High protein foods, ranked from USDA data

The common foods with the most protein

Of the common foods, the most protein per 100 g is in beef jerky, at 33.2 g, followed by fat-free mozzarella at 31.7 g, roasted chicken breast without skin at 31.0 g, lean grilled sirloin steak at 30.6 g and lean grilled bison steak at 30.2 g. Beef jerky has 410 calories per 100 g, so protein supplies 32% of them, against 75% in roasted chicken breast without skin.

Measured by the share of a food's calories that comes from protein, the order starts with cooked cod at 97%, cooked prawns at 96%, light tuna tinned in water at 90%, fat-free mozzarella at 89% and smoked haddock at 87%.

Among the plant foods, the most protein per 100 g is in dry-roasted peanuts, at 24.4 g, and the largest share of calories from protein is in boiled lupin beans, at 53%, ahead of extra-firm tofu at 48% and firm tofu at 46%.

What high protein means in the table

The table labels a food high protein when protein supplies at least 20% of its calories and a source of protein when it supplies at least 12%, the lines the EU sets for protein claims in Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. The share is worked out from USDA's figures at 4 calories per gram of protein and rounded down, so it is an estimate for the USDA food, and a packaged product makes its own claim from its own recipe.

Dry-roasted peanuts and roasted chicken thigh without skin have close to the same protein per 100 g, 24.4 g against 24.8 g, but the peanuts have 587 calories and the chicken 179. Protein supplies 16% of the peanuts' calories, so the table labels them a source of protein. It supplies 55% of the chicken's, so the table labels the chicken high protein.

Where the figures come from

Every food figure is from USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy release, which the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service publishes as public domain (CC0 1.0). The USDA records protein and calories per 100 g, and the table shows them for the weight you type, 100 g to begin with.

The common foods are chosen by hand from that data. In the common list, the line under each name is the USDA description of the entry its figures come from.

USDA last released SR Legacy in April 2018 and no longer updates it, so products and recipes that arrived after 2018 are not in it.

What the search covers

The search reads 2,755 foods from that data, each with at least 5 g of protein per 100 g. Baby foods, fast food, restaurant foods, spices and herbs, American Indian and Alaska Native foods and products named for a manufacturer are not in the list.

It hides the 188 dried foods and powders in the data until you choose to include them, because their figures are for the product before water goes back in.

Some foods people look for, such as tempeh, skyr, ricotta, quinoa and seitan, have no row in the data this page reads, so a search for them finds nothing here.

Protein in your own training

TriageFit sets a protein, carb and fat split for your training phase and adjusts your macros each week from your check-in. To work out your own numbers before you start, these two pages on triagemethod.com help.

• The guide to how much protein you should eat explains what protein does and how to set an amount for yourself.
• The calorie and macronutrient calculator estimates calories and a protein, carb and fat split from your details and goal.

Questions people ask

Which foods have the most protein?

Of the common foods, beef jerky at 33.2 g, fat-free mozzarella at 31.7 g, roasted chicken breast without skin at 31.0 g, lean grilled sirloin steak at 30.6 g and lean grilled bison steak at 30.2 g have the most protein per 100 g. Dried foods and powders carry more, up to 88.3 g per 100 g, because their figures are for the product before water is added. The search hides them until you choose to include them.

Which foods are high in protein and low in calories?

The common foods with the fewest calories per 100 g are raw pasteurised egg white at 48, fat-free plain Greek yoghurt at 59, low-fat cottage cheese at 72 and firm tofu at 78, and protein supplies at least 46% of the calories in each. Two seafood choices carry more protein per 100 g for few calories: cooked cod with 20.4 g in 84 calories and cooked prawns with 24.0 g in 99.

Which plant foods are high in protein?

Of the plant foods, dry-roasted peanuts at 24.4 g, smooth peanut butter at 22.2 g and blanched almonds at 21.4 g have the most protein per 100 g, though protein supplies between 14% and 16% of the calories in those three. The largest shares of calories from protein are in boiled lupin beans at 53%, extra-firm tofu at 48% and firm tofu at 46%.

What counts as a high protein food?

Under EU rules (Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006) a food can be called high protein when protein supplies at least 20% of its energy and a source of protein when it supplies at least 12%. The table works the share out from USDA's figures at 4 calories per gram of protein and rounds it down, so its labels are estimates for the USDA food.

Why does the search hide dried foods and powders?

Their figures are for the dry product, before water is added, so a ranking that included them would fill its top places with powders and dried foods. The search hides 188 of them until you choose to include them, and a note under each says its figures are for the dry product.

Are the figures for raw or cooked food?

Each row is the USDA entry its name describes. In the common list, roasted, boiled and grilled rows are for the cooked food, and the two egg rows are for raw pasteurised egg. Cooking changes how much water a food holds, which changes the protein in 100 g, so compare cooked foods with cooked foods and raw foods with raw ones.

How much protein should I eat?

This page lists what foods hold. The amount a person needs depends on their body, training and health, and the guide on triagemethod.com explains how to work yours out. TriageFit sets a protein, carb and fat split for your training phase and adjusts your macros each week.