Which foods are highest in protein, and how many grams do they contain?
Per 100 g cooked, the densest everyday sources are chicken breast at about 31 g, turkey breast at about 30 g, pork loin at about 27 g and lean beef at about 26 g. Greek yoghurt carries about 10 g per 100 g, lentils about 9 g, and eggs about 6 g each.
Key takeaways
- Cooked lean meat and fish sit around 25 to 31 g of protein per 100 g, which makes them the densest everyday sources.
- Cooking concentrates protein by weight because water is lost, so raw and cooked figures for the same food are not interchangeable.
- Plant sources are usually counted per cooked cup rather than per 100 g of dry weight, and confusing the two inflates estimates several times over.
- Portion size, not the food chosen, is where most protein estimates go wrong.
- Values here are rounded reference figures from USDA FoodData Central. Real foods vary by cut, brand and preparation.
How to read these numbers
Every figure below is protein in grams, drawn from USDA FoodData Central and rounded. Two things determine whether a number is useful:
- State matters. Cooking removes water, so 100 g of cooked chicken holds more protein than 100 g of raw chicken. Chicken breast, for example, is about 31 g per 100 g cooked and about 23 g raw. Unless stated otherwise, meat and fish here are cooked, and legumes and grains are cooked.
- Per 100 g is for comparing. Per portion is for planning. A food can look excellent per 100 g and contribute almost nothing at the amount anyone actually eats.
Real foods vary. Treat these as reference points, not as measurements of the specific thing on your plate.
Top 10 high protein foods
There is no honest top 10 without saying what is being ranked. A list per 100 g favours foods that have lost water during cooking, while a list per calorie answers a weight-loss question instead. This ranking uses protein in a realistic serving, because that is the number you can put into a meal.
| Rank | Food | Realistic serving | Protein |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chicken breast, cooked | 170 g breast | 53 g |
| 2 | Pork loin, cooked | 150 g | 41 g |
| 3 | Lean steak, cooked | 150 g | 39 g |
| 4 | Turkey breast, cooked | 120 g | 36 g |
| 5 | Cod, cooked | 150 g fillet | 35 g |
| 6 | Salmon, farmed, cooked | 150 g fillet | 33 g |
| 7 | Mackerel, cooked | 130 g fillet | 31 g |
| 8 | Beef mince, 15 percent fat, cooked | 120 g | 29 g |
| 9 | Chicken thigh, skinless, cooked | 100 g | 25 g |
| 10 | Prawns, cooked | 100 g | 24 g |
These are not the only good choices. Cottage cheese, Greek yoghurt, lentils, tofu, tempeh and seitan contribute less in their usual serving sizes but make a day easier to vary. If calories are the constraint, use the separate protein-per-calorie ranking, where the order changes.
- 53 gChicken breast170 g breast, cooked
- 39 gLean steak150 g, cooked
- 35 gCod150 g fillet
- 33 gSalmon150 g fillet
- 22 gCottage cheese200 g
- 21 gTuna, canned in water1 can, 110 g drained
- 18 gLentils200 g, cooked
- 17 gGreek yoghurt170 g pot
Meat and poultry
| Food (cooked) | Protein per 100 g | Typical portion | Protein per portion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken breast, skinless | 31 g | 170 g breast | 53 g |
| Turkey breast, skinless | 30 g | 120 g | 36 g |
| Beef, lean steak | 26 g | 150 g | 39 g |
| Pork loin | 27 g | 150 g | 41 g |
| Chicken thigh, skinless | 25 g | 100 g | 25 g |
| Beef mince, 15 percent fat | 24 g | 120 g | 29 g |
| Bacon, pan-fried | 34 g | 2 slices, 23 g | 8 g |
| Ham, sliced | 18 g | 3 slices, 60 g | 11 g |
Ground beef changes with both the lean ratio and whether it is weighed raw or cooked. The ground beef protein guide compares 93/7, 90/10, 85/15 and 80/20 on the same basis.
Fish and seafood
| Food (cooked unless noted) | Protein per 100 g | Typical portion | Protein per portion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuna, light, canned in water, drained | 19 g | 1 can, 110 g | 21 g |
| Salmon, farmed Atlantic | 22 g | 150 g fillet | 33 g |
| Cod | 23 g | 150 g fillet | 35 g |
| Prawns | 24 g | 100 g | 24 g |
| Sardines, canned | 25 g | 1 tin, 90 g | 23 g |
| Mackerel | 24 g | 130 g fillet | 31 g |
Dairy and eggs
| Food | Protein per 100 g | Typical portion | Protein per portion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greek yoghurt, plain, 0 to 2 percent | 10 g | 170 g pot | 17 g |
| Cottage cheese | 11 g | 200 g | 22 g |
| Skyr | 11 g | 150 g pot | 17 g |
| Cheddar cheese | 25 g | 30 g slice | 8 g |
| Milk, semi-skimmed | 3.5 g | 250 ml glass | 9 g |
| Egg, whole | 13 g | 1 large egg, 50 g | 6 g |
| Egg white | 11 g | 1 white, 33 g | 4 g |
| Yoghurt, regular plain | 4 g | 170 g pot | 7 g |
Greek yoghurt is the single most useful entry in this table for most people, because it more than doubles the protein of ordinary yoghurt for the same physical volume.
Plant sources
| Food (cooked unless noted) | Protein per 100 g | Typical portion | Protein per portion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seitan | 25 g | 100 g | 25 g |
| Tempeh | 20 g | 100 g | 20 g |
| Edamame, shelled | 11 g | 150 g | 17 g |
| Lentils | 9 g | 200 g / 1 cup | 18 g |
| Black beans | 9 g | 170 g / 1 cup | 15 g |
| Chickpeas | 9 g | 165 g / 1 cup | 15 g |
| Tofu, firm | 17 g | 150 g | 26 g |
| Quinoa | 4 g | 185 g / 1 cup | 8 g |
| Peanut butter | 25 g | 2 tbsp, 32 g | 8 g |
| Almonds | 21 g | 30 g handful | 6 g |
| Oats, dry | 13 g | 40 g serving | 5 g |
| Wholemeal bread | 10 g | 1 slice, 40 g | 4 g |
| Pasta | 5 g | 200 g | 10 g |
Note the pattern: plant sources are not low in protein per 100 g of dry weight, but they absorb a lot of water when cooked, so the per-portion figures land lower than people expect. Reaching a high target on a plant-based diet is mostly a question of total volume.
That volume problem is sharpest in a calorie deficit, when there is less room in the day for food. What a higher protein intake actually does while you are losing weight covers what the trade is worth.
Vegetables, for calibration
| Food (cooked) | Protein per 100 g | Typical portion | Protein per portion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green peas | 5 g | 80 g | 4 g |
| Broccoli | 2.8 g | 90 g | 3 g |
| Spinach | 3 g | 90 g | 3 g |
| Sweet potato | 2 g | 150 g | 3 g |
| Mushrooms | 3 g | 80 g | 2 g |
These are here to make a point rather than to be eaten for protein. A large mixed-vegetable side contributes maybe 5 g. Vegetables are worth eating for many reasons, and hitting a protein target is not one of them.
Where estimates go wrong
Portion size, not food choice. Most people pick reasonable protein foods and then misjudge the quantity by a factor of two. A "chicken breast" ranges from 120 g to 250 g.
Dry versus cooked. 100 g of dry lentils becomes roughly 240 g cooked. Reading the dry figure and applying it to a cooked portion inflates the estimate by more than double.
The trimmings. Sauce, oil, dressing and bread add weight and volume to a plate without adding meaningful protein, which makes the whole meal feel more substantial than its protein content is.
Meals rather than foods. A stir fry, a curry or a sandwich is where an estimate falls apart, because the protein food is only one component and it is no longer separately visible.
That last problem is the reason Protein Buddy lets you photograph a plate rather than itemise it, and why you can say "chicken wrap and a yoghurt" out loud instead of looking up two entries. For packaged food, the barcode reads the label directly.
Building a day
A day at 100 g of protein, using the tables above:
- Breakfast: Greek yoghurt pot (17 g) with 30 g almonds (6 g) = 23 g
- Lunch: 2 eggs (12 g) on 2 slices wholemeal toast (8 g) = 20 g
- Dinner: 170 g chicken breast (53 g) with vegetables (4 g) = 57 g
Total: 100 g, across three ordinary meals with no supplements involved. Working out what your own target should be is covered in how much protein you need per day.
More questions about Protein in food
What food has the most protein per 100 g?
Among everyday whole foods, cooked chicken breast is at the top at roughly 31 g per 100 g, followed by cooked turkey breast at about 30 g and lean beef at about 26 g. Canned light tuna in water is lower than its reputation, at about 19 g per 100 g drained. Dried and powdered products score higher per 100 g, but nobody eats 100 g of them in a sitting, which is why per-portion figures matter more.
What are the top 10 high protein foods?
By protein in a realistic serving, the top 10 everyday foods in this guide are chicken breast, pork loin, lean steak, turkey breast, cod, salmon, mackerel, beef mince, chicken thigh and prawns. A normal serving provides roughly 24 to 53 g of protein. Portion size changes the order, so the table shows both serving weight and protein.
How much protein is in one chicken breast?
A medium cooked chicken breast of about 170 g carries roughly 50 to 53 g of protein. The per-100 g figure of about 31 g is the one to scale from, since breast sizes vary enormously.
What are the best protein sources for vegetarians?
Greek yoghurt (about 10 g per 100 g), eggs (about 6 g each), cottage cheese (about 11 g per 100 g), lentils and beans (about 8 to 9 g per 100 g cooked), firm tofu (about 17 g per 100 g, while soft or regular tofu is nearer 8 g), cooked tempeh (about 20 g per 100 g) and seitan (about 25 g per 100 g). Reaching a high target on plants is a matter of eating more total volume.
Why do protein numbers differ between sources?
Mostly because of state and cut. The same chicken measured raw and cooked gives different figures per 100 g, since cooking drives off water and concentrates what remains. Fat content, brand formulation and whether a legume is measured dry or cooked all shift the number too.
