Vitamin B12 Foods: Chart per 100 g

This chart is shorter than the others, and that is the point: vitamin B12 occurs in meaningful amounts almost exclusively in animal foods. Liver, shellfish, herring, mackerel, salmon, eggs and dairy – and then the list stops.

Vitamin B12 contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism, to the normal function of the nervous system, to normal red blood cell formation and to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.

The German DGE gives 4.0 µg per day for adults, 4.5 µg in pregnancy and 5.5 µg while breastfeeding.

#	Food	Vitamin B12 per 100 g	Share of daily reference	Category	Source
1	Chicken liver	16.58 µg	414 %	Meat & fish	USDA
2	Herring	13.67 µg	342 %	Meat & fish	USDA
3	Sardines	8.94 µg	224 %	Meat & fish	USDA
4	Mackerel	8.71 µg	218 %	Meat & fish	USDA
5	Trout	7.79 µg	195 %	Meat & fish	USDA
6	Beef	5 µg	125 %	Meat & fish	BLS
7	Salmon	3.9 µg	98 %	Meat & fish	BLS
8	Pollock	3.19 µg	80 %	Meat & fish	USDA
9	Wild salmon	3.18 µg	80 %	Meat & fish	USDA
10	Egg	2.7 µg	68 %	Chilled	BLS
11	Lamb meat	2.7 µg	68 %	Meat & fish	USDA
12	Mozzarella	2.28 µg	57 %	Dairy	USDA
13	Tuna	2.08 µg	52 %	Meat & fish	USDA
14	Halloumi	1.75 µg	44 %	Dairy	BLS
15	Feta	1.69 µg	42 %	Other	USDA
16	Psyllium seeds	1.23 µg	31 %	Other	–
17	Blue cheese	1.22 µg	31 %	Dairy	USDA
18	Parmesan	1.2 µg	30 %	Chilled	USDA
19	Cod	0.91 µg	23 %	Meat & fish	USDA
20	Monkfish	0.9 µg	23 %	Meat & fish	USDA
21	Ricotta	0.85 µg	21 %	Dairy	USDA
22	Curd	0.81 µg	20 %	Dairy	BLS
23	Bacon cubes (lean)	0.8 µg	20 %	Meat & fish	–
24	Provolone	0.79 µg	20 %	Dairy & cheese	BLS
25	Greek yogurt	0.75 µg	19 %	Dairy	USDA
26	Turkey Breast	0.63 µg	16 %	Other	USDA
27	Pork	0.63 µg	16 %	Meat & fish	USDA
28	Bacon	0.61 µg	15 %	Meat & fish	–
29	Low-fat quark	0.61 µg	15 %	Other	BLS
30	Yogurt	0.6 µg	15 %	Dairy	BLS
31	Oat milk	0.51 µg	13 %	Drinks	USDA
32	Kefir	0.5 µg	13 %	Dairy	BLS
33	Sour cream	0.5 µg	13 %	Dairy	BLS
34	Cottage cheese	0.43 µg	11 %	Dairy	USDA
35	Paneer	0.4 µg	10 %	Dairy	–
36	Cream	0.4 µg	10 %	Other	BLS
37	Soy milk	0.39 µg	10 %	Drinks	USDA
38	Chicken breast	0.37 µg	9 %	Meat & fish	USDA
39	Chicken breast	0.37 µg	9 %	Other	USDA
40	Milk	0.37 µg	9 %	Dairy	BLS
41	Chicken meat	0.36 µg	9 %	Meat & fish	USDA
42	Prosciutto di Parma	0.36 µg	9 %	Meat	BLS
43	90% dark chocolate	0.23 µg	6 %	Sweets	USDA
44	Sour Cream	0.21 µg	5 %	Other	USDA
45	Bun	0.2 µg	5 %	Bakery	–
46	Goat cheese	0.19 µg	5 %	Dairy	USDA
47	Egg white	0.09 µg	2 %	Chilled	USDA
48	Portobello mushrooms	0.05 µg	1 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA
49	Mushrooms	0.04 µg	1 %	Fruit & vegetables	USDA

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High values, small amounts

These ingredients score very high per 100 g but are eaten by the teaspoon, not by the plate. That is why they are not in the chart above. The right-hand column shows what a usual amount actually contributes.

Ingredient	per 100 g	usual amount	in that amount
Whipped cream	0.16 µg	15 g	0.024 µg
Butter	0.17 µg	10 g	0.017 µg
Nutritional yeast	0.34 µg	5 g	0.017 µg
Beef broth	0.07 µg	5 g	0.004 µg

Plant sources: what does not count

Algae, sauerkraut, beer and fermented soy products are repeatedly named as plant B12 sources. They mostly contain analogues the body cannot use and which may even interfere with the absorption of real B12. For people eating vegan, only fortified foods and supplements are reliable – German nutrition guidance is unambiguous here. Anyone eating vegan or largely plant-based should have their status checked medically.

How much of it adds up across your week?

Up-Food calculates over 30 nutrients from the real ingredient amounts in your weekly plan – using the same verified values you see in this chart.

See the weekly plan

Frequently Asked Questions

Which foods contain vitamin B12?

Liver by a wide margin, then shellfish, herring, mackerel, salmon, beef, eggs, cheese and dairy.

Are there plant sources of vitamin B12?

None reliable. Algae and fermented products mostly contain inactive analogues. A vegan diet needs fortified foods or a supplement.

How much vitamin B12 is needed?

The German DGE gives 4.0 µg per day for adults, 4.5 µg in pregnancy and 5.5 µg while breastfeeding. The US RDA is lower at 2.4 µg.

How do you notice a B12 deficiency?

Tiredness, difficulty concentrating, tingling in hands and feet and pallor occur but are unspecific. Because a B12 deficiency can cause nerve damage that does not fully reverse, a suspicion belongs with a doctor rather than with self-diagnosis.

Where these numbers come from

All values come from the Up-Food ingredient database: 370 foods, with values from USDA FoodData Central or the German Federal Food Code (BLS). Every row names its source. Daily reference intakes are the D-A-CH reference values of the German Nutrition Society. Data as of 2026-09-19.

What this chart is not
A nutrient chart is a set of measurements, not dietary advice and not medical information. Whether someone is actually short of a nutrient shows in a blood test, not in a list. For symptoms, or before taking supplements, a doctor is the right address.