Introduction
High protein foods ranked by grams per serving and per 100 calories, from USDA data. See what to eat, how much you need, and a 100 g sample day.
What counts as high protein foods
High protein foods are the ones that give you a meaningful share of your daily protein in one normal serving, without a calorie bill you did not plan for. A 3 ounce chicken breast delivers 26 grams for 140 calories. A cup of cooked lentils delivers 18 grams for 230. Two tablespoons of peanut butter deliver 7 grams for 191. All three contain protein, but only the first two earn the label.
This guide ranks the foods by that standard. Every gram and calorie figure below comes from the USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy and Foundation entries for that exact food, cooked as listed, and rounded to the nearest gram. The rounding matters. A food that tests at 8.9 grams shows as 9, and a serving you measure at home will drift a gram or two either way. Use the numbers to compare foods and to plan a day, not to hit a target to the decimal.
Two things this page does not do. It does not tell you to eat more protein than you need, and it does not cover protein powders in any depth. Whole foods first. The protein calculator gives you a personal daily target in a few seconds if you want a number before you read the chart.
How much protein you need each day
The MedlinePlus entry on protein in the diet puts the healthy adult range at 10 to 35 percent of total calories. On a 2,000 calorie day that is 50 to 175 grams. The same page gives a rule of thumb worth memorizing. One ounce of most protein rich foods holds about 7 grams, and one ounce equals one egg, one ounce of meat or fish, a quarter cup of tofu, or a half cup of cooked beans.
The floor is lower than most people think and the useful range is higher than the floor. A Mayo Clinic dietitian sets the recommended dietary allowance for a sedentary adult at 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight, so a 75 kilogram person needs about 60 grams to avoid deficiency. Needs rise to about 1 gram per kilogram after age 40 to 50 as muscle loss sets in, 1.1 to 1.5 grams per kilogram for people who exercise regularly, and 1.2 to 1.7 grams per kilogram for people who lift or train for an endurance event. More than 2 grams per kilogram a day counts as excessive. If you carry extra weight, the calculation uses an adjusted weight so the target does not run high.
For weight loss specifically, the research points to the upper part of that band. A 2015 review in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that higher protein diets of 1.2 to 1.6 grams per kilogram per day, with roughly 25 to 30 grams at each meal, improved appetite control, body weight, and fat loss while preserving lean mass during calorie restriction. The per meal number is the practical takeaway. Three meals at 25 to 30 grams gets a 75 kilogram person to about 90 grams before snacks.
If you strength train, the same logic sets a ceiling. A 2018 meta-analysis of 49 trials in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that protein intake above 1.62 grams per kilogram per day produced no further gains in lean mass from resistance training. Past that point you are paying for calories, not muscle. That is also why weight loss by strength training pairs so well with a protein target. The lifting gives the protein somewhere to go.
The protein food chart: 34 foods with grams per serving
The table groups foods by type so you can build a day from each column. Servings are the ones people actually eat, not 100 gram lab portions. A 3 ounce cooked portion of meat or fish is about the size of a deck of cards.
| Food | Serving | Protein | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken breast, roasted, skinless | 3 oz | 26 g | 140 |
| Turkey breast, roasted, skinless | 3 oz | 26 g | 125 |
| Top sirloin steak, lean, broiled | 3 oz | 26 g | 160 |
| Ground beef, 93 percent lean, broiled | 3 oz | 22 g | 164 |
| Pork tenderloin, roasted | 3 oz | 22 g | 122 |
| Chicken thigh, roasted, skinless | 3 oz | 21 g | 152 |
| Sockeye salmon, baked | 3 oz | 23 g | 133 |
| Tilapia, baked | 3 oz | 22 g | 109 |
| Light tuna, canned in water, drained | 3 oz | 22 g | 99 |
| Sardines, canned in oil, drained | 3 oz | 21 g | 177 |
| Shrimp, cooked | 3 oz | 20 g | 84 |
| Atlantic cod, baked | 3 oz | 19 g | 89 |
| Egg, large, hard boiled | 1 egg | 6 g | 78 |
| Egg whites | 3 large | 11 g | 51 |
| Cottage cheese, 2 percent | 1 cup | 25 g | 190 |
| Greek yogurt, plain, nonfat | 1 cup | 25 g | 149 |
| Milk, 1 percent | 1 cup | 8 g | 102 |
| Cheddar cheese | 1 oz | 7 g | 116 |
| Mozzarella, part skim | 1 oz | 7 g | 72 |
| Lentils, cooked | 1 cup | 18 g | 230 |
| Edamame, shelled, cooked | 1 cup | 18 g | 188 |
| Split peas, cooked | 1 cup | 16 g | 231 |
| Chickpeas, cooked | 1 cup | 15 g | 269 |
| Black beans, cooked | 1 cup | 15 g | 227 |
| Kidney beans, cooked | 1 cup | 15 g | 225 |
| Tempeh | 3 oz | 17 g | 163 |
| Tofu, extra firm | 1/2 cup | 13 g | 105 |
| Soy milk, unsweetened | 1 cup | 9 g | 94 |
| Hemp seeds, hulled | 3 tbsp | 9 g | 166 |
| Pumpkin seed kernels, roasted | 1 oz | 8 g | 163 |
| Peanut butter, smooth | 2 tbsp | 7 g | 191 |
| Almonds | 1 oz | 6 g | 164 |
| Quinoa, cooked | 1 cup | 8 g | 222 |
| Rolled oats, dry | 1/2 cup | 5 g | 152 |
Read the chart in pairs. Chicken breast and chicken thigh differ by 5 grams and 12 calories per serving, which is close enough that you can pick by taste. Chickpeas and black beans are interchangeable. Cottage cheese and Greek yogurt land on the same 25 grams per cup, so choose whichever one you will actually eat at breakfast. If that meal is your weak point, the high protein breakfast guide builds it out with the 25 to 30 gram target in mind.
Lean protein foods: the most protein per calorie
When you are eating in a deficit, the number that matters is protein per 100 calories. It tells you how much of the food's energy is doing the job you want. The ranking below uses the same USDA entries as the chart.
| Food | Protein per 100 calories |
|---|---|
| Shrimp | 24 g |
| Atlantic cod | 22 g |
| Light tuna in water | 22 g |
| Egg whites | 21 g |
| Turkey breast | 20 g |
| Tilapia | 20 g |
| Chicken breast | 19 g |
| Pork tenderloin | 18 g |
| Greek yogurt, nonfat | 17 g |
| Top sirloin, lean | 16 g |
| Cottage cheese, 2 percent | 13 g |
| Tofu, extra firm | 12 g |
| Edamame | 10 g |
| Lentils | 8 g |
| Cheddar cheese | 6 g |
| Almonds | 4 g |
| Peanut butter | 4 g |
White fish, shellfish, and skinless poultry dominate the top. Nuts, seeds, and hard cheese sit at the bottom, not because they lack protein but because most of their calories come from fat. That does not make them bad foods. It makes them poor protein sources for someone counting calories. An ounce of almonds is a fine snack. It is not a protein serving.
The practical rule is to build each meal around one food from the top half of this table, then add fat and carbohydrate on purpose. A calorie deficit diet plan for weight loss that starts from a lean protein anchor is far easier to hold than one that tries to trim fat from a meal built around cheese and nuts.
Plant sources: beans, soy, and protein rich vegetables
You do not need animal foods to hit your target. MedlinePlus states this directly. The amino acids you need are in soy, beans, lentils, nut butters, and grains such as quinoa and wheat germ, and the balance over the whole day matters more than completeness at any single meal.
Soy is the standout. Tempeh gives 17 grams in a 3 ounce portion, edamame 18 grams per cup, and extra firm tofu 13 grams per half cup. All three are complete proteins. Lentils, split peas, and the common beans cluster at 15 to 18 grams per cooked cup. Lentils alone carry about 15 grams of fiber per cooked cup, which is why they anchor most of the foods that have high fiber list as well.
Protein rich vegetables are a smaller story than the internet suggests, but they add up. A cup of cooked green peas holds 8 grams. A cup of cooked spinach holds 5. Broccoli and Brussels sprouts hold about 4 grams per cooked cup. None of these replaces a bean or a fish serving, but two cups of vegetables over a day quietly contribute 8 to 12 grams, and they cost you 40 to 60 calories a cup.
Fruit contributes even less. The highest protein fruits are guava at about 4 grams per cup and avocado at 3 grams per medium fruit. Blackberries, kiwi, and apricots land near 2 grams per cup. Eat fruit for fiber, potassium, and taste. Count its protein as a rounding bonus.
Grains sit in between. A cup of cooked quinoa gives 8 grams, a cup of whole wheat pasta about 8, a slice of whole wheat bread about 4, and a half cup of dry oats 5. On a plant based day, pairing a grain with a legume at the same meal is the traditional way to cover every essential amino acid, though MedlinePlus is clear that the pairing does not have to happen in one sitting.
The cheapest protein sources
Cost per gram of protein moves with the store and the season, so this section ranks by pattern rather than by price. The foods that stay cheap are the ones sold dry, canned, frozen, or in large formats.
Eggs are the reference point. Six grams each, about 78 calories, no preparation skill required, and a dozen covers two days of breakfasts. Dry lentils and split peas are next. A one pound bag cooks into about 6 cups, or roughly 100 grams of protein, and stores for a year. Canned light tuna, canned sardines, and canned beans are the shelf stable middle tier: 15 to 22 grams per serving with no cooking.
In the dairy case, cottage cheese and plain nonfat Greek yogurt in the large tub cost far less per gram than single serve cups. In the meat case, chicken thighs and whole chickens beat boneless breasts, and 93 percent lean ground beef bought in a family pack and frozen in portions beats steak. Frozen fish fillets, especially tilapia and cod, are usually the cheapest fish per gram of protein and lose nothing in the freezer.
Protein powder is not on this list. Whey and plant powders are convenient, and a scoop typically delivers 20 to 25 grams, but per gram they rarely beat eggs, lentils, or a tub of yogurt. Treat them as a tool for a day when a meal falls through, not as the base of your intake.
How to eat 100 grams of protein in a day
The commonest question people ask about high protein foods is how to reach 100 grams without a shake. Here is one day built from the chart, plus greens and a spoon of olive oil at lunch, with the totals rounded the same way.
| Meal | Foods | Protein | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | 1 cup nonfat Greek yogurt, 1/2 cup dry oats cooked in water, 1 oz almonds | 36 g | 465 |
| Lunch | 3 oz light tuna, 1 cup chickpeas, mixed greens, olive oil | 37 g | 500 |
| Dinner | 3 oz roasted chicken thigh, 1 cup cooked green peas, 1 cup quinoa | 37 g | 500 |
| Total | 110 g | about 1,465 |
That day leaves room for fruit, vegetables, and a snack and still lands under 1,800 calories with 110 grams of protein. Swap the tuna for tofu and the chicken for tempeh and the day becomes vegetarian at 97 grams. The high protein meals to lose weight post gives seven full recipes if you want the dinners written out, and the meal plans section has a 7 day high protein weight loss plan with the shopping list done.
Notice the shape. Every meal carries 25 grams or more, which matches the per meal threshold in the 2015 review. Spreading protein this way does more for appetite than front loading it at dinner, which is how most people eat by default.
Why protein helps with weight loss, and where the effect stops
Protein does three useful things during a diet. It is more filling per calorie than carbohydrate or fat, it costs more energy to digest, and it protects muscle while you lose fat. A 2008 review of protein and satiety in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition lays out all three. Protein raises satiety more than carbohydrate or fat, higher protein diets raise thermogenesis, and a moderately higher intake favors retention of lean mass during weight loss. The 2015 review above adds the trial results, greater fat loss and better lean mass retention on higher protein diets at the same calories.
The 2015 review adds the caveat that matters. The satiety effect at one meal did not reliably reduce how much people ate at the next one, and the long term trials were mixed because people stopped following the diet. The benefit showed up in the people who stuck with it. So a protein target is a tool that works when it is met most days, not a switch that changes your metabolism.
The effect also stops. Protein does not burn fat on its own, extra protein beyond your needs is stored as energy like any other calorie, and the Mayo dietitian quoted above notes that most Americans already eat about twice what they need. If you are eating 1.2 to 1.6 grams per kilogram from the foods on this page and the scale is not moving, the answer is in total calories, not in more protein.
Common mistakes with high protein foods
The first mistake is counting foods that are mostly fat. Nuts, nut butters, cheese, and fatty cuts of meat all contain protein, but a serving of almonds is 164 calories for 6 grams. If those foods are your main sources, your calorie count runs high while your protein count stays low.
The second is skipping breakfast protein and trying to catch up at dinner. A 6 gram breakfast, a 15 gram lunch, and a 60 gram dinner adds to 81 grams on paper but gives you a hungry afternoon and a wasted evening dose. Three meals near 30 grams is the pattern the research supports.
The third is chasing 200 grams. Above roughly 1.6 grams per kilogram, the muscle building benefit flattens, and the Mayo guidance calls anything above 2 grams per kilogram excessive. Extra protein also tends to come with extra saturated fat when it comes from meat and cheese. If you have any kidney condition, ask your prescriber before raising your intake at all.
The fourth is ignoring plant sources because they are "incomplete." Over a day, a mix of beans, grains, soy, and vegetables covers every essential amino acid. The people who struggle on a plant based diet are usually eating too little food overall, not the wrong kind.
Frequently asked questions
What foods are the very highest in protein?
Per serving, the highest protein foods on this chart are cooked lean meats, poultry, and fish at 20 to 26 grams per 3 ounces, followed by cottage cheese and nonfat Greek yogurt at 25 grams per cup. Per calorie, shrimp, cod, canned light tuna, and egg whites lead at 21 to 24 grams per 100 calories. Per 100 grams of raw weight, hulled hemp seeds and roasted pumpkin seed kernels test at about 30 grams, but a realistic 1 ounce serving delivers only 8 to 9 grams, so they rank lower in practice than the per weight number suggests.
How do I get 100 grams of protein a day?
Aim for 25 to 35 grams at each of three meals and let snacks cover the rest. A cup of Greek yogurt with oats and almonds at breakfast gives 36 grams. Tuna with chickpeas at lunch gives 37. Chicken thigh with peas and quinoa at dinner gives 37. That day totals 110 grams at about 1,465 calories from those foods alone. Use the protein calculator to confirm 100 grams is the right target for your weight and activity level before you build the plan around it.
Is 2 eggs a day too much protein?
No. Two large eggs contain about 13 grams of protein and 156 calories, which is a small share of the 50 to 175 grams MedlinePlus lists as the healthy adult range on a 2,000 calorie day. Two eggs alone are not enough for a meal that aims at 25 to 30 grams, so pair them with Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, or beans to reach the threshold. The question people usually mean is about cholesterol, and that is a conversation for your prescriber if you have a heart or lipid condition.
Can you eat too much protein in one meal?
Your body can digest and use a large protein meal, but the research on appetite and muscle points to a useful range of about 25 to 30 grams per meal for most adults. Beyond that, more protein at one sitting does not add much benefit, and the extra calories are stored like any other calories. Spreading intake across three meals produces better fullness through the day than one large dose at dinner. If you eat 60 grams at dinner because breakfast was small, the fix is moving protein earlier, not cutting the dinner.
What are the signs you need more protein?
The common signs are hunger soon after meals, slow recovery from workouts, losing strength while dieting, and hair or nails that break more than usual. None of these is specific to protein, and all of them have other causes, from too few calories overall to poor sleep. The reliable check is arithmetic: add up a typical day using the chart above and compare it to the 0.8 to 1.6 grams per kilogram range. If you land below 0.8, raise it. If you are already in range and still feel these symptoms, ask your prescriber rather than adding more protein.
