What Kind of Meat Has the Most Collagen for Optimal Health?

November 19, 2025 •

4 min read

Did you know that bone broth, made from simmering animal bones and connective tissue, is often cited as the most concentrated source of dietary collagen? Understanding what kind of meat has the most collagen can help you make informed choices to support your skin, joint, and gut health.

Quick Summary

This article reveals which meats and cuts contain the highest levels of natural collagen. It explores the differences between animal sources like beef, pork, and chicken, highlights the best cooking methods for extraction, and outlines the primary health benefits.

Key Points

Source the Right Parts: Collagen is most concentrated in connective tissue, skin, and bones, not lean muscle.
Bone Broth is King: Bone broth, made from simmering animal bones, provides the most concentrated and easily absorbed source of dietary collagen.
Slow Cooking is Key: Tough cuts of meat like beef brisket or pork hocks are high in collagen that becomes tender and gelatinous with slow cooking.
Don't Discard the Skin: Chicken and pork skin are excellent, often-overlooked sources of natural collagen.
Marine Collagen from Skin and Bones: Small, whole fish like sardines and the skin of salmon are effective sources of marine collagen.
Boost with Vitamin C: Pair collagen-rich foods with vitamin C sources to aid the body's natural collagen production.

The Collagen Hierarchy: It's All in the Connective Tissue

When searching for the meat with the most collagen, the answer isn't a single species, but rather specific parts of the animal and how they are prepared. Tougher, slow-cooked cuts are rich in the connective tissue that provides collagen, while lean muscle meat contains very little. Animal skin, bones, and cartilage are the most concentrated sources, which is why they are often used to create gelatin and bone broth.

Beef: The Ultimate Collagen Powerhouse

Beef is a top contender for the title of the highest-collagen meat. The denseness of the bones and the abundance of connective tissue in certain cuts make it a superior source, especially for Type I and Type III collagen, which support skin and gut health.

Beef Bones: Simmering beef bones for an extended period creates a nutrient-dense bone broth, which is arguably the richest natural source of collagen. The bones, knuckles, and marrow are packed with the raw material that breaks down into gelatin. Bone broth made from beef tends to have a richer mineral profile than chicken broth.
Oxtail: This cut is primarily bone and connective tissue, which melts into a rich, gelatinous texture when cooked low and slow. A single serving can provide a significant collagen boost.
Brisket: Known for its toughness, brisket contains high levels of collagen that break down during a long cooking process, resulting in incredibly tender meat.
Short Ribs: Similar to oxtail and brisket, short ribs are filled with connective tissue and require slow cooking to become succulent and full of collagen.
Tendons and Ligaments: While less common in Western cuisine, beef tendons are a collagen powerhouse, with one study finding a single serving could contain over 13g of collagen.

Pork: A Surprisingly High-Collagen Source

Pork is another fantastic source of collagen, particularly in its skin and other connective tissues. Porcine collagen is structurally very similar to human collagen, which makes it easily tolerated by the body.

Pork Skin / Rinds: Fried pork skin, or chicharrón, is a concentrated source of collagen. A single serving of pork skin or rinds contains a significant amount of collagen due to its high concentration of connective tissue.
Pork Hocks and Feet: These parts, often used for slow-cooked dishes or stock, are almost entirely made of bone, cartilage, and skin, making them exceptionally rich in gelatin and collagen.
Pork Ribs: The connective tissue surrounding the ribs breaks down during cooking, enriching the dish with natural collagen.

Poultry: Skin and Bones for a Boost

While chicken breast is a lean muscle with little collagen, other parts of the bird are excellent sources. Chicken collagen is particularly high in Type II, which is vital for joint health.

Chicken Skin: Like pork skin, chicken skin is loaded with collagen, which provides structural support and elasticity. When cooked, it adds rich flavor and texture while boosting collagen intake.
Chicken Feet: Widely used for making stock in many cultures, chicken feet are almost entirely composed of bone, skin, and cartilage, making them one of the richest poultry sources of collagen.
Chicken Cartilage: Eating or making broth from chicken cartilage can increase your intake of Type II collagen, known to help with joint issues.

Marine Sources: Don't Overlook Fish

Marine collagen is predominantly Type I, which is the most abundant type in the human body. The collagen is concentrated in the skin and bones.

Sardines: When you eat small, canned fish like sardines whole, you consume the skin and soft bones, both packed with collagen and other essential minerals.
Salmon Skin: Cooking and eating salmon with the skin on is an easy way to get a significant collagen boost, as the skin contains a high concentration.
Shellfish: Shellfish like shrimp and crab contain collagen in their shells and cartilage.

Comparison of Collagen Content in Meat Sources


Source	Primary Collagen Location	Cooking Method	Primary Collagen Type	Relative Content (by weight)
Beef	Bones, tendons, skin, tough cuts (brisket, oxtail)	Slow Cooking (stew, braise), Simmering (broth)	I, III	Very High
Pork	Skin, feet, hocks, ribs	Slow Cooking (stew, braise), Simmering (broth)	I, III	Very High
Chicken	Skin, feet, cartilage, bones	Simmering (broth), Cooking with skin	II	High
Marine	Skin, bones (especially small fish like sardines)	Cooking with skin on, Consuming whole	I	Moderate to High

Maximizing Collagen with Cooking Methods

To extract the maximum amount of collagen from meat, the cooking method is key. Simmering animal bones and connective tissue for many hours, as in making bone broth, is the most effective method. For tough cuts of meat like brisket, slow-cooking techniques such as braising or stewing break down the collagen into gelatin, resulting in a tender texture and a collagen-rich dish. Simply eating skin-on poultry or fish can also provide a good source. The gelatinous consistency that develops in a properly cooked broth or stew is a direct indicator of high collagen content.

For additional support, remember to include vitamin C in your diet, as it is a crucial cofactor for collagen synthesis. Excellent sources include bell peppers, citrus fruits, and berries.

Conclusion

While a variety of meats can contribute to your collagen intake, the highest concentrations are found in the connective tissues, skin, and bones rather than the lean muscle. Tough cuts of beef and pork, along with chicken skin and feet, are especially potent sources. Bone broth, in particular, offers a readily absorbed, concentrated dose of collagen. For those seeking to boost their intake naturally, prioritizing these parts of the animal and using slow-cooking methods is the most effective strategy. Incorporating a food-first approach with nutrient-rich meats and vitamin C sources supports overall health and wellness. For more on dietary wellness, consult an authoritative source like the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Frequently Asked Questions

The best source of collagen from meat is bone broth, which is made by simmering bones and connective tissue from animals like beef, pork, or chicken. This process extracts the collagen and turns it into gelatin.

No, the amount of collagen varies significantly depending on the cut of meat and the part of the animal. Lean muscle meat has very little, while tough cuts with a high proportion of connective tissue have much more.

Tougher cuts and bones from beef generally contain a higher concentration of collagen than chicken muscle meat. However, chicken parts like the skin, feet, and cartilage are very rich in collagen, particularly Type II for joint health.

Slow, moist-heat cooking methods like braising or simmering are necessary to break down the tough collagen fibers into digestible gelatin. This is what gives slow-cooked meats their tender, melt-in-your-mouth quality.

Yes, chicken skin is an excellent source of natural collagen. Leaving the skin on when you cook poultry, or making broth with chicken feet, can significantly boost your intake.

For fish, the collagen is primarily in the skin and bones. Small fish consumed whole, like sardines, or fatty fish like salmon with the skin on are great options.

While supplements offer a convenient and consistent dose of hydrolyzed collagen peptides, whole-food sources like bone broth and specific cuts of meat provide a broader spectrum of nutrients. Research is ongoing, but a food-first approach is often recommended for holistic benefits.

Yes, certain organ meats and offal that contain significant connective tissue, such as tripe, are also rich in collagen. Other organ meats like liver do not contain as much but provide nutrients that support the body's own collagen production.