Get the brief

The Evidence

Page 35

Copper on a vegan diet

Copper is a trace mineral few people think about, and plant eaters have little reason to worry. Nuts, seeds and whole grains carry it well.

Vegan Brief Evidence last reviewed July 16, 2026

This is a summary of the cited evidence, not medical advice.

  • Adult RDA 900 mcg/day
  • Top plant sources Nuts, seeds, whole grains
  • Vegan risk Low

What copper does

Copper is a trace mineral involved in a surprising range of jobs, from making blood cells to running the nervous and immune systems.

Primary source 01 / 02

Copper is also involved in many physiologic processes, such as angiogenesis; neurohormone homeostasis; and regulation of gene expression, brain development, pigmentation, and immune system functioning

NIH Office of Dietary Supplements US National Institutes of Health Copper: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals, 2025

Plenty in plants

While shellfish and organ meats are famous copper sources, the richest list is dominated by plant foods a vegan already eats.

Primary source 02 / 02

The richest dietary copper sources include shellfish, seeds and nuts, organ meats, wheat-bran cereals, whole-grain products, and chocolate

NIH Office of Dietary Supplements US National Institutes of Health Copper: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals, 2025

Seeds, nuts, whole grains and even dark chocolate all carry copper, so a varied vegan diet generally supplies it without effort. Copper deficiency is uncommon in healthy people on any reasonable diet, so this is a nutrient plant eaters can file under covered rather than watched.

  • Zinc on a vegan diet Plants have zinc; phytates make you absorb less of it. The fix is more intake plus a few kitchen tricks that free the zinc up.
  • Iron on a vegan diet Plants have iron, just the kind your body absorbs less easily. The government fact sheet quantifies exactly how much less, and what raises the odds in your favor.
  • Selenium on a vegan diet Selenium is the mineral your food inherits from the dirt it grew in. That makes plant levels a lottery of geography, and it is why vegan intakes can run low, and why two Brazil nuts can flip the whole thing.

Frequently asked

Do vegans get enough copper?

Usually yes. Nuts, seeds, whole grains and even dark chocolate are good copper sources, so a varied vegan diet tends to provide plenty. Deficiency is uncommon on any reasonable diet.

What are vegan sources of copper?

Seeds and nuts, wheat-bran and whole-grain products, and chocolate are among the richest sources, according to the NIH, alongside shellfish and organ meats for those who eat them.

The primary sources

The documents this page quotes. Read them yourself.

Evidence first, every morning.

The standard behind these pages, applied to each day’s news: the study quoted and graded before the headline reaches you. One short brief, free.

Free, every morning. No guilt. No preaching.