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What are the best things to eat when you’re low on B12? Animal foods are the natural sources—but which ones are the richest? We’ve put together a list for you.
Note: In people who eat animal products, B12 deficiency is usually due to poor absorption, not low intake. Food-cobalamin malabsorption (where low stomach acid can’t release B12 from food), and pernicious anemia, a more complete malabsorption treated by B12 shots, are the main causes.
Foods Rich in B12
Here’s a list of foods containing B12 in the highest concentrations:
- Clams — 99 µg per 100 g. One clam contains 9.5 µg (around 400% of the adult RDA of 2.4 µg). Clams are by far the richest natural vitamin B12 source.
- Liver — 86 µg per 100 g (cooked lamb liver). Ruminant livers (beef, lamb, moose) are extremely rich B12 food sources. Lamb liver is the king. Poultry liver is also great, with turkey, duck, and goose (cooked) at around 60 µg per 100 g. Chicken liver has about a third of that—but still plenty. Liver is rich in both B12 and folate (the two work together), with beef higher in B12 but chicken higher in folate.
- Kidneys — 75 µg per 100 g (cooked lamb kidney). Lamb kidney is a very rich B12 source. Veal and beef kidneys provide about half that amount—still a lot.
- Caviar — 56 µg per 100 g (whitefish roe). Black and red caviar provide nice amounts too, around 20 µg per 100 g, which is similar to chicken liver.
- Octopus — 36 µg per 100 g (cooked).
- Mussels — 24 µg per 100 g (cooked blue mussels). Blue mussels are the most common. Other species provide respectable amounts of B12 too.
- Oysters — 16–29 µg per 100 g, depending on the species and whether they are raw or cooked. Water is lost during cooking, so the same amount of B12 ends up packed into a smaller weight. Oysters are an amazing source of B12.
- Herring and mackerel — 13–19 µg per 100 g. The fish richest in B12.
- Crabs — 11.5 µg per 100 g (Alaskan King crab). An average leg (135 g) provides 15.5 µg (645% of the RDA). Dungeness and Queen crabs contain similar amounts to the Alaskan King crab, while blue crabs provide roughly 7 µg per 100 g.
- Sardines — 9 µg per 100 g (canned, with bones). One small can of sardines easily gives you 300–400% of the daily B12 requirement.
Other foods that have vitamin B12
Eggs, meat, fish, cheese, lobster, scallops, shrimp—pretty much any animal food contains B12. They may not be the richest sources of B12, but the RDA to meet is only 2.4–2.8 µg. As long as you eat an omnivorous diet, your B12 intake is probably sufficient.
Well, what foods contain vitamin B12 if you’re vegetarian? Eggs, cheese, and particularly fish and shellfish if you allow yourself to eat them. Eggs and cheese alone aren’t always enough, especially if you only eat soft cheese, which contains much less B12 than hard cheese. To be safe, we recommend all vegetarians supplement with B12.
Anyway, here are some other foods with modest amounts of B12:
- Salmon — 3.5 µg per 100 g (farmed Atlantic salmon).
- Tuna — 3 µg per 100 g (light tuna canned in water).
- Ribeye steak — 2.5 µg per 100 g (beef). The average steak contains about 6.5 µg, almost three times the RDA. Recommendation: try it reverse seared.
- Shrimp — 2 µg per 100 g (fried shrimp).
- Egg — 1.1 µg per 100 g (boiled egg). One large egg contains 0.6 µg of B12.
- Hard cheese — 1–3 µg per 100 g. Swiss cheese contains 3 µg per 100 g, while Gouda contains 2 µg and cheddar only 1 µg per 100 g.
- Pork — 0.7–0.8 µg per 100 g (lean cuts like loin or tenderloin).
- Milk — 0.5 µg per 100 g (whole cow’s milk). Around 1.2 µg per cup (250 mL).
- Yogurt — 0.5 µg per 100 g (plain, whole‑milk).
- Chicken breast — 0.4 µg per 100 g (cooked, skinless breast).
Vegans beware
There are virtually no vegan food sources high in B12. Plants don’t need B12, so they don’t store it. Algae like spirulina contain what looks like B12, but it’s actually inactive B12 analogues called cobamides that may interfere with B12 activity in humans.
Note: Animals don’t actually create B12. It’s produced by bacteria that feed on cobalt from grass and soil. When herbivores eat grass, the bacteria multiply in their stomachs and produce B12. Omnivores like us get our B12 from them.
If you’re vegan, you need a reliable B12 supplement. If you’re searching for a vegan food naturally high in B12, there really is nothing. Consider adding oysters:
Oysters may be animals, but even the strictest ethicist should feel comfortable eating them by the boatload. Biologically, oysters are not in the plant kingdom, but when it comes to ethical eating, they are almost indistinguishable from plants.
Consider the Oyster: Even strict vegans should eat oysters by the boatload.
All the best.
