Oysters have a lot of zinc. One serving of six cooked eastern oysters provides about 33 milligrams (mg) of zinc, three times what most adults need in a day. However, many other foods you already enjoy can help you reach your daily goals, too.
Erika Bunea / Getty Images
- Amount of zinc: 9 mg
- Serving size: 100 grams (g)
A three-tablespoon serving delivers 3 mg of zinc, or 25–30% of your daily needs. You’ll also get 9.5 g of complete protein, omega fatty acids, fiber, iron, and magnesium.
Hemp seeds have a mild, nutty flavor. You can try:
- Adding them to pesto, hummus, or baked goods
- Blending them in smoothies or sauces
- Sprinkling them on oatmeal, yogurt, or salads
Arx0nt / Getty Images
- Amount of zinc: 7.6 mg
- Serving size: 100 g
A quarter-cup (about 30 g) provides about 2.3 mg of zinc, which is about 20-25% of your daily needs. They also provide plant-based protein, fiber, healthy fats, antioxidants, magnesium, and potassium.
You can add pumpkin seeds to your meals by:
- Blending them into pesto, dips, or sauces
- Roasting them with olive oil and salt for a crunchy snack
- Sprinkling them on salads
- Tossing some into trail mix
laperla_foto / Getty Images
- Amount of zinc: 7.62 mg
- Serving size: 100 g
A single crab leg (134 g) gives you 10 mg, nearly a full day’s worth of zinc. Crab also contains 26 g of lean protein, plus folate, magnesium, potassium, vitamin A, and vitamin B12.
Here are a few ways to add crab to your meals.
- Add it to pasta dishes, risotto, or salads
- Make crab cakes for appetizers or dinner
- Steam crab legs with lemon and butter
- Use canned crab for fast, budget-friendly meals
toddtaulman / Getty Images
- Amount of zinc: 5-6 mg
- Serving size: 100 g
Zinc from beef is highly bioavailable, meaning your body absorbs it well. It’s one of the most dependable ways to support daily zinc intake.
Ground beef, steak, and roasts are all excellent options for everyday meals. Brown ground beef in tacos or spaghetti sauce, grill burgers or steaks, or slow-cook a roast for soups and stews.
The chart below compares zinc levels between beef cuts and other types of meat.
Comparison of Zinc in Various Meats
Meat
Zinc Content (per 100 g cooked)
Ground beef (80/20)
6.07 mg
Chuck roast
5.95 mg
Top sirloin steak
5.21 mg
Ground bison
5.34 mg
Lamb shoulder
4.58 mg
Elk
3.16 mg
Ground turkey
3.11 mg
Chicken drumstick
2.54 mg
Pork loin chop
2.14 mg
Grace Cary / Getty Images
- Amount of zinc: 5.78 mg
- Serving size: 100 g
One ounce of cashews (about 18 cashews) gives you 1.62 mg of zinc, along with protein, calcium, magnesium, and folate.
Cashews become creamy when blended, making them useful in dairy-free soups, sauces, and pasta dishes. You can also eat them raw or roasted, stir them into curries and stir-fries, add them to trail mix, or blend them into homemade cashew butter.
HUIZENG HU / Getty Images
- Amount of zinc: 5.56 mg
- Serving size: 100 g
A typical serving (about two tablespoons) gives you 1.6 mg of zinc, which is 15-20 % of your daily needs. They also give you protein, biotin, calcium, magnesium, and potassium.
When you soak chia seeds, they form a gel-like texture that works well in breakfast and snack recipes. You can try:
- Adding them to smoothies or protein shakes
- Making chia pudding with milk and fruit
- Stirring them into oatmeal or yogurt
- Using them as an egg substitute in baking
Bartosz Luczak / Getty Images
- Amount of zinc: 4.47 mg for lobster tail, 9 mg for a whole lobster
- Serving size: 100 g
Lobster can cover 80-90% of your daily zinc requirements. Lobster also provides lean protein, along with copper, selenium, and vitamin B12.
Frozen lobster tails are often more readily available and work well in most recipes. You can:
- Add it to risotto or pasta
- Boil or steam lobster tails with lemon and butter
- Make lobster rolls
- Use it in a seafood bisque
Liudmyla Chuhunova / Getty Images
- Amount of zinc: 3.47 mg
- Serving size: 100 g
Cheese is also a source of protein and vitamin B12. You can add cheddar to sandwiches, melt it over vegetables, cube it for snacks, or grate it over soups and chili.
Arx0nt / Getty Images
- Amount of zinc: 2.74 mg
- Serving size: 100 g
While the amount of zinc that oats provides is smaller than that of seafood and other foods, eating oats regularly adds up.
A bowl of oatmeal is an easy way to start your day with zinc, and oats also work well in smoothies, muffins, and overnight oats.
Zinc supports growth and development, immune function, wound healing, taste perception, healthy testosterone levels in males, and more. But your body doesn’t store zinc long-term, so you need a steady supply from food.
Here are the daily recommended amounts of zinc:
- Young children (8 and below): 2–5 mg
- Older children (9–13): 8 mg
Teens: 9–11 mg - Adult men: 11 mg
- Adult women: 8 mg (11-12 mg during pregnancy, 12-13 mg while breastfeeding)
While many plant foods contain zinc, absorption from those foods can be lower than from animal foods. If you follow a vegetarian or vegan diet, here are ways to help your body absorb more zinc.
- Add lemon juice, lime, or vinegar to your diet
- Pair zinc-rich foods with protein (like hemp seeds with Greek yogurt)
- Soak or sprout nuts and seeds to reduce phytates that block zinc
Health.com uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
National Institute of Health. Zinc fact sheet for health professionals.
U.S. Department of Agriculture: FoodData Central. Mollusks, oyster, eastern, cooked, breaded and fried.
U.S. Department of Agriculture: FoodData Central. Seeds, hemp seed, hulled.
U.S. Department of Agriculture: FoodData Central. Seeds, pumpkin and squash seed kernels, roasted, without salt.
U.S. Department of Agriculture: FoodData Central. Crustaceans, crab, Alaska king, cooked, moist heat.
U.S. Department of Agriculture: FoodData Central. Beef, ground, 80% lean meat / 20% fat, patty, cooked, pan-broiled.
U.S. Department of Agriculture: FoodData Central. Beef, chuck, clod roast, separable lean and fat, trimmed to 0″ fat, choice, cooked, roasted.
U.S. Department of Agriculture: FoodData Central. Beef, top sirloin, steak, separable lean and fat, trimmed to 0″ fat, choice, cooked, broiled.
U.S. Department of Agriculture: FoodData Central. Bison, ground, grass-fed, cooked.
U.S. Department of Agriculture: FoodData Central. Lamb, shoulder, arm, separable lean and fat, trimmed to 1/8″ fat, choice, roasted.
U.S. Department of Agriculture: FoodData Central. Game meat, elk, cooked, roasted.
U.S. Department of Agriculture: FoodData Central. Turkey, Ground, cooked.
U.S. Department of Agriculture: FoodData Central. Chicken, broilers or fryers, drumstick, meat only, cooked, braised.
U.S. Department of Agriculture: FoodData Central. Pork, fresh, loin, center loin (chops), bone-in, separable lean and fat, cooked, broiled.
U.S. Department of Agriculture: FoodData Central. Nuts, cashew nuts, raw.
U.S. Department of Agriculture: FoodData Central. Chia seeds.
U.S. Department of Agriculture: FoodData Central. Lobster.
U.S. Department of Agriculture: FoodData Central. Cheese, cheddar, sharp, sliced.
U.S. Department of Agriculture: FoodData Central. Oats.
Te L, Liu J, Ma J, Wang S. Correlation between serum zinc and testosterone: A systematic review. J Trace Elem Med Biol. 2023;76:127124. doi:10.1016/j.jtemb.2022.127124
Klein L, Dawczynski C, Schwarz M, Maares M, Kipp K, Haase H, Kipp AP. Selenium, zinc, and copper status of vegetarians and vegans in comparison to omnivores in the Nutritional Evaluation (NuEva) Study. Nutrients. 2023;15(16):3538. doi:10.3390/nu15163538
