Foods High in Zinc: Top 30 per 100 g & per Serving

Highest in zinc per 100 g

30 of 371 ranked foods, most zinc first. % = share of the FDA Daily Value. n/r = not reported.

Most zinc per typical serving

The same foods ranked by what one typical USDA portion gives, which is what you eat.

Most zinc per 200 kcal

Nutrient density: zinc for the same 200 calories of each food.

Best by food group

The top three of each group per 100 g (rank within the group).

• Fruits

  1. 1. Avocados (raw, California): 0.68 mg
  2. 2. Avocado (raw): 0.64 mg
  3. 3. Blueberries (dried, sweetened): 0.49 mg

• Vegetables

  1. 1. Lemon grass (raw): 2.2 mg
  2. 2. Morel mushrooms (raw): 2 mg
  3. 3. Sun-dried tomatoes: 2 mg

• Legumes

  1. 1. Peanuts (virginia, raw): 4.4 mg
  2. 2. Peanuts (valencia, raw): 3.3 mg
  3. 3. Lentils (raw): 3.3 mg

• Nuts and Seeds

  1. 1. Pumpkin and squash seed kernels (dried): 7.8 mg
  2. 2. Sesame butter (paste): 7.3 mg
  3. 3. Cashew nuts (raw): 5.8 mg

• Grains

  1. 1. Oats: 4 mg
  2. 2. Oat bran (raw): 3.1 mg
  3. 3. Barley (hulled): 2.8 mg

• Dairy Foods

  1. 1. Edam cheese: 3.8 mg
  2. 2. Cheddar cheese (sharp, sliced): 3.7 mg
  3. 3. Cheddar cheese: 3.6 mg

• Meats

  1. 1. Lamb foreshank (separable lean only, trimmed to 1/4" fat, choice, raw): 6 mg
  2. 2. Beef (chuck for stew, separable lean and fat, select, raw): 5.5 mg
  3. 3. Beef (chuck for stew, separable lean and fat, choice, raw): 5.4 mg

• Fish and Seafood

  1. 1. Shrimp (canned): 2 mg
  2. 2. Salmon (Atlantic, wild, cooked, dry heat): 0.82 mg
  3. 3. Tuna (light, canned in water, without salt, drained solids): 0.77 mg

Plant-based (vegan) sources

Fruit, vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds, grains and oils with no animal ingredient, ranked among themselves per 100 g.

Concentrated forms (not ranked)

Flours, powders, concentrates, sugars and fortified foods with zinc, listed by value per 100 g but left out of the rankings above.

Which foods are ranked

• The 377 foods on CalorieExplorer with a reported zinc value. They are generic USDA FoodData Central rows (Foundation Foods and SR Legacy) with a plain name: no branded products, restaurant items, survey mixed dishes, baby foods or regional specialty rows.
• Only foods with more than 0 mg are ranked (371 foods); a food with no reported value is left out, never counted as 0.
• Flours, crude brans, powders and dehydrated foods, juice concentrates, mixes, sugars and fortified foods are not ranked: per 100 g they beat every food eaten as is. They are listed separately below.
• Ties share a rank: foods with the same value per 100 g get the same number, and the next number is skipped.
• Typical portion = USDA's own serving weight for that food (a medium fruit, 1 cup, 1 oz…), as on its food page. Per 200 kcal shows how much you get for the same calories; foods under 5 kcal per 100 g are not ranked that way (–).
• % DV = share of the FDA Daily Value for zinc, 11 mg a day for adults and children 4 and older.
• FDA lets a label call a food “high in” a nutrient when one reference serving gives 20% of the Daily Value or more, and a “good source” at 10–19% (21 CFR 101.54). We apply it to the typical USDA portion, which is not always the label's reference amount.

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