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Foods high in Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid)

Water-soluble B-vitamin involved in coenzyme A, essential for energy metabolism and the synthesis of hormones, cholesterol, and red blood cells.

About Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid)

Pantothenic acid, vitamin B5, is part of coenzyme A, which the body uses to release energy from carbohydrate, fat and protein and to make fatty acids, cholesterol and some hormones.

The name comes from the Greek for "from everywhere", and it is found in almost every food. Liver, mushrooms, eggs, whole grains, pulses and avocado are among the richer sources. The UK label reference intake is 6 mg a day.

Deficiency is extremely rare and has mostly been seen in severe malnutrition. No harm is known from the amounts found in food.

Foods high in vitamin b5 (pantothenic acid), beans, liver, jew's ear, and more

Ranked by how much you get per calorie, so foods are not rewarded for simply being dry or concentrated. Values from USDA FoodData Central, McCance & Widdowson's CoFID, ANSES Ciqual, and other public nutrition databases. Amounts in milligrams.

Per calorie is the default here because it answers what to eat: ranked purely by amount, a list of the richest foods fills up with dried and concentrated things nobody eats a plateful of. Switch to per 100 grams above if concentration is what you are after.

  1. Beans, broad, whole, raw 8.37mg
  2. Liver, calf, raw 8.08mg
  3. Jew's ear, (pepeao), raw 7.96mg
  4. Beef, New Zealand, imported, variety meats and by-products, liver, raw 7.74mg
  5. Mushrooms, white, cooked, boiled, drained, with salt 7.71mg
  6. Mushrooms, white, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt 7.71mg
  7. Cereals ready-to-eat, RALSTON Enriched Wheat Bran flakes 7.64mg
  8. Mushrooms, shiitake, dried 7.39mg
  9. Pepeao, dried 7.21mg
  10. Beverages, Energy drink, ROCKSTAR 7.18mg
  11. Mushrooms, brown, italian, or crimini, raw 6.82mg
  12. Mushrooms, brown, italian, or crimini, exposed to ultraviolet light, raw 6.82mg

Common questions about Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid)

How much pantothenic acid do I need?
The UK label reference intake is 6 mg a day. A varied diet provides enough without any effort.
What foods are high in pantothenic acid?
Liver, mushrooms, eggs, whole grains, pulses, avocado and sunflower seeds.
Is pantothenic acid deficiency common?
No. It is found in almost every food, and deficiency has mostly been seen in severe malnutrition.