Beef liver is the single best food for both B12 and folate, delivering massive amounts of each in one serving. Beyond liver, though, most foods tend to be rich in one or the other. B12 concentrates in animal products like shellfish, fish, meat, and dairy, while folate is highest in leafy greens, legumes, and fortified grains. Building meals that combine sources of both nutrients is the practical strategy for most people.
Adults need 2.4 mcg of B12 and 400 mcg of folate per day. During pregnancy, the folate target jumps to 600 mcg. Here’s where to find both.
Foods Rich in Vitamin B12
B12 is found almost exclusively in animal-derived foods. Organ meats and shellfish sit at the top by a wide margin. A 3-ounce serving of cooked beef liver contains 70.7 mcg of B12, nearly 30 times the daily requirement. Cooked clams provide 17 mcg per 3-ounce serving, and oysters deliver 14.9 mcg.
Fish and regular cuts of meat provide lower but still meaningful amounts. Three ounces of cooked Atlantic salmon has 2.6 mcg, canned light tuna has 2.5 mcg, and ground beef has 2.4 mcg. Each of those servings alone meets or comes close to the full daily target.
Dairy and eggs contribute smaller doses that add up over the day. A cup of 2% milk provides 1.3 mcg, a 6-ounce container of plain yogurt has 1.0 mcg, and one large egg contains 0.5 mcg. Cheddar cheese (1.5 ounces) and roasted turkey breast (3 ounces) each add 0.3 to 0.5 mcg.
Foods Rich in Folate
Folate is the plant kingdom’s nutrient. Dark leafy greens, legumes, and certain vegetables are the richest natural sources. Spinach, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, and broccoli all pack significant folate per serving. Among legumes, black-eyed peas, lentils, and chickpeas are standouts. A single cup of cooked lentils can provide well over half the daily target.
Fortified foods also play a major role. In the United States, the FDA recommends enriching refined flour with folate at a rate of 1.5 mg per kilogram. This means most breads, pastas, and breakfast cereals carry added folate. Fortified cereals in particular can supply 100% of the daily value in a single serving, making them one of the easiest ways to close a folate gap.
Beef Liver: The Standout for Both
If you’re looking for one food that delivers high amounts of both B12 and folate simultaneously, beef liver is in a category of its own. That same 3-ounce serving with 70.7 mcg of B12 also contains roughly 200 to 250 mcg of folate, covering more than half the daily recommendation for both nutrients at once. Chicken liver is similarly impressive for folate, with raw chicken liver containing around 780 mcg of folate per 100 grams.
Eggs provide modest amounts of both vitamins but won’t cover your needs alone. Beyond these, very few single foods are genuinely rich in both. The practical approach is to pair B12-rich animal foods with folate-rich plant foods in the same meal: salmon over a bed of spinach, a beef stir-fry with broccoli, or scrambled eggs alongside fortified toast.
Plant-Based B12 Options
For vegetarians and vegans, B12 is the harder nutrient to get. Fortified breakfast cereals are one of the most reliable non-animal sources in the U.S. and can provide a meaningful share of daily B12. Nutritional yeast is another commonly fortified option.
Among naturally occurring plant foods, dried purple laver (nori) stands out as the most promising. It contains roughly 32 mcg of B12 per 100 grams of dry weight, and studies in both animals and a small group of vegan children suggest this B12 is bioavailable. About 4 grams of dried nori, roughly one to two sheets, could supply the full 2.4 mcg daily requirement. Tempeh, a fermented soybean product, contains variable B12 levels (0.7 to 8.0 mcg per 100 grams) depending on the fermentation process. Certain wild mushrooms like black trumpet and golden chanterelle contain small amounts as well.
That said, most nutrition experts consider fortified foods or supplements the most dependable B12 sources for people who eat little or no animal food. Relying solely on nori or tempeh introduces too much variability.
How Cooking Affects These Nutrients
Folate is sensitive to heat and water. Boiling is the worst method: broccoli boiled for 40 minutes at 100°C retained only about 25% of its original folate. Steaming the same broccoli preserved roughly 59%. For chicken liver, steaming at 100°C for 30 minutes caused almost no folate loss at all, while frying liver reduced folate by about 50%.
The losses vary dramatically by food. Boiling chickpeas can destroy up to 77% of their folate, while boiling green peas loses only about 25%. Canning is similarly destructive, stripping 65% to 77% of folate from vegetables like spinach and chickpeas. The pattern is clear: the more water contact and the higher the heat, the greater the loss. Steaming, roasting at moderate temperatures, and quick cooking methods preserve folate best.
Storage matters too, though less dramatically. Leafy greens like rocket and Swiss chard lose only about 12% to 14% of their folate after 8 to 10 days in the refrigerator. Freshness helps, but you’re not racing the clock if you eat your greens within a week.
Why You Need Both Together
B12 and folate work as partners in your body. Both are essential for making DNA and producing healthy red blood cells. When either one is too low, you can develop a type of anemia where red blood cells become oversized and inefficient at carrying oxygen, leading to fatigue, weakness, and shortness of breath.
There’s an important wrinkle here. Getting plenty of folate (especially from supplements or heavily fortified foods) can correct the blood cell abnormalities caused by B12 deficiency, making blood tests look normal even while B12 remains dangerously low. Meanwhile, the nerve damage that B12 deficiency causes continues silently. This is why it’s important to maintain adequate levels of both rather than loading up on one while neglecting the other.
Putting It Together
A few simple meal patterns cover both nutrients easily. Pair a B12-rich protein (fish, shellfish, meat, eggs, or dairy) with a folate-rich side (spinach, lentils, asparagus, or fortified grains). A bowl of fortified cereal with milk hits both in one sitting. For plant-based eaters, combining fortified cereals or nutritional yeast with plenty of legumes and dark greens is the most reliable daily strategy.
Liver once a week, if you enjoy it, is arguably the simplest single-food solution. One 3-ounce serving covers your B12 needs for weeks and provides a large share of your folate for the day. For everyone else, variety does the work. No single food besides liver excels at both, but a mix of animal proteins and colorful plant foods covers the gap without much planning.