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- Calcium supports bone health, and muscle, nerve, hormone, and heart function.
- Several dairy-free foods contain as much calcium as milk or more, including tofu, collard greens, almonds, tahini, chia seeds, sardines, and canned salmon.
- Adding a variety of calcium-rich foods to your diet can help meet daily needs while also providing other key nutrients.
Calcium is best known for maintaining strong, healthy bones and teeth—but this mineral is also critical to heart, muscle, hormone, and nerve health.
On a daily basis, adult women require approximately 1,200 milligrams (mg) of calcium, while adult men need around 1,000 mg. Many Americans turn to cow’s milk to help meet their daily calcium needs because it contains 300 mg per cup. However, there are plenty of other foods that contain as much calcium as a glass of milk, or even more, many of which are completely dairy-free.
1. Almonds
- Calcium content: 363 mg
- Serving size: 1 cup
Almonds are chock-full of nutrients, offering fiber, protein, healthy fats, and vitamin E to support immune, tissue, gut, and heart health—as well as more calcium than cow’s milk, cup for cup.
Add almonds to homemade trail mix, baked goods, granola, cereal, or oatmeal, or spread them onto toast as almond butter.
2. Collard Greens
- Calcium content: 402 mg
- Serving size: 1.5 cups, cooked
Collard greens are leafy vegetables that boast more calcium than a glass of milk in just 1.5 cups, cooked. Vitamin K, vitamin C, and beta carotene are also found in these greens to support blood clotting, immunity, and eye health.
Collard greens are tasty in soups, stews, and pasta, and when sautéed with aromatics as a side dish.
3. Tahini
- Calcium content: 363 mg
- Serving size: 3 ounces (oz)
Tahini, or ground sesame seeds, is a rich, earthy spread similar to nut butter that’s delicious in dressings, marinades, baked goods, hummus, and sauces.
Tahini’s quite nutrient-dense, offering up plenty of calcium, fiber, protein, phosphorus, manganese, iron, and zinc to boost gut, bone, heart, and immune health.
4. Canned Salmon
- Calcium content: 362 mg
- Serving size: 6 oz
Canned salmon is an accessible and affordable way to get more omega-3 fatty acids, protein, and vitamin D into your daily eating routine. Plus, it’s packed with calcium, which, in combination with the other nutrients it contains, supports muscle, heart, immune, and bone health.
You can quickly turn canned salmon into a simple salad, a salad topper, a sandwich filling, or an addition to pasta, casseroles, or salmon cakes.
5. Firm Tofu
- Calcium content: 506 mg
- Serving size: 1 cup
Tofu is a great source of B vitamins, iron, and plant-based protein, and calcium, offering way more calcium per cup than cow’s milk.
Calcium is often used in the tofu-making process, boosting the mineral content of the final product. However, not all tofu is made this way, so be sure to check the nutrition facts panel to find a high-calcium option when shopping for this soy-based food.
Firm tofu is great for stir-fries, scrambles, salads, grain bowls, and stews.
6. Calcium-Fortified Orange Juice
- Calcium content: 349 mg
- Serving size: 1 cup
Since Americans generally fall short of getting enough calcium, several popular foods are fortified with the mineral—including orange juice.
Orange juice supports skin, immune, blood, and bone health thanks to its vitamin C content, and many of these benefits are enhanced with the addition of calcium.
Sip this juice on its own—in moderation, given its higher natural sugar content and low fiber content—or add it to smoothies, mocktails, dressings, marinades, or sauces.
7. Sardines
- Calcium content: 351 mg
- Serving size: 3.75 oz
Sardines are a surprisingly rich source of calcium because they’re packed into the tin with their bones intact. These bones are soft, safe to eat, and essentially dissolve during the canning process, making them virtually unnoticeable when eaten.
Like salmon, sardines also provide plenty of vitamin D, omega-3s, and protein. They’re super versatile in cooking and make good additions to pasta, toast, salads, sandwiches, and dips.
8. Chia Seeds
- Calcium content: 333 mg
- Serving size: 4 tablespoons (tbsp)
Chia seeds pack a serious nutritional punch, providing notable amounts of antioxidants, protein, omega-3s, fiber, and calcium. They can support several aspects of overall health while easily blending into a variety of foods.
They’re delicious in smoothies, salads, toast, pancakes, oatmeal, granola, and even stir-fries.
