Foods High in Zinc: Top Sources, Vegan Options and How Much You Need

The foods highest in zinc are oysters (32 mg in 3 ounces of farmed Eastern oysters), beef, blue crab, fortified breakfast cereal, oats, pumpkin seeds, pork, turkey and cheddar cheese; most adults need 8 mg a day (women) or 11 mg a day (men), and the adult upper limit is 40 mg a day from all sources (NIH ODS: Zinc).

It is educational, not medical advice.

Key Takeaways

• Oysters have more zinc per serving than any other food, and 3 ounces of beef bottom sirloin has 3.8 mg.
• Pumpkin seeds (2.2 mg per ounce), oats (2.3 mg per cup) and lentils (1.3 mg per half cup) are the top plant foods on the NIH list.
• Phytates in whole grains and legumes bind zinc, so zinc from plant foods is absorbed less well than zinc from animal foods.
• Apart from oysters, no food on the NIH list has more than 3.8 mg per serving, so food alone rarely comes near the 40 mg adult upper limit.

Top 10 Foods High in Zinc at a Glance

Ranked by zinc per serving, from the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) food table. The Daily Value (DV) is 11 mg for adults and children age 4 and older.

1. Oysters, Eastern, farmed, raw, 3 ounces: 32 mg
2. Oysters, Pacific, cooked, 3 ounces: 28.2 mg
3. Beef, bottom sirloin, roasted, 3 ounces: 3.8 mg
4. Blue crab, cooked, 3 ounces: 3.2 mg
5. Breakfast cereal fortified with 25% of the DV, 1 serving: 2.8 mg
6. Oats, regular or quick, unenriched, cooked with water, 1 cup: 2.3 mg
7. Pumpkin seeds, roasted, 1 ounce: 2.2 mg
8. Pork center loin chops, bone in, broiled, 3 ounces: 1.9 mg
9. Turkey breast, meat only, roasted, 3 ounces: 1.5 mg
10. Cheddar cheese, 1.5 ounces: 1.5 mg

Zinc in Common Foods

These are the ODS values, copied as listed (NIH ODS: Zinc). ODS notes that beef supplies about 20% of the zinc Americans get from food because it is eaten so often, and that fortified breakfast cereals are a major source of zinc in the US diet.

Food and serving	Zinc (mg)	% DV
Oysters, Eastern, farmed, raw, 3 oz	32	291
Oysters, Pacific, cooked, 3 oz	28.2	256
Beef, bottom sirloin, roasted, 3 oz	3.8	35
Blue crab, cooked, 3 oz	3.2	29
Breakfast cereal fortified with 25% of the DV, 1 serving	2.8	25
Oats, regular and quick, unenriched, cooked with water, 1 cup	2.3	21
Pumpkin seeds, roasted, 1 oz	2.2	20
Pork center loin (chops), bone in, broiled, 3 oz	1.9	17
Turkey breast, meat only, roasted, 3 oz	1.5	14
Cheddar cheese, 1.5 oz	1.5	14
Shrimp, cooked, 3 oz	1.4	13
Lentils, boiled, ½ cup	1.3	12
Sardines, canned in oil, drained solids with bone, 3 oz	1.1	10
Greek yogurt, plain, 6 oz	1.0	9
Milk, 1% milkfat, 1 cup	1.0	9
Peanuts, dry roasted, 1 oz	0.8	7
Rice, brown, long grain, cooked, ½ cup	0.7	6
Egg, 1 large	0.6	5
Kidney beans, canned, ½ cup	0.6	5
Bread, whole wheat, 1 slice	0.6	5
Salmon, cooked, 3 oz	0.5	5
Broccoli, chopped, cooked, ½ cup	0.4	4
Rice, white, long grain, cooked, ½ cup	0.3	3
Bread, white, 1 slice	0.2	2
Cherry tomatoes, raw, ½ cup	0.1	1
Blueberries, raw, ½ cup	0.1	1

How Much Zinc You Need

ODS lists these Recommended Dietary Allowances in milligrams a day. The value for infants up to 6 months is an Adequate Intake (NIH ODS: Zinc).

Age	Male	Female	Pregnancy	Lactation
0 to 6 months	2	2
7 months to 3 years	3	3
4 to 8 years	5	5
9 to 13 years	8	8
14 to 18 years	11	9	12	13
19 years and older	11	8	11	12

The upper limit for adults is 40 mg a day, and it counts zinc from food and supplements together. ODS based it on the levels of zinc that affect copper status. On average, ODS reports that men get about 13 mg a day from food and women about 9.2 mg, just above their RDAs. Our guide to how much zinc per day covers the upper limit, timing and side effects in more detail. For what zinc does in the body, see zinc benefits, and for amounts for women at each age, see zinc for women.

Animal vs Plant Zinc: Phytates and Absorption

ODS names meat, fish and other seafood as the richest food sources of zinc. Beans, nuts and whole grains contain zinc too, but they also contain phytates, which bind zinc in the gut and form a complex that inhibits its absorption. That is why ODS says the bioavailability of zinc from grains and plant foods is lower than that of animal foods, and why the bioavailability of zinc from vegetarian diets is often lower than from nonvegetarian diets (NIH ODS: Zinc).

So 1.3 mg from lentils is likely to deliver less absorbed zinc than 1.4 mg from shrimp. ODS adds that iron in fortified foods does not significantly interfere with zinc absorption.

Who Is Most Likely to Fall Short

ODS lists these groups at risk of zinc inadequacy (NIH ODS: Zinc):

• People with gastrointestinal disorders or who have had bariatric surgery. ODS says zinc inadequacy is common in people with inflammatory bowel disease, and that about half of people with newly diagnosed celiac disease have a high risk of inadequacy.
• People who follow vegetarian or vegan diets, who usually have lower zinc intakes.
• Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, since pregnancy adds 3 mg and lactation adds 4 mg over the nonpregnant RDA.
• Older infants who are exclusively breastfed, since human milk alone does not meet an infant's zinc needs after 6 months.
• Children with sickle cell disease.
• People with alcohol use disorder, in whom ODS reports low zinc status in 30% to 50%.

ODS adds that older adults might have marginal intakes.

Vegan and Vegetarian Sources of Zinc

The best plant sources on the ODS table are oats (2.3 mg per cooked cup), pumpkin seeds (2.2 mg per ounce), lentils (1.3 mg per half cup), peanuts (0.8 mg per ounce), brown rice (0.7 mg per half cup), canned kidney beans and whole wheat bread (0.6 mg each). Fortified cereal (2.8 mg) helps, and vegetarians can add cheddar (1.5 mg), Greek yogurt (1.0 mg) and eggs (0.6 mg).

ODS does not put a single number on how much more zinc vegetarians need. It says they usually take in less zinc than people who eat animal products, and it suggests ways to get more out of plant foods (NIH ODS: Zinc):

• Soak beans, grains and seeds in water for several hours before cooking them.
• Use canned or precooked beans and grains.
• Eat fermented foods, whose organic acids may increase zinc absorption.

ODS also says vegetarians and vegans might benefit from zinc supplements. Pumpkin seeds and oats are also among the foods high in magnesium.

A Sample Day of Zinc From Food

Meal	Foods	Zinc	Running total
Breakfast	1 cup oats (2.3), 1 oz pumpkin seeds (2.2), 1 cup 1% milk (1.0)	5.5 mg	5.5 mg
Lunch	3 oz turkey breast (1.5), 2 slices whole wheat bread (1.2), 1.5 oz cheddar (1.5)	4.2 mg	9.7 mg
Snack	6 oz plain Greek yogurt (1.0)	1.0 mg	10.7 mg
Dinner	3 oz beef bottom sirloin (3.8), ½ cup brown rice (0.7), ½ cup broccoli (0.4)	4.9 mg	15.6 mg

The arithmetic: 5.5 + 4.2 + 1.0 + 4.9 = 15.6 mg. Women pass their 8 mg RDA at lunch, and men pass 11 mg at dinner.

Vegan version: 1 cup oats (2.3) and 1 oz pumpkin seeds (2.2) at breakfast; 1 cup lentils (2 x 1.3 = 2.6) with 2 slices whole wheat bread (1.2) at lunch; 1 oz peanuts (0.8) as a snack; and ½ cup kidney beans (0.6), 1 cup brown rice (2 x 0.7 = 1.4) and ½ cup broccoli (0.4) at dinner. Total: 2.3 + 2.2 + 2.6 + 1.2 + 0.8 + 0.6 + 1.4 + 0.4 = 11.5 mg. That clears both adult RDAs on paper, but phytates mean less of it is absorbed.

Food vs Supplement Forms of Zinc

Food is the place to start. If you add a supplement, ODS says the common forms are zinc sulfate, zinc acetate and zinc gluconate, and the Supplement Facts panel lists elemental zinc, not the weight of the whole compound. ODS reports absorption of about 61% from zinc citrate or zinc gluconate and about 50% from zinc oxide (NIH ODS: Zinc). In a small study of 12 healthy women, a single dose of zinc bisglycinate gave 43 percent more zinc in the blood than the same dose as gluconate (Gandia et al., 2007).

For a side by side look at forms, read zinc picolinate vs bisglycinate vs gluconate and our zinc bisglycinate ingredient page. If you take more than one mineral, see magnesium and zinc together.

Pairing Zinc With Vitamin D Cofactors

Zinc is often grouped with magnesium and boron alongside vitamin D. For magnesium, a review noted that all of the enzymes that metabolize vitamin D seem to require magnesium as a cofactor (Uwitonze and Razzaque, 2018). Pumpkin seeds cover two of these at once, with 2.2 mg of zinc and 156 mg of magnesium per ounce (NIH ODS: Magnesium).

For the food side of the other nutrients, see foods high in magnesium and foods high in vitamin D. For the research on why they are grouped, read vitamin D and magnesium and boron benefits, or browse the learning center. For taking zinc with magnesium and boron as supplements, see our guide to magnesium, zinc and boron.

Coming Soon From Synchronicity

Our Vitamin D Cofactor Capsules will give 10 mg of zinc (as zinc bisglycinate) per 2 capsules, along with magnesium 100 mg (as magnesium bisglycinate) and boron 3 mg (as boron glycinate). They are not on sale yet. Pre-order on the product page to join the waitlist; no payment is taken.

In plain numbers, 10 mg is a quarter of the 40 mg adult upper limit. Added to the average food intakes ODS reports, it comes to about 23 mg a day for men (13 + 10) and about 19.2 mg for women (9.2 + 10), both well under 40 mg; add any multivitamin or other zinc product to that total. They pair with our Vitamin D3 + K2 Drops, available now, with vegan vitamin D3 from lichen and vitamin K2 as MK-4 and MK-7. See our vitamin D3 page and vitamin D3 and K2 for more.

Safety Note

Outside of frequent oyster meals, food alone is unlikely to pass 40 mg. ODS says too much zinc can cause nausea, dizziness, headaches, gastric distress, vomiting and loss of appetite, and that 50 mg or more a day for weeks can interfere with copper absorption, lower immune function and lower HDL cholesterol. Taking 25 mg or more of supplemental iron at the same time as zinc can lower zinc absorption (NIH ODS: Zinc). Talk with a healthcare provider before adding zinc if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, take medication or have a health condition.

Frequently Asked Questions

What food is highest in zinc?

Oysters: 32 mg in 3 ounces of farmed raw Eastern oysters and 28.2 mg in cooked Pacific oysters.

How much zinc do you need per day?

Adult women need 8 mg and adult men 11 mg. Pregnancy raises it to 11 to 12 mg and breastfeeding to 12 to 13 mg, depending on age. The adult upper limit is 40 mg.

What are the best vegan sources of zinc?

Fortified cereal, oats, pumpkin seeds and lentils lead, followed by peanuts, brown rice, beans and whole wheat bread.

Do vegetarians need more zinc?

ODS says they usually take in less zinc and absorb less from plant foods, but it does not give a set extra amount.

Which fruits and vegetables have zinc?

Very little: 0.4 mg in half a cup of cooked broccoli and 0.1 mg in cherry tomatoes or blueberries.

Can you get too much zinc from food?

It is uncommon. Apart from oysters, no food on the ODS list tops 3.8 mg per serving.

Is zinc from food or supplements better?

Start with food. If you add a supplement, count it with food against the 40 mg limit.

Sources

• NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Zinc: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. Updated January 6, 2026.
• NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Magnesium: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals.
• Gandia P, et al. 2007. Single-dose comparison of zinc bisglycinate and zinc gluconate in 12 healthy women. International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research.
• Uwitonze and Razzaque, 2018. Review on magnesium and vitamin D. DOI 10.7556/jaoa.2018.037.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This content is for education and is not medical advice. Our products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Talk with a healthcare provider before starting a new supplement if you are pregnant, breastfeeding or taking medication.