Collard greens deserve more credit than "just a side dish." A single cup of cooked collards delivers roughly 390 mg of potassium — about 8% of the Daily Value — along with vitamin A, vitamin K, folate, and fiber. This Collard Potassium Calculator turns any portion you like, in whatever unit you have on hand, into a precise milligram estimate in seconds.
Enter your portion size in cups, grams, or ounces, choose how the greens were prepared (raw, boiled, or frozen-and-boiled — each carries its own USDA-tested potassium value), and the tool returns total potassium, the percent of the 4,700 mg Daily Value, and a quick source rating. Dietitians, meal planners, and anyone tracking potassium for heart health or a kidney-conscious diet will find the instant per-serving breakdown useful.
Quick-fill preset buttons make common servings (1 cup cooked, 2 cups raw, 100 g boiled) a single click.
🥬 Collard Potassium Calculator
Find the potassium in your collards — pick a portion size, choose how they were prepared, and get the milligram count plus % Daily Value.
How to Use This Tool
Using the calculator takes about ten seconds:
- Type your portion size in the Portion size box — decimals are fine (e.g., 1.5 for one and a half cups).
- Choose the matching unit: cups of chopped cooked greens, cups of raw chopped greens, grams, ounces, or 100 g portions.
- Choose how the collards were prepared — the three choices carry different USDA potassium values.
- Click Calculate potassium (or tap a quick-fill preset) and read the result panel.
The result panel shows total potassium in milligrams, the percent of the Daily Value, a visual meter, a source rating (excellent / good / moderate / low), and a short breakdown of how that number was derived. It also tells you how much of these collards you would need to reach 20% of the daily value (940 mg) — a handy benchmark for meal planning.
How the Calculation Works
Potassium values come from the USDA FoodData Central database, which reports the nutrient content of collard greens in three common forms: raw greens contain about 213 mg of potassium per 100 g; boiled, drained greens contain about 231 mg per 100 g; and frozen greens that are boiled and drained contain about 197 mg per 100 g. The slightly higher figure for cooked greens is partly a concentration effect — water lost during cooking makes the same nutrients denser per gram.
The Daily Value target of 4,700 mg is the FDA reference for nutrition labeling. A serving providing at least 20% DV (940 mg) qualifies as an "excellent source" of potassium. The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements potassium fact sheet and the FDA Daily Value page both explain the basis for these targets.
Worked Examples
Example 2 — 2 cups raw collards: raw leaves are feather-light, so 2 cups weigh only about 72 g. 72 × (213 ÷ 100) = 153.4 → about 153 mg, about 3.3% DV.
Example 3 — 100 g frozen boiled collards: 100 g × (197 ÷ 100) = 197 mg, about 4.2% DV — a useful benchmark if you weigh portions for meal prep.
Notice the large gap between raw and cooked cup weights: a cup of cooked collards is roughly four to five times heavier than a cup of raw leaves because cooking collapses the greens. Always match your chosen unit to how you actually eat the greens, and be consistent with the same unit when comparing meals.
Reference Table: Potassium in Collard Greens
| Preparation | Potassium per 100 g | Typical serving | Potassium per serving | % Daily Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raw, chopped | 213 mg | 1 cup (≈36 g) | ≈77 mg | 2% |
| Boiled, drained | 231 mg | 1 cup cooked (≈170 g) | ≈393 mg | 8% |
| Frozen, boiled & drained | 197 mg | 1 cup cooked (≈170 g) | ≈335 mg | 7% |
Values are rounded from USDA FoodData Central. Actual weights vary with chop size, leaf thickness, and how firmly the cup is packed, so treat cup-based estimates as approximate.
Tips for Getting More Potassium from Collards
Collards are a moderate potassium source rather than an exceptional one — a cup of cooked greens provides about 8% of the DV. The practical win is volume: collards are low in calories, so generous portions fit easily into a meal without blowing up your energy budget. Pair them with other potassium-rich plant foods such as beans, potatoes, sweet potatoes, yogurt, or seeds. If you want to compare potassium across foods, the sesame seed potassium calculator and yogurt potassium calculator make quick work of it.
Choose fresh or frozen collards without added seasonings when you are tracking potassium precisely. Canned collard greens with added salt pack in sodium, and salty cooking liquid can distort the overall mineral picture. If you follow a kidney-health meal plan, remember that potassium recommendations are highly individualized — work with your care team before targeting any fixed daily number.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are collard greens a good source of potassium? They are a moderate source. One cup of cooked collards supplies roughly 393 mg — about 8% of the Daily Value. Have two cups alongside beans or potatoes and you have built a genuinely high-potassium plate.
Does boiling remove potassium from collards? Some potassium does leach into the cooking water because it is water-soluble, but the USDA "boiled, drained" values used here already reflect the drained product after that small loss. Interestingly, boiled collards show a higher potassium concentration per 100 g than raw because cooking removes water and concentrates nutrients. To minimize loss, use minimal water or steam the greens instead.
Why does the FDA use 4,700 mg as the Daily Value for potassium? The value is based on evidence linking higher potassium intake with lower blood pressure and reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, and it serves as the reference for calculating % DV on Nutrition Facts labels. Both the NIH fact sheet and the FDA labeling guidance provide the full scientific background.