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Ingredient guide

Foods high in biotin

Written by the Full Measure editorial team, which sells supplements. Approved for publication by the Full Measure owners. Updated .

Drafted with AI assistance from the sources listed below. How we write these

Quick answer

Beef liver and eggs are the richest everyday sources of biotin. Three ounces of cooked beef liver has about 30.8 mcg and a whole cooked egg about 10 mcg, against an adult need of 30 mcg a day. Fish, meat, seeds, nuts and sweet potatoes add smaller amounts.1

Key facts

  • Avidin, a protein in raw egg white, locks onto biotin and keeps it from being absorbed, but cooking inactivates it.1
  • US food labels do not have to list biotin unless it has been added to the food.1
  • The USDA's FoodData Central database does not list biotin, so published food values are limited.1
  • Mixed western diets supply an estimated 35 to 70 mcg a day.1

Biotin in common foods

Biotin per serving, with the percent of the 30 mcg Daily Value1
FoodServingBiotinDaily Value
Beef liver, cooked3 ounces30.8 mcg103%
Egg, whole, cooked1 egg10.0 mcg33%
Pink salmon, canned in water3 ounces5.0 mcg17%
Pork chop, cooked3 ounces3.8 mcg13%
Hamburger patty, cooked3 ounces3.8 mcg13%
Sunflower seeds, roasteda quarter cup2.6 mcg9%
Sweet potato, cookedhalf a cup2.4 mcg8%
Almonds, roasteda quarter cup1.5 mcg5%
Tuna, canned in water3 ounces0.6 mcg2%
Spinach, boiledhalf a cup0.5 mcg2%
Broccoli, freshhalf a cup0.4 mcg1%
Cheddar cheese, mild1 ounce0.4 mcg1%

Two servings from the top of the table, such as an egg at breakfast and a portion of salmon later, already reach about half the daily need before anything else you eat is counted.1

Eggs: raw white versus cooked

Raw egg white contains avidin, a protein that binds biotin tightly and stops it from being absorbed. Cooking breaks avidin down, so cooked eggs do not have this effect.1

So the issue is limited to raw egg white. Once eggs are cooked, avidin no longer blocks biotin, and a whole cooked egg gives about a third of the Daily Value.1

Plant foods with biotin

Among the plant foods in NIH's list, roasted sunflower seeds give the most, about 2.6 mcg per quarter cup, followed by cooked sweet potato at 2.4 mcg per half cup and roasted almonds at 1.5 mcg per quarter cup. Spinach and broccoli have well under 1 mcg per half cup.1

NIH also counts seeds, nuts and certain vegetables among the foods that let people reach the recommended amount, so a plant-based diet with these foods still contributes biotin, just in smaller steps than liver or eggs.2

Foods with little or none

Many everyday foods have very little: a cup of 2% milk has about 0.3 mcg, a cup of plain yogurt or oatmeal 0.2 mcg, and a slice of whole wheat bread or half a cup of apple close to none.1

The biotin in food varies with plant variety and season, and processing such as canning can lower it.1

When food may not be enough

NIH names the groups at risk of low biotin: people with biotinidase deficiency, a rare inherited disorder that stops the body releasing biotin from food; people with long-term heavy alcohol use, which reduces absorption; and pregnant and breastfeeding women. Newborns in the United States are screened for biotinidase deficiency.1,2

If you think you may be short of biotin, see a doctor rather than starting a high-dose supplement on your own, because high doses can distort the very blood tests a doctor might use.3

Questions people ask

Can you get enough biotin from food alone?

Most people do. Mixed western diets supply an estimated 35 to 70 mcg a day, above the 30 mcg adults need, and a severe shortage has never been reported in healthy people eating a normal mixed diet.1

Does cooking destroy biotin?

NIH notes that processing such as canning can lower the biotin in food. Cooking eggs works the other way for availability: it inactivates avidin, the raw egg white protein that blocks biotin absorption.1

Are there foods high in biotin for hair growth?

The foods that are high in biotin are the ones in the table above, but no food or amount has been shown to change hair in people who already get enough biotin. Biotin's role in hair comes from what happens in a true shortage, which is rare.1,4

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Sources

  1. National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. Biotin: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. Updated January 10, 2022. Opened 2026-10-07.
  2. National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. Biotin: Fact Sheet for Consumers. Updated January 15, 2021. Opened 2026-10-07.
  3. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Testing for Biotin Interference in In Vitro Diagnostic Devices: Guidance for Industry. October 2020. Opened 2026-10-07.
  4. Patel DP, Swink SM, Castelo-Soccio L. A Review of the Use of Biotin for Hair Loss. Skin Appendage Disord. 2017;3(3):166-169. Opened 2026-10-07.

This page is information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your own situation.