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The foods high in glycine in USDA data are gelatin, pork skins, poultry skin and collagen-rich cuts such as pork ears and braised beef, followed by ordinary meat, fish, soybeans and seeds. Unsweetened gelatin powder has about 19 grams of glycine per 100 grams, the highest value in USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy. Glycine is the simplest amino acid, and MedlinePlus lists it among the nonessential amino acids, meaning the body can make it.
Peptide Labs does not sell foods. This article is general nutrition information, not medical advice.
Key Takeaways
- USDA lists about 19 grams of glycine per 100 grams of unsweetened gelatin powder and about 12 grams per 100 grams of plain pork skins, far above any fresh meat.
- Skin raises the numbers: USDA lists roasted chicken skin and turkey skin at about 3 grams per 100 grams, roughly double roasted chicken breast meat.
- Ordinary cooked meat, poultry, fish and shellfish supply about 1 to 2 grams per 3-ounce serving in USDA data.
- Among plant foods in USDA data, pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, peanuts and boiled soybeans lead.
- USDA SR Legacy has no amino acid values for broth or stock, so there is no USDA glycine figure for bone broth.
- FDA sets no Daily Value for glycine or any other single amino acid, so this list has no %DV column.
Foods high in glycine: USDA values per serving
The table uses USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy entries from the April 2018 release, each shown with its FDC ID. Per-serving figures are the per-100-gram values multiplied by the gram weight of a common USDA portion, and the list is ranked by glycine per serving. FDA’s labeling rule, 21 CFR 101.9, sets a Daily Value of 50 grams for protein but none for individual amino acids, so there is no %DV to show.
| Food (USDA FDC ID) | Serving | Glycine (g) | Per 100 g (g) | Protein (g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pork ears, simmered (167858) | 1 ear, 111 g | 3.5 | 3.1 | 18 |
| Pork skins, plain snack (167961) | 1 oz | 3.4 | 11.9 | 17 |
| Turkey skin, roasted (171082) | 3 oz | 2.6 | 3.1 | 20 |
| Bacon, baked (167914) | 3 oz | 2.1 | 2.5 | 30 |
| Beef top round, braised (170638) | 3 oz | 1.8 | 2.2 | 30 |
| Chicken skin, roasted (171055) | skin of 1/2 chicken, 56 g | 1.8 | 3.2 | 11 |
| Chicken thigh with skin, roasted (173625) | 1 thigh, 137 g | 1.8 | 1.3 | 32 |
| Pork feet, pickled (167870) | 3 oz | 1.7 | 2.0 | 10 |
| Cuttlefish, cooked (172010) | 3 oz | 1.7 | 2.0 | 28 |
| Octopus, cooked (174249) | 3 oz | 1.6 | 1.9 | 25 |
| Beef top sirloin, lean, broiled (168634) | 3 oz | 1.6 | 1.9 | 26 |
| Ground beef, 90% lean, broiled (174031) | 3 oz | 1.5 | 1.8 | 22 |
| Gelatin, dry powder, unsweetened (169599) | 1 envelope, 7 g | 1.3 | 19.0 | 6 |
| Soybeans, mature, boiled (174271) | 1 cup | 1.3 | 0.8 | 31 |
| Chicken breast, meat only, roasted (171477) | 1/2 breast | 1.3 | 1.5 | 27 |
| Lamb foreshank, braised (172482) | 3 oz | 1.2 | 1.4 | 24 |
| Pork spareribs, braised (167854) | 3 oz | 1.2 | 1.4 | 25 |
| Shrimp, cooked (171971) | 3 oz | 1.1 | 1.3 | 19 |
| Sockeye salmon, cooked (173692) | 3 oz | 1.1 | 1.3 | 23 |
| Turkey, whole, roasted, meat only (171481) | 3 oz | 1.1 | 1.2 | 25 |
| Light tuna, canned in water, drained (171986) | 3 oz | 1.0 | 1.2 | 22 |
| Lentils, boiled (172421) | 1 cup | 0.7 | 0.4 | 18 |
| Pumpkin seed kernels, roasted (170557) | 1 oz | 0.5 | 1.8 | 8 |
| Hemp seeds, hulled (170148) | 3 tbsp | 0.5 | 1.6 | 9 |
| Gelatin dessert, prepared with water (169596) | 1/2 cup | 0.4 | 0.3 | 2 |
| Peanuts, dry roasted (173806) | 1 oz | 0.4 | 1.4 | 7 |
| Egg, hard-boiled (173424) | 1 large | 0.2 | 0.4 | 6 |
| Whole milk (171265) | 1 cup | 0.2 | 0.1 | 8 |
Skin, ears and feet lead because of what they are made of, as the next section explains. Our guides to bacon, chicken thighs and octopus cover the rest of their nutrition.
Why gelatin and skin top the list
In collagen, glycine sits at every third position in the chain, according to a 2017 paper by Razak and colleagues. Collagen is also the most abundant protein in animals, as Shoulders and Raines note in the Annual Review of Biochemistry. Gelatin is made from collagen, as our gelatin guide explains.
The USDA numbers match that chemistry. Dividing glycine by protein in SR Legacy, glycine makes up about 22% of the protein in gelatin powder, 19% in pork skins and 16% in roasted chicken skin, against about 5% in chicken breast meat, 4% in boiled soybeans, 3% in a hard-boiled egg and 2% in whole milk.
Collagen-rich cuts compared with lean meat
USDA lists simmered pork ears at 3.1 grams per 100 grams, braised beef top round at 2.2 and pickled pork feet at 2.0, against 1.9 for broiled top sirloin and 1.5 for roasted chicken breast meat. Skin-on does not always mean more, though: a roasted chicken thigh with skin has 1.3 grams per 100 grams in USDA data, a little less than breast meat, because the thigh entry has more fat and less protein overall. Cooked octopus and cuttlefish are near 2 grams per 100 grams in USDA data. SR Legacy has no oxtail entry, as our oxtail guide notes.
Broth made from bones: what the data do and do not show
SR Legacy includes home-prepared beef stock and chicken stock (FDC 172883 and 172884) and several canned broths, but none of those entries has amino acid values, so USDA offers no glycine figure for bone broth. The two stock entries list only about 2 to 2.5 grams of protein per 100 grams in USDA data.
Alcock and colleagues, in a peer-reviewed analysis published in 2019, measured glycine and five other amino acids in commercial and laboratory-prepared bone broths. Alcock’s team found large variability between broths made to non-standardized recipes, with the highest levels in cafe-prepared varieties, and found commercial broths lower than self-prepared ones made to a standardized recipe. Alcock’s team concluded that bone broth is unlikely to be a consistently reliable source of these amino acids. Our bone broth guide covers the rest.
Glycine rich foods from plants
Plant proteins carry less, but seeds and legumes still register. USDA lists roasted pumpkin seeds at 1.8 grams per 100 grams, hulled hemp seeds at 1.6, dry roasted peanuts and almonds at 1.4 and sunflower seed kernels at 1.2. A cup of boiled soybeans supplies about 1.3 grams and a cup of boiled lentils about 0.7 grams in USDA data. Per ounce, these glycine foods supply about 0.4 to 0.5 grams, per USDA.
What the body does with this amino acid
MedlinePlus lists glycine as nonessential and also among the conditionally essential amino acids, which it describes as usually not essential except in times of illness and stress. Razak’s paper describes glycine as made in the body from choline, serine, hydroxyproline and threonine, and as a building block for creatine, glutathione, heme, purines and porphyrins.
This list covers food only. For the supplement form and FDA’s rules on glycine as a food additive, see our glycine guide.
Per serving versus per 100-gram numbers
Gelatin shows why both columns matter. USDA’s envelope of gelatin powder weighs 7 grams and supplies about 1.3 grams of glycine, less than a 3-ounce serving of braised beef top round, and half a cup of prepared gelatin dessert supplies about 0.4 grams. Gelatin powder also has no tryptophan in USDA data, which is why it sits at the bottom of our sibling list of foods high in tryptophan. For protein overall, see our protein foods guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the top foods high in glycine?
In USDA SR Legacy data, unsweetened gelatin powder, plain pork skins, poultry skin, simmered pork ears and braised beef lead, followed by other cooked meat, fish and shellfish.
Is gelatin the highest entry in USDA data?
Per 100 grams, yes: USDA lists about 19 grams for unsweetened gelatin powder. A 7-gram envelope supplies about 1.3 grams, per USDA.
Does USDA list amino acids for broth made from bones?
No. The SR Legacy stock and broth entries have protein values but no amino acid values, and Alcock’s 2019 analysis found large variability between broths.
Are there glycine rich foods for people who skip meat?
In USDA data, pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, peanuts, almonds, boiled soybeans and lentils all supply some, though less per 100 grams than animal skin or gelatin.
Does this amino acid have a %DV on labels?
No. FDA’s labeling rule, 21 CFR 101.9, sets a Daily Value for protein but none for individual amino acids.
Does chicken skin add much?
USDA lists roasted chicken skin at 3.2 grams per 100 grams, against 1.5 for roasted breast meat; the skin of half a chicken (56 grams) supplies about 1.8 grams.
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 health condition. 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 Tryptophan: USDA Values per Serving, Glycine Benefits: Sleep Research, Supplements and Side Effects, Bone Broth: Benefits, Nutrition, Collagen and Safety, Gelatin Benefits, Gelatin vs Collagen and Gelatin Capsules.