Vitamin C Superfruits: 12 Tasty Fruits Rich in Vitamin C

Without Vitamin C, your body will start to fall apart—literally. Sailors in the Early Modern era found this out the hard way when they spent months at sea without it and started losing teeth! Luckily, today it’s easy to get this essential nutrient at sea, at home, or in the office. All you have to do is eat plenty of fruits rich in Vitamin C.

Our Top 12 Vitamin C Fruits

You can snag fruits rich in Vitamin C at the grocery store or have them delivered right to your home or office by a fruit delivery service like The FruitGuys. When oranges, kiwis, and mangos appear on your doorstep, it’s easy to stay healthy. (Those old-school sailors would have loved this option.)

Here’s a closer look at our top 12 fruits. They all pack in more than 50 milligrams of Vitamin C per cup, which is 75% of the daily recommended value for women and 55% for men. 

1. Guava 

376 mg per cup, 125 mg per fruit

Is there anything that guava can’t do? Eating just one of these unassuming tropical fruits will give you more than 100% of your daily Vitamin C. It’s also on our list of the best fruits for protein and the best fruits for fiber. If you get your hands on one, eat it like an apple and enjoy the subtly sweet pear-meets-berry flavor. 

2. Lychee

136 mg per cup, 7 mg per fruit

Lychees can be tricky to find in stores, but they’re worth the hunt (or a bulk order from The FruitGuys). Underneath their bumpy skin, you’ll find sweet white fruit with floral notes. Eat a handful, and you’ll get plenty of antioxidants, Vitamin C, potassium, and fiber. Just remember to spit out the pits. 

3. Kiwi

134 mg per cup, 56 mg per fruit

Kiwis are more common than guavas and lychees but offer almost as big of a Vitamin C boost. Eat two, and you’re set for the day. You can slice them into a fruit salad, add them to a yogurt bowl, or eat them like apples, skin and all! Here at The FruitGuys, we love adding kiwis to our curated fruit mixes. If you’re on the West Coast, look for all three kiwi colors for the full fuzzy fruit experience. 

4. Lemon

106 mg per cup, 34 mg per fruit

Surprise! Per cup, lemons have more Vitamin C than oranges. To get that C’s health benefits, squeeze a lemon over your salad, add chunks to a smoothie, or try our sweet and simple recipe for fresh lemonade. 

5. Orange

98 mg per cup, or 83 mg per fruit

Oranges are synonymous with Vitamin C, and for good reason. If you’re a woman, eating an orange every day will get you to your Vitamin C goal. (It might also reduce your risk of depression.) If you’re a man, just snack on a strawberry too, and you’ll make your goal with ease. Sweet oranges like navels, Valencias, and blood oranges pop up in The FruitGuys’ rotating fruit mixes year-round. 

6. Papaya

88 mg per cup, 476 mg per fruit

Fun fact: Even though it’s bigger than your hand, the papaya is actually a Vitamin C-rich berry! To eat one, just slice it in half, scoop out the seeds, slice off the skin, and cube up the fruit. The seeds are actually edible, but they have a peppery flavor, so many people prefer to skip them. 

Note: If you have a latex allergy, you might also have an allergic reaction to papaya. Consider snacking on one of the other fruits rich in Vitamin C from this list instead.

7. Pink and Red Grapefruit

85 mg per cup, 91 mg per fruit

Grapefruits, like lemons and oranges, are citrus fruits rich in Vitamin C. They’re a little sweet, a little bitter, and equally perfect for breakfast or a workday snack. Look for pink and red varieties for the biggest Vitamin C punch. Here at The FruitGuys, we like to add Rio Red and Star Ruby grapefruits to our mixes. You can learn more about the different types of grapefruit in this handy guide.

Note: Grapefruits contain compounds that can interact with certain medications, particularly statins. So if you’re taking statin medications, talk to your healthcare provider before you dig in.

8. Strawberry

85 mg per cup, 7 mg per fruit

Healthy strawberries are easy to squeeze into your day. Add them to oatmeal in the morning, snack on a handful at your desk, add them to a salad, or dip them in yogurt and freeze them for a healthy treat. In addition to Vitamin C, they offer other health perks like antioxidants, fiber, manganese, and potassium.

9. Pineapple

79 mg per cup, 433 mg per fruit

This tropical fruit wears a crown because it’s Vitamin C royalty! If you’re a woman, one cup gives you your full daily dose. A whole pineapple might look intimidating, but break it down into chunks, and you’ll have multiple days of office snacks ready to go. 

10. White Grapefruit

77 mg per cup, 79 mg per fruit

White grapefruits have a little less Vitamin C than their pink and red cousins. But they’re still a great choice, especially if you’re looking for a more subtle, tangy flavor! Look for varieties like Thompson, Marsh, and Duncan in the store or The FruitGuys’ mixes when they’re in season. 

11. Mango

60 mg per cup, 122 mg per fruit

Ahh, the mango—it’s as sweet and delicious as it is healthy! One fruit will deliver all of the Vitamin C you need in a day, but good luck stopping at one if you have more on hand. Check out this quick guide for a few tips on how to eat a mango with ease despite the pit. 

12. Lime

58 mg per cup, 19 mg per fruit

In the 1800s, British sailors were nicknamed “limeys” because they had the bright idea to eat limes at sea. This was a smart move for their Vitamin C levels and their survival rate! You can copy them at home or in the office by squeezing lime into your water or over your lunchtime tacos. For a fun lime alternative with similar benefits, try finger limes: They have juicy citrus “pearls” that pop in your mouth. 

Get Fruits Rich in Vitamin C Delivered to Your Door

The FruitGuys makes it easy to hit your Vitamin C goals (and help your coworkers do it, too). You can find a plethora of Vitamin C-rich fruits in our curated fruit mixes, which include farm-fresh fruit sourced as locally and seasonally as possible. If you want to try a specific fruit from our list in bulk, see what’s available near you on our Marketplace by the Case page. 

FAQs 

1. What is Vitamin C good for? 

Vitamin C helps keep our skin, bones, and teeth healthy, and it helps us heal from injuries. It also helps support the immune system and protect against aging and disease.

2. How much Vitamin C do I need every day? 

According to the United States Department of Agriculture’s latest dietary guidelines, women need 75 mg of Vitamin C per day, and men need 90 mg. 

3. Are Vitamin C and ascorbic acid the same?

Yes, Vitamin C and ascorbic acid are two different names for the same thing.

4. Are citrus fruits rich in Vitamin C? 

Yes, citrus fruits are rich in Vitamin C. Lemons, oranges, grapefruits, and limes are all great sources, but you can also get Vitamin C from other citrus fruits like mandarins, tangelos, and kumquats. 

5. Which fruits have more Vitamin C than oranges? 

Guavas, lychees, kiwis, and lemons all have more Vitamin C than oranges when you measure by the cup.