What foods are lowest in potassium?

White rice (76 mg per 100 g), pineapple (109 mg), apple (113 mg), pear (119 mg), cabbage, green beans, bell peppers and pasta are among the lowest. Egg white contains almost none.

Does boiling remove potassium from vegetables?

Yes, if you do it correctly. Potassium is water soluble, so peeling, cutting small, soaking and boiling in water you then discard removes around 70% from potatoes. Boiling a whole potato removes almost nothing.

Low potassium foods: the full list with milligrams

Most low potassium lists are vague. This one gives you the actual milligrams, plus the one technique that turns a high potassium food into a manageable one.

Why potassium matters

Healthy kidneys remove excess potassium through urine. When they can't, it builds up in the blood. High potassium is largely silent, no symptoms until it affects the heart rhythm, which is why it is one of the most common emergencies in nephrology.

All values per 100 g, in milligrams.

Lowest potassium foods

Grains and starches

White rice — 76 mg. The lowest staple available.
Pasta — 170 mg
White bread — 115 mg
Corn tortilla — 180 mg

Fruit

Pineapple — 109 mg
Watermelon — 112 mg (but 92% water, counts toward fluid limits)
Apple — 113 mg
Pear — 119 mg
Raspberry — 151 mg
Strawberry — 153 mg
Plum — 157 mg (fresh, not prunes)
Mandarin — 166 mg

Protein

Egg white — almost none. The best option in a renal diet.
Chicken breast — 256 mg
Shrimp — 260 mg
White fish — 256-290 mg

The technique that changes the numbers

Potassium dissolves in water. Leaching, also called double cooking, takes advantage of that:

Peel. The skin holds potassium in.
Cut small. More surface touching water means more potassium leaves.
Soak in warm water at least 2 hours, ideally overnight.
Discard that water.
Boil in fresh water, and discard that too.

With a white potato: 420 mg raw, around 126 mg after leaching. That is a 70% reduction. With an overnight soak first, it can reach 80%.

Two mistakes cancel the whole thing: leaving the potato whole or in large chunks, and reusing the cooking water for soup. That water holds everything you just removed.

Recipes that already do this

In NefroChef, recipes tell you when to leach an ingredient, and the potassium shown already accounts for it. Reviewed by a nephrologist.

See the recipes →

Highest potassium foods

Salt substitutes — the single biggest risk. Most replace sodium with potassium chloride, and one teaspoon can exceed a whole day's allowance. Check the label for "potassium chloride".
Dried fruit — raisins, apricots, prunes. Drying concentrates potassium about five times.
Banana, orange, avocado
Nuts and seeds — almonds 705 mg, sunflower seeds 645 mg
Potato cooked without leaching

Your daily potassium limit depends on your stage, your lab results and whether you are on dialysis. Confirm it with your nephrologist.