Foods High in Biotin: The ODS Food List, Eggs and Cooking Facts

The foods high in biotin are mostly animal foods and seeds: cooked beef liver tops the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) food table, followed by a whole cooked egg, canned salmon, pork, beef, roasted sunflower seeds, sweet potato and almonds. Biotin, sometimes called vitamin B7, is a water-soluble B vitamin the body uses to run enzymes that handle fats, carbohydrates and protein. Many foods carry a little of it, and deficiency is rare in people who eat a normal mixed diet. One thing surprises readers who look for numbers: the USDA database behind most nutrition tables has no biotin values at all, so every figure in this guide comes from the ODS table, not from USDA.

Peptide Labs does not sell biotin-rich foods, and this article links no products. It is general nutrition information, not medical advice.

Foods high in biotin and other biotin rich foods: the ODS table

ODS says the foods with the most biotin are organ meats, eggs, fish, meat, seeds, nuts and some vegetables such as sweet potatoes. The table below copies the ODS values. The percent Daily Value (% DV) is based on the FDA Daily Value of 30 micrograms. FDA considers a food that gives 20% DV or more per serving a high source, which in this list only liver and eggs reach; the rest are smaller contributors that still add up across a day of eating.

Two patterns stand out. First, the biggest numbers come from liver and eggs, foods that are also dense in other nutrients; our vitamin B12 food guide lists both as B12 sources too. Second, fruit, bread and dairy contribute very little. ODS also notes that biotin in food varies: plant variety and season change the amount in cereal grains, and processing such as canning can lower it.

Why USDA has no biotin numbers

For most nutrients, food guides on this site use the USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy database, with an FDC ID for every food. Biotin is the exception. ODS states plainly that FoodData Central does not list the biotin content of foods or provide lists of foods containing biotin. We checked the SR Legacy download ourselves: it defines a biotin nutrient field, but none of its 7,793 foods has a biotin value filled in. That is why biotin numbers online vary so much and why the ODS table, which draws on published lab analyses, is the most useful single reference.

Labels do not fill the gap either. ODS notes that FDA does not require Nutrition Facts labels to list biotin unless biotin has been added to the food, so a carton of eggs or a bag of sunflower seeds will usually be silent on it. Fortified foods and supplements are where you will see a biotin line.

Biotin in eggs, raw egg whites and avidin

A whole cooked egg gives 10 micrograms of biotin in the ODS table, a third of the Daily Value, which makes eggs the most common biotin food in many kitchens. Our egg guide covers the rest of what an egg provides, from protein to choline.

Raw egg whites are a special case. ODS explains that avidin, a glycoprotein in raw egg whites, binds tightly to biotin and blocks its absorption in the gut. ODS also says cooking denatures avidin, so it can no longer interfere. In practice that means the avidin issue applies to raw egg white, not to cooked eggs, baked goods made with eggs or fully cooked egg dishes.

How the body uses biotin from food

ODS says most biotin in food is bound to protein. Digestive enzymes break that protein down, and an enzyme called biotinidase then frees the biotin so it can be absorbed in the small intestine. This is why a rare inherited condition, biotinidase deficiency, causes low biotin status even when the diet contains enough; ODS notes that all US newborns are screened for it.

The Food and Nutrition Board did not have enough data to set a Recommended Dietary Allowance, so it set an Adequate Intake instead: 30 micrograms a day for adults, the same during pregnancy, and 35 micrograms during breastfeeding, per the ODS fact sheet. These are reference values for groups, not personal targets. The board also set no Upper Intake Level, because there is no evidence in humans that biotin is toxic at high intakes.

Who may run low

ODS describes biotin deficiency as rare and says severe deficiency has never been reported in healthy people eating a normal mixed diet. The groups it lists as more likely to have low biotin status are:

• People with biotinidase deficiency, a rare inherited disorder picked up by newborn screening and managed by specialists.
• People with long-term heavy alcohol use; ODS says chronic alcohol exposure inhibits biotin absorption.
• Pregnant and breastfeeding people; ODS reports that at least a third of pregnant women develop marginal biotin status despite normal intakes, and says the clinical meaning is still being studied.

Signs of real deficiency, such as thinning hair, a scaly red rash around the eyes, nose and mouth, and brittle nails, overlap with many other conditions, so they call for a visit to a clinician rather than a guess. Testing and any supplement decision belong in that conversation.

Biotin foods versus biotin supplements

Supplements usually contain far more biotin than any food, and that matters for one practical reason: high biotin intakes from supplements can interfere with some laboratory tests. Our biotin guide explains that issue, what the evidence says about hair, skin and nails, and the reported side effects. If you take a hair, skin and nail product, read our hair growth vitamins overview, and if you combine collagen with biotin, the collagen side effects guide covers that pairing. Tell whoever orders your blood work about any supplement you use.

Food sources, by contrast, are modest and come packaged with protein, fats and other vitamins. A few of the plant foods from the ODS table have their own guides here: sunflower seeds, almonds and sweet potato. If you are also looking at the fats in seeds and oils, our companion list of foods high in omega-6 uses USDA values for the same seeds.

Kitchen notes

• Cook eggs until the white is set; ODS says cooking denatures avidin.
• Liver is the richest source in the table but is eaten rarely by most people; eggs, fish, meat, seeds and nuts are the everyday contributors.
• Canned fish still appears in the ODS table, even though canning can lower biotin in some foods.
• Variety matters more than any single food, since most items in the table give a small share of the Daily Value.

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions about a label? Contact us or read our Buyer’s Guide. Food comes first; follow the label and ask a healthcare provider before starting a supplement, especially if you take medicines, are pregnant or have a food allergy. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Last reviewed October 2026.

Related guides: Foods High in Omega-6: USDA Values for Oils, Nuts and Seeds, Biotin Side Effects, Benefits and the Lab Test Problem, Egg Calories and Protein: USDA Egg Nutrition by Size and Cooking Method.