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The foods high in lysine in USDA data are poultry, beef, pork, fish, cottage cheese and other dairy foods, soy, and legumes such as lentils and beans. Half a roasted chicken breast supplies about 2.27 grams, according to USDA FoodData Central. Lysine is one of the nine essential amino acids, which MedlinePlus describes as amino acids the body cannot make, so they must come from food.
Peptide Labs does not sell foods. This article is general nutrition information, not medical advice.
Key Takeaways
- In USDA SR Legacy data, a typical portion of cooked meat, poultry or fish supplies 1.78 to 2.27 grams of lysine.
- A cup of lowfat cottage cheese (1.98 grams) and a cup of boiled soybeans (1.91 grams) sit among the meats in USDA data.
- Boiled lentils, split peas and beans supply 0.95 to 1.25 grams per cup in USDA data.
- Cooked grains sit at the bottom of the USDA list: a cup of cooked rice or bulgur has 0.15 to 0.20 grams.
- Hussain and colleagues describe lysine as the first limiting amino acid in wheat protein.
- FDA sets no Daily Value for lysine or any other single amino acid, so this list has no %DV column.
Foods high in lysine: 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 lysine 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 | Lysine (g) | Per 100 g (g) | Protein (g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken breast, meat only, roasted (171477) | 1/2 breast | 2.27 | 2.63 | 27 |
| Beef top sirloin, lean, broiled (168634) | 3 oz | 2.19 | 2.58 | 26 |
| Sockeye salmon, cooked (173692) | 3 oz | 2.19 | 2.57 | 23 |
| Pork loin chop, lean, broiled (168253) | 3 oz | 2.17 | 2.56 | 23 |
| Sardines, canned in oil, drained (175139) | 1 can, 92 g | 2.08 | 2.26 | 23 |
| Turkey, whole, roasted, meat only (171481) | 3 oz | 2.04 | 2.40 | 25 |
| Tilapia, cooked (175177) | 1 fillet, 87 g | 2.01 | 2.31 | 23 |
| Light tuna, canned in water, drained (171986) | 3 oz | 1.99 | 2.34 | 22 |
| Cottage cheese, lowfat 2% (172182) | 1 cup | 1.98 | 0.88 | 24 |
| Halibut, cooked (174201) | 3 oz | 1.97 | 2.32 | 19 |
| Soybeans, mature, boiled (174271) | 1 cup | 1.91 | 1.11 | 31 |
| Shrimp, cooked (171971) | 3 oz | 1.85 | 2.17 | 19 |
| Ground beef, 90% lean, broiled (174031) | 3 oz | 1.84 | 2.16 | 22 |
| Atlantic cod, cooked (171956) | 3 oz | 1.78 | 2.10 | 19 |
| Ricotta, part skim (171248) | 1/2 cup | 1.68 | 1.35 | 14 |
| Tempeh (174272) | 1 cup | 1.51 | 0.91 | 34 |
| Lentils, boiled (172421) | 1 cup | 1.25 | 0.63 | 18 |
| Split peas, boiled (172429) | 1 cup | 1.18 | 0.60 | 16 |
| Edamame, frozen, prepared (168411) | 1 cup | 1.15 | 0.74 | 18 |
| Yogurt, plain, low fat (170886) | 1 cup | 1.15 | 0.47 | 13 |
| Tofu, firm, raw (172475) | 1/2 cup | 1.11 | 0.88 | 22 |
| Kidney beans, boiled (173740) | 1 cup | 1.07 | 0.61 | 15 |
| Black beans, boiled (173735) | 1 cup | 1.05 | 0.61 | 15 |
| Chickpeas, boiled (173757) | 1 cup | 0.97 | 0.59 | 15 |
| Navy beans, boiled (173746) | 1 cup | 0.95 | 0.52 | 15 |
| Parmesan, hard (170848) | 1 oz | 0.94 | 3.31 | 10 |
| Swiss cheese (171251) | 1 oz | 0.73 | 2.58 | 8 |
| Whole milk (171265) | 1 cup | 0.64 | 0.26 | 8 |
| Egg, hard-boiled (173424) | 1 large | 0.45 | 0.90 | 6 |
| Quinoa, cooked (168917) | 1 cup | 0.44 | 0.24 | 8 |
| Pumpkin seed kernels, roasted (170557) | 1 oz | 0.35 | 1.22 | 8 |
| Pistachios, dry roasted (170185) | 1 oz | 0.34 | 1.19 | 6 |
| Oatmeal, cooked with water (173905) | 1 cup | 0.32 | 0.14 | 6 |
| Buckwheat groats, roasted, cooked (170686) | 1 cup | 0.29 | 0.17 | 6 |
| Peanuts, dry roasted (173806) | 1 oz | 0.24 | 0.85 | 7 |
| Brown rice, long-grain, cooked (169704) | 1 cup | 0.20 | 0.10 | 6 |
| Almonds (170567) | 1 oz | 0.16 | 0.57 | 6 |
| Bulgur, cooked (170287) | 1 cup | 0.15 | 0.09 | 6 |
| White rice, long-grain, enriched, cooked (168878) | 1 cup | 0.15 | 0.10 | 4 |
Chicken breast leads the per-serving list, with top sirloin, sockeye salmon and pork loin close behind; our chicken breast guide, steak guide, salmon guide and pork guide cover their other nutrients. Canned sardines and tuna rank with the fresh fish. Cottage cheese ranks high because a cup is a large portion, not because it is concentrated.
Lysine rich foods by food group
- Poultry and meat: USDA lists 2.16 to 2.63 grams per 100 grams for broiled 90% lean ground beef, roasted turkey, broiled pork loin, top sirloin and roasted chicken breast.
- Fish and shellfish: USDA lists cooked Atlantic cod at 2.10 grams per 100 grams, shrimp at 2.17, sardines at 2.26, tilapia at 2.31, halibut at 2.32, canned light tuna at 2.34 and sockeye salmon at 2.57.
- Dairy and eggs: USDA lists Parmesan at 3.31 grams per 100 grams, Swiss cheese at 2.58, part-skim ricotta at 1.35, cottage cheese at 0.88, plain low fat yogurt at 0.47 and whole milk at 0.26; one large hard-boiled egg has 0.45 grams.
- Soy and legumes: USDA lists boiled soybeans at 1.11 grams per 100 grams, tempeh at 0.91, firm tofu at 0.88 and prepared edamame at 0.74; boiled lentils, split peas, kidney beans, black beans, chickpeas and navy beans fall between 0.52 and 0.63.
- Nuts and seeds: USDA lists roasted pumpkin seeds at 1.22 grams per 100 grams, dry roasted pistachios at 1.19, dry roasted peanuts at 0.85 and almonds at 0.57.
- Grains: USDA lists cooked quinoa at 0.24 grams per 100 grams, cooked buckwheat groats at 0.17, cooked oatmeal at 0.14, cooked brown and white rice at 0.10 and cooked bulgur at 0.09.
Lysine travels with protein, so most entries in our protein foods guide also appear here; the exceptions are grains, nuts and seeds, covered next.
Why grains rank lower
Cooked grains have less protein per cup than meat or beans, and their protein also carries proportionally less lysine. Dividing lysine by protein in USDA SR Legacy, lysine makes up about 8.5% of the protein in roasted chicken breast, 8.4% in whole milk and 7.0% in boiled lentils, against 5.4% in cooked quinoa, 5.3% in cooked oatmeal, 3.6% in cooked brown or white rice and 2.8% in cooked bulgur, a wheat food. Nuts show the same pattern in USDA data: 3.5% for dry roasted peanuts and 2.7% for almonds.
Peer-reviewed work by Hussain and colleagues, published in the Food and Nutrition Bulletin in 2004, describes lysine as the first limiting amino acid in wheat protein and notes that legumes and animal protein can complement wheat’s amino acid pattern. Gorissen and colleagues, who analyzed a range of plant-based and animal-based proteins for a 2018 paper in the journal Amino Acids, reported that lysine was typically lower in the plant-based proteins they tested (3.6% on average) than in the animal-based ones (7.0%).
Bandyopadhyay and colleagues, in a 2020 paper in the Journal of Nutrition, describe milk and legumes as lysine rich foods that serve as additions to cereal-based vegetarian diets that are low in lysine. MedlinePlus states that a diet based on a single plant item will not be adequate, but that proteins such as beans and rice no longer need to be paired at a single meal; the adequacy of the diet across the whole day is what counts.
Lysine foods from plants
Among plant foods in USDA data, soy leads: a cup of boiled soybeans supplies 1.91 grams, a cup of tempeh 1.51 and half a cup of firm tofu 1.11. Boiled lentils (1.25 grams per cup), split peas (1.18), kidney beans (1.07), black beans (1.05), chickpeas (0.97) and navy beans (0.95) follow in USDA data.
Among grains and seeds, a cup of cooked quinoa has 0.44 grams in USDA data and a cup of cooked buckwheat groats 0.29, ahead of a cup of cooked brown rice at 0.20 and white rice at 0.15. An ounce of roasted pumpkin seeds or dry roasted pistachios supplies about 0.35 grams, per USDA.
Heat and usable lysine: one small human study
USDA values show how much lysine a food contains, not how much of it the body goes on to use. The Bandyopadhyay paper estimated that second figure in seven healthy young men. Bandyopadhyay’s team put it at 91.9% for spray-dried milk powder, 69.9% for milk powder that was heated before drying and 86.6% for a cereal and legume vegetarian meal, and concluded that the heating step lowered usable lysine by 22%. Bandyopadhyay’s study was small and tested only those three foods, so it says nothing about the other entries in the table.
What the body does with this amino acid
MedlinePlus explains that the body uses amino acids to make proteins, which help it break down food, grow and repair body tissue, and it lists lysine among the nine essential amino acids that must come from food.
This list covers food only. For the supplement form, see our lysine guide.
Per serving versus per 100-gram numbers
The two number columns answer different questions. Per 100 grams shows how concentrated a food is: USDA lists Parmesan at 3.31 grams, the highest figure in the table, yet a 1-ounce portion supplies 0.94 grams. Per serving shows what a typical USDA portion supplies, which is why a cup of cottage cheese, at 0.88 grams per 100 grams in USDA data, reaches 1.98 grams. The figures belong to the specific SR Legacy entries named in the table, and USDA values for other cuts, varieties and cooking methods differ. For the next amino acid in this series, see our sibling list of foods high in tyrosine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which foods have the most lysine per serving?
In USDA SR Legacy data, half a roasted chicken breast (2.27 grams), 3 ounces of broiled top sirloin (2.19), 3 ounces of cooked sockeye salmon (2.19) and 3 ounces of broiled pork loin (2.17) lead this list.
Is there a %DV for lysine?
No. FDA’s labeling rule, 21 CFR 101.9, sets a Daily Value for protein but none for individual amino acids.
What are lysine rich foods for people who skip meat?
In USDA data, cottage cheese, ricotta, yogurt, boiled soybeans, tempeh, tofu, lentils, split peas and beans all supply about 1 gram or more per portion shown in the list above.
Are grains low in lysine?
Compared with other protein foods, yes. In USDA data a cup of cooked rice, bulgur or oatmeal supplies 0.15 to 0.32 grams, and Hussain and colleagues describe lysine as the first limiting amino acid in wheat protein.
Do plant proteins need to be paired at the same meal?
MedlinePlus states that proteins no longer need to be paired at a single meal; it looks at the adequacy of the diet across the whole day.
Does heating change the lysine in food?
It can change how much is usable. Bandyopadhyay’s team estimated lower usable lysine in milk powder that was heated before drying than in regular spray-dried milk powder. The USDA values in this list are for the cooked or prepared foods as named.
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 Tyrosine: USDA Values per Serving, L-Lysine: Benefits, Cold Sore Research and Side Effects, Lentils Benefits: USDA Nutrition per Cup, Protein and Types of Lentils, Parmesan: Nutrition, Lactose and Parmigiano Reggiano Rules.