Pinto beans contain 2.0 milligrams of iron per 100 grams. Grams is a measure of weight. To put 100 grams in perspective, consider alternative measures for this food:
- 1 cup equals 171 grams.
In the category of beans, we excluded protein isolates and other processed foods from the Top 10 list and include only whole beans. You can assume that if the whole version made the top 10 list, so too would the refined version.The food tested for the particular graph below can be described more specifically as:
Beans, pinto, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, with salt
Read more about iron in beans or visit our iron-rich foods list.
Pinto Beans And Iron
Pinto beans do have a good bit of iron. One cup of cooked pinto beans provides a young woman with about twenty-five percent of her daily iron requirement. However, pinto beans (and all beans) have a substance called phytic acid which reduces your absorption of iron from the pinto beans. There are several things you can do to counteract the effect of phytic acid to unlock the iron in your pinto beans. You can use some simple kitchen preparation techniques to reduce the phytic acid in the beans before you cook them, as we point out on the iron rich foods tips page. You can also have your pinto beans with high vitamin C fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes and bell peppers. These vitamin C foods are iron enhancers which will help reduce the effect of phytic acid.
For more information on the iron content of your favorite foods, use the search function on this site to explore our large database of iron rich foods.