Foods Highest in Vitamin B-12

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Top 50 whole foods per 100g, from USDA Standard Reference and Foundation databases

Mollusks, clam, mixed species, cooked, moist heat ranks #1 of 50 for Vitamin B-12, at 99UG per 100g.

What These Vitamin B-12 Rankings Mean

This ranking surfaces the top 50 whole foods for Vitamin B-12, pulled from USDA Standard Reference Legacy and Foundation databases. Those two sources intentionally exclude branded and processed entries, which keeps the list focused on raw ingredients where nutrient content reflects the food itself rather than fortification or recipe adjustments. There is no established FDA Daily Value for Vitamin B-12, so amounts are reported in absolute terms (UG per 100g edible portion).

At the top of the ranking sits Mollusks, clam, mixed species, cooked, moist heat, delivering 99UG per 100g. The top three (Mollusks, clam, mixed species, cooked, moist heat, Beef, New Zealand, imported, variety meats and by-products liver, cooked, boiled, Lamb, variety meats and by-products, liver, raw) together form a practical "big lever" set, foods where a single serving meaningfully moves daily intake. The visual bars beside each row scale against the top food, so you can see at a glance whether a lower-ranked food is still a strong source or a distant runner-up.

Because this page excludes branded products, it is the right tool for comparing whole-food cooking choices rather than packaged-food shopping decisions, for those, the per-food pages and the branded search tools cover the same nutrient at product level. All values are reported per 100g edible portion, which means the raw numbers can be directly compared but real-world servings differ (a 100g portion of spinach is very different from 100g of almonds by volume). The nutrition guides linked below explain how to translate % DV and per-100g figures into practical daily targets and how to read nutrition labels when comparing whole foods to their processed equivalents.

→ Compare the top three Vitamin B-12 sources side-by-side

# Food Amount % DV
1 Mollusks, clam, mixed species, cooked, moist heat 99 UG -
2 Beef, New Zealand, imported, variety meats and by-products liver, cooked, boiled 96 UG -
3 Lamb, variety meats and by-products, liver, raw 90 UG -
4 Lamb, variety meats and by-products, liver, cooked, pan-fried 86 UG -
5 Veal, variety meats and by-products, liver, cooked, braised 85 UG -
6 Beef, New Zealand, imported, variety meats and by-products, liver, raw 85 UG -
7 Beef, variety meats and by-products, liver, cooked, pan-fried 83 UG -
8 Lamb, variety meats and by-products, kidneys, cooked, braised 79 UG -
9 Lamb, variety meats and by-products, liver, cooked, braised 77 UG -
10 Veal, variety meats and by-products, liver, cooked, pan-fried 73 UG -
11 Moose, liver, braised (Alaska Native) 71 UG -
12 Beef, variety meats and by-products, liver, cooked, braised 71 UG -
13 Veal, variety meats and by-products, liver, raw 60 UG -
14 Beef, variety meats and by-products, liver, raw 59 UG -
15 Lamb, New Zealand, imported, liver, raw 59 UG -
16 Lamb, New Zealand, imported, liver, cooked, soaked and fried 58 UG -
17 Fish, whitefish, eggs (Alaska Native) 56 UG -
18 Lamb, New Zealand, imported, kidney, cooked, soaked and fried 56 UG -
19 Goose, liver, raw 54 UG -
20 Duck, domesticated, liver, raw 54 UG -
21 Lamb, variety meats and by-products, kidneys, raw 52 UG -
22 Lamb, New Zealand, imported, kidney, raw 50 UG -
23 Mollusks, clam, mixed species, cooked, breaded and fried 40 UG -
24 Veal, variety meats and by-products, kidneys, cooked, braised 37 UG -
25 Mollusks, octopus, common, cooked, moist heat 36 UG -
26 Mollusks, oyster, Pacific, cooked, moist heat 29 UG -
27 Fish, salmon, chum, dried (Alaska Native) 29 UG -
28 Veal, variety meats and by-products, kidneys, raw 28 UG -
29 Turkey, all classes, liver, cooked, simmered 28 UG -
30 Beef, New Zealand, imported, variety meats and by-products, kidney, raw 28 UG -
31 Beef, variety meats and by-products, kidneys, raw 28 UG -
32 Pork, fresh, variety meats and by-products, liver, raw 26 UG -
33 Beef, variety meats and by-products, kidneys, cooked, simmered 25 UG -
34 Liver cheese, pork 25 UG -
35 Mollusks, oyster, eastern, farmed, cooked, dry heat 24 UG -
36 Lamb, variety meats and by-products, brain, cooked, pan-fried 24 UG -
37 Mollusks, mussel, blue, cooked, moist heat 24 UG -
38 Steelhead trout, dried, flesh (Shoshone Bannock) 22 UG -
39 Beef, New Zealand, imported, variety meats and by-products, kidney, cooked, boiled 21 UG -
40 Veal, variety meats and by-products, brain, cooked, pan-fried 21 UG -
41 Chicken, liver, all classes, cooked, pan-fried 21 UG -
42 Cereals ready-to-eat, RALSTON Enriched Wheat Bran flakes 21 UG -
43 Braunschweiger (a liver sausage), pork 20 UG -
44 Fish, caviar, black and red, granular 20 UG -
45 Mollusks, octopus, common, raw 20 UG -
46 Turkey, all classes, liver, raw 20 UG -
47 Mollusks, oyster, eastern, canned 19 UG -
48 Smelt, dried (Alaska Native) 19 UG -
49 Fish, mackerel, Atlantic, cooked, dry heat 19 UG -
50 Oscar Mayer, Braunschweiger Liver Sausage (sliced) 19 UG -

Frequently Asked Questions

What food is highest in Vitamin B-12?

Mollusks, clam, mixed species, cooked, moist heat is the food highest in Vitamin B-12, with 99UG per 100g.

How much Vitamin B-12 do I need per day?

There is no established FDA Daily Value for Vitamin B-12. Consult a healthcare professional for guidance on appropriate intake levels.

What are good whole food sources of Vitamin B-12?

Top whole food sources of Vitamin B-12 include Mollusks, clam, mixed species, cooked, moist heat, Beef, New Zealand, imported, variety meats and by-products liver, cooked, boiled, Lamb, variety meats and by-products, liver, raw, and more. These rankings are based on USDA Standard Reference and Foundation food data, measured per 100g edible portion.

Source: USDA FoodData Central — Standard Reference Legacy and Foundation databases. Branded and processed products are excluded. All values per 100g edible portion.
Source: FDA Daily Value reference — Vitamin B-12 (no established DV) based on a 2,000-calorie diet.
This information is for reference only and should not replace professional dietary advice.