Last updated: October 2026
What foods have creatine? Almost only meat and fish. Herring is one of the richest sources, followed by beef, pork, salmon, tuna and chicken, at roughly 0.3 to 0.8 g of creatine per 100 g of raw muscle meat. Eggs, milk and plant foods contain little or none, because creatine is stored in muscle. A typical diet with meat gives you about 1 g a day, well short of the 3 to 5 g dose used in supplement studies.
This guide covers how much creatine is in common foods, how much you’d need to eat to match a supplement, whether cooking destroys it, the egg and milk question, and what vegetarians and vegans should know.
Creatine in Foods: How Much Is in Meat and Fish?
About 95% of the body’s creatine is stored in skeletal muscle, and the same is true of the animals we eat [1]. That’s why muscle meat and fish are the only significant food sources. Values per 100 g of raw food:
| Food (raw) | Creatine per 100 g | Per 4 oz (113 g) serving | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Herring | about 0.8 g | about 0.9 g | Estimate [2] |
| Pork | about 0.5 g | about 0.55 g | Estimate [2] |
| Beef | about 0.4–0.5 g | about 0.45–0.55 g | Measured [3] and estimate [2] |
| Salmon | about 0.45 g | about 0.5 g | Estimate [2] |
| Chicken | about 0.4 g | about 0.45 g | Measured [3] |
| Tuna | about 0.4 g | about 0.45 g | Estimate [2] |
| Cod | about 0.3 g | about 0.35 g | Estimate [2] |
| Beef heart | about 0.3 g | about 0.33 g | Measured [3] |
| Beef liver | about 0.03 g | about 0.03 g | Measured [3] |
| Eggs, milk, cheese | little or none | little or none | [4] |
| Plant foods (beans, soy, nuts, grains) | none | none | [4] |
“Measured” values come from a laboratory analysis that found about 30 mmol of creatine per kg in raw chicken and beef, which works out to roughly 0.4 g per 100 g [3]. “Estimates” are the widely quoted figures from a 1994 review, as reproduced in a 2025 review [2]. Real amounts vary with the cut, the animal and how it’s cooked, so treat every number as approximate. Organ meats are not better sources: liver contains a small fraction of the creatine in muscle meat.
How Much Food Equals a Creatine Supplement?
A lot. The International Society of Sports Nutrition estimates that a pound (about 450 g) of uncooked beef or salmon provides about 1 to 2 g of creatine [5]. To match a standard supplement dose from food alone, you’d need roughly:
| Dose | Raw beef, pork, chicken or salmon | Raw herring |
|---|---|---|
| 3 g a day | about 0.6–1.4 kg (1.5–3 lb) | about 375 g (13 oz) |
| 5 g a day | about 1.1–2.3 kg (2.5–5 lb) | about 625 g (1.4 lb) |
That’s before any losses from cooking. Eating that much meat every day isn’t realistic or desirable for most people, which is why studies on muscle strength and size use supplements. For the right dose for your body weight, see how much creatine per day.
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Calculate your creatine dose →Does Cooking Destroy Creatine?
Partly. Heat converts some creatine into creatinine, a waste product your body can’t use. In a New Zealand study, slow-cooking lamb (90 minutes at 70 °C) significantly reduced its creatine content, while creatinine rose fourfold [6]. Processing has a bigger effect: in a UK analysis, boiled meats lost creatine, and canned meat products contained only about 0.5 to 2 mmol per kg, compared with about 30 in raw meat [3].
In practice, quickly cooked fresh meat and fish keep more of their creatine than long-stewed, boiled or canned versions.
Do Eggs and Milk Have Creatine?
Very little. Creatine comes mainly from skeletal muscle [4], and eggs and dairy aren’t muscle. So the answer to “how much creatine is in 2 eggs?” is close to none: eggs are an excellent source of protein, but not of creatine. Milk does contain a small amount (it’s how infants get dietary creatine), but nowhere near enough to matter for adults [4].
Vegetarian and Vegan Creatine Sources
There are no plant sources of creatine. Vegans get none from their diet, and vegetarians get only traces from dairy and eggs [4]. The body still makes its own creatine from three amino acids (arginine, glycine and methionine) [4], so non-meat-eaters aren’t deficient, but their muscle stores tend to be lower.
In a Canadian study, vegetarians started with lower muscle creatine than meat-eaters (117 vs 130 mmol per kg). With supplements and 8 weeks of weight training, they gained more muscle creatine, lean tissue and work capacity than meat-eaters taking the same supplement [7]. In other words, people who eat little or no meat may benefit most from supplementing.
Most creatine monohydrate supplements are made synthetically rather than from animal products, so they’re generally suitable for vegans. Check the capsule shell and the label.
How Much Creatine Do You Get From Food?
Your body breaks down and needs to replace about 1 to 3 g of creatine a day, depending on muscle mass, and about half of that normally comes from food [5]. Many people get less. In US national survey data (NHANES 2017–2018), about 65% of adults ate less than 1 g of creatine a day from food, and that group averaged only about 0.5 g [8].
Food vs Supplements: Which Do You Need?
- For general health: a normal diet plus your body’s own production keeps creatine stores at a normal level. You don’t need a supplement.
- For strength, power and muscle gain: the benefits in research come from raising stores above normal, which takes 3 to 5 g a day of creatine monohydrate [5]. Food alone can’t realistically get you there.
- For vegetarians and vegans: a supplement is the only way to raise stores, and the response is often larger [7].
Creatine powder mixes into almost anything, including hot drinks: here’s whether you can put creatine in coffee. For timing, side effects and storage, see the full creatine guide, and for fluids, how much water to drink on creatine.
Related Reading
How Much Creatine Per Day: Dose by Person and Goal →Frequently Asked Questions
What food has the most creatine?
Herring is usually listed as the richest common food, at about 0.8 g of creatine per 100 g raw. Pork, beef, salmon, tuna and chicken follow at roughly 0.4 to 0.5 g per 100 g. Organ meats like liver contain far less than muscle meat, and plant foods contain none.
How much creatine is in 2 eggs?
Almost none. Creatine is stored in muscle tissue, and eggs aren’t muscle, so they provide little or no creatine. Eggs are a great source of protein, but if you want creatine from food, meat and fish are the only meaningful sources, and a supplement is the practical way to reach 3 to 5 g a day.
Can you get 5 grams of creatine from food?
Not realistically. A pound of raw beef or salmon provides only about 1 to 2 g of creatine, so 5 g would take roughly 1.1 to 2.3 kg (2.5 to 5 lb) of raw meat or fish a day, before cooking losses. Most people get about 1 g a day from food, which is why studies use supplements.
Is there more creatine in chicken or beef?
They’re similar. A laboratory analysis found about the same concentration in raw chicken and raw beef, roughly 0.4 g per 100 g, and older estimates put beef slightly higher at about 0.5 g. The cut and the cooking method make more difference than the type of meat.
Does milk have creatine?
Only a small amount. Milk is how infants get dietary creatine, but the amount is tiny compared with meat or fish, and it doesn’t make a meaningful difference for adults. Other dairy foods aren’t meaningful sources either. Vegetarians who eat dairy still get very little creatine from their diet.
Are there vegan sources of creatine?
No plant foods contain creatine. Vegans rely on the body’s own production, which covers about half of normal daily needs, and tend to have lower muscle stores. Creatine monohydrate supplements are usually made synthetically, not from animals, so most are vegan-friendly. Check the label and capsule shell.
Sources: [1] Balsom PD, Söderlund K, Ekblom B. Creatine in humans with special reference to creatine supplementation. Sports Med. 1994;18(4):268-80. [2] Ávila M, et al. The metabolism of creatinine and its usefulness to evaluate kidney function and body composition in clinical practice. Biomolecules. 2025;15(1):41 (Table 1, reproducing Balsom et al. 1994). [3] Harris RC, et al. The concentration of creatine in meat, offal and commercial dog food. Res Vet Sci. 1997;62(1):58-62. [4] Brosnan ME, Brosnan JT. The role of dietary creatine. Amino Acids. 2016;48(8):1785-91. [5] Kreider RB, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2017;14:18. [6] Purchas RW, et al. Concentrations in beef and lamb of taurine, carnosine, coenzyme Q10, and creatine. Meat Sci. 2004;66(3):629-37. [7] Burke DG, et al. Effect of creatine and weight training on muscle creatine and performance in vegetarians. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2003;35(11):1946-55. [8] Ostojic SM. Nutritional profiles of U.S. adults with suboptimal dietary creatine intake. Curr Dev Nutr. 2021;5(Suppl 2):1076.
