• Alyssa Fontaine, RD
• Apr 30, 2025

Vegetarian Sources of Choline: A Complete Guide

Choline is an essential nutrient that supports many vital functions in the body.
From brain development and liver function to overall cellular health, choline plays a key role in keeping you feeling your best.

For those following a vegetarian or vegan diet, it can be a bit trickier to get enough.
Because choline is most commonly found in animal-based foods, you’ll need to be more intentional with your food choices.

The good news? Meeting your choline needs on a vegetarian diet is absolutely possible.
In this guide, we’ll break down why choline matters and how to easily add more choline-rich, plant-friendly options to your meals.

What is Choline?

Choline is a nutrient often grouped with the B vitamins because of its similar role in supporting energy, brain, and metabolic functions. While not officially a B vitamin, it works closely with them to keep your body running smoothly.

Here’s why choline matters:

• Brain health: Choline is essential for memory, mood, and muscle control. It helps produce acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that supports communication between nerves and muscles.
• Liver function: It plays a key role in fat metabolism, helping to transport fats out of the liver and preventing fat buildup.
• Cellular health: Choline is a critical component of cell membranes, making it essential for every cell in your body.

Although your liver produces small amounts of choline, it’s not enough on its own.
That’s why getting enough through your diet is important—especially if you’re following a vegetarian or mostly plant-based lifestyle.

How much choline do you need?

Choline requirements vary by age, sex, and life stage. The following table goes through the daily Adequate Intake (AI) levels as recommended by the National Library of Medicine:

Age Group	AI for Males (mg/day)	AI for Females (mg/day)
Infants 0–6 months	125	125
Infants 7–12 months	150	150
Children 1–3 years	200	200
Children 4–8 years	250	250
Children 9–13 years	375	375
Teens 14–18 years	550	400
Adults 19+ years	550	425
Pregnant (14–50 years)	—	450
Lactating (14–50 years)	—	550

Top Vegetarian Sources of Choline

While meat and eggs are among the richest sources of choline, several vegetarian-friendly foods can also help you meet your daily needs. Here’s a breakdown of some top options from the USDA FoodData Central:

1. Eggs

• Choline content: 147 mg per large egg
• % of daily intake: ~27%
• Note: Eggs are one of the highest sources of choline and are suitable for ovo-vegetarians.

2. Dairy Products

• Milk (1% fat): 43 mg per cup (~8% of daily intake)
• Yogurt (plain, nonfat): 38 mg per cup (~7%)
• Cottage cheese (nonfat): 26 mg per cup (~5%)

3. Legumes

• Soybeans (roasted): 107 mg per ½ cup (~19%)
• Kidney beans (cooked): 45 mg per cup (~8%)
• Lima beans (cooked): 75 mg per cup (~14%)
• Navy beans (cooked): 27 mg per cup (~5%)

4. Vegetables

• Brussels sprouts (boiled): 32 mg per cup (~6%)
• Broccoli (boiled): 31 mg per cup (~6%)
• Cauliflower (boiled): 24 mg per cup (~4%)
• Red potatoes (baked with skin): 57 mg per large potato (~10%)
• Shiitake mushrooms (cooked): 58 mg per cup (~11%)

5. Whole Grains and Seeds

• Wheat germ (toasted): 152 mg per ½ cup (~28%)
• Quinoa (cooked): 43 mg per cup (~8%)
• Brown rice (cooked): 19 mg per cup (~3%)
• Sunflower seeds (oil-roasted): 19 mg per ¼ cup (~3%)

6. Nuts

• Peanuts (dry-roasted): 24 mg per ¼ cup (~4%)

Incorporating a variety of these foods into your meals can help ensure adequate choline intake on a vegetarian diet! If you are feeling overwhelmed, contact one of our vegan and vegetarian dietitians, who can help ensure you get everything you need, including choline, from your diet.

Meeting Choline Needs on a Vegetarian Diet

Here are some tips from vegetarian and vegan dietitians who have helped many clients meet their choline needs with ease:

• Include eggs and dairy:
  If your vegetarian diet allows, adding eggs and dairy can make meeting your daily choline requirements much easier.
• Diversify plant sources:
  Mix and match a variety of vegetables, legumes, grains, nuts, and seeds to naturally accumulate choline throughout the day without much effort.
• Consider fortified foods:
  Some plant-based products are fortified with choline. Always check nutrition labels to spot these options.
• Monitor intake during pregnancy and lactation:
  Choline needs increase during pregnancy and breastfeeding. It’s a good idea to consult a dietitian who can guide you in meeting these higher needs safely and effectively.

Conclusion

There are plenty of simple ways to adapt your current lifestyle to help you meet your choline needs, along with other essential nutrients.

It’s normal to feel a little overwhelmed at first—but remember, taking it one day at a time makes all the difference.

If you ever need extra support, our dietitians are here to help. They can take the mental load off and guide you in meeting your nutrition goals easily and seamlessly, all while respecting your personal dietary choices.