Low Phosphorus Foods: 130+ Safe Options for Kidney Disease

TL;DR

• Low phosphorus = under 100mg per serving; very low = under 50mg per serving
• Best bets: fresh fruits, most vegetables, white grains, egg whites, and plant-based milks
• Avoid processed foods with phosphorus additives (90%+ absorption) even when raw numbers look similar

When managing phosphorus on a kidney diet, knowing what you CAN eat is just as important as knowing what to avoid. This reference lists 130+ foods that contain less than 100mg of phosphorus per standard serving — your safest building blocks for kidney-friendly meals.

All values are based on USDA FoodData Central. For the complete phosphorus database including moderate and high-phosphorus foods, see our Phosphorus in Foods List. For background on phosphorus additives, see our Phosphorus Additives Guide.

Why Phosphorus Source Matters

Even within this “low phosphorus” list, absorption varies:

Source Type	Absorption Rate	Impact
Plant-based foods	20-40%	Lowest effective phosphorus
Animal-based foods	40-60%	Moderate effective phosphorus
Additive phosphorus	90-100%	Highest effective phosphorus

A food with 80mg of plant phosphorus delivers roughly 16-32mg to your blood, while 80mg from a processed food delivers 72-80mg. This list focuses on foods with low raw values, but plant-based options within the list are even safer than they appear.

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Low Phosphorus Fruits

Nearly all fruits are low in phosphorus, making them ideal kidney diet staples.

Food	Serving Size	Phosphorus (mg)
Apple	1 medium	20
Applesauce (unsweetened)	1/2 cup	9
Apricot (fresh)	1 medium	8
Banana	1 medium	26
Blackberries	1 cup	32
Blueberries	1 cup	18
Cantaloupe	1 cup cubed	27
Cherries (sweet)	1 cup	29
Clementine	1 fruit	15
Cranberries (raw)	1 cup	13
Dates (Medjool)	2 dates	40
Figs (fresh)	2 medium	22
Grapefruit	1/2 medium	18
Grapes	1 cup	30
Honeydew	1 cup cubed	18
Kiwi	1 medium	34
Lemon	1 medium	16
Lime	1 medium	12
Mango	1 cup sliced	23
Nectarine	1 medium	28
Orange	1 medium	30
Papaya	1 cup cubed	10
Peach	1 medium	20
Pear	1 medium	20
Pineapple	1 cup chunks	13
Plum	1 medium	11
Raspberries	1 cup	36
Strawberries	1 cup	40
Tangerine	1 medium	18
Watermelon	1 cup diced	17

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Low Phosphorus Vegetables

Food	Serving Size	Phosphorus (mg)
Asparagus	4 spears cooked	47
Bell pepper (green)	1/2 cup	15
Bell pepper (red)	1 medium	25
Cabbage (cooked)	1/2 cup	18
Carrots (cooked)	1/2 cup	25
Cauliflower (cooked)	1/2 cup	24
Celery	1 stalk	12
Collard greens	1/2 cup cooked	29
Corn (canned)	1/2 cup	67
Cucumber	1/2 cup sliced	12
Eggplant (cooked)	1/2 cup	11
Garlic	3 cloves	14
Green beans (cooked)	1/2 cup	23
Green beans (canned)	1/2 cup	18
Iceberg lettuce	2 cups	20
Kale (raw)	1 cup	18
Leeks	1/4 cup cooked	15
Mushrooms (raw)	1/2 cup	43
Onion (cooked)	1/2 cup	35
Radishes	5 medium	12
Romaine lettuce	2 cups	30
Sauerkraut	1/4 cup	12
Snap peas	1/2 cup	30
Spinach (raw)	1 cup	15
Sweet potato (baked)	1/2 medium	31
Tomato	1 small	20
Turnip (cooked)	1/2 cup	21
Water chestnuts (canned)	1/2 cup	13
Watercress	1 cup	10
Yellow squash	1/2 cup cooked	25
Zucchini	1/2 cup cooked	28

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Low Phosphorus Proteins

Finding protein sources that are low in phosphorus is the trickiest part of a kidney diet. These options keep phosphorus under 100mg per serving.

Food	Serving Size	Phosphorus (mg)
Brie cheese	1 oz	53
Cream cheese	2 tbsp	30
Egg white	1 large	5
Egg (whole)	1 large	99
Feta cheese	1 oz	96
Parmesan (grated)	1 tbsp	68
Ricotta (part-skim)	2 tbsp	60
Sour cream	2 tbsp	25
Tofu (silken)	1/4 block	60

Note: Most meat, poultry, and fish exceed 100mg per 3oz serving. If your phosphorus limit is strict, use smaller portions of meat (2oz instead of 3oz) paired with low-phosphorus sides, or ask your dietitian about phosphorus binders taken with meals.

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Low Phosphorus Grains and Breads

White and refined grains are significantly lower in phosphorus than whole grain versions.

Food	Serving Size	Phosphorus (mg)
Bagel (white)	1 medium	68
Cornbread	1 piece	70
Corn tortilla	1 tortilla	51
Couscous	1/2 cup cooked	21
Cream of wheat	1/2 cup cooked	20
Croissant	1 medium	60
English muffin (white)	1 whole	76
Flour tortilla (white)	1 medium	50
French bread	1 slice	30
Graham crackers	2 sheets	20
Grits	1/2 cup cooked	16
Italian bread	1 slice	22
Macaroni (white, cooked)	1/2 cup	38
Noodles (egg, cooked)	1/2 cup	47
Oatmeal (plain)	1/2 cup cooked	90
Pasta (white, cooked)	1 cup	76
Pita bread (white)	1 small	40
Popcorn (air-popped)	3 cups	84
Rice (white, cooked)	1/2 cup	34
Rice cakes	2 cakes	32
Rice noodles	1/2 cup cooked	14
Sourdough bread	1 slice	42
Spaghetti (white, cooked)	1 cup	76
White bread	1 slice	25

Note: Whole wheat bread (57mg/slice), whole wheat pasta (151mg/cup), and brown rice (81mg/half cup) are noticeably higher. On a strict low-phosphorus diet, white/refined versions are preferred.

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Low Phosphorus Dairy Alternatives

Traditional dairy is one of the highest phosphorus food groups. These alternatives let you enjoy creamy foods without the phosphorus load.

Food	Serving Size	Phosphorus (mg)
Almond milk (unsweetened, unenriched)	1 cup	24
Coconut cream	2 tbsp	15
Coconut milk (carton)	1 cup	25
Cool Whip	2 tbsp	2
Half and half	2 tbsp	28
Heavy cream	2 tbsp	19
Non-dairy creamer (liquid)	1 tbsp	10
Oat milk (unenriched)	1 cup	50
Rice milk (unenriched)	1 cup	56
Whipped cream	2 tbsp	8

Important: Some plant milks are fortified with calcium phosphate, which significantly increases phosphorus content. Always check the ingredient label and choose “unenriched” or “unsweetened original” varieties.

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Low Phosphorus Beverages

Food	Serving Size	Phosphorus (mg)
Apple juice	8 oz	17
Black tea	8 oz	2
Club soda	12 oz	0
Coffee (black)	8 oz	7
Cranberry juice cocktail	8 oz	3
Ginger ale	12 oz	0
Grape juice	4 oz	14
Lemonade	8 oz	5
Lemon-lime soda (Sprite, 7-Up)	12 oz	0
Orange juice	8 oz	27
Peach nectar	4 oz	8
Root beer	12 oz	0
Water	8 oz	0
White wine	5 oz	18

Warning: Dark colas (Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Dr Pepper) contain phosphoric acid, adding 40-60mg of highly absorbable additive phosphorus per 12oz can. Stick to clear sodas, ginger ale, or root beer instead.

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Low Phosphorus Snacks and Condiments

Food	Serving Size	Phosphorus (mg)
Animal crackers	10 crackers	30
Butter	1 tbsp	3
Corn chips	1 oz	35
Cranberry sauce	2 tbsp	3
Gelatin (Jell-O)	1/2 cup	28
Gummy candy	10 pieces	0
Hard candy	3 pieces	0
Honey	1 tbsp	1
Jam or jelly	1 tbsp	2
Jelly beans	10 pieces	1
Ketchup	1 tbsp	6
Maple syrup	1 tbsp	1
Marshmallows	4 large	2
Mayonnaise	1 tbsp	4
Mustard	1 tsp	4
Olive oil	1 tbsp	0
Pickles (dill)	1 spear	4
Potato chips (plain)	1 oz	50
Pretzels	1 oz	30
Rice cakes	2 cakes	32
Saltine crackers	6 crackers	20
Sugar	1 tsp	0
Vanilla wafers	5 wafers	15
Vinegar	1 tbsp	1

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Sample Low Phosphorus Day

Here is what a full day of eating might look like when prioritizing low-phosphorus choices:

Meal	Foods	Estimated Phosphorus
Breakfast	2 egg whites scrambled, white toast with jam, 1 cup blueberries, coffee with non-dairy creamer	~55mg
Snack	Apple slices with 1 tbsp honey	~21mg
Lunch	Turkey sandwich (2oz fresh turkey, white bread, lettuce, mustard), corn chips, grapes	~180mg
Snack	Rice cakes with cranberry sauce	~35mg
Dinner	3oz chicken breast, 1/2 cup white rice, steamed green beans, side salad with ranch	~295mg
Dessert	1/2 cup sherbet	~40mg
Daily Total		~626mg

This sample day comes in well under the 800mg target for CKD stages 3-4.

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How to Use This List

Swap high-phosphorus ingredients for low-phosphorus alternatives. Replace milk with unenriched almond milk. Use cream cheese instead of cheddar. Choose white rice over brown rice. These small swaps add up to major phosphorus reductions.

Read ingredient labels on packaged foods. Even if a food appears on this low-phosphorus list, processed versions may contain phosphorus additives that dramatically increase the phosphorus content. Look for ingredients containing “PHOS” — see our phosphorus additives guide.

Pair higher-phosphorus proteins with low-phosphorus sides. Since most meats exceed 100mg per serving, surround them with very low phosphorus sides (white rice, green beans, applesauce) to keep the meal total manageable.

Use tracking tools for accuracy. Estimating phosphorus from memory is unreliable, especially when additives are involved. KidneyPal lets you scan meals to automatically calculate phosphorus alongside your other nutrient targets.

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The Bottom Line

Low-phosphorus eating is very achievable once you know which foods are safe. Fresh fruits, most vegetables, white grains, and plant-based milks form a solid foundation. The biggest wins come from avoiding processed foods with phosphorus additives and choosing refined grains over whole grains when phosphorus control is a priority.

For a complete kidney diet planning resource, visit our kidney disease diet management guide. Related references:

• Phosphorus in Foods: Complete List
• Phosphorus Additives Identification Guide
• Sodium Content of Foods
• Kidney Diet Food Chart