Non-availability of standards is the main problem in quantification of carotenoids from plants. In this regard, six major carotenoids, i.e. all-E-luteoxanthin, 13-Z-lutein, all-E-lutein, all-E-zeaxanthin, 15-Z-β-carotene and all-E-β-carotene, were purified using open-column chromatography and thin-layer chromatography. Using these purified standards, carotenoids from fresh leaves, flowers and fruits of eight commercially grown cultivars of Moringa oleifera were quantified by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. All-E-lutein was found as the major carotenoid in leaves and fruits and accounted for 53.6 and 52.0 % of the total carotenoids, respectively. Among the eight cultivars screened, the cultivar Bhagya (KDM-1) had the maximum amount of all-E-zeaxanthin, all-E-β-carotene and total carotenoids. The methodology used in the present investigation for purification and quantification of carotenoids is simplified and hence finds use in screening of carotenoids in other plants. Results also explore the M. oleifera leaves as a rich source of carotenoids, which is significant for its implications in malnutrition programme to alleviate the vitamin A deficiency.