15 Collagen-Rich Foods You Should Eat Every Week

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Collagen is the most abundant protein in your body, and it is only found in animals. That single fact tells you where to look for it on your plate: skin, bones, cartilage, tendons, and the tough connective-tissue cuts that turn tender after hours of slow cooking. Lean, boneless muscle meat barely contains any.

This is a list of 15 foods that actually contain collagen protein, ranked loosely from richest to most convenient. For each one we note what it gives you, a realistic serving, and a preparation tip so the collagen actually ends up in your meal instead of the trash. Our recommendations are based on published food-composition research, studies on collagen sources, and how these foods are traditionally prepared, not on any hands-on testing.

One clarification up front. This guide covers foods that contain collagen. If you want foods that help your body make its own collagen (vitamin C, zinc, and protein sources), that is a different list, and we cover it in 13 Foods That Boost Collagen Production.

The quick list: 15 collagen-rich foods

1. Bone broth
2. Pork skin (pork rinds and chicharrones)
3. Chicken feet
4. Beef tendon
5. Oxtail
6. Pork trotters (pig’s feet)
7. Beef shank and shin
8. Beef short ribs and chuck
9. Chicken skin
10. Fish skin
11. Sardines (eaten with the bones)
12. Salmon and other skin-on fish
13. Gelatin
14. Tripe and other connective-tissue offal
15. Slow-cooked stews and stocks made from whole cuts

1. Bone broth

What it provides: When bones and connective tissue simmer for hours, their collagen dissolves into the water as gelatin, which is why good broth sets to a jiggle in the fridge. It is the single most flexible way to add dietary collagen.

Serving: One to two cups a day, sipped or used as a cooking base. Note that a lab analysis of bone broths found collagen and mineral content varies widely depending on the bones and simmer time, so treat homemade batches as a variable source, not a fixed dose.

Preparation tip: Simmer bones for 12 to 24 hours with a splash of vinegar, which helps extract collagen and minerals. See our full guide to bone broth and collagen.

2. Pork skin (pork rinds and chicharrones)

What it provides: Pork skin is close to pure connective tissue, making it one of the most collagen-dense foods you can eat. Fried pork rinds retain that collagen.

Serving: A small handful (about 1 ounce) as a snack. The frying adds a lot of fat and salt, so keep portions modest rather than treating it as an everyday staple.

Preparation tip: Baked or air-dried pork skin gives you the collagen with less added fat than deep-fried versions.

3. Chicken feet

What it provides: Chicken feet are mostly skin, cartilage, and tendon, so they punch far above their size for collagen. They are a staple broth booster in many cuisines for exactly this reason.

Serving: A few feet added to a pot of stock, or eaten braised. Read more in our chicken feet collagen guide.

Preparation tip: Add three or four chicken feet to any bone broth to noticeably thicken the gel.

4. Beef tendon

What it provides: Tendon is almost entirely Type I collagen. Cooked long enough, it turns silky and gelatinous.

Serving: A few ounces in a bowl of pho or a braise. Tendon is common in Vietnamese and Chinese cooking.

Preparation tip: It needs several hours of moist heat. Pressure-cooking cuts the time to under an hour while still breaking the collagen down.

5. Oxtail

What it provides: Oxtail is packed with connective tissue around the bone, releasing collagen-rich gelatin as it braises. The result is a thick, glossy sauce.

Serving: One to two pieces as part of a main dish.

Preparation tip: Braise low and slow for three-plus hours so the collagen fully converts to gelatin and the meat falls off the bone.

6. Pork trotters (pig’s feet)

What it provides: Like chicken feet, trotters are dense in skin, cartilage, and tendon. They are a classic ingredient for gelatin-rich stocks and terrines.

Serving: Half a trotter in a braise or added to stock.

Preparation tip: Simmer with aromatics for several hours, then chill the liquid. It should set firmly, a sign of how much collagen came out.

7. Beef shank and shin

What it provides: Shank is a hard-working muscle laced with connective tissue and marrow bone, so it delivers both collagen and flavor.

Serving: A 4 to 6 ounce portion in a braise such as osso buco.

Preparation tip: Cook it submerged in liquid at a low temperature. Fast, dry heat leaves it tough because the collagen never breaks down.

8. Beef short ribs and chuck

What it provides: These marbled, connective-tissue-heavy cuts release collagen as gelatin during long cooking, giving stews and pot roasts their body.

Serving: A 4 to 6 ounce portion.

Preparation tip: Braise or slow-cook for at least three hours. Save and use the cooking liquid, since a lot of the dissolved collagen ends up there.

9. Chicken skin

What it provides: Chicken skin is rich in Type I and III collagen. Whole chicken and dark, skin-on cuts give you far more than a boneless, skinless breast.

Serving: The skin from a couple of pieces of chicken.

Preparation tip: Roast skin-on so it crisps, and use the carcass afterward for stock to capture even more.

10. Fish skin

What it provides: Fish skin is a concentrated source of Type I marine collagen, the same type most abundant in human skin. Research on fish collagen highlights the skin and scales as the primary sources.

Serving: The skin from one fillet.

Preparation tip: Pan-sear salmon or sea bass skin-side down until crisp so the skin is pleasant to eat rather than discarded.

11. Sardines (eaten with the bones)

What it provides: Canned sardines are eaten whole, soft bones and all, so you get collagen from the skin and bones plus omega-3 fats and calcium.

Serving: One tin (about 3.75 ounces) two or three times a week.

Preparation tip: Buy them tinned with bones in and mash them onto toast or into salads so nothing is wasted.

12. Salmon and other skin-on fish

What it provides: Beyond the skin’s marine collagen, oily fish supply omega-3 fatty acids that support skin health. Marine collagen is well studied as a skin-relevant Type I source.

Serving: A 4 to 6 ounce fillet, skin on, two or three times a week.

Preparation tip: Ask for skin-on fillets and cook them so the skin renders and crisps rather than steaming off.

13. Gelatin

What it provides: Gelatin is simply collagen that has already been cooked out of animal skin and bones, so it is collagen by another name. It sets liquids into a gel.

Serving: A tablespoon or two of unflavored gelatin stirred into recipes.

Preparation tip: Use plain, unflavored gelatin from a reputable source rather than sugary gelatin desserts, where the collagen is a tiny fraction of the serving.

14. Tripe and other connective-tissue offal

What it provides: Tripe, tendon, and similar offal are heavy in connective tissue and therefore collagen. They feature in traditional slow-cooked dishes worldwide.

Serving: A few ounces in a stew or soup.

Preparation tip: These need long, gentle cooking to become tender and palatable. Menudo and other traditional recipes are built around that process.

15. Slow-cooked stews and stocks from whole cuts

What it provides: The common thread across this list is that collagen lives in the parts we often discard. Cooking whole cuts, bones, and skin together in one pot captures collagen that would otherwise be lost.

Serving: A bowl of stew plus its liquid.

Preparation tip: Whenever you cook bone-in, skin-on, or connective-tissue cuts, keep the cooking liquid. The dissolved collagen concentrates there.

Summary table

Food	Main collagen type	Realistic serving	Best preparation
Bone broth	Type I and II	1 to 2 cups	Simmer 12 to 24 hours
Pork skin	Type I	1 oz snack	Baked or air-dried
Chicken feet	Type I and II	3 to 4 in stock	Long simmer
Beef tendon	Type I	A few oz	Braise or pressure-cook
Oxtail	Type I	1 to 2 pieces	Braise 3+ hours
Pork trotters	Type I	Half a trotter	Long simmer, then chill
Beef shank	Type I	4 to 6 oz	Braise submerged
Short ribs / chuck	Type I	4 to 6 oz	Slow-cook 3+ hours
Chicken skin	Type I and III	Skin from 2 pieces	Roast skin-on
Fish skin	Type I (marine)	Skin from 1 fillet	Pan-sear crisp
Sardines with bones	Type I	1 tin	Eat whole, bones in
Salmon, skin-on	Type I (marine)	4 to 6 oz	Cook skin-side down
Gelatin	Type I	1 to 2 tbsp	Unflavored, in recipes
Tripe / offal	Type I	A few oz	Long, gentle cooking
Whole-cut stews	Mixed	1 bowl + liquid	Keep the cooking liquid

How we researched this

We built this list from food-composition data and peer-reviewed research on where collagen concentrates in animals, including studies on fish and marine collagen sources. We prioritized foods that are genuinely high in connective tissue, skin, or bone, since those are where collagen lives, and we excluded lean muscle cuts that contribute little. Where a food’s collagen content is known to vary, such as bone broth, we say so plainly rather than quoting a single figure, because a lab analysis of bone broths found wide batch-to-batch variation. We did not taste-test or cook these foods ourselves for this guide.

How much collagen do you actually get from food?

Here is the honest limitation. Whole foods almost never carry a measured collagen figure, and the amount depends heavily on the cut, the cooking method, and how much of the connective tissue you actually eat. That makes food a steady contributor rather than a precise dose.

Clinical studies on collagen for skin and joints generally use 2.5 to 15 grams per day of measured collagen peptides. Matching that from food alone is realistic only if connective-tissue cuts and broth are a regular habit. If you want a known daily amount, a measured supplement removes the guesswork.

That said, food gives you things a scoop of powder does not: minerals, healthy fats in oily fish, and the satisfaction of a real meal. The best approach for most people is both. Eat collagen-rich foods through the week, and consider a supplement if you want a guaranteed daily dose. Compare options in our best collagen supplements roundup.

Bottom line

If you want more collagen from food, stop eating only lean, boneless cuts and start using the collagen-rich parts: skin, bones, cartilage, tendon, and the tough cuts that reward slow cooking. Bone broth, pork skin, chicken feet, beef tendon, oxtail, fish skin, and sardines eaten whole are the standouts. Round it out with the foods that boost your own collagen production, and add a measured supplement if you want a consistent daily amount.

Want to go deeper? Explore these guides:

• Collagen 101: Everything You Need to Know
• Bone Broth and Collagen
• Chicken Feet Collagen Guide
• 13 Foods That Boost Collagen Production
• Marine Collagen Guide
• Collagen Benefits: What Research Shows