There are two pathways for nitrate to enter into human body: drinking water and food. Therefore, nitrate contamination of drinking water and agricultural crops is of particular interest to governments and the general public owing to the possible implications for health. This work investigated nitrate contents in various crops and in different parts of each crop and in drinking water as well in the Zhangye Basin, Northwest China. It provided evidence of severe nitrate contamination of drinking water, especially, in vegetable-growing villages. As to the nitrate contamination of crops, the present study revealed that all sampled crops adjust their nitrate distributions in a way that the edible parts contain much less nitrate than non-edible parts except lettuce. The nitrate content in the edible root of lettuce reached up to 5900 mg/kg exceeding the limit set by the European Commission.