Isoflavones in Plant Based Foods

369 plant foods ranked by isoflavones per 100 g. Search a food, pick a food group or keep whole foods only.

369 plant foods ranked
Source: USDA Isoflavone DB R2.1
Published: 2015 — 7 isoflavone compounds measured

Top 50 of 177 whole foods (369 with the switch off), per 100 g unless marked.

#		Group
1	Soy meal, defatted, raw	Legumes	209.58	80.77	114.71	16.12
2	Soybeans, mature seeds, raw (United States)	Legumes	159.98	61.33	86.33	13.33
3	Soybeans, mature seeds, raw (all sources)	Legumes	155.76	62.9	81.35	15.29
4	Soybeans, mature seeds, dry roasted (includes soy nuts)	Legumes	148.5	62.14	75.78	13.33
5	Soybeans, flakes, defatted	Legumes	131.53	37.47	91.22	14.23
6	Bacon bits, meatless	Legumes	118.5	64.37	45.77	8.33
7	Soybeans, mature seeds, raw (China)	Legumes	118.28	53.38	57.98	11.71
8	Soybeans, mature seeds, raw (Europe)	Legumes	103.56	45.44	39.78	22.37
9	Soybeans, mature seeds, raw (Brazil)	Legumes	99.82	29.09	67.57	13.1
10	Soymilk curd, dried	Legumes	83.3	40.85	42.45	–
11	Tofu, dried-frozen (koyadofu)	Legume Products	83.2	29.59	51.04	3.44
12	Natto	Legume Products	82.29	33.22	37.66	10.55
13	Soy Protein Drink	Legume Products	81.65	27.98	42.91	10.76
14	Tempeh, fried	Legume Products	72.8	32.9	39.9	–
15	Soybeans, flakes, full-fat	Legumes	62.31	21.75	39.57	1.12
16	Soybeans, mature seeds, canned	Legumes	52.83	26.15	25.15	6.1
17	Soybeans, green, raw (includes edamame)	Vegetables	48.95	20.34	22.57	7.57
18	Tofu, salted and fermented (fuyu)	Legume Products	48.51	20.72	23.83	4.95
19	Soy fiber	Legumes	44.43	18.8	21.68	7.9
20	Soy paste	Legumes	38.24	19.71	17.79	6.05
21	Tofu, fried	Legume Products	34.78	13.8	18.43	2.93
22	Soybean, curd, fermented	Legumes	34.68	12.18	21.12	2.3
23	Soybeans, mature seeds, sprouted, raw	Vegetables	34.39	12.86	18.77	2.88
24	Tofu, firm, prepared with calcium sulfate and magnesium chloride (nigari)	Legume Products	30.41	12.31	16.1	2.75
25	Tofu, MORI-NU, silken, firm	Legume Products	29.97	12.42	16.95	2.4
26	Soy cheese, unspecified	Legumes	25.72	5.79	11.14	–
27	Tofu, raw, regular, prepared with calcium sulfate	Legume Products	22.73	8.56	12.99	1.98
28	Tofu, extra firm, prepared with nigari	Legume Products	22.63	8.23	12.45	1.95
29	Tofu, soft, prepared with calcium sulfate and magnesium chloride (nigari)	Legume Products	22.61	9.49	11.91	1.68
30	Clover, red	Vegetables	21	11	10	–
31	Tofu, silken	Legume Products	18.04	9.15	8.42	0.92
32	Soy cheese, American	Legumes	17.95	5.75	8.7	3.5
33	Tofu, firm, braised	Legume Products	16.79	7.28	8.22	1.28
34	Soy lecithin	Legumes	15.7	5.4	10.3	–
35	Sausage, meatless	Legumes	14.34	4.46	9.23	2.3
36	Sufu	Legumes	13.75	7.5	5.46	0.78
37	Tofu, smoked	Legume Products	13.1	7.5	5.6	–
38	Soybeans, mature seeds, sprouted, cooked, steamed	Vegetables	12.5	5	6.7	0.8
39	Frankfurter, meatless (purchased in Germany)	Legumes	12.27	5.78	6.43	0.06
40	Soymilk, original and vanilla, fortified or unfortified	Legumes	10.73	4.84	6.07	0.93
41	Oncom	Legumes	9.7	6.6	3.1	–
42	Tofu, okara	Legume Products	9.39	3.62	4.47	1.3
43	Bacon, meatless	Legumes	9.36	2.2	5.66	1.5
44	Soy cheese, swiss	Legumes	7.9	1.8	4.4	1.7
45	Soy cheese, cheddar	Legumes	6.87	1.83	2.11	2.93
46	Oncom, fried	Legumes	6.5	5.5	1	–
47	Soymilk, made from soy isolate (purchased in Australia)	Legumes	5.9	2.8	3.1	–
48	Sausage patties, meatless (MORNINGSTAR FARMS Veggie Sausage Patties)	Legumes	4.6	2	2.3	0.3
49	Chicken patties, meatless (MORNINGSTAR FARMS Chik Patties Original)	Legumes	4.4	1.8	2.2	0.4
50	Sausage links, meatless, unprepared (MORNINGSTAR FARMS Veggie Sausage Links)	Legumes	3.93	1.18	2.45	0.3

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Good to know

Isoflavones in context

Isoflavones are phytoestrogens belonging to the flavonoid family, found almost exclusively in legumes — particularly soy. They bind weakly to oestrogen receptors and are studied for cardiovascular, bone, and hormonal health. For the broader flavonoid picture, see the Flavonoid Ranking.

Questions

What is equol, and why does it matter?

Equol is a metabolite produced when gut bacteria convert daidzein (a soy isoflavone). It binds more strongly to oestrogen receptors than daidzein itself and may be responsible for many of soy's health effects. About 25–50% of people can produce equol, and this ability is associated with a plant-rich diet and specific gut microbiota. "Equol producers" consistently show stronger responses to soy in clinical studies — including better cardiovascular outcomes and more effective menopausal symptom relief. This may explain why health effects from soy are so variable between individuals.

What are isoflavones and where are they found?

Isoflavones are a class of phytoestrogens — plant compounds with a similar structure to the hormone oestrogen — found almost exclusively in legumes, particularly soy. The main dietary isoflavones are daidzein, genistein, and glycitein. They have been studied for potential roles in cardiovascular health, bone density, menopausal symptom relief, and cancer risk reduction, though evidence for specific health claims varies.

What is the difference between daidzein, genistein, and glycitein?

These are the three main soy isoflavones. Genistein is typically the most abundant in soy foods (40–60% of total), followed by daidzein (35–50%), and glycitein (5–10%). Genistein has the strongest binding affinity for oestrogen receptors and the most extensive research record. Daidzein is converted by some gut bacteria into equol — a more potent isoflavone — in 25–50% of people, mainly those eating plant based diets.

Good to know

Isoflavones in context

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