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Foods high in Lysine

Top food sources of the amino acid Lysine, ranked per 100 g and per serving.

Showing top 20 foods

Per 100 g: g

  1. 1

    Seal, bearded (Oogruk), meat, dried (Alaska Native)

    6,69 g/ 100 g
  2. 2

    Whale, beluga, meat, dried (Alaska Native)

    6,31 g/ 100 g2,84 g (45 g serving)
  3. 3

    Egg, white, dried

    5,9 g/ 100 g6,31 g (107 g serving)
  4. 4

    Fish, cod, dried and salted

    5,77 g/ 100 g1,64 g (28 g serving)
  5. 5

    Egg, white, dried

    5,52 g/ 100 g1,54 g (28 g serving)
  6. 6

    Soy protein isolate

    5,33 g/ 100 g1,51 g (28 g serving)
  7. 7

    Soy protein isolate, potassium type

    5,33 g/ 100 g1,51 g (28 g serving)
  8. 8

    Egg, white, dried

    5,08 g/ 100 g5,43 g (107 g serving)
  9. 9

    Seal, bearded (Oogruk), meat

    5,05 g/ 100 g
  10. 10

    Fish, whitefish, dried (Alaska Native)

    4,77 g/ 100 g
  11. 11

    Egg, white, dried

    4,74 g/ 100 g1,34 g (28 g serving)
  12. 12

    Soy protein concentrate, produced by alcohol extraction

    3,93 g/ 100 g1,11 g (28 g serving)
  13. 13

    Soy protein concentrate, produced by acid wash

    3,93 g/ 100 g1,11 g (28 g serving)
  14. 14

    Cheese, parmesan

    3,84 g/ 100 g0,19 g (5 g serving)
  15. 15

    Smelt, dried (Alaska Native)

    3,69 g/ 100 g
  16. 16

    Beef, top round roast, roasted

    3,61 g/ 100 g3,07 g (85 g serving)
  17. 17

    Beef, eye of round roast, roasted

    3,58 g/ 100 g3,05 g (85 g serving)
  18. 18

    Beef, top sirloin filet, grilled

    3,55 g/ 100 g3,02 g (85 g serving)
  19. 19

    Beverages, Protein powder soy based

    3,55 g/ 100 g1,6 g (45 g serving)
  20. 20

    Beef, plate steak, grilled

    3,54 g/ 100 g3,01 g (85 g serving)

How to add more Lysine to your diet

A simple three-step routine to consistently meet your Lysine target without overhauling your meals.

  1. 1

    Pick a lysine-dense protein anchor

    Build each main meal around a high-lysine protein: chicken breast (~2.4 g/100 g), lean beef (~2.8 g/100 g), pork loin (~2.7 g/100 g), salmon (~2.0 g/100 g), tuna (~2.3 g/100 g), eggs (~0.9 g/100 g), or Greek yogurt (~0.6 g/100 g). A 150 g portion of any animal source above covers more than 100 percent of the adult RDA in a single serving.

  2. 2

    Pair plant proteins to close gaps

    On plant-based days, pair a legume (lentils, black beans, chickpeas, soy, tofu, tempeh) with a grain or seed. Most cereal grains are limiting in lysine, so legumes are the practical fix. Half a cup of cooked lentils plus a serving of quinoa or amaranth typically delivers 1.5 to 2 g of lysine per meal — enough to anchor an adult's daily target across two meals.

  3. 3

    Track intake against your target

    Log meals in Melio for one week and watch the daily lysine bar. Aim for at least 38 mg per kg of body weight per day (Institute of Medicine DRI, 2005). For a 70 kg adult that is about 2.66 g/day. If you fall short, swap one snack for cottage cheese, a hard-boiled egg, edamame, or a small handful of pistachios.

Why Lysine matters

Foods highest in lysine are lean animal proteins — chicken breast, lean beef, pork loin, tuna, and salmon all deliver 2.0-2.8 g per 100 g — followed by Parmesan and other hard cheeses. Among plant foods, soybeans, tempeh, lentils, black beans, tofu, and pistachios lead. Lysine is one of the nine essential amino acids: your body cannot synthesize it, so it must come from food daily. It is a building block for collagen (the structural protein in skin, tendons, ligaments, and bone), supports calcium absorption in the gut, contributes to antibody and enzyme function, and is required for carnitine synthesis (the molecule that shuttles fatty acids into mitochondria for energy). The Institute of Medicine sets the adult RDA at 38 mg per kg of body weight per day — about 2.66 g for a 70 kg adult, easily covered by a single 150 g serving of chicken breast or two cups of cooked lentils. Most cereal grains are low in lysine, which is why traditional plant-based pairings — beans with rice, hummus with pita, dal with roti — combine a lysine-rich legume with a lower-lysine grain to deliver a complete amino-acid profile in one meal.

Daily intake reference

Adult Daily Value (DV)2.1 g per day

Signs of low intake

Frank lysine deficiency is uncommon in developed countries because most varied diets exceed the 38 mg/kg/day RDA easily. It can occur in predominantly grain-based diets — particularly wheat-heavy vegan or vegetarian diets without legumes, soy, or pistachios. Reported signs include fatigue, nausea, dizziness, slow growth in children, anemia, and reproductive disturbance. Because lysine supports immune function, chronically low intake may contribute to more frequent infections. Endurance athletes, people recovering from burns or major surgery, pregnant or lactating women, and anyone following a restrictive plant-based diet without conscious legume intake should review intake. [verify with RDN]

Best for these diets

Lysine is abundant in these dietary patterns — lean proteins, dairy, soy, and well-planned plant-based plates:

Frequently asked questions about Lysine

What food has the most lysine?
Per USDA FoodData Central, the densest lysine sources per 100 g are lean animal proteins: lean beef (~2.8 g/100 g), pork loin (~2.7 g/100 g), chicken breast (~2.4 g/100 g), tuna (~2.3 g/100 g), and Parmesan cheese (~3.3 g/100 g, though typical servings are smaller). Among plant foods, soybeans, lentils, black beans, and tofu lead. [verify with USDA FDC]
How much lysine do I need per day?
The adult RDA is 38 mg of lysine per kilogram of body weight per day (Institute of Medicine, Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids, 2005). For a 70 kg adult that works out to about 2.66 g per day. Endurance athletes, pregnant or lactating women, and people recovering from injury or surgery typically need more. [verify with RDN]
What does lysine do in the body?
Lysine is an essential amino acid required for collagen synthesis (the structural protein in skin, tendons, and bone), calcium absorption, immune function, and the production of carnitine — the molecule that shuttles fatty acids into mitochondria for energy. Because the body cannot synthesize it, lysine must come from food.
Is lysine found in plant-based foods?
Yes. Soybeans (~2.0 g/100 g cooked), tempeh, tofu, lentils (~0.7 g/100 g cooked), black beans, chickpeas, quinoa, amaranth, and pistachios all supply meaningful lysine. Most cereal grains are low — wheat, rice, corn, and oats average 0.2-0.4 g/100 g — which is why combining legumes with grains is the foundational pattern in well-planned vegan diets.
Lysine vs leucine: which is more important?
Both are essential. Leucine drives muscle protein synthesis through the mTOR pathway. Lysine is the limiting amino acid in most cereal grains and is critical for collagen, carnitine, and calcium absorption. They are not interchangeable — a balanced diet needs adequate amounts of both. See the leucine page for per-meal MPS thresholds.
Do vegans get enough lysine?
Vegans can comfortably meet lysine targets by including legumes, soy products, quinoa, amaranth, or pistachios at most meals. The pattern that under-delivers lysine is a wheat-heavy plant-based diet without legumes — for example, breakfast cereal, sandwich at lunch, pasta at dinner. Adding 150-200 g of cooked lentils or 100 g of tofu/tempeh on most days resolves the gap.
Is lysine supplementation safe?
Lysine is widely available as L-lysine HCl in 500-1,000 mg tablets and is generally well tolerated up to 3 g/day in adults. Some clinical studies suggest 1-3 g/day may reduce recurrent cold-sore (HSV-1) frequency by competing with arginine for cellular uptake. Evidence is mixed and supplements should be discussed with a clinician, especially in pregnancy or with kidney disease. [verify with RDN]
Does cooking destroy lysine?
Lysine is heat-stable in normal home cooking but can react with reducing sugars during prolonged high-heat cooking (the Maillard reaction), reducing bioavailability slightly. Standard methods — boiling, grilling, steaming, baking at moderate temperatures — preserve the vast majority of the lysine content shown in USDA tables.

Scenarios that emphasize Lysine

These meal-planning scenarios prioritize Lysine intake:

Explore other nutrients

Browse top food sources for other vitamins and minerals:

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