nuts) | 64 mg |
| Lunch | 2 rotis (60 g atta), 1 katori toor dal (30 g dry), palak sabzi (100 g fresh spinach) | 198 mg |
| Evening | 1 tablespoon roasted black til (10 g) | 39 mg |
| Dinner | Rajma (40 g dry) with rice (60 g raw) | 80 mg |
| Total | Five simple swaps on a normal Indian day | About 454 mg |
For a woman’s 370 mg, the same day without the til and with a smaller handful of almonds still gets there. The daily targets already allow for the fact that your body absorbs only part of the magnesium in food.2
Does cooking or soaking change the magnesium you get?
Does cooking destroy magnesium?
No. Magnesium is a mineral, so heat does not destroy it, but it does move into cooking water. Keep the water, as you do with dal, sambar or saag, and the magnesium stays in your meal. Soaking, sprouting and fermenting reduce phytate, a natural compound in grains and dals that holds on to minerals, which helps your body absorb more.
- Keep the cooking water. Boiling greens and pouring the water away loses minerals; cooking them in dal, saag or a covered sabzi keeps them.
- Choose whole over polished. Milling removes the outer layers where most of the magnesium sits, which is why white rice has 19 mg per 100 g and ragi flour 146 mg.1
- Soak, sprout and ferment. Soaking dal and rajma, sprouting moong and fermenting idli, dosa and dhokla batter lower phytate and make minerals easier to absorb.5
- Pressure cooking is fine. It cooks dals quickly in a closed pot, so the minerals stay in the dal.
Can you get enough magnesium from food alone?
Can I get enough magnesium from food alone?
Yes, with planning: millets or whole grains, a dal, leafy greens, nuts and seeds every day can reach 370 to 440 mg. Many Indian days do not, because they are built on white rice and maida with few nuts, seeds or greens. When food falls short, a well-absorbed supplement such as magnesium glycinate fills the gap.
Food comes first, and the foods on this page bring fibre, protein and other minerals with their magnesium. But busy weeks, a white-rice diet, hard training and heavy sweating make the gap common (see magnesium for muscle recovery). If you take a supplement, the form matters: fully reacted magnesium glycinate is gentle on the stomach and well absorbed, while magnesium oxide is mostly not absorbed. Our how much magnesium per day guide and magnesium forms guide explain both, and our guide to the best form of magnesium compares every common form side by side.
Food first. Then fill the gap, fully.
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See Magnesium Glycinate →Bioactive Multivitamin
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Answer a few quick questions about your food, routine and symptoms to see which nutrients you may be running low on, and which tests to ask your doctor about.
Try the Nutrient Gap Finder →Five easy ways to eat more magnesium
- Swap one white-rice meal for a milletA ragi, jowar or bajra roti or dosa instead of a plate of white rice adds 60 to 80 mg.
- Eat a dal every day, and mix themUrad, rajma, moong and soya give the most; one katori adds 35 to 80 mg.
- Keep a handful of almonds or cashews readyA 28 g handful adds about 85 to 90 mg.
- Add a spoon of seedsRoasted til, alsi or sunflower seeds on dal, curd or salad add about 35 to 40 mg a tablespoon.
- Put a green on the plateChaulai, palak, methi or drumstick leaves, cooked so you keep the water, add 60 to 190 mg per 100 g.
You have kidney disease (your kidneys control magnesium, so ask before any supplement), take antibiotics, osteoporosis tablets or thyroid medicine (keep magnesium supplements a few hours apart), or have symptoms such as cramps, twitching or palpitations that do not settle.
Claims are ingredient-based and not specific to any product. Details of each study are in “About the studies” just below.
- Values per 100 g are IFCT 2017 figures for the raw edible portion; amounts vary with variety, soil and season.1 Per-serving figures are our own calculations from those values, using typical Indian portions (60 g flour for two rotis, 30 g dry dal for a katori, 28 g for a handful of nuts, 10 g for a tablespoon of seeds).
- IFCT values used here are for the dal (split) form of urad, moong, toor, chana and masoor, and for whole rajma and soya bean.1
- Pumpkin seed, chia and soy milk values are from the US National Institutes of Health fact sheet,3 and coconut water from US food tables;4 Indian products may differ.
- IFCT 2017 updated ragi to 146 mg of magnesium and 364 mg of calcium per 100 g; older Indian tables listed 137 mg and 344 mg.1
- Phytate lowers mineral absorption from grains and dals; soaking, sprouting and fermenting reduce it, but the size of the effect varies by food and method.5
- European approved claims describe what a nutrient does at adequate intakes; they are not claims to treat any illness.6
Magnesium-rich foods, answered plainly.
What Indian food is highest in magnesium?
What food is highest in magnesium?
Which dal has the most magnesium?
Which nuts are high in magnesium?
Which seeds are high in magnesium?
Which vegetables are high in magnesium?
Which fruits are high in magnesium?
Is 1 banana a day enough magnesium?
What drink is high in magnesium?
How to get 400 mg of magnesium a day from food?
Is ragi high in magnesium?
Which millet has the most magnesium?
Is rice a good source of magnesium?
How many almonds should I eat for magnesium?
Is milk a good source of magnesium?
Does cooking destroy magnesium?
Does soaking dal reduce magnesium?
What are the best magnesium-rich foods for vegetarians?
How much magnesium do I need per day?
Can you get too much magnesium from food?
Do I need a magnesium supplement if I eat these foods?
Which magnesium-rich foods help with sleep?
Is whole moong or chana better than dal for magnesium?
Is quinoa high in magnesium?
Is jaggery high in magnesium?
Studies behind this guide
- Longvah T, Ananthan R, Bhaskarachary K, Venkaiah K. Indian Food Composition Tables 2017. Hyderabad: National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR); 2017 — magnesium per 100 g edible portion.
- ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition. Nutrient Requirements for Indians: Recommended Dietary Allowances and Estimated Average Requirements, 2020. nin.res.in — magnesium 440 mg men, 370 mg women.
- National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. Magnesium: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. ods.od.nih.gov — pumpkin seeds 156 mg per 28 g, chia 111 mg per 28 g, soy milk 61 mg per cup.
- US Department of Agriculture. FoodData Central: Nuts, coconut water (liquid from coconuts), FDC ID 170174 — 25 mg magnesium per 100 g. fdc.nal.usda.gov
- Gupta RK, Gangoliya SS, Singh NK. Reduction of phytic acid and enhancement of bioavailable micronutrients in food grains. J Food Sci Technol. 2015;52(2):676–684. PMID 25694676
- Commission Regulation (EU) No 432/2012: list of permitted health claims made on foods — magnesium entries.
Nutrition Science Hub
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Read the guide → MagnesiumHow much magnesium per day?
India’s targets by age and life stage, and the label maths.
Read the guide → Magnesium formsGlycinate vs citrate vs oxide
Which forms absorb, and which are gentle enough for every day.
Read the guide →