Foods High in Zinc: Best Sources and Amounts

The foods highest in zinc are oysters, with 32 mg in 3 ounces of farmed raw oysters, about 3 times the 11 mg Daily Value¹. Beef, crab, fortified cereal, oats and pumpkin seeds follow, and adults need 11 mg a day (men) or 8 mg (women)¹.

Most people in the US reach that from food: average intake is 13 mg a day in men and 9.2 mg in women¹. Plant zinc absorbs less well, so vegetarians and vegans are more likely to fall short¹. So are people with gut disease or alcohol use disorder, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and teenage girls, 20.9% of whom eat less than the average requirement¹. For what zinc does and the trials on zinc supplements, see our evidence page.

Oysters have far more zinc than any other food; beef is the largest everyday source and supplies 20% of the zinc Americans get from food¹. Shellfish, red meat and poultry fill the top of the list, and fortified cereal leads the plant foods^{1, 2}.

Animal foods (per serving, with % of the 11 mg Daily Value)

These values come from USDA food composition data, as listed by the NIH and the USDA's own nutrient tables^{1, 2}:

• Oysters, eastern, wild, cooked with moist heat, 3 oz: 66.8 mg (607% DV)
• Oysters, eastern, farmed, raw, 3 oz: 32 mg (291% DV)
• Oysters, Pacific, cooked, 3 oz: 28.2 mg (256% DV)
• Beef chuck short ribs, braised, 3 oz: 10.2 mg (92% DV)
• Spiny lobster, cooked, 3 oz: 6.2 mg (56% DV)
• Beef bottom sirloin, roasted, 3 oz: 3.8 mg (35% DV)
• Blue crab, cooked, 3 oz: 3.2 mg (29% DV)
• Ground turkey, 93% lean, cooked, 3 oz: 3.2 mg (29% DV)
• Pork loin chop, broiled, 3 oz: 1.9 mg (17% DV)
• Cheddar cheese, 1.5 oz: 1.5 mg (14% DV)
• Shrimp, cooked, 3 oz: 1.4 mg (13% DV)
• Greek yogurt, plain, 6 oz: 1.0 mg (9% DV)
• Milk, 1%, 1 cup: 1.0 mg (9% DV)
• Egg, 1 large: 0.6 mg (5% DV)
• Salmon, cooked, 3 oz: 0.5 mg (5% DV)

Cooked oysters are still the richest source, as the cooked rows above show. Raw or undercooked oysters are the main cause of Vibrio infection, and the risk of infection and severe illness is higher if you take medicine to lower stomach acid, have had recent stomach surgery, have liver disease, diabetes, cancer, HIV or thalassemia, or take immune-suppressing treatment; in those cases, eat oysters cooked, not raw³.

Plant foods (per serving, with % DV)

Seeds, legumes, oats and fortified cereal are the best plant sources¹. Hemp seeds have 9.9 mg per 100 g⁴, cooked chickpeas 1.53 mg per 100 g⁵ and raw cashews 5.78 mg per 100 g⁶. Per normal serving, that works out as follows^{1, 2}:

• Hemp seeds, hulled, 3 tbsp: 3.0 mg (27% DV)
• Fortified breakfast cereal (25% DV), 1 serving: 2.8 mg (25% DV)
• Chickpeas, boiled, 1 cup: 2.5 mg (23% DV)
• Oats, cooked with water, 1 cup: 2.3 mg (21% DV)
• Pumpkin seeds, roasted, 1 oz: 2.2 mg (20% DV)
• Firm tofu, ½ cup: 2.0 mg (18% DV)
• Cashews, raw, 1 oz: 1.6 mg (15% DV)
• Edamame (green soybeans), cooked, 1 cup: 1.6 mg (15% DV)
• Lentils, boiled, ½ cup: 1.3 mg (12% DV)
• Peanuts, dry roasted, 1 oz: 0.8 mg (7% DV)
• Dark chocolate, 60-69% cacao, 1 oz: 0.75 mg (7% DV)
• Brown rice, cooked, ½ cup: 0.7 mg (6% DV)
• Kidney beans, canned, ½ cup: 0.6 mg (5% DV)
• Whole wheat bread, 1 slice: 0.6 mg (5% DV)

A food with 20% of the Daily Value or more per serving counts as a high source¹. On that rule, oysters, beef, crab, hemp seeds, fortified cereal, chickpeas, oats and pumpkin seeds all qualify.

Adults need 8 to 12 mg of zinc a day, depending on sex and life stage¹. The Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) are:

• Men 19 and older: 11 mg
• Women 19 and older: 8 mg
• Pregnancy: 11 mg (12 mg at ages 14 to 18)
• Breastfeeding: 12 mg (13 mg at ages 14 to 18)
• Teens 14 to 18: 11 mg for boys, 9 mg for girls
• Children 9 to 13: 8 mg; 4 to 8 years: 5 mg; 1 to 3 years: 3 mg

Most Americans get enough, but not all: 15% of adults eat less than the average requirement, and 20.9% of girls aged 14 to 18 do¹. The Daily Value on food labels is 11 mg, so a label's percentage is measured against a man's need¹.

Using the amounts above, one zinc-dense protein food plus two or three smaller sources each day covers 8 to 11 mg without oysters. Two sample days, built from the amounts above^{1, 4, 5, 6}:

A day with meat

• Breakfast: fortified cereal (2.8 mg) with 1 cup of 1% milk (1.0 mg)
• Lunch: 6 oz plain Greek yogurt (1.0 mg) with 1 oz pumpkin seeds (2.2 mg)
• Dinner: 3 oz roast beef sirloin (3.8 mg)
• Total: about 10.8 mg, enough for a woman and close to a man's 11 mg

A vegetarian day

• Breakfast: 1 cup cooked oats (2.3 mg) topped with 3 tbsp hemp seeds (3.0 mg)
• Lunch: 1 cup chickpeas (2.5 mg) and 1.5 oz cheddar (1.5 mg)
• Dinner: ½ cup firm tofu (2.0 mg)
• Snack: 1 oz cashews (1.6 mg)
• Total: about 12.9 mg, or 11.4 mg without the cheese

The vegetarian day carries more phytate, so less of its zinc is absorbed (next section). Aim above the RDA on a plant-based diet rather than at it: a diet high in phytate can roughly double the average requirement^{7, 8}.

Eggs alone won't get you there. Two large eggs give 1.2 mg, about 15% of a woman's 8 mg and 11% of a man's 11 mg¹.

Phytate, the storage form of phosphorus in beans, whole grains, nuts and seeds, is the main dietary blocker of zinc absorption^{1, 8}. It binds zinc in the gut into a complex the body can't absorb¹. Depending on how much plant food is in the diet, the share of zinc absorbed ranges from 5% to more than 50%¹.

The effect is large. Modelling of human absorption studies puts the maximum adults absorb at about 6 mg of zinc a day, and the average requirement doubles when the diet carries 1,000 mg of phytate a day⁸. For this reason European dietary guidance sets adult zinc needs at 4 levels of phytate intake⁷.

Other foods and supplements matter less than phytate:

• Protein and calcium modestly increase zinc absorption, and iron in the diet had no detectable effect once those were accounted for, in a model fitted to human absorption data⁹.
• Iron supplements do compete. In 11 adults with an ileostomy, absorption from a 12 mg zinc dose fell from 44% to 26% when taken with 100 mg of iron¹⁰. Iron supplements of 25 mg or more, taken at the same time as zinc, lower absorption; the iron in fortified foods does not¹.
• Meat and fish carry highly absorbable zinc, which is why mixed meals absorb less zinc than meals of animal foods only¹.

How to get more zinc from beans and grains

Traditional food processing lowers phytate, either by washing it out or by letting the grain's own enzyme (phytase) break it down⁷. In practice:

• Soak beans, grains and seeds in water for several hours before cooking, and discard the water¹.
• Sprout, ferment or leaven: yeast-raised and sourdough breads, sprouts and presoaked legumes release more zinc¹¹.
• Use canned or precooked legumes when soaking isn't practical¹.

No fruit is a good source of zinc; fruits and vegetables contain very little¹. A medium banana has about 0.18 mg (0.15 mg per 100 g)¹², and a medium apple about 0.07 mg¹³. Other fruit and vegetables per serving^{1, 2}:

• Dehydrated (low-moisture) apricots, 1 cup: 1.19 mg
• Kiwi, sliced, 1 cup: 0.25 mg
• Blueberries, ½ cup: 0.1 mg
• Green peas, 1 cup: 1.8 mg
• Baked russet potato, large: 1.05 mg
• Spinach, canned, 1 cup: 0.98 mg
• Portabella mushrooms, grilled, 1 cup: 0.79 mg
• Broccoli, cooked, ½ cup: 0.4 mg

Even the best of these give under 2 mg per serving, so fruit and vegetables add up only in a diet that already includes seeds, legumes, dairy or meat^{1, 2}.

Seeds, nuts, legumes and shellfish tend to carry several of these minerals at once. Pumpkin seeds are the standout for zinc and magnesium: 1 oz has 2.2 mg of zinc (20% DV)¹ and 156 mg of magnesium (37% DV)¹⁴. Good overlaps, per serving:

• Zinc and magnesium: pumpkin seeds; cashews, with 74 mg of magnesium per ounce dry roasted¹⁴; edamame and plain yogurt^{14, 2}.
• Zinc and iron: oysters, with 8 mg of iron per 3 oz cooked (44% DV); firm tofu, with 3 mg per ½ cup; lentils and chickpeas¹⁵.
• Zinc and copper: oysters, with 4,850 mcg of copper per 3 oz (539% DV); cashews, with 629 mcg per ounce (70% DV); firm tofu and chickpeas¹⁶.

For the full magnesium list, see our guide to magnesium-rich foods, and the evidence pages for magnesium, iron and copper.

Gut disease, heavy drinking and a phytate-rich diet do the most damage to zinc status, through poor absorption, extra losses or low intake¹. The groups most likely to run low¹:

• Inflammatory bowel disease: 15% to 40% of people with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis are zinc deficient, in flares and in remission.
• Celiac disease: about 50% of people newly diagnosed with celiac disease are at high risk, and some stay low on a gluten-free diet.
• Bariatric surgery that bypasses part of the gut, and other forms of malabsorption.
• Alcohol use disorder: 30% to 50% have low zinc, because alcohol cuts absorption and raises urinary losses (see alcohol use disorder).
• Pregnancy and breastfeeding: needs rise by 3 mg and 4 mg a day.
• Breastfed babies over 6 months: zinc in breast milk falls by about 75% by the ninth month, so infants need zinc-containing foods.
• Children with sickle cell disease: higher risk of low zinc, possibly from the chelation therapy used to treat iron overload.

Vegetarians eat less zinc on average. A 2013 meta-analysis of 26 studies (48 comparisons) found intake 0.88 mg a day lower and serum zinc lower than in non-vegetarians, with the largest gaps in women and vegans¹⁷. A review the same year argued that vegetarians adapt by absorbing and retaining more zinc, and found similar serum levels¹¹. Both agree that soaking, sprouting and fermenting help.

Medicines that lower zinc

• Thiazide diuretics such as hydrochlorothiazide raise zinc losses in urine¹. Our guide to blood pressure medicines and supplements covers the other interactions.
• Proton pump inhibitors (acid reducers used for GERD): in one study, 14 days of zinc gluconate (26.2 mg twice daily) raised plasma zinc by 126% in healthy people but only 37% in long-term users, whose baseline plasma zinc was 28% lower¹⁸.

Signs depend on age, and none is specific to zinc¹. The ones described by the NIH¹:

• Infants and children: diarrhea, hair loss, slowed growth, frequent infections and loss of appetite.
• Any age: changes in taste and smell.
• Older adults: slow wound healing and changes in thinking and mood.
• Pregnancy: higher risk of complications and poor birth outcomes where absorbable zinc intake is low.

A blood test helps but isn't definitive. Healthy serum zinc is 80 to 120 mcg/dL, and levels below 70 mcg/dL in women and 74 mcg/dL in men suggest inadequate status; but serum zinc shifts with time of day, infection and weight loss¹. Clinicians weigh it alongside diet and risk factors.

Worldwide, about 17.3% of people are at risk of inadequate zinc intake, mostly in regions where diets are high in phytate and low in animal foods¹⁹. For specific symptoms, see zinc for slow wound healing, zinc for hair loss and zinc for loss of appetite.

High-dose zinc products follow the doses tested in trials for specific conditions, not the daily requirement. The upper limit for healthy adults is 40 mg a day from food and supplements combined; for children and teens it is lower: 34 mg at ages 14 to 18 (including in pregnancy and breastfeeding), 23 mg at 9 to 13, 12 mg at 4 to 8 and 7 mg at 1 to 3. The limit doesn't apply to people taking zinc as medical treatment¹. Where the high doses come from:

• Eye disease: the AREDS trial in 4,757 adults at high risk of advanced macular degeneration used 80 mg of zinc with 2 mg of copper and antioxidants daily for 5 years, and cut the risk of advanced disease by 25%¹. That dose was tested in people at high risk of advanced disease, not as a general supplement.
• Colds: lozenge trials gave 45 to 276 mg a day of zinc gluconate for 4.5 to 21 days²⁰. A 2024 Cochrane review (34 trials) found little or no effect on catching colds (risk ratio 0.93; 9 prevention trials, 1,449 people) and a possible 2.4-day shorter cold when zinc was used as treatment (8 trials, 972 people), both on low-certainty evidence²⁰. More on zinc for cold prevention.

Labels list elemental zinc, not the weight of the whole compound¹. Absorption is about 61% from zinc gluconate or citrate and 50% from zinc oxide¹. If you only need to cover a shortfall, a multivitamin or a low-dose product gets you there without nearing the limit.

Yes. Too much zinc causes nausea, vomiting, stomach upset, headaches, dizziness and loss of appetite¹. In the 2024 Cochrane review, people taking zinc to treat colds had 34% more non-serious side effects than those on placebo (16 trials, 2,084 people)²⁰.

Longer-term, 50 mg a day or more for weeks can block copper absorption, weaken immune function and lower HDL cholesterol¹. Food alone almost never supplies that much¹. Overuse of denture creams containing 17 to 34 mg of zinc per gram has caused copper deficiency with anemia and nerve damage¹. Very high doses also affect magnesium: in men given 142 mg of zinc a day, magnesium absorption and balance fell²¹.

Zinc supplements also interact with medicines¹:

• Quinolone and tetracycline antibiotics: take the antibiotic at least 2 hours before or 4 to 6 hours after zinc.
• Penicillamine (for Wilson disease and rheumatoid arthritis): keep at least 1 hour apart.

Most people can meet their zinc needs from food; dietary guidance is to get nutrients from food first and use supplements when that isn't possible¹. Fortified foods or low-dose supplements are a reasonable step for vegetarians whose intake or blood levels run low¹⁷. A simple way to decide:

• If you eat meat, seafood or dairy most days: you very likely get enough. No supplement needed.
• If you are vegetarian or vegan: build in seeds, legumes, tofu and oats daily, soak or sprout where you can, and aim above the RDA. Consider a low-dose supplement if blood tests show low zinc.
• If you have Crohn's, celiac disease, a past bariatric operation or drink heavily: ask your doctor to check zinc; food alone may not be enough.
• If you take an iron supplement: take zinc at a different time of day. Our guide on when to take vitamins covers spacing.
• If you take a zinc supplement: adults should keep the total from food and supplements under 40 mg a day (34 mg for ages 14 to 18, 23 mg for 9 to 13, 12 mg for 4 to 8, 7 mg for 1 to 3) unless a clinician prescribed more¹.

Zinc supports the immune system, and the trials on what supplements add for frequent infections are on our evidence pages.

Supplements in this guide

• Zinc
• Copper
• Iron
• Magnesium
• Multivitamin

We searched PubMed and the Firecrawl research index for systematic reviews, meta-analyses and absorption studies on zinc in food, phytate, vegetarian diets, supplement safety and drug interactions, and read 11 abstracts in full; 10 are cited. Food amounts come from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) and the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements fact sheets for zinc, magnesium, iron and copper, read on 14 October 2026. Per-serving figures we calculated from per-100 g values are rounded to one decimal.

What the evidence can't tell us: blood zinc is a weak marker of status, so studies of who is "low" disagree, and most absorption data come from small metabolic studies.

1. National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. Zinc: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. Updated January 6, 2026. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Zinc-HealthProfessional/
2. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, National Agricultural Library. Zinc, Zn (mg) per common measure. Source: USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference Legacy (2018). https://www.nal.usda.gov/sites/default/files/page-files/zinc.pdf
3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About Vibrio Infection. Updated May 14, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/vibrio/about/index.html
4. U.S. Department of Agriculture. FoodData Central, SR Legacy: Seeds, hemp seed, hulled (FDC ID 170148). https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/170148/nutrients
5. U.S. Department of Agriculture. FoodData Central, SR Legacy: Chickpeas (garbanzo beans, bengal gram), mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt (FDC ID 173757). https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/173757/nutrients
6. U.S. Department of Agriculture. FoodData Central, SR Legacy: Nuts, cashew nuts, raw (FDC ID 170162). https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/170162/nutrients
7. Gibson RS, et al. Implications of phytate in plant-based foods for iron and zinc bioavailability, setting dietary requirements, and formulating programs and policies. Nutr Rev. 2018;76(11):793-804. doi:10.1093/nutrit/nuy028
8. Hambidge KM, et al. Zinc bioavailability and homeostasis. Am J Clin Nutr. 2010;91(5):1478S-1483S. doi:10.3945/ajcn.2010.28674I
9. Miller LV, et al. Mathematical model of zinc absorption: effects of dietary calcium, protein and iron on zinc absorption. Br J Nutr. 2013;109(4):695-700. doi:10.1017/S000711451200195X
10. Troost FJ, et al. Iron supplements inhibit zinc but not copper absorption in vivo in ileostomy subjects. Am J Clin Nutr. 2003;78(5):1018-23. doi:10.1093/ajcn/78.5.1018
11. Saunders AV, et al. Zinc and vegetarian diets. Med J Aust. 2013;199(S4):S17-21. doi:10.5694/mja11.11493
12. U.S. Department of Agriculture. FoodData Central, SR Legacy: Bananas, raw (FDC ID 173944). https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/173944/nutrients
13. U.S. Department of Agriculture. FoodData Central, SR Legacy: Apples, raw, with skin (FDC ID 171688). https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/171688/nutrients
14. National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. Magnesium: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Magnesium-HealthProfessional/
15. National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. Iron: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Iron-HealthProfessional/
16. National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. Copper: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Copper-HealthProfessional/
17. Foster M, et al. Effect of vegetarian diets on zinc status: a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies in humans. J Sci Food Agric. 2013;93(10):2362-71. doi:10.1002/jsfa.6179
18. Farrell CP, et al. Proton Pump Inhibitors Interfere With Zinc Absorption and Zinc Body Stores. Gastroenterology Res. 2011;4(6):243-251. doi:10.4021/gr379w
19. Wessells KR, et al. Estimating the global prevalence of zinc deficiency: results based on zinc availability in national food supplies and the prevalence of stunting. PLoS One. 2012;7(11):e50568. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0050568
20. Nault D, et al. Zinc for prevention and treatment of the common cold. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2024;5(5):CD014914. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD014914.pub2 Our study summary.
21. Spencer H, et al. Inhibitory effects of zinc on magnesium balance and magnesium absorption in man. J Am Coll Nutr. 1994;13(5):479-84. doi:10.1080/07315724.1994.10718438