Which foods are a good source of B vitamins?

Written by Tod Cooperman, M.D.

Updated August 30, 2022 ⓘ

Good Sources of B Vitamins -- selection of healthy foods including eggs, rice, nuts, seeds, salmon, chicken

Answer:

B vitamins, including thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, B-6, biotin, folate, and B-12 are essential vitamins, meaning that your body needs them but cannot make them. You must get them through foods in your diet and/or supplements.

Fortunately, most B vitamins are easily obtained from foods and people should be able to get adequate intakes through their diets (although there are exceptions, as noted below).

You may be surprised, for example, to see how much folate you are getting from foods fortified with folic acid (such as breakfast cereals), because folic acid provides much more folate than currently reflected on labels (e.g., 400 mcg of folic acid provides the equivalent of 680 mcg of natural folate). This is a concern because there are risks associated with getting too much folate from folic acid.

Good sources of B vitamins

In the table below, we show the adult Daily Value for each B vitamin and how much you can get from foods known to be good sources of those vitamins. (Note: The Daily Values broadly cover the needs of a population, but to see how requirements differ by age and gender see our table of Recommended Daily Intakes and Limits.)

B-1 (Thiamine)	Amount
Adult Daily Value (DV)	1.2 mg (1.4 preg/lact)
Black beans (1 cup raw)	1.75 mg
Peas, raw (1 cup)	1.4 mg
Ripe red tomatoes, canned (1 cup)	1.38 mg
Pork loin, broiled (3 oz.)	0.75 mg
Hazelnuts, chopped (1 cup)	0.74 mg
Sunflower seeds, toasted (1 cup)	0.44 mg
Dry whole wheat pasta (one cup)	0.37 mg

B-2 (riboflavin)
Adult Daily Value (DV)	1.3 mg (1.6 mg preg/lact)
Almonds (1 cup)	1.63 mg
Feta cheese (1 cup crumbled)	1.63 mg
Yeast extract spread (1 tsp)	1.05 mg
Beef plate steak grilled (3 oz.)	0.72 mg
Red sockeye salmon (1 fillet)	0.59 mg
Cheddar cheese (1 cup diced)	0.57 mg
Yogurt, vanilla, non-fat (1 cup)	0.49 mg

B-3 (niacin)
Adult Daily Value (DV)	16 mg (18 mg preg/lact)
Turkey, roasted (1 breast)	101.40 mg
Peanuts, roasted without salt (1 cup)	21.95 mg
Tuna, cooked (3 oz.)	18.76 mg
Brown rice flour (1 cup)	10.02 mg
Sockeye salmon, cooked (3 oz.)	8.60 mg
Yeast extract spread (1 tsp)	7.65 mg
Peaches, dried slices (1 cup)	7.00 mg

B-5 (pantothenic acid)
Adult Daily Value (DV)	5 mg (7 mg preg/lact)
Turkey, roasted (1 breast)	11.13 mg
Sunflower seeds, dry roasted without salt (1 cup)	9.37 mg
Shitake mushrooms, cooked and chopped (1 cup)	5.21 mg
California avocado, raw, puréed (1 cup)	3.36 mg
Walnuts black, dried and chopped (1 cup)	2.075 mg
Peanuts roasted without salt (1 cup)	2.05 mg
Hardboiled egg, chopped (1 cup)	1.90 mg

B-6
Adult Daily Value (DV)	1.7 mg (2.0 mg preg/lact)
Turkey, roasted (1 breast)	7.16 mg
Molasses (1 cup)	9.37 mg
Pistachio nuts (1 cup)	2.09 mg
Canned chickpeas (1 cup)	1.14 mg
Sunflower seeds, dry roasted without salt (1 cup)	1.03 mg
Prunes, dehydrated (1 cup)	0.98 mg
Ground turkey, pan broiled (3 oz.)	0.92 mg

B-7 (biotin)¹
Adult Daily Value (DV)	30 mcg (35 mcg preg/lact)
Whole egg (1)	10 mcg
Peanuts roasted salted (1 oz.)	4.91 mcg
One pork chop, cooked	3.57 mcg
Sunflower seeds, roasted salted (1.2 oz.)	2.42 mcg
Fresh strawberries (4 oz.)	1.67 mcg
Sweet potato, cooked (2.8 oz.)	1.16 mcg
Broccoli, fresh (4 oz.)	1.07 mcg

Folate -- naturally-occurring in foods
Adult Daily Value (DV)	400 mcg DFE (600 mcg DFE)
Mung beans, raw mature seeds (1 cup)	1,294 mcg
Adzuki bean, raw mature seeds (1 cup)	1,225 mcg
Chickpeas, raw mature seeds (1 cup)	1,114 mcg
Cowpeas, raw mature seeds (1 cup)	1,057 mcg
Lentils, raw (1 cup)	920 mcg
Peanuts, raw (1 cup)	359 mcg
Sunflower seeds, dry roasted without salt (1 cup)	303 mcg
Spinach, boiled and drained (1 cup)	263 mcg
Fava beans, raw (1 cup)	186 mcg
Peas, green raw (1 cup)	94.2 mcg
Green beans, raw (1 cup ½ inch pieces)	33 mcg
Oranges, raw Florida (1 cup sections)	31 mcg
Sunflower seeds, roasted salted (1.2 oz.)	2.42 mcg
Fresh strawberries (4 oz.)	1.67 mcg
Sweet potato, cooked (2.8 oz.)	1.16 mcg
Broccoli, fresh (4 oz.)	1.07 mcg

(Folic Acid -- added to foods)	Folic Acid / Dietary Folate Equivalent (DFE)
Kellogg's Special K cereal (1 cup)	394 mcg / 676 mcg DFE
General Mills Cheerios (1 cup)	195 mcg / 336 mcg DFE
Long grain white rice, enriched, cooked (1 cup)	87 mcg / 153 mcg DFE
Egg noodles, enriched, cooked (1 cup)	123 mcg / 221 mcg DFE
Oatmeal, instant with cinnamon and spice (1 cup)	103 mcg / 187 mcg DFE
Pita bread, white, enriched, large	50 mcg / 99 mcg DFE
Multigrain bagel	30 mcg / 92 mcg DFE

B-12 - naturally-occurring
Adult Daily Value (DV)	2.4 mcg (2.8 mcg preg/lact)
Clams, cooked (3 oz.)	84.06 mcg
Beef liver, cooked (one slice)	67.34 mcg
Salmon, sockeye, cooked (1 fillet)	19.55 mcg
Tuna, cooked (3 oz.)	9.25 mcg
Beef, top loin (1 fillet)	4.82 mcg
Provolone cheese, diced (1 cup) 1.93	1.93 mcg
Yogurt, vanilla, non-fat (1 cup)	1.30 mcg

(B-12 - added to foods)
Kellogg's All-Bran Complete wheat flakes (3/4 cup)	6.09 mcg
General Mills Whole Grain Total (3/4 cup)	6.00 mcg
Gen Mills Total Raisin Bran (1 cup)	5.99 mcg
Kashi, Heart to Heart, Honey Toasted Oat (3/4 cup)	5.94 mcg
POWERBAR, chocolate	3.81 mcg
Almond milk, sweetened, vanilla (8 oz.)	3.00 mcg
Soy milk, original or vanilla (1 cup)	2.43 mcg

Source: USDA Nutrient Database unless otherwise noted.
¹Staggs, J Food Compost Anal 2004

Who may need a B vitamin supplement

People who may need to supplement their diet include:

Older men and women and those taking medications to reduce stomach acid, who may be low in B-12 due to reduced absorption
Pregnant woman, who should get folate in the form of folic acid from a supplement to help prevent birth defects
People with certain genetic variants who may also benefit from special forms of folate
Individuals who have high cholesterol and are instructed by a health professional to take high-dose of niacin to help lower it

Which B vitamin supplements are best?

For more about getting the right amount of B vitamins from your diet or supplements, as well as our tests of products, see the B Vitamins Supplements Review, which includes our Top Picks for B vitamins based on quality and value.