Last reviewed on 11 September 2026.
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The figures below come from USDA FoodData Central, which reports alpha-tocopherol consistently across a wide range of foods. They are approximate: the amount in a nut or oil depends on variety, growing conditions, processing and storage. Treat them as a guide to which foods matter most, not as label values.
How much vitamin E do adults need each day?
Roughly 7.5 to 10 mg a day. ICMR-NIN's Nutrient Requirements for Indians (2020) sets adult values in about that range, while the United States recommends 15 mg, a gap that reflects how each body interprets limited evidence rather than any real difference in Indian physiology. Needs are tied partly to how much polyunsaturated fat a person eats, because vitamin E protects those fats from oxidation. Most adults who cook with vegetable oil and eat some nuts or seeds meet the Indian figure without trying.
Which food has the most vitamin E?
Wheat germ oil is the richest common food, at around 150 mg per 100 g, or about 20 mg in a single tablespoon. It is sold in India mainly as a supplement or cosmetic oil rather than for cooking, and it is expensive. Among everyday foods, sunflower seeds lead, at about 35 mg per 100 g for raw kernels, followed by almonds at about 25 mg per 100 g. Dry roasting lowers the figure somewhat, to around 26 mg per 100 g for sunflower seeds.
| Food | Roughly per 100 g |
|---|---|
| Wheat germ oil | about 150 mg, though it is sold here as a supplement rather than for cooking |
| Sunflower seeds, raw | about 35 mg |
| Almonds | about 25 mg |
| Hazelnuts | about 15 mg |
| Peanuts | about 8 mg |
| Cooked spinach | about 2 mg |
Amounts move with variety, processing and storage, so read this as a ranking rather than as label values.
How much vitamin E is in a handful of almonds?
A handful of about 20 to 25 g, roughly 15 to 20 almonds, provides about 5 to 6 mg of vitamin E. That is half or more of an adult's daily need by Indian standards, from a snack most families already keep at home. Soaking almonds overnight, a common Indian habit, is fine: vitamin E is fat-soluble, so it does not leach into the water the way some water-soluble nutrients can. Almond butter and almond flour carry similar amounts weight for weight.
Which cooking oils are high in vitamin E?
Sunflower and safflower oils are the richest everyday cooking oils, at roughly 41 and 34 mg per 100 g, which is about 5.6 mg and 4.6 mg in a tablespoon. Rice bran oil carries a mix of tocopherols and tocotrienols, groundnut and olive oils contain noticeably less alpha-tocopherol, and coconut oil has almost none. Many oils sold in India are blends, and high-oleic versions of sunflower and safflower oil differ from the standard kind, so figures vary by product. Because a household uses oil daily, it quietly supplies a good share of most Indians' vitamin E.
Does frying destroy vitamin E in oil?
Yes, heat breaks it down, and repeated frying destroys a large part of it. Vitamin E is itself an antioxidant, so it gets used up as the oil oxidises at high temperature. A tadka or a quick shallow fry loses less than oil heated again and again in a kadhai for pakoras or puris. Reused oil also builds up harmful breakdown products, which is why FSSAI caps total polar compounds in used cooking oil at 25 per cent. Fresh oil in moderate amounts, used for sauteing or tempering, keeps more of its vitamin E.
Which Indian nuts and seeds are good sources?
Beyond almonds and sunflower seeds, hazelnuts give about 15 mg per 100 g and peanuts about 8 mg per 100 g, so a 30 g handful of peanuts supplies around 2.5 mg. Peanuts are the cheapest option in India and turn up in poha, chikki and chutneys. Pumpkin seeds are often listed as a vitamin E food, but most of theirs is gamma-tocopherol, which does not count towards requirements; their alpha-tocopherol content is only about 2 mg per 100 g. Walnuts, cashews and pistachios contain much less than almonds.
Which vegetables and fruits contain vitamin E?
Green leafy vegetables and a few fruits contribute smaller amounts. Cooked spinach gives about 2 mg per 100 g, and mustard greens and other saag fall in a similar range, which makes a bowl of palak paneer or sarson ka saag a modest help. Among fruits, avocado has about 2 mg per 100 g, kiwi about 1.5 mg and mango about 0.9 mg, so a whole mango supplies close to 2 mg. Red capsicum and broccoli add a little as well.
Why does vitamin E need fat to be absorbed?
Because it is fat-soluble, vitamin E dissolves in fat and is absorbed along with it in the small intestine, with the help of bile. A spinach salad with no dressing, or a very low-fat meal, delivers less of its vitamin E into the body than the same vegetables cooked with a little oil or eaten alongside nuts. Conveniently, most rich sources (nuts, seeds and oils) bring their own fat. People on very low-fat diets, or with conditions that impair fat absorption, take in less of it.
Is vitamin E deficiency common in India?
No, true deficiency is rare in healthy people. It shows up mainly in conditions that prevent fat absorption, such as cystic fibrosis, chronic pancreatitis, cholestatic liver disease and Crohn's disease, in rare genetic disorders, and in some premature babies. When it does occur, it damages nerves and muscles, causing poor coordination, weakness, numbness and vision problems over time. Dry skin or hair fall on their own are not signs of it, whatever supplement advertising suggests.
What are the benefits of vitamin E?
Its main job is protecting cell membranes from oxidative damage, and it also supports immune function and the health of nerves and blood vessels. What vitamin E has not done is live up to hopes for pills: large trials found that vitamin E supplements did not prevent heart disease or cancer in the general population. The benefits are real at the level of meeting requirements, which food does well. How food antioxidants compare with isolated supplements is the subject of NNWA's Antioxidants & Phytochemicals course, which runs three to four weeks and costs 7,999 rupees.
How much vitamin E can you get from a normal Indian day?
More than enough, with a little planning. Using approximate USDA figures, a breakfast of poha with a tablespoon of peanuts gives just under 1 mg. A mid-morning handful of 20 g of almonds adds about 5 mg. Lunch and dinner cooked with two teaspoons of sunflower oil in total give about 4 mg, and a bowl of palak or saag adds about 2 mg. A tablespoon of sunflower seeds sprinkled over raita or salad contributes about 3 mg. That comes to roughly 15 mg, comfortably above the Indian requirement.
Adding up an ordinary day
Using the approximate USDA figures, an unremarkable Indian day clears the requirement without anything bought specially.
Breakfast
Poha with a tablespoon of peanuts through it gives just under 1 mg.
Mid-morning
A handful of 20 g of almonds adds about 5 mg, which is the single largest item of the day.
Cooking oil across both meals
Two teaspoons of sunflower oil in total, between lunch and dinner, contribute about 4 mg without anyone thinking about it.
A bowl of greens
Palak or saag at one of the meals adds about 2 mg.
Something sprinkled
A tablespoon of sunflower seeds over raita or salad brings about 3 mg.
The total
That comes to roughly 15 mg, comfortably above the Indian requirement, with fat present at every point to carry it.
Should you take a vitamin E supplement instead?
For most people, no. Food provides vitamin E at safe levels, while high-dose supplements carry risks, including a higher chance of bleeding for people on blood-thinning medicines. A doctor may prescribe vitamin E for someone with a fat-absorption disorder, which is a different situation altogether. If you have a digestive condition or take anticoagulants, ask your doctor before adding any vitamin E product. The companion post on vitamin E capsules for skin and hair covers doses, trials and risks in detail.
The short answer
Sunflower seeds, almonds, sunflower and safflower oils, peanuts and hazelnuts are the best everyday sources of vitamin E, with greens and a few fruits adding smaller amounts. Adults need roughly 7.5 to 10 mg a day, which a handful of almonds and normal cooking covers. Eat these foods with some fat, avoid oil that has been fried in again and again, and use the wider guide to Indian foods and nutrients to see how vitamin E fits alongside everything else.