Soluble Fiber Foods, With Numbers

Last updated: September 6, 2026

Every fiber site tells you oats and beans “contain soluble fiber.” Almost none tell you how many grams, because the USDA database only tracks total fiber. There is no official split to look up. The table below is compiled from peer-reviewed lab analyses instead.

If your goal is cholesterol, sort by the soluble column: psyllium, oat bran, and beans are where the viscous, gel-forming fiber actually lives.

Psyllium sits at the top of that column, which is why it dominates the supplement aisle. Getting a meaningful dose from a jar is another matter: our comparison of the best fiber supplements works out how many spoonfuls or capsules each product takes to reach the 7 grams of soluble psyllium fiber the FDA ties to its heart-disease claim.

Soluble and insoluble values are compiled from peer-reviewed analyses (Anderson & Bridges 1988; Marlett 1992; Li et al. 2002). USDA's database carries total fiber only, so this split table is hand-curated from the literature. See methodology.

Frequently asked questions

What is soluble fiber?

Fiber that dissolves in water into a gel. The gel slows digestion, which is why soluble fiber (especially viscous types like psyllium and oat β-glucan) helps lower LDL cholesterol and steady blood sugar. Insoluble fiber stays intact and adds stool bulk instead.

Why do most sites only say which foods 'contain' soluble fiber, without amounts?

Because the standard database (USDA FoodData Central) only measures total dietary fiber; there is no official soluble/insoluble breakdown to copy. The gram values here are compiled from peer-reviewed laboratory analyses instead, which is rarer and slower work.

How much soluble fiber per day should I aim for?

There's no official daily target for soluble fiber alone. For cholesterol-lowering, studies typically used 5 to 10 g of viscous soluble fiber per day: roughly a bowl of oatmeal plus a serving of beans, or one dose of psyllium.