Creatine comes almost entirely from red meat and fish. A typical serve of beef or salmon gives you roughly 1 g. Eggs and dairy contain barely any, and plant foods have essentially none. Your body also makes about 1 g a day on its own. So a mixed diet supplies around 1 to 2 g a day, and a plant-based diet supplies very little.
Our first question with any nutrient is always: can you get this from food?
With creatine, the honest answer is that you get some, and where it comes from is narrower than most people expect. Here's what's actually in the food on your plate, how much a normal week of eating adds up to, and why plant-based eaters sit at the low end.
For what creatine does once it's in your body, read Creatine for Women: What It Does, How to Take It and What to Know.
What foods are high in creatine?
Herring tops the list, followed by pork, beef, salmon and tuna. Most meat and fish sit around 0.3 to 0.5 g of creatine per 100 g raw. Nothing else comes close: dairy has a trace, and plant foods have essentially none.
|
Food (raw) |
Creatine per 100 g |
A typical serve |
|---|---|---|
|
Herring |
about 0.65 to 1.0 g |
150 g fillet: about 1.0 to 1.5 g |
|
Pork |
about 0.5 g |
150 g: about 0.75 g |
|
Beef |
about 0.45 g |
150 g steak: about 0.7 g |
|
Salmon |
about 0.45 g |
150 g fillet: about 0.7 g |
|
Tuna |
about 0.4 g |
150 g: about 0.6 g |
|
Chicken |
about 0.3 to 0.4 g |
150 g breast: about 0.5 g |
|
Cod |
about 0.3 g |
150 g: about 0.45 g |
|
Milk |
about 0.01 g per 100 ml |
250 ml glass: about 0.025 g |
|
Eggs |
trace |
2 eggs: a trace |
|
Vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts |
essentially none |
none |
These are approximate. The figures most commonly quoted come from early analyses of raw meat and fish, and real foods vary with the cut, the species, how it was farmed or caught, and how you cook it.
The pattern is what matters: creatine lives in muscle tissue. That's why animals' muscle meat contains it and plants don't. A plant has no muscle, so it has no creatine to store.
How much creatine does a normal diet give you?
A mixed diet that includes meat and fish provides roughly 1 to 2 g of creatine a day. Your body makes about another 1 g a day in the liver and kidneys. Together that covers your everyday turnover, which is why you don't need supplements to be healthy.
Two sources, working together:
- What you eat. Around 1 to 2 g a day from meat and fish, if you eat them regularly.
- What you make. Your liver and kidneys produce about 1 g a day from three amino acids: arginine, glycine and methionine (Kreider et al., 2017).
About 95% of your body's creatine is stored in your muscles, and you turn over roughly 1 to 2 g a day. Food and your own production between them keep the tank mostly full, though not usually at the top.
That last point is the one people miss. Eating well doesn't mean your muscle creatine stores are completely full. Research in supplementation looks at topping stores up beyond what diet alone typically achieves, which is a different thing from correcting a deficiency. You aren't deficient if you don't supplement.
How much creatine is in 2 eggs?
Barely any. Eggs are an excellent protein food, but they're not a creatine food. Two eggs give you a trace amount, nothing like the roughly 0.7 g in a 150 g steak or salmon fillet.
This question comes up constantly, and I think it's because eggs have a reputation as the complete protein. They are. Protein and creatine just aren't the same thing.
Creatine sits in muscle tissue. An egg isn't muscle, so there's almost nothing there to begin with. The same goes for milk, yoghurt and cheese: dairy contains a small amount, but you'd need litres of milk to match one serve of fish.
What eggs do give you is the raw material. Your body builds creatine from arginine, glycine and methionine, and eggs are a good source of those amino acids. So eggs support the creatine your body makes itself, which is a real contribution, just an indirect one.
Creatine on a vegetarian or plant-based diet
Plant foods contain essentially no creatine, so vegetarians and vegans take in very little from food. Your body still makes its own, so this isn't a deficiency. But research has found that people who don't eat meat tend to have lower muscle creatine stores than people who do.
The difference is in dietary intake, not in whether your body works properly:
- Vegans get essentially no creatine from food.
- Vegetarians who eat dairy and eggs get a trace, not much more.
- Pescatarians do well here, because fish is one of the better sources.
- Everyone still makes about 1 g a day internally, whatever they eat.
This is worth knowing rather than worrying about. You can be perfectly healthy on a plant-based diet without ever thinking about creatine. It's simply useful context if you train and you're wondering whether a supplement would make any difference for you specifically.
If you eat plant-based, the amino acids your body uses to make creatine come from legumes, tofu, tempeh, nuts, seeds and wholegrains. Our vegan protein guide covers how to cover your protein bases.
Does cooking destroy creatine?
Cooking reduces it. Creatine is water soluble and heat sensitive, so some is lost into the pan juices and some converts to creatinine, the waste form your body can't use. Published food values are usually for raw weight, so a cooked serve delivers somewhat less.
A few things I'd actually do in a kitchen, none of which are worth stressing over:
- Use the juices. The liquid in the pan after roasting or pan-frying carries some of what's leached out. Make a pan sauce rather than tipping it away.
- Don't boil meat for long periods if you're not going to use the liquid. A slow-cooked stew is fine, because you eat the broth.
- Gentler, shorter cooking keeps more. A rare steak retains more than one cooked through.
I'd never tell anyone to undercook meat for the sake of a nutrient. Cook your food the way you like it and the way that's safe. This is a small effect, not a reason to change how you eat.
Where does supplement creatine come from?
It isn't extracted from meat. Creatine monohydrate is made in a lab through a chemical reaction, and the result is the same molecule your body makes and the same one in a steak. That's also why most creatine monohydrate contains no animal ingredients, though you should always check the individual product's label.
People often assume a creatine supplement is concentrated meat. It isn't, and it would be an absurdly inefficient way to make it. You'd need kilos of steak for a few grams.
Instead, manufacturers produce creatine through a reaction between two raw materials, usually sarcosine and cyanamide. The creatine that forms is then purified, dried and milled into powder. Creatine monohydrate simply means each creatine molecule is bound to one water molecule, which is the form used in the overwhelming majority of research.
Is there such a thing as natural or organic creatine?
Not really, and I'd be wary of anyone marketing it that way.
- "Natural" creatine isn't a defined category. The creatine in a supplement is chemically identical to the creatine in food and the creatine your body makes. There's no plant you can press it out of.
- "Organic" creatine doesn't mean much either. Organic certification applies to how agricultural ingredients are farmed, and creatine isn't farmed.
- What does matter is purity and manufacturing quality: creatine monohydrate as a single named ingredient, the grams per serve stated clearly, and a manufacturer who will provide a certificate of analysis if you ask.
Is creatine suitable for vegans?
Most creatine monohydrate is made without animal-derived ingredients, which is why it's commonly used by people who don't eat meat. Vegan status still comes down to the specific product, including everything else in the formula, so check the pack or ask the brand.
Food first, and where a supplement fits
Eat well and you'll cover your everyday creatine needs. A supplement isn't about fixing a deficiency; it's about topping muscle stores up past what diet usually achieves, which is what the research on training is built around. If you eat little or no meat and fish, your dietary intake sits at the low end.
Where it becomes a reasonable question is if you train regularly and want to know whether topped-up stores would make a difference, or if you eat plant-based and your dietary intake is close to zero. Both are conversations worth having with an Accredited Practising Dietitian who knows your diet and training.
If you do use one, it's easy to build into food. Our Creatine + Electrolytes sachets contain 3 g of creatine monohydrate each, which is the daily amount set for sports foods in Australia, and they stir into a drink or a smoothie.
Formulated supplementary sports food. Use in conjunction with a nutritious diet and an appropriate physical training or exercise program. Not suitable for children under 15 years of age or pregnant women: should only be used under medical or dietetic supervision.
Recipes to try
Frequently asked questions
What foods are high in creatine? Herring, pork, beef, salmon and tuna are the richest sources, at roughly 0.3 to 1 g per 100 g raw. Chicken and white fish contain a little less. Nothing outside meat and fish is a meaningful source.
How much creatine is in 2 eggs? Only a trace. Eggs are a great protein food but not a creatine food. They do supply the amino acids your body uses to make its own.
How much creatine do you get from food each day? A mixed diet with meat and fish provides roughly 1 to 2 g a day. Your body makes about another 1 g a day on its own.
Can you get enough creatine from food alone? For general health, yes. Food plus your own production covers your daily turnover. Research into training uses amounts above what diet typically provides.
Do vegetarians and vegans have less creatine? Research has found lower muscle creatine stores in people who don't eat meat, because plant foods contain essentially none. That's lower intake, not a deficiency or a health problem.
What are creatine supplements made from? Creatine monohydrate is produced through a chemical reaction, usually between sarcosine and cyanamide, then purified and milled. It isn't extracted from meat.
Is there a natural creatine supplement? Not in any meaningful sense. Supplement creatine is chemically identical to the creatine in food and in your body. Look for creatine monohydrate with the grams per serve stated clearly rather than "natural" labelling.
Does cooking destroy creatine? Some is lost to heat and to the cooking liquid, so a cooked serve delivers less than the raw figures suggest. Using the pan juices keeps some of it.
Sources
- Kreider RB et al. (2017). International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 14:18.
- Antonio J et al. (2021). Common questions and misconceptions about creatine supplementation: what does the scientific evidence really show? Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 18:13.
- Smith-Ryan AE et al. (2021). Creatine supplementation in women's health: a lifespan perspective. Nutrients, 13(3):877.
- [Add citation for the food values table: Balsom PD, Söderlund K, Ekblom B (1994). Creatine in humans with special reference to creatine supplementation. Sports Medicine, 18(4):268–80. Verify figures against the paper and add the link]
- Food Standards Australia New Zealand. Sports foods.
This article is general information only and isn't medical advice. Speak with your GP or an Accredited Practising Dietitian before starting any supplement, especially if you have a health condition, take medication, or are pregnant or breastfeeding.
