20 water-rich foods that help you stay hydrated

2026-10-30

Many everyday fruits and vegetables are more than 90% water. Cucumber, lettuce, celery, radishes, zucchini and tomatoes top the list at about 95%, followed by watermelon, strawberries and cantaloupe at around 90%. A big salad or two portions of fruit can easily provide 300 to 500 ml (10 to 17 fl oz) of water. That doesn't replace drinking, but it explains why people who eat plenty of produce often need to drink a little less. The figures below come from the USDA FoodData Central database (raw foods, grams of water per 100 g, rounded).

Food is part of your daily water intake, and reference values like those from EFSA count it: they set total water at about 2.0 liters a day for women and 2.5 liters for men, including food moisture. How big that share is for a typical diet is covered in how much of your water comes from food. This article is the practical side: which foods to reach for.

Vegetables

Vegetables are the most water-rich foods you can eat. The crunchy, pale ones lead.

Iceberg lettuce: 96%. Not famous for nutrients, but almost pure water with a crunch. Romaine is close behind at 95% and has more vitamin A and folate.
Cucumber: 95%. A medium cucumber (about 300 g) holds roughly 285 ml of water, more than a standard glass.
Celery: 95%. Good with hummus or in soups.
Radishes: 95%. Peppery and great sliced into salads.
Zucchini: 95%. Raw in ribbons or cooked; cooking releases some water but it stays a light, watery vegetable.
Tomatoes: 95%. A large tomato (about 180 g) carries around 170 ml.
Bell peppers: 92 to 94%. Green peppers are slightly more watery, red ones have more vitamin C.
Cauliflower: 92%. Raw florets or roasted.
Cabbage: 92%. Coleslaw, sauerkraut, stir-fries.
Spinach: 91%. Shrinks a lot when cooked, so raw spinach in salads gives you more volume.
Broccoli: 89%. Also a good source of fiber and vitamin C.

Fruit

Fruit is the easiest way to "eat" water, especially in summer.

Watermelon: 91%. A 300 g slice provides about 275 ml of water, plus a little potassium. The name says it all.
Strawberries: 91%. The most watery common berry. Blueberries are 84%.
Cantaloupe: 90%. Honeydew melon is about the same.
Peaches: 89%. Nectarines and plums are close (around 87%).
Oranges: 86%. Grapefruit is a bit higher at 88%. Eating the whole fruit gives you the fiber that juice leaves behind.
Pineapple: 86%.
Apples: 86%. Easy to carry, and a medium apple (about 180 g) holds roughly 155 ml.

Beyond fruit and vegetables

Plain yogurt: 88%. Greek yogurt is thicker and a bit lower, around 81 to 85%. Milk is about 88% water too.
Broth-based soups: 94 to 98%. Chicken broth and clear vegetable soups are almost entirely water. A 250 ml bowl gives you nearly a full glass, plus some salt, which is useful after heavy sweating or when you're ill.

Some foods are more watery than you'd guess: cooked oatmeal is about 84% water and cottage cheese around 80 to 83%. Cooked grains and starches are lower but not dry: boiled potatoes about 77%, cooked rice about 68%, cooked pasta about 62%. Bread (around 36%), crackers, nuts and dried fruit hold very little.

How much water does that add up to?

Some examples, using the figures above:

A large mixed salad (100 g lettuce, half a cucumber, a tomato, some pepper): roughly 450 ml.
A fruit snack (300 g watermelon, or an apple and an orange): roughly 275 to 300 ml.
A bowl of soup at lunch: around 230 to 240 ml.
Yogurt with strawberries at breakfast (150 g each): roughly 270 ml.

Add these to a typical day and food can account for a liter or more, without any special effort. That's one reason fixed rules like "8 glasses a day" don't fit everyone.

Does water from food hydrate as well as water from a glass?

Water in food is absorbed and used by your body like any other water, though it's released more slowly as the food is digested. Watery fruit and vegetables also bring potassium, fiber and vitamins that plain water doesn't. Research comparing "food water" and "drinking water" directly is limited, so it's best to think of these foods as a useful contribution to your total intake, not as a replacement for drinking.

A side benefit: water-rich foods are filling for few calories, which is why they're often recommended in weight-management advice. For the evidence on water and weight, see does drinking water help you lose weight.

Easy ways to eat more water-rich foods

Start meals with a salad or a bowl of clear soup. Lots of water, few calories.
Keep cut fruit visible. A bowl of strawberries or melon cubes in the fridge disappears faster than whole fruit.
Snack on crunchy vegetables. Cucumber, celery, radishes and pepper strips with yogurt dip.
Add fruit to water. Cucumber, strawberries or orange slices in a bottle make plain water more interesting; more ideas in don't like plain water?
Freeze it. Frozen grapes or watermelon cubes are a good summer snack.
Blend it. A smoothie with yogurt, spinach and fruit counts as both food and drink.

Should you count food in your water goal?

Most hydration apps, including Water Tracker, track what you drink, and that's deliberate. Daily goals for drinks already assume you're eating a normal diet with some water in it. If you eat a lot of fruit, vegetables and soups, you may find you need a little less from drinks to stay pale-yellow and not thirsty; if your diet is mostly dry, processed food, you may need a little more. Your urine color and thirst are the best day-to-day check.

If you're on a fluid restriction for heart or kidney disease, ask your doctor whether watery foods and soups should count toward your limit, since they often do.

Bottom line

Cucumber, lettuce, celery, radishes, zucchini and tomatoes are around 95% water; watermelon, strawberries and melon around 90%. Building meals around fruit, vegetables, yogurt and soups can add a liter or more of water a day. Keep drinking regularly too: water-rich foods support your hydration, they don't replace it.

This article is general information, not medical advice. If you have a health condition, are pregnant or take medication, ask your doctor how much you should drink.