Guide October 2026 · 11 min read

How to read the ranking

The ranking metric is protein per 100 kcal: the record's protein per 100 g divided by its calories per 100 g, times 100. It doesn't change with portion size, so it compares a steak and a spoonful of seeds fairly. As a rule of thumb, 10 g or more per 100 kcal is a lean protein food. Between 5 and 10 g, the food has useful protein but a fair share of fat or carbs. Under 5 g, most of the calories come from something other than protein.

The second number to read is the portion. Spinach scores 12.9 g per 100 kcal, better than eggs, but a full cup of cooked spinach has only 5.3 g of protein. Use the ratio to compare foods, and the portion to see what a normal serving actually gives you.

All meat and fish are weighed cooked. Raw meat weighs more and has less protein per gram, so 3 oz of raw chicken is not 3 oz of roasted chicken. Calories in chicken breast →

Meat and poultry

Pork tenderloin is nearly as lean as chicken breast, and lean sirloin is close behind. "Ground turkey" isn't automatically leaner than beef: 93% lean ground turkey has fewer grams of protein per calorie than 95% lean ground beef, because the turkey record has more fat.

Fish and seafood

White fish and shellfish are the leanest protein on this list. Salmon and sardines rank lower only because they carry more fat, which is the reason many people eat them. Calories in salmon →

Eggs and dairy

Whole eggs land in the middle: two large eggs give 13 g of protein for 155 kcal. Three egg whites give 11 g for about 50 kcal, because most of an egg's fat sits in the yolk. Whey powder is generic USDA data, and brands differ a lot in protein per scoop, so check the label. Calories in eggs → · Calories in Greek yogurt →

Beans, peas and soy

Soy is the leanest plant protein here: tofu, tempeh and edamame give 10–12 g per 100 kcal. Lentils, split peas and beans give about 7–8 g, because most of their calories come from carbs. They also bring fiber, which meat and dairy don't have.

Grains, nuts, seeds and vegetables

Quinoa, peanut butter and almonds are often called "high-protein", but per calorie they're the lowest on the list. They add some protein to a meal, but they can't be its main source. More nuts and seeds are in calories in nuts and seeds →.

Per 100 g, the ranking looks different

Many lists rank foods by protein per 100 g. That favors dry, dense foods and hides their calories:

Hemp seeds and chicken breast have about the same protein per 100 g, but the seeds have more than three times the calories. If you are trying to eat more protein without eating more calories, protein per 100 kcal is the number that matters.

What 30 g of protein costs in calories

Thirty grams is a common target for one meal. Here's roughly what it takes from each type of food:

The gap is big. Thirty grams of protein from chicken costs about 160 kcal. From almonds it costs about 820, roughly five times as much. That doesn't make nuts a bad food, it just makes them a fat source with some protein.

How to use the list

If you're eating in a calorie deficit, build each meal around one food from the top of the first three tables. Poultry breast, white fish, tuna, egg whites, Greek yogurt and cottage cheese give the most protein for the fewest calories. Calorie deficit for weight loss →

If you don't eat meat or fish, start with dairy and soy. Greek yogurt and cottage cheese come close to chicken per calorie. Tofu, tempeh and edamame come next, then lentils and beans. Combining them over the day is easier than getting everything from one food.

If you want more protein per day without changing much, swap within the same meal. Use nonfat Greek yogurt instead of regular yogurt, 95% lean ground beef instead of a fattier blend, or add a ½ cup of lentils to a soup. How much you need depends on your weight and goals. How much protein per day →

Watch the sodium in some lean foods. Three ounces of cooked shrimp have about 800 mg of sodium, 3 oz of steamed scallops about 570 mg, and ½ cup of 1% cottage cheese about 460 mg. Fresh chicken, turkey, pork, cod and Greek yogurt are much lower. How much salt per day →

For snacks, see the separate ranking of 30 high-protein snacks →.

How to log it

Two things make protein foods easy to log wrong.

Cooked versus raw. The numbers above are for cooked meat and fish. If you weigh chicken raw and log it as roasted, you'll overcount. Say which one you weighed: "150 grams raw chicken breast" or "120 grams grilled chicken breast". In CalMePlease you can log it by voice or text, and the app shows the estimated weight in grams. If it's off, you can correct it in one tap.

Packaged protein varies by brand. Protein powder, flavored yogurt, deli meat and veggie burgers differ a lot from brand to brand, and the USDA numbers above are generic. For anything in a package, scan the barcode. The app keeps the serving size printed on the pack, so the numbers match your exact product. Barcode scanner for calories →

FAQ

What food has the most protein per calorie? Of the 40 foods here, canned light tuna in water: 22.6 g of protein per 100 kcal, or 17 g in a 3-oz serving of 73 kcal. Whey protein powder (22.2 g), cod (21.7 g), egg whites (21.0 g) and roasted turkey breast (20.5 g) come next.

What are the best high-protein foods for weight loss? The ones with the most protein for their calories: poultry breast, white fish, shrimp, canned tuna, egg whites, nonfat Greek yogurt and 1% cottage cheese. Each gives 17–23 g of protein per 100 kcal, so 30 g of protein costs about 135–175 kcal.

What plant foods are highest in protein? Per calorie, soy leads: firm tofu (11.6 g per 100 kcal), tempeh (10.6 g) and edamame (9.8 g). Lentils, split peas and beans give about 7–8 g. Per serving, tempeh is the strongest here, with 17 g of protein in half a cup.

Is quinoa a high-protein food? Not compared to the other foods on this list. A cup of cooked quinoa has 8.1 g of protein and 220 kcal, or 3.7 g per 100 kcal, about the same as almonds. It has more protein than many grains, but most of its calories come from carbs.

Are eggs a good source of protein? Yes, with some fat. Two large hard-boiled eggs give 13 g of protein for 155 kcal, or 8.1 g per 100 kcal. Egg whites alone give 21.0 g per 100 kcal, because the fat is in the yolk.

How much protein is in chicken breast? Three ounces of roasted chicken breast without skin have 26 g of protein and 140 kcal. Per 100 g cooked, that's 31 g of protein and 165 kcal. Calories in chicken breast →

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Data: USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy. Each row comes from one record, listed in the table by FDC ID or, where the FDC ID couldn't be confirmed, by its NDB number. Protein per 100 kcal is the record's protein per 100 g divided by its calories per 100 g, times 100. Portion weights come from the same records; half-cup and multi-unit portions are scaled from the record's cup or unit weight. The exceptions are 3 oz of chicken breast, chicken thigh, tilapia and sardines, 1 oz of cheddar and 2 large eggs (50 g each), which are stated in grams. Values checked October 2026.

Related: High-protein snacks · How much protein per day · Calories and protein to build muscle · High-volume low-calorie foods

CalMePlease logs protein foods from a voice note, a few words of text or the barcode on the pack, and returns calories and protein for the portion you ate. Free on the App Store.