Quick answer
Beef liver, chicken breast, turkey breast, salmon and canned light tuna give about 9 to 15 mg of niacin in a 3 ounce serving, more than half the Daily Value. Brown rice, peanuts and fortified cereals add about 4 to 5 mg a serving. Most adults need 14 to 16 mg NE a day.1,2
Key facts
- Animal foods give about 5 to 10 mg of niacin per serving, and nuts, legumes and grains about 2 to 5 mg.1
- In some grains only about 30% of the natural niacin can be absorbed, but niacin added to enriched and fortified foods is well absorbed.1
- About 60 mg of tryptophan, an amino acid in protein, counts as 1 mg of niacin.1
- A cup of marinara sauce has as much niacin as 3 ounces of grilled chicken breast: 10.3 mg.1
The richest foods
| Food | Serving | Niacin | Daily Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beef liver, pan fried | 3 ounces | 14.9 mg | 93% |
| Chicken breast, grilled | 3 ounces | 10.3 mg | 64% |
| Marinara sauce, ready to serve | 1 cup | 10.3 mg | 64% |
| Turkey breast, roasted | 3 ounces | 10.0 mg | 63% |
| Sockeye salmon, cooked | 3 ounces | 8.6 mg | 54% |
| Light tuna, canned in water | 3 ounces | 8.6 mg | 54% |
| Pork tenderloin, roasted | 3 ounces | 6.3 mg | 39% |
| Ground beef, 90% lean | 3 ounces | 5.8 mg | 36% |
| Brown rice, cooked | 1 cup | 5.2 mg | 33% |
| Peanuts, dry roasted | 1 ounce | 4.2 mg | 26% |
| Breakfast cereal fortified with 25% of the Daily Value | 1 serving | 4.0 mg | 25% |
The Daily Value for niacin on US labels is 16 mg. A food with 20% or more of it counts as a high source.1
Plant and vegan sources
Nuts, legumes and grains provide about 2 to 5 mg per serving, mostly as nicotinic acid. In some grains much of it is bound to other compounds, so only about 30% can be absorbed.1
- Brown rice, cooked, 1 cup: 5.2 mg1
- Peanuts, dry roasted, 1 ounce: 4.2 mg1
- Potato, baked, 1 medium: 2.3 mg1
- White rice, enriched, cooked, 1 cup: 2.3 mg1
- Sunflower seeds, dry roasted, 1 ounce: 2.0 mg1
- Whole wheat bread, 1 slice: 1.4 mg1
- Pumpkin seeds, 1 ounce, or unfortified soymilk, 1 cup: 1.3 mg1
- Lentils, boiled, half a cup: 1.0 mg1
Tomato sauce is the surprise on NIH's list: a cup of ready to serve marinara has 10.3 mg, more than any other plant food in the table.1
Tryptophan counts too
Tryptophan, an amino acid in protein, also counts toward niacin. A 3 ounce serving of turkey breast has about 180 mg of tryptophan, which could be worth 3 mg of niacin, although how much people convert varies a lot.1,2
The body needs riboflavin, vitamin B6 and iron to turn tryptophan into niacin, so people who get too little of them make less niacin this way.1,2
So a diet rich in protein supplies niacin twice: once as niacin itself and again as tryptophan. Food tables list only the niacin, which means they leave out what tryptophan adds.1
Enriched and fortified foods
Many breads, breakfast cereals and infant formulas in the US have added niacin. Added niacin is in a free form that is well absorbed.1,2
NIH's table uses a breakfast cereal fortified with 25% of the Daily Value as its example, about 4 mg a serving. Check the label of the cereal you buy, because amounts differ between products.1
Is food enough?
For most people, yes. Average US intakes from food and drink, about 31 mg a day for men and 21 mg for women, are well above the 14 to 16 mg NE adults need.1
Those most likely to fall short eat little overall or follow very limited diets, or get too little riboflavin, vitamin B6 or iron, which the body needs to make niacin from tryptophan.1,2
Food and the upper limit
Niacin that occurs naturally in food has not been reported to cause harm. The upper limit counts only niacin from supplements and medicines.1,2
Flushing and the other side effects of niacin come from supplements and medicines, not from niacin-rich meals.1
Questions people ask
Which fruits have niacin?
Fruit is a small source. NIH lists a medium banana at 0.8 mg, half a cup of raisins at 0.6 mg, half a cup of cherry tomatoes at 0.5 mg and a medium apple at 0.2 mg.1
Which foods are high in both niacin and tryptophan?
Turkey is NIH's example. Roasted turkey breast gives 10 mg of niacin in 3 ounces, and its tryptophan could add the equivalent of about 3 mg more.1
Do eggs and milk have niacin?
Very little. NIH lists a large egg at 0 mg and a cup of 1% milk at 0.2 mg.1
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Sources
This page is information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your own situation.