Top 10 Foods Highest in Lycopene (2024)

Written by Daisy Whitbread BSc (Hons) MSc DipION Medically Reviewed by Dr. Patricia Shelton

Evidence Based. References sourced from PubMed. Powered by USDA Nutrition Data.

Top 10 Foods Highest in Lycopene (3)

Lycopene is the most powerful antioxidant measured in food (1) and is thought to play a role in preventing cancer, heart disease, and macular degeneration. (2,3,4,5,6,7) Further, lycopene is good for healthy skin. (8)

Lycopene is a carotenoid that gives many fruits and vegetables their red color. Carotenoids are substances that are chemically similar to vitamin A, and they act as antioxidants in the body.

Although lycopene is believed to have health benefits, eating it in excess amounts can cause lycopene to deposit in the tissues, causing the skin and even the liver to have a yellow color. (9)

There are no known symptoms of lycopene deficiency. Because of this, no daily value (DV) for lycopene has been established.

High lycopene foods include guavas, cooked tomatoes, watermelon, grapefruit, papaya, sweet red peppers, persimmon, asparagus, red cabbage, and mangos.

Table of Contents

  • Introduction
  • List of High Lycopene Foods
  • Printable
  • High Lycopene Foods by Nutrient Density
  • Lists By Food Group
  • References

List of High Lycopene Foods

  • Top 10 Foods Highest in Lycopene (4)1. Guavas + Add

    Lycopene
    per Cup
    Lycopene
    per 100g
    Lycopene
    per 200 Calories
    8587mcg5204mcg15306mcg

    Nutrition Facts for Guavas. (Source)

  • Top 10 Foods Highest in Lycopene (5)2. Tomato + Add

    Lycopene
    per Cup Cooked
    Lycopene
    per 100g
    Lycopene
    per 200 Calories
    7298mcg3041mcg33789mcg

    Nutrition Facts for Cooked Tomatoes. (Source)

    More Tomato Products High in Lycopene

    • 18984mcg in a 1/4 cup of tomato paste
    • 16784mcg in 1/2 cup of tomato sauce
    • 1433mcg in 1 cup of minestrone soup
  • Top 10 Foods Highest in Lycopene (6)3. Watermelon + Add

    Lycopene
    per Cup
    Lycopene
    per 100g
    Lycopene
    per 200 Calories
    6979mcg4532mcg30213mcg

    Nutrition Facts for Watermelon. (Source)

  • Top 10 Foods Highest in Lycopene (7)4. Grapefruit + Add

    Lycopene
    1 Cup Sections
    Lycopene
    per 100g
    Lycopene
    per 200 Calories
    3264mcg1419mcg6757mcg

    Nutrition Facts for Pink Grapefruit. (Source)

  • Top 10 Foods Highest in Lycopene (8)5. Papaya + Add

    Lycopene
    per Cup
    Lycopene
    per 100g
    Lycopene
    per 200 Calories
    2651mcg1828mcg8502mcg

    Nutrition Facts for Papaya. (Source)

    Mamey Sapote provides 384mcg per cup.

  • Top 10 Foods Highest in Lycopene (9)6. Red Bell Peppers + Add

    Lycopene
    per Cup Cooked
    Lycopene
    per 100g
    Lycopene
    per 200 Calories
    513mcg484mcg728mcg

    Nutrition Facts for Cooked Red Bell Peppers (Sauteed). (Source)

  • Top 10 Foods Highest in Lycopene (10)7. Persimmon + Add

    Lycopene
    per Fruit
    Lycopene
    per 100g
    Lycopene
    per 200 Calories
    267mcg159mcg454mcg

    Nutrition Facts for Fuyu Persimmon. (Source)

  • Top 10 Foods Highest in Lycopene (11)8. Asparagus + Add

    Lycopene
    per Cup Cooked
    Lycopene
    per 100g
    Lycopene
    per 200 Calories
    54mcg30mcg273mcg

    Nutrition Facts for Cooked Asparagus (Boiled, Drained). (Source)

  • Top 10 Foods Highest in Lycopene (12)9. Red Cabbage + Add

    Lycopene
    per Cup Chopped
    Lycopene
    per 100g
    Lycopene
    per 200 Calories
    18mcg20mcg129mcg

    Nutrition Facts for Raw Red Cabbage. (Source)

  • Top 10 Foods Highest in Lycopene (13)10. Mangos + Add

    Lycopene
    per Cup
    Lycopene
    per 100g
    Lycopene
    per 200 Calories
    5mcg3mcg10mcg

    Nutrition Facts for Mangos. (Source)

Next ➞

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Top 10 Foods Highest in Lycopene (15)

High Lycopene Foods by Nutrient Density

FoodServingLycopene
1. Sun-Dried Tomatoes100 grams45902mcg
2. Pasta Sauce100 grams12717mcg
3. Ketchup100 grams12062mcg
4. Rose Hips100 grams6800mcg
5. Canned Minestrone100 grams5963mcg
6. Guavas100 grams5204mcg
7. Manhattan Clam Chowder100 grams5112mcg
8. Watermelon100 grams4532mcg
9. Tomato100 grams3041mcg
10. Papaya100 grams1828mcg

Use the ranking tool links below to select foods and create your own food list to share or print.

  • Foods High in Lycopene
  • Foods Low in Lycopene
  • Vegetarian Foods High in Lycopene
  • Fast Foods High in Lycopene

View more nutrients with the nutrient ranking tool, or see ratios with the nutrient ratio tool.

Related

  • Foods for a Healthy Heart
  • High Lutein and Zeaxanthin Foods
  • Vitamin A Foods
  • Foods High in Beta Carotene

Data Sources and References

  1. Di Mascio P, Devasagayam TP, Kaiser S, Sies H. Lycopene as the most efficient biological carotenoid singlet oxygen quencher Biochem Soc Trans. 1990 Dec;18(6):1054-6. doi: 10.1042/bst0181054. 2088803
  2. Schuurman AG, Goldbohm RA, Brants HA, van den Brandt PA. Intake of carotenoids and retinol in relation to risk of prostate cancer Cancer Causes Control. 2002 Aug;13(6):573-82. doi: 10.1023/a:1016332208339. 12195647
  3. Stahl W, Sies H. Lycopene: antioxidant and biological effects and its bioavailability in the human Arch Biochem Biophys. 1996 Dec 1;336(1):1-9. doi: 10.1006/abbi.1996.0525. 8951028
  4. Kiokias S, Gordon MH. Bioavailability and in vivo antioxidant properties of lycopene from tomato products and their possible role in the prevention of cancer Eur J Clin Nutr. 2003 Sep;57(9):1135-40. doi: 10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601655. 12947433
  5. La Vecchia C. Tomatoes and risk of digestive-tract cancers Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1998 Jun;218(2):125-8. doi: 10.3181/00379727-218-44276. 9605210
  6. Kirsh VA, Mayne ST, Peters U, Chatterjee N, Leitzmann MF, Dixon LB, Urban DA, Crawford ED, Hayes RB. Dietary lycopene, tomato-based food products and cardiovascular disease in women Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2006 Jan;15(1):92-8. doi: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-05-0563. 16434593
  7. Cardinault N, Abalain JH, Sairafi B, Coudray C, Grolier P, Rambeau M, Carré JL, Mazur A, Rock E. Serum antioxidants and age-related macular degeneration in a population-based case-control study Clin Chim Acta. 2005 Jul 1;357(1):34-42. doi: 10.1016/j.cccn.2005.01.030. 15963792
  8. Tarshish E, Hermoni K, Sharoni Y, Muizzuddin N. Beauty from within: Improvement of skin health and appearance with Lycomato a tomato-derived oral supplement J Cosmet Dermatol. 2022 Sep;21(9):4042-4052. doi: 10.1111/jocd.14724. Epub 2022 Jan 12. 35020247
  9. Palleschi GM, Knoepfel BR, Lotti T. Carotenoderma due to lycopenemia: A case report and evaluation of lycopene deposition in the skin Int J Dermatol. 1992 Jan;31(1):50-1. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-4362.1992.tb03521.x. 1737690

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