Fruits aren’t the richest source of vitamin E compared to nuts and seeds, but several deliver a meaningful amount. Dried apricots lead the pack, with a cup of stewed dried apricots providing about 3.83 mg of vitamin E, roughly 25% of the daily recommended intake of 15 mg for adults. Kiwifruit, mangos, blackberries, and a few tropical options round out the list.
The Best Fruit Sources of Vitamin E
Here’s how the top fruits compare, based on USDA nutrient data per typical household serving:
- Dried apricots (stewed, 1 cup): 3.83 mg
- Kiwifruit, green (1 cup sliced): 2.63 mg
- Mamey sapote (100 g): 2.11 mg
- Blackberries, frozen (1 cup): 1.77 mg
- Mango (1 cup pieces): 1.49 mg
- Loganberries, frozen (1 cup): 1.28 mg
- Persimmon, Japanese (1 whole fruit): 1.23 mg
- Blueberries, frozen (1 cup): 1.2 mg
For context, 15 mg is the recommended daily amount for adults 14 and older, including during pregnancy. That rises slightly to 19 mg during breastfeeding. So even the top fruit on the list supplies about a quarter of what you need in a day, and most fruits fall well below that. Fruits work best as one piece of your vitamin E intake, alongside richer sources like sunflower seeds, almonds, and plant oils.
Kiwifruit: The Standout Fresh Option
Among fruits you’d commonly find at a grocery store and eat fresh, green kiwifruit is the clear winner. A cup of sliced kiwi delivers 2.63 mg of vitamin E, about 18% of the daily value. Kiwis are also loaded with vitamin C, so they pull double duty as an antioxidant source. One cup is roughly two to three whole kiwifruits, which is a realistic serving size for a snack or smoothie addition.
Berries Pack More Than You’d Expect
Blackberries stand out among berries. A cup provides about 1.77 mg of vitamin E, which covers roughly 10% of the daily value. That’s a solid contribution from a fruit most people eat for its fiber and flavor rather than its vitamin E content. Loganberries, a raspberry-blackberry hybrid, come in at 1.28 mg per cup. Blueberries offer about 1.2 mg per cup when frozen.
Fresh raspberries and strawberries contain smaller amounts, typically under 1 mg per cup. They’re not useless sources, but you’d need to eat several servings to make a real dent in your daily target. Mixing berries together in a bowl or smoothie is a practical way to stack up multiple small contributions.
Mango, Persimmon, and Tropical Fruits
Mango is one of the more accessible tropical fruits with decent vitamin E. A cup of mango pieces provides 1.49 mg. Japanese persimmons deliver a similar amount, about 1.23 mg per whole fruit. Both are easy to add to breakfasts or eat as snacks.
Mamey sapote, a tropical fruit popular in Latin American cuisines, contains 2.11 mg per 100 grams of flesh. That puts it among the highest fruit sources by weight. It’s harder to find in many grocery stores, but if you have access to it, it’s one of the richest fruit options available.
Why Dried Apricots Top the List
Drying concentrates the nutrients in fruit by removing water, which is why dried apricots rank so high. A cup of stewed dried apricots contains 3.83 mg of vitamin E, more than any other fruit serving in the USDA database. Even canned apricots deliver between 1.55 and 1.95 mg per cup, depending on preparation. Fresh apricots contain less per serving simply because they’re heavier with water. If you’re specifically trying to boost vitamin E through fruit, dried apricots are the most efficient choice.
How to Absorb More Vitamin E From Fruit
Vitamin E is fat-soluble, meaning your body needs some dietary fat present to absorb it properly. Eating fruit on its own isn’t ideal for absorption. Pairing fruit with a fat source makes a noticeable difference. A handful of nuts alongside your berries, some yogurt with your mango, or avocado in a fruit smoothie all work well.
This is also why avocado deserves a mention here, even though it’s technically classified as a fruit. Avocados contain both vitamin E and plenty of healthy fat, making them a self-contained package for absorption. A whole avocado provides roughly 2.7 mg of vitamin E along with the fat your body needs to use it.
Fruits Alone Won’t Meet Your Needs
Even if you ate a cup of dried apricots, a cup of kiwi, and a cup of blackberries in a single day, you’d reach about 8.2 mg, just over half the 15 mg target. The richest vitamin E sources in the diet are nuts, seeds, and vegetable oils. A single ounce of sunflower seeds provides around 7.4 mg, nearly half your daily requirement in a small handful. Wheat germ oil delivers even more.
That said, fruits contribute meaningfully when combined with these other sources. A diet that includes a variety of the fruits listed above, alongside nuts or seeds and some cooking oil, can reach 15 mg without much effort or any need for supplements.