Watercress: The Nutritional Gold Standard
When it comes to pure nutritional power, watercress stands alone at the top of the mountain. Watercress is the most nutrient-dense vegetable, receiving a perfect score of 100 in the CDC’s ranking of “powerhouse” fruits and vegetables. This peppery aquatic plant isn’t just another leafy green—it’s a compact nutrition bomb that delivers more vitamins and minerals per calorie than any other vegetable on the planet.
The impressive nutritional profile of watercress reads like a vitamin supplement label. One cup of watercress provides 106 percent of your daily vitamin K, 17 percent of your daily vitamin C, and six percent of your daily vitamin A. What’s even more remarkable is that all this nutrition comes in at just 4 calories per cup. Watercress is rich in antioxidants, which can help reduce inflammation and oxidative stress, and contains compounds like beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin, which support heart health and improve blood vessel function.
Chinese Cabbage: The Versatile Runner-Up
Coming in second place with a score of 91.99, Chinese cabbage proves that you don’t need to sacrifice taste for nutrition. This cruciferous vegetable includes varieties like bok choy, napa cabbage, and pak choi, all of which pack serious nutritional punch. Interestingly, baby bok choy has more nutrition relative to standard bok choy, making it an even smarter choice for health-conscious consumers.
The beauty of Chinese cabbage lies in its versatility and digestibility. Chinese cabbage delivers a robust profile of vitamins C and K while also providing about eight percent of your daily dose of folate, which is crucial for DNA repair and cell growth. Unlike some of its more bitter cruciferous cousins, Chinese cabbage offers a mild flavor that works well in everything from stir-fries to salads. These pack a wallop of vitamins A, E, K, and C, as well as essential minerals like calcium, magnesium, and iron.
Swiss Chard: The Colorful Powerhouse
With its vibrant rainbow stems and deep green leaves, Swiss chard earns its third-place ranking with a score of 89.27. This Mediterranean native brings both visual appeal and serious nutrition to the table. Known for its vibrant colors and nutrient density, Swiss chard is one of the healthiest vegetables to eat, packed with fiber and potassium, it offers anti-inflammatory benefits and supports bone health.
What makes Swiss chard particularly impressive is its mineral content. A single cup of chard provides more than double your daily value of vitamin K, which reinforces bone and cardiovascular health, plus half of your vitamin A, which is vital for vision and immunity. The colorful stems aren’t just for show—they indicate the presence of betalains, powerful antioxidants that give beets their deep red color. Cooking enhances the digestibility of Swiss chard while preserving its wealth of nutrients, making it a must-have for colorful, nutrient-packed meals.
Beet Greens: The Overlooked Treasure
Most people toss beet greens in the compost bin, but they’re missing out on the fourth most nutrient-dense vegetable with a score of 87.08. These earthy-tasting leaves are nutritional powerhouses hiding in plain sight. While everyone focuses on the beetroot, the greens above ground are where the real nutritional magic happens.
Beet greens share many characteristics with their Swiss chard cousins, and for good reason—they’re actually the same species. Items in cruciferous (watercress, Chinese cabbage, collard green, kale, arugula) and green leafy (chard, beet green, spinach, chicory, leaf lettuce) groups were concentrated in the top half of the distribution of scores. The natural nitrates in beet greens help improve blood flow and may support athletic performance. These greens are also rich in vitamins A, C, and K, plus minerals like iron and calcium.
Spinach: The Classic Superfood
Rounding out the top five with a score of 86.43, spinach has been a nutritional champion long before the term “superfood” became trendy. This leafy green tops the chart as one of the most nutrient-dense vegetables, with 1 cup (30 grams) of raw spinach providing 16% of the Daily Value for vitamin A plus 120% of the DV for vitamin K — all for just 7 calories.
What sets spinach apart is its incredible versatility and accessibility. Spinach is one of the most nutrient-rich green leafy veggies you can eat, providing substantial amounts of vitamins A, B, and K, plus it’s a good source of minerals, including manganese, magnesium, iron, copper, and calcium, and it’s rich in antioxidants, fiber, and essential amino acids. Unlike some exotic vegetables, spinach is available year-round and works equally well raw in salads or cooked in countless dishes. Spinach is a leafy green vegetable and a great source of calcium, vitamins, iron, and antioxidants, and due to its iron and calcium content, spinach is a great addition to any meat- or dairy-free diet.
Kale: The Trendy Nutritional Star
Despite its massive popularity in recent years, kale actually ranks lower than you might expect, with a score of 49.07. Kale, which has quite a good PR campaign going, despite its bitter taste and tough leaves, only earned 49.07 – just above dandelion greens. However, this doesn’t mean kale isn’t nutritious—it’s still packed with valuable nutrients that support overall health.
Kale has become more popular as a health food in the past few decades, but this leafy green vegetable has been used as medicine for much longer than that, and kale is also an excellent source of iron, calcium, and folic acid. The key with kale is preparation—massaging the leaves with olive oil and lemon juice breaks down the tough fibers and makes it more palatable. Kale is a good source of vitamins K, C, A, and B6, folate, and manganese.
Collard Greens: The Southern Nutritional Champion
Collard greens deserve recognition as one of the most nutritionally dense vegetables available. Taking all of this into consideration, the collards rank #1 on our list of the healthiest vegetables! Collards are dense with many essential nutrients. These sturdy leaves have been a staple in Southern cuisine for generations, and science is finally catching up to what many have known all along.
The nutritional profile of collard greens is truly impressive, offering a well-rounded package of vitamins and minerals. Collard greens contain oxalates, which can contribute to kidney stones and interfere with blood-thinning medications but issues like these are less common in people with balanced diets who stay well-hydrated, and cooking them also reduces their oxalate levels and pairing them with calcium-rich foods enhances nutrient absorption. Whether sautéed, steamed or included in dishes like Instant Pot collard greens, Kenya’s sukuma wiki or Brazil’s caldo verde soup, these greens are a nutritious addition to any meal and firmly among the healthiest vegetables available.
Broccoli: The Cruciferous Cancer Fighter
Broccoli earns its reputation as a nutritional powerhouse through its unique combination of vitamins, minerals, and cancer-fighting compounds. Broccoli contains a special chemical compound called sulforaphane, which scientists have studied for its medicinal effects, and cruciferous vegetables are the best vegetables to protect against cancer. This compound is what gives broccoli its slightly bitter taste and incredible health benefits.
Broccoli is rich in fiber and vitamins A, C, and K and is a good calcium, potassium, and iron source, plus broccoli has powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer properties, and raw or cooked, broccoli is a great way to get your greens. The versatility of broccoli makes it an easy addition to any diet. Broccoli is also an excellent source of vitamin C and iron. Cauliflower is known for both its versatility and its stellar nutrient profile, and just 1 cup (155 g) cooked packs 3 g of fiber, 3 g of protein, and a variety of other important nutrients, including folate and vitamins C and K.
Brussels Sprouts: The Miniature Nutritional Cabbage
These small, cabbage-like vegetables pack a surprising nutritional punch that often gets overlooked due to their polarizing reputation. Brussels sprouts, small cruciferous vegetables resembling miniature cabbages, are packed with nutrients, making them some of the healthiest vegetables to include in your diet, and they shine as one of the healthiest vegetables thanks to their rich content of vitamins C and K and high amounts of fiber.
Brussels sprouts are full of vitamins, minerals, and fiber, and you can count on Brussels sprouts to support your immune system, blood and bone health, and more, plus Brussels sprouts are very filling and low in calories, so they are a great choice to help maintain a healthy weight. A serving of Brussels sprouts has about half the DV for vitamin C, along with other antioxidants. The key to enjoying Brussels sprouts is proper preparation—roasting them brings out their natural sweetness and creates crispy, caramelized edges that even former Brussels sprouts haters can appreciate.
Sweet Potatoes: The Nutritious Comfort Food
While sweet potatoes rank lower on the nutrient density scale due to their higher calorie content, they still provide exceptional nutritional value. One medium skin-on baked sweet potato provides 122% of the recommended daily value for vitamin A, and among other nutrients, they’re also rich in vitamin C, fiber, potassium, B vitamins, beta carotene, and essential amino acids, plus sweet potatoes may help lower the risks of developing diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.
The beauty of sweet potatoes lies in their natural sweetness and versatility. Sweet potatoes, with their natural sweetness and vibrant color, are a fall produce favorite and are often counted among foods that relieve stress, thanks to their antioxidant properties. Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes are both nutritious vegetables, with Brussels sprouts being rich in vitamins, minerals, and fiber, while sweet potatoes provide a healthy dose of vitamins and complex carbohydrates. They work well as a base for both sweet and savory dishes, making them an excellent gateway vegetable for those transitioning to a more plant-based diet.
The science behind these rankings isn’t just academic—it’s practical guidance for building a healthier diet. As numeric descriptors of the amount of beneficial nutrients these vegetables contain relative to the energy they provide, the scores can serve as a platform for educating people on the concept of nutrient density, and expressing the nutrient desirability of foods in terms of the energy they provide may help focus consumers on their daily energy needs and getting the most nutrients from their foods, plus the rankings provide clarity on the nutrient quality of the different foods and may aid in the selection of more nutrient-dense items. When you’re looking to maximize nutrition while managing calories, these vegetables offer the most bang for your nutritional buck.
