Probiotic Foods: Which Foods Contain Live Cultures

Probiotic foods, in everyday use, are foods that still contain live microorganisms when eaten, and a 2021 consensus statement of the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) names yogurt, kefir, sour cream, most cheeses, miso, natto, tempeh, and fermented vegetables such as sauerkraut and kimchi that were not heated after fermentation. A food with live cultures is not automatically a probiotic, though. The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) notes that many cheeses, kimchi, kombucha, sauerkraut and miso contain live cultures but do not typically contain proven probiotic microorganisms. Below are the foods sorted by whether live microbes usually survive, USDA FoodData Central values per serving, what the label wording means, and what NCCIH and ODS say about health effects.

Peptide Labs does not sell foods. This article is general nutrition information, not medical advice.

Probiotic foods: which foods usually keep live cultures

The ISAPP panel sorted fermented foods into those that usually contain live microorganisms when eaten and those that do not. The table pairs that grouping with USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy values per common serving. USDA does not track live cultures, so the last column gives the ISAPP and ODS grouping, not a measured count. Sodium is shown as percent Daily Value (%DV) using the FDA Daily Value; FDA describes 20% DV or more per serving as high.

Fermented vegetables depend on processing: the only sauerkraut entry in USDA SR Legacy is canned, and canned foods are heat-processed, which the ISAPP panel lists among the ways live microbes are removed. Sauerkraut and kimchi that were not heated after fermentation are the versions the panel places in the live group. Several of these foods are also salty: by FDA’s 20% DV benchmark, a cup of canned sauerkraut or kimchi, a tablespoon of miso and a tablespoon of soy sauce are all high in sodium in USDA data, which our low-sodium foods guide puts in context.

Live cultures are not the same as a probiotic

ODS quotes the ISAPP definition of probiotics as live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host. ODS adds that probiotics are identified down to the strain, with a genus, a species and an alphanumeric strain designation, and that not all foods and supplements labeled as probiotics have proven health benefits. The ISAPP panel recommends that a fermented food be labeled as containing probiotics only when there is evidence that its live microbes provide a health benefit and the microbial content is defined.

In practice, the phrase foods with probiotics usually means foods with live cultures, and that is the sense used in this list. Our prebiotic vs probiotic guide explains how probiotics differ from prebiotic fibers, and our prebiotic foods list covers those fiber sources.

How heat and processing remove live microbes

The ISAPP panel notes that leavened breads are baked after fermentation, which kills the fermentation microorganisms, and that most beers and wines go through steps that remove them. It panel lists heated or pasteurized fermented vegetables, soy sauce, vinegar and some kombuchas among fermented foods without live microbes. ODS makes the same point for sourdough bread and most commercial pickles, which are processed after fermentation. Many store pickles are not fermented at all: the panel classes vegetables pickled in brine or vinegar as a separate, unfermented group.

• Ingredient list: vinegar listed as the souring agent points to a quick pickle rather than a fermented one, per the ISAPP grouping.
• Label wording: the ISAPP panel suggests foods made by fermentation for pasteurized products and live and active cultures only for foods not processed to kill their microbes.
• Added cultures: ODS notes that milks, juices, smoothies, cereals and bars with added probiotics typically list a strain designation and the number of viable microorganisms on the label.

What the live and active cultures wording means

For yogurt, the wording has a federal definition. Under FDA’s yogurt standard (21 CFR 131.200), a yogurt may say contains live and active cultures if it has at least 10 million colony-forming units in each gram at manufacture, with a reasonable expectation of 1 million per gram through its shelf life. The same FDA standard allows yogurt to be processed after culturing to inactivate the microorganisms, and that yogurt must be labeled does not contain live and active cultures.

Some cartons also carry a live and active cultures seal or claim tied to the National Yogurt Association, an industry group. FDA’s 2021 final rule on yogurt noted that this NYA standard, at least 100 million colony-forming units in each gram at manufacture, is higher than the FDA minimum, and that 56% of yogurt products making a cultures claim in its sample also claimed the NYA standard. Neither rule covers sauerkraut, kimchi or kombucha. Our guides to yogurt, Greek yogurt, skyr and kefir cover these dairy foods in detail.

Live culture foods by group

• Dairy: yogurt, kefir, sour cream and most cheeses, such as gouda and Swiss cheese, sit in the ISAPP live group. Our cheese guide covers the wider category.
• Soy: miso, natto and tempeh. The ISAPP panel notes that natto is made with Bacillus subtilis and that miso starts with koji fungi.
• Vegetables: sauerkraut and kimchi when they are not heated after fermentation.
• Drinks and vinegar: the panel places most kombuchas in the live group (see our kombucha guide). It lists vinegar as lacking live microbes, while ODS mentions raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar among foods with live cultures; our apple cider vinegar guide covers that product.
• Foods with added probiotics: some unfermented foods have specific strains added, as ODS describes; the label is the place to check.

For a wider list that also covers fermented foods without live microbes, such as bread, soy sauce and wine, see our fermented foods guide.

What NIH says about health effects

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) describes probiotics as live microorganisms intended to have health benefits when consumed or applied to the body, and notes they can be found in yogurt and other fermented foods, supplements and beauty products. NCCIH also states that different types of probiotics may have different effects, that a great deal of research has been done but much remains to be learned, and that in most instances it is still not known which probiotics are helpful and which are not. ODS states that there are currently no formal recommendations for or against the use of probiotics in healthy people.

By the ISAPP panel’s count, evidence on the foods themselves is uneven: it counted more than 20 randomized trials with yogurt and cultured milk products, at least one trial each for kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut, natto, vinegar and sourdough bread, and mostly laboratory and animal work for kombucha. Several panel members reported industry ties, which the paper lists. For supplements rather than foods, our how to choose a probiotic guide explains strain names and labels.

Safety notes

• NCCIH says probiotics have an extensive history of apparently safe use, particularly in healthy people, but that the risk of harm is greater in people with severe illnesses or compromised immune systems.
• NCCIH reports severe or fatal infections in premature infants given probiotics, and FDA has warned health care providers about that risk.
• ODS describes side effects in healthy people as usually minor, such as gas.
• A 2020 review of histamine intolerance in the journal Biomolecules found that fermented products are routinely excluded from low-histamine diets; our low histamine diet guide covers that topic.
• NCCIH advises not using probiotics as a reason to postpone seeing a health care provider about any health problem.

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 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: Hydrating Foods: Foods High in Water, Ranked by USDA Data, Fermented Foods: List, Benefits and Live vs Pasteurized, Kefir Benefits: What Kefir Is, the Evidence and Kefir vs Yogurt, Greek Yogurt: USDA Nutrition, Protein and Greek vs Regular Yogurt.