Quick answer
Clams, oysters and beef liver are the richest sources, with 14.9 to 70.7 mcg in 3 ounces, against a daily need of 2.4 mcg. Fish, meat, eggs and dairy add more. Plant foods have none unless fortified, so vegetarians rely on dairy, eggs, fortified cereals and nutritional yeast.1,2
Key facts
- A 3-ounce serving of salmon, canned light tuna or lean ground beef covers about a day's 2.4 mcg.1
- Intrinsic factor takes up only about 1.5 to 2 mcg of B12 per meal, so very rich servings are only partly absorbed.3
- Bananas, kidney beans, spinach, strawberries and whole wheat bread contain no B12.1
- A food label has to list B12 only when it has been added.1,2
Vitamin B12 per serving
| Food and serving | mcg | % Daily Value |
|---|---|---|
| Beef liver, pan fried, 3 ounces | 70.7 | 2,944 |
| Clams, cooked, 3 ounces | 17 | 708 |
| Oysters, cooked, 3 ounces | 14.9 | 621 |
| Nutritional yeast, fortified, about a quarter cup | 8.3 to 24 | 346 to 1,000 |
| Salmon, Atlantic, cooked, 3 ounces | 2.6 | 108 |
| Tuna, light, canned in water, 3 ounces | 2.5 | 104 |
| Ground beef, 85% lean, 3 ounces | 2.4 | 100 |
| Milk, 2%, 1 cup | 1.3 | 54 |
| Yogurt, plain, fat free, 6 ounces | 1.0 | 43 |
| Breakfast cereal fortified with 25% of the Daily Value | 0.6 | 25 |
| Cheddar cheese, 1.5 ounces | 0.5 | 19 |
| Egg, 1 large | 0.5 | 19 |
| Turkey breast, roasted, 3 ounces | 0.3 | 14 |
| Tempeh, half a cup | 0.1 | 3 |
| Banana, whole wheat bread, strawberries, kidney beans or spinach | 0 | 0 |
Foods with 20% of the Daily Value or more count as high sources, so one serving of salmon, tuna, beef, milk or yogurt qualifies.1
Vegetarian and vegan sources
Plant foods have no vitamin B12 unless it is added. Many breakfast cereals and nutritional yeasts are fortified with it, and the B12 they contain is well absorbed.1,2
About a quarter cup of fortified nutritional yeast has 8.3 to 24 mcg of B12, depending on the brand.1
The B12 in eggs seems to be poorly absorbed, at under 9%.3
Most edible blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) sold for supplements contain mainly pseudovitamin B12, a form that is inactive in people, so they are not a reliable B12 source.3
Vegetarians who eat dairy and eggs can get B12 from milk, yogurt and cheese. Vegans need fortified foods or a supplement, and NIH lists both groups among those more likely to run low.1
How much of food B12 you absorb
B12 from dairy foods appears to be absorbed about three times as well as B12 from meat, fish and poultry, and B12 from supplements about 50% better than B12 from food.1
The amount in one meal matters too. In studies pooled in a 2013 review, people absorbed 83% of the B12 in a 3 mcg serving of mutton but only 4.5% of a 38 mcg serving of liver.4
Another review put average absorption at 42% from fish, 56% to 89% from mutton and 61% to 66% from chicken.3
Foods with B12 and iron, vitamin D, B6 or folate
Animal foods often carry several of these nutrients at once. Beef liver is rich in B12, iron, B6 and folate, with a little vitamin D; oysters pair B12 with iron; and eggs, milk and fortified cereals add smaller amounts of several.1,5,6,7,8
| Food and serving | B12, mcg | Iron, mg | Vitamin D, mcg | B6, mg | Folate, mcg DFE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beef liver, 3 ounces | 70.7 | 5 | 1.0 | 0.9 | 215 |
| Oysters, 3 ounces | 14.9 | 8 | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| Tuna, light, canned, 3 ounces | 2.5 | 1 | 1.0 | Not listed | Not listed |
| Egg, 1 large | 0.5 | 1 | 1.1 | Not listed | 22 |
| Milk, 1 cup | 1.3 | 0 | 2.9 if fortified | Not listed | 12 |
| Fortified breakfast cereal | 0.6 at 25% of the Daily Value | 18 at 100% of the Daily Value | 2.0 at 10% of the Daily Value | 0.4 at 25% of the Daily Value | 100 at 25% of the Daily Value |
Checking labels
A Nutrition Facts label has to show B12 only when it has been added, so fortified cereals and nutritional yeasts list it while a steak does not. For fortified foods, check the label for the amount, because it varies by product.1,2
Questions people ask
Which fruits and vegetables have vitamin B12?
None, unless they are fortified. NIH lists bananas, strawberries, kidney beans and spinach at 0 mcg.1
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Sources
- National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. Vitamin B12: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. Updated July 2, 2025. Opened 2026-10-07.
- National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. Vitamin B12: Fact Sheet for Consumers. Updated December 15, 2023. Opened 2026-10-07.
- Watanabe F. Vitamin B12 sources and bioavailability. Exp Biol Med (Maywood). 2007;232(10):1266-1274. Opened 2026-10-07.
- Doets EL, In 't Veld PH, Szczecińska A, et al. Systematic review on daily vitamin B12 losses and bioavailability for deriving recommendations on vitamin B12 intake with the factorial approach. Ann Nutr Metab. 2013;62(4):311-322. Opened 2026-10-07.
- National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. Iron: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. Updated September 4, 2025. Opened 2026-10-07.
- National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. Vitamin D: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. Updated June 27, 2025. Opened 2026-10-07.
- National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. Vitamin B6: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. Updated June 16, 2023. Opened 2026-10-07.
- National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. Folate: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. Updated November 30, 2022. Opened 2026-10-07.
This page is information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your own situation.