What counts as a cup of vegetables?
In general, 1 cup of raw or cooked vegetables or vegetable juice, or 2 cups of raw leafy greens can
be considered as 1 cup from the Vegetable Group. The chart lists specific amounts that count as
1 cup of vegetables (in some cases equivalents for ½ cup are also shown) towards your recommended
intake:
|
Amount that counts as
1 cup of vegetables |
Amount that counts as
½ cup of vegetables |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Dark Green Vegetables
|
||||
|
||||
|
Broccoli
|
1 cup chopped or florets
|
|||
|
3 spears 5" long raw or cooked
|
||||
|
||||
|
Greens (collards, mustard greens, turnip greens, kale)
|
1 cup cooked
|
|||
|
Spinach
|
1 cup, cooked
|
|||
|
2 cups raw is equivalent to 1 cup of vegetables
|
1 cup raw is equivalent to
½ cup of vegetables |
|||
|
||||
|
Raw leafy greens: Spinach, romaine, watercress, dark green leafy lettuce, endive, escarole
|
2 cups raw is equivalent to 1 cup of vegetables
|
1 cup raw is equivalent to
½ cup of vegetables |
||
|
||||
|
Red and Orange Vegetables
|
||||
|
||||
|
Carrots
|
1 cup, strips, slices, or chopped, raw or cooked
|
|||
|
2 medium
|
1 medium carrot
|
|||
|
1 cup baby carrots (about 12)
|
About 6 baby carrots
|
|||
|
||||
|
Pumpkin
|
1 cup mashed, cooked
|
|||
| Red peppers |
1 cup chopped, raw, or cooked 1 large pepper (3" diameter, 3¾" long) |
1 small pepper | ||
| Tomatoes |
1 large raw whole (3") 1 cup chopped or sliced, raw, canned, or cooked |
1 small raw whole (2¼" diameter) 1 medium canned |
||
| Tomato juice | 1 cup | ½ cup | ||
|
||||
|
Sweet potato
|
1 large baked (2¼" or more diameter)
|
|||
|
1 cup sliced or mashed, cooked
|
||||
|
||||
|
Winter squash (acorn, butternut, hubbard)
|
1 cup cubed, cooked
|
½ acorn squash, baked =
¾ cup |
||
|
||||
|
Beans and Peas
|
||||
|
||||
|
Dry beans and peas (such as black, garbanzo, kidney, pinto, or soy beans, or black eyed peas or split peas)
|
1 cup whole or mashed, cooked
|
|||
|
||||
|
||||
|
Starchy Vegetables
|
||||
|
||||
|
Corn, yellow or white
|
1 cup
|
|||
|
1 large ear (8” to 9” long)
|
1 small ear (about 6" long)
|
|||
|
||||
|
Green peas
|
1 cup
|
|||
|
||||
|
White potatoes
|
1 cup diced, mashed
|
|||
|
1 medium boiled or baked potato (2½" to 3" diameter)
|
||||
|
French fried: 20 medium to long strips (2½" to 4" long)
(Contains added calories from solid fats.)
|
||||
|
||||
|
Amount that counts as
1 cup of vegetables |
Amount that counts as
½ cup of vegetables |
|||
|
||||
|
Other Vegetables
|
||||
|
||||
|
Bean sprouts
|
1 cup cooked
|
|||
|
||||
|
Cabbage, green
|
1 cup, chopped or
shredded raw or cooked |
|||
|
||||
|
Cauliflower
|
1 cup pieces or florets raw or cooked
|
|||
|
||||
|
Celery
|
1 cup, diced or sliced, raw or cooked
|
|||
|
2 large stalks (11" to 12" long)
|
1 large stalk (11" to 12" long)
|
|||
|
||||
|
Cucumbers
|
1 cup raw, sliced or
chopped |
|||
|
||||
|
Green or wax beans
|
1 cup cooked
|
|||
|
||||
|
Green peppers
|
1 cup chopped, raw or cooked
|
|||
|
1 large pepper (3"
diameter, 3¾" long) |
1 small pepper
|
|||
|
||||
|
Lettuce, iceberg or head
|
2 cups raw, shredded or chopped = equivalent to 1 cup of vegetables
|
1 cup raw, shredded or
chopped = equivalent to ½ cup of vegetables |
||
|
||||
|
Mushrooms
|
1 cup raw or cooked
|
|||
|
||||
|
Onions
|
1 cup chopped, raw or cooked
|
|||
|
Summer squash or zucchini
|
1 cup cooked, sliced or diced
|
|||
Key Consumer Message: Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.
