Foods high in cholesterol, by the milligram.

This chart lists common foods high in cholesterol, ranked by milligrams per typical serving. The %DV column uses the 300 mg Daily Value from US nutrition labels. Saturated fat is included because it affects blood cholesterol at least as much as the cholesterol in food does.

Values come from USDA FoodData Central and are rounded. Brands, cuts, and cooking methods change the numbers, so check the label when you have one. Not sure how much cholesterol fits in a day? Start with our guide to how much cholesterol per day current guidelines suggest.

Liver and other organ meats contain the most cholesterol of any common food. A 3 oz serving of chicken liver has about 479 mg, which is more than one and a half times the Daily Value in a single portion. Turkey liver is higher still, at about 551 mg.

Eggs are the biggest source of cholesterol for most people simply because people eat them so often. A large chicken egg has about 186 mg, and all of it is in the yolk. Duck eggs are larger and richer, with about 619 mg each.

• Egg whites contain no cholesterol, so a whites-only omelet is close to 0 mg.
• Baked goods and sauces made with yolks, such as custard, hollandaise, and egg pasta, carry hidden cholesterol.
• Liver is also very high in vitamin A, so most people eat it occasionally rather than daily.

For a closer look at eggs by size and how they fit a daily limit, see are eggs high in cholesterol?

Shrimp and squid are often listed among foods high in cholesterol, and the numbers support that: 161 mg in 3 oz of cooked shrimp and 221 mg in 3 oz of fried squid. But shrimp has almost no saturated fat, which sets it apart from fatty meats and full-fat dairy.

How you cook seafood matters more than many people realize. Shrimp scampi made with butter, or fried calamari, adds saturated fat that plain grilled or steamed shellfish does not have. If you are tracking both numbers, log the cooking fat as its own entry.

Tip: Most fish fillets contain far less cholesterol per serving than shrimp or squid. Fatty fish such as salmon and sardines also supply omega-3 fats, which the Dietary Guidelines encourage.

Most meat and poultry contain a moderate 70–90 mg of cholesterol per 3 oz cooked serving. Lean chicken breast (72 mg) and 85% lean ground beef (71 mg) are almost the same on cholesterol. The real difference is saturated fat: about 0.9 g in the chicken against about 4.5 g in the beef.

Portion size is what pushes meat up the list. A restaurant steak or burger is often 6–10 oz, which is two to three times the servings in the chart. Processed meats such as sausage, bacon, and salami add saturated fat and sodium too.

Ways to lower cholesterol from meat

• Choose lean cuts and skinless poultry.
• Weigh a portion once or twice to learn what 3 oz looks like on your plate.
• Replace some meat meals with beans, lentils, tofu, or fish.

Butter, cheese, and cream are not especially high in cholesterol per serving. A tablespoon of butter has about 31 mg, and an ounce of cheddar about 28 mg. They earn their place on lists of foods to limit because of saturated fat: that tablespoon of butter carries about 7.3 g, more than a third of the roughly 20 g saturated fat limit on a 2,000-calorie diet.

Dairy servings also add up quickly. Cheese on a sandwich, butter on toast, and cream in two cups of coffee can total 80–100 mg of cholesterol and well over 10 g of saturated fat before dinner.

Cholesterol is made only by animals, so plant foods contain essentially none. Building more meals around these foods is the simplest way to keep your daily total down:

• Vegetables and fruit
• Oats, barley, and other whole grains
• Beans, lentils, chickpeas, and soy foods such as tofu
• Nuts and seeds
• Vegetable oils such as olive and canola oil

"Cholesterol-free" on a package does not always mean healthy. Some packaged plant foods, such as pastries and snacks made with palm or coconut oil, contain no cholesterol but a lot of saturated fat.

Charts like this one help you spot the big sources, but your daily total depends on what and how much you actually eat. To see your real numbers:

1. Log each food with its real portion, not the chart serving.
2. Log cooking fats such as butter and oil as separate items.
3. Check the nutrition label for packaged foods, and a database for fresh foods.
4. Look at your weekly total to see which two or three foods supply most of your cholesterol.

Cholesterol Tracker does this on iPhone and Android: search a food database, scan a meal or a nutrition label, and see your total for the day against your goal.