We all know how important vitamin A is for healthy eyesight, but this powerful antioxidant offers several other health benefits as well. As a vegan, you may be wondering how you can get enough through your diet.
Fortunately, it isn’t difficult to get enough on a plant-based diet. In this post, I’ll discuss the best vegan sources of vitamin A to include in your meals and explain whether you might need to take a supplement.
What is vitamin A?
The term “Vitamin A” refers to the retinoids (derivatives of vitamin A) and provitamin A carotenoids found in food. Animal-based foods contain retinol, while plant-based foods contain carotenoids (like beta-carotene) that the body converts into retinol1 in the intestines.
This nutrient is critical for a variety of health-related processes, including:
- Normal growth and development of tissue
- Proper functioning of the retina, conjunctival membranes, and cornea in the eyes
- Embryo development during pregnancy in women and sperm production in men
- Reducing chronic inflammation
- Supporting proper immune cell function
Vitamin A is fat-soluble, meaning it mixes best with fat rather than water. It’s absorbed best when eaten with a source of healthy fats. When you eat more vitamin A than you need at one time, the extra is stored in your fat cells and liver. Unlike water-soluble B vitamins, the excess isn’t removed through urine.
Daily vitamin A needs
Our bodies need small amounts of vitamins every day for optimal health, and vitamin A is no exception. The Daily Value for vitamin A in adults is 900 micrograms of Retinol Activity Equivalents (RAE). This is the amount used for nutrition labels on packaged food items in the United States.
What are retinol activity equivalents? Basically, RAE is a way of expressing the vitamin A content of different foods.
The preformed vitamin A from animal foods and the provitamin A carotenoids from plant foods are required in different amounts to get similar health benefits, so we convert them into RAE to get a better understanding of how much vitamin A these foods contribute to the diet and how they compare to each other.
The Daily Value is set at 900 micrograms RAE to ensure that all adult men, who have the highest vitamin A requirements, get enough.
It’s important to note, however, that needs change depending on multiple factors like age, sex, and life stage. For example, women need even more vitamin A than men do while breastfeeding an infant.
Here’s a breakdown of how vitamin A needs vary:
| Age | Daily Vitamin A Needs | |
| 0-6 months | 400 mcg RAE | |
| 7-12 months | 500 mcg RAE | |
| 1-3 years | 300 mcg RAE | |
| 4-8 years | 400 mcg RAE | |
| 9-13 years | 600 mcg RAE | |
| 14-18 years | Men | 900 mcg RAE |
| Women Pregnancy Breastfeeding | 700 mcg RAE 750 mcg RAE 1,200 mcg RAE | |
| 19-50 years | Men | 900 mcg RAE |
| Women Pregnancy Breastfeeding | 700 mcg RAE 770 mcg RAE 1,300 mcg RAE | |
| 51+ years | Men | 900 mcg RAE |
| Women | 700 mcg RAE | |
The best vegan sources of vitamin A
In general, the best plant-based sources of vitamin A include red and orange fruits and vegetables (especially root vegetables), green leafy vegetables, and fortified non-dairy milk. You can see the best sources below based on commonly consumed portion sizes:
Let’s take a closer look at these nutrient-dense foods!
1. Sweet potatoes
Sweet potato lovers rejoice! This root vegetable is the best plant source of vitamin A with 1.5 times the Daily Value in one whole sweet potato.
Add air-fried sweet potato cubes to Buddha bowls, top a baked sweet potato with blueberries and peanut butter for a sweet breakfast, blend them into a creamy soup, or enjoy sweet potato pie bars for a vitamin A-rich dessert!
2. Butternut squash
Butternut squash is a close runner-up with 127% of the Daily Value in 1 cup of cubed squash. This vegetable is best in autumn and winter. Some of my favorite ways to eat it are:
- Cubed and air-fried until golden brown
- Blended with cashew cream and a little nutritional yeast into a creamy pasta sauce (top with fried sage for extra flavor)
- Cut in half, baked until soft, and stuffed with sauteed lentils and quinoa
3. Pumpkin
A half-cup of canned pumpkin contains nearly 100% of the Daily Value for vitamin A, making it a nutrient-dense addition to your favorite autumn meals.
Not sure what to make with canned pumpkin other than pumpkin pie? Try these delicious ideas:
- Pumpkin spice oatmeal: Stir canned pumpkin, non-dairy milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, and maple syrup into cooked oatmeal. Alternatively, add to overnight oats.
- Pumpkin Bean Chili: Add a cup of canned pumpkin to your favorite vegan chili recipe.
- Add to savory soups like minestrone
- Use in pumpkin bread, muffins, and cookies
4. Carrots
A half-cup of cooked carrots provides 75% of the Daily Value for vitamin A, so make sure to enjoy them roasted or added to soup.
Raw carrots are also a good source with 50% of the Daily Value in a half-cup serving. Enjoy with hummus or peanut butter!
5. Spinach
You can get 64% of the Daily Value of vitamin A from a half-cup of frozen, boiled spinach, so try adding this leafy green to soups, vegan lasagna, tofu quiche, spinach artichoke dip, or vegan spanakopita.
6. Collard greens
A staple in soul food cooking, collard greens are a great source of vitamin A with 40% of the Daily Value in only a half-cup of cooked greens. Bump the serving size up for an even bigger vitamin A boost!
7. Bok choy
Bok choy is another delicious green vegetable rich in vitamin A. A half-cup of cooked bok choy has 20% of the Daily Value, making it the perfect addition to your next veggie stir-fry!
8. Fortified non-dairy milk
Many non-dairy milk brands fortify their products with vitamin A to better match the levels found in dairy milk, which is also fortified. Silk, Almond Breeze, Oatly, and Good Karma are a few examples with vitamin A levels around 15-20% of the Daily Value.
Some brands choose not to fortify their plant milks, however, so be sure to check the label. You’ll see “Vitamin A” on the nutrition facts label and “vitamin A palmitate” or “vitamin A acetate” in the ingredients.
RELATED: A Vegan Dietitian’s Guide to Non-Dairy Milk
9. Cantaloupe
You know how almost every restaurant uses cantaloupe in their fruit salad? This is a good thing! It may not be everyone’s first choice for fruit, but this melon has 15% of the Daily Value of vitamin A in only a half-cup serving.
10. Red bell peppers
Red bell peppers are one of my favorite vegetables. I add them to almost every meal I make for their gorgeous color and high vitamin C content, but they’re also a good source of vitamin A. A half-cup of raw sweet red peppers will give you 13% of the Daily Value.
11. Mango
Mangos are beloved worldwide for their creamy texture and sweet, almost citrusy flavor. One whole mango has 12% of the Daily Value for vitamin A, so feel free to add them to smoothies and desserts, sprinkle them with chile-lime seasoning, or enjoy plain!
12. Watermelon
This crisp, refreshing melon is a great way to get vitamin A during the summer months. One wedge (about 1/16th of a melon) has 9% of the Daily Value.
I love eating watermelon plain, but it’s also great in a salad or smoothie with lime, mint, and a touch of maple syrup.
13. Papaya
One small papaya has 8% of the Daily Value for vitamin A. Try it on top of non-dairy yogurt or in smoothies. It can also be roasted with brown sugar for a nutrient-dense dessert.
14. Black-eyed peas
Black-eyed peas are an unexpected source of vitamin A with 7% of the Daily Value in 1 cup.
While you won’t be able to meet your total vitamin A needs through black-eyed peas alone, including them as part of a varied plant-based diet can help you get there.
Do vegans need to take vitamin A supplements?
Fortunately, most people will have no problem getting enough vitamin A on a vegan diet. As we’ve seen, some of the most commonly consumed foods like sweet potatoes, carrots, spinach, and fortified non-dairy milk are great sources of vitamin A.
That said, you may struggle to get enough if you don’t consistently eat fruits and vegetables.
It’s best to try and include more of these foods and to choose fortified non-dairy milk rather than taking individual vitamin A supplements due to the risk of toxicity. Most vitamin A supplements contain much higher amounts than you actually need, which can build up in the body since vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin.
In general, vitamin A supplements aren’t recommended unless you have a diagnosed deficiency, which is very rare in developed countries. A multivitamin that contains vitamin A may be helpful for people with very restrictive diets, malnutrition, or medical conditions that reduce the ability to absorb nutrients from food.
Summary
There are plenty of excellent plant-based sources of vitamin A, so vegans can easily get enough of this important nutrient by including a variety of these foods in their diet.
Also of note is that sweet potatoes, butternut squash, and pumpkin are seasonal in autumn and winter, mango and watermelon are seasonal in summer, and leafy greens grow best in the spring and fall. This makes it possible to meet your vitamin A needs all year long while focusing on seasonal produce!
What about other fat-soluble vitamins? Learn more by reading The 14 Best Vegan Vitamin E Sources!
The scientific information in this article was accurate at the time of publishing but may change over time as new research becomes available.
References
- National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. Vitamin A and Carotenoids Health Professional Fact Sheet. NIH website. Accessed 12/2/24.
