Top 10 High-Protein Foods, Ranked per 100 g, per Calorie and per Dollar

By Dr. Muhammad Awais Rabbani, MBBS · Medically reviewed by Dr. Ahmed Humayon, MBBS · Updated 29 October 2026 · Editorial policy

Per calorie, the top 10 high-protein foods are shrimp, canned light tuna, cod, egg whites, turkey breast, tilapia, chicken breast, pork tenderloin, nonfat Greek yogurt and 1% cottage cheese. Each gives 17–24 grams of protein per 100 calories (USDA FoodData Central).

The table ranks 39 foods by calories, by weight and by serving. The cheapest-protein section ranks US staples by price.

What are the top 10 high-protein foods?

Ranked by protein per 100 g, the top 10 high-protein foods are parmesan, beef jerky, hemp seeds, chicken breast, lean top sirloin, pumpkin seeds, turkey breast, lean ground turkey, tilapia and pork tenderloin (USDA FoodData Central). Ranked per 100 calories, lean seafood, egg whites and poultry breast lead instead.

The right ranking depends on what you are short of. When calories are the limit, as they are when you are trying to lose weight, protein per calorie is the fair test, which is why the table opens on that view. When stomach space is the limit, as it often is for older adults or after bariatric surgery, grams per serving matter more. When money is the limit, use the cheapest-protein ranking further down.

Dried and aged foods top the per-100 g list because they hold less water.

I built the table from USDA FoodData Central, the US government’s nutrient database, using the cooked or as-eaten entry for each food so the numbers match what reaches your plate. Each row carries its FDC ID so you can check it against the source. Cost is calculated on as-purchased (raw) weight instead, as explained in the cheapest-protein section.

What are the best and healthiest sources of protein?

The healthiest protein sources are fish and seafood, poultry, eggs, lean meat, low-fat dairy, and plant foods such as beans, peas and lentils, nuts, seeds and soy. These protein-rich foods also supply omega-3 fatty acids (fish), fiber (legumes), calcium (dairy) and healthy fats (nuts and seeds), along with other vitamins and minerals.

Protein examples in each group:

• Seafood: shrimp, cod, tilapia, canned light tuna, salmon, sardines
• Poultry and eggs: chicken breast, turkey breast, whole eggs, egg whites
• Lean meat: pork tenderloin, top sirloin, 90% lean ground beef
• Dairy: Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, skim milk, ricotta
• Plants: lentils, black beans, chickpeas, tofu, tempeh, edamame, pumpkin seeds, peanut butter

The grouping follows the USDA MyPlate Protein Foods Group, with dairy added because two dairy foods rank in the top 10 per calorie.

Grams alone do not decide quality. A 3-oz serving of salmon and the same weight of salami both deliver protein, yet the salmon brings omega-3s and the salami brings sodium and saturated fat. The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies processed meat, such as bacon, ham, hot dogs and salami, as Group 1 (carcinogenic to humans) and red meat, including beef, pork and lamb, as Group 2A (probably carcinogenic) (IARC, Vol. 114, 2015).

Red meat still fits in moderation, and its iron and vitamin B12 are hard to match.

What food is almost 100% protein?

No whole food is 100% protein. The closest are lean seafood and egg whites, which get roughly 84–97% of their calories from protein (USDA FoodData Central). By weight, parmesan and beef jerky lead at about a third protein, since drying and aging remove water. Egg whites come nearest to pure protein, with almost no fat or carbohydrate.

The two lists share no food. Parmesan wins by weight but carries 392 calories per 100 g, while shrimp wins per calorie and needs a larger portion to add up. Chicken breast sits between them, fourth by weight and seventh per calorie, which helps explain why it anchors so many meal plans.

Which high-protein foods are lowest in calories?

The high protein low calorie foods are shrimp, canned light tuna, cod, egg whites, turkey breast and tilapia, each giving more than 20 g of protein per 100 calories. Chicken breast and pork tenderloin follow at about 18 g, then nonfat Greek yogurt and 1% cottage cheese at about 17 g (USDA FoodData Central).

Calories needed to reach 25 g of protein is the number to watch. Shrimp gets there in about 100; almonds need close to 700.

Protein percentage, the share of a food’s calories that come from protein, tells the same story. Lean fish, poultry breast and egg whites sit at 75% or more, so they work as near-pure protein sources. Salmon, whole eggs and tofu fall to roughly 33–48% because their fat adds calories, and nuts and seeds land near 14–23%, which makes them healthy fats first and protein second.

Low fat and low calorie travel together here, since fat holds 9 calories per gram against 4 for protein (Merrill and Watt, USDA Agriculture Handbook No. 74).

What are lean proteins?

Lean proteins are meat, poultry and seafood with little fat. Under USDA rules, a “lean” cut has less than 10 g total fat, 4.5 g or less saturated fat and less than 95 mg cholesterol per 100 g; “extra lean” means less than 5 g fat and less than 2 g saturated fat (9 CFR 317.362).

Lean protein foods from the table:

• Poultry: skinless chicken breast, turkey breast, 93% lean ground turkey
• Fish and seafood: cod, tilapia, shrimp, canned light tuna in water
• Red meat: pork tenderloin, lean top sirloin
• Low-fat dairy and plants: nonfat Greek yogurt, 1% cottage cheese, lentils, beans, tofu

The legal “lean” label applies to meat, poultry and seafood. Dairy and plant foods use separate “low fat” and “fat free” claims (21 CFR 101.62), so check the Nutrition Facts panel.

Salmon fails the lean test, yet most of its fat is omega-3 fatty acids, the main reason to eat it.

Which protein foods are best for weight loss?

The best protein foods for weight loss give the most protein per calorie: shrimp, white fish, canned light tuna, egg whites, chicken and turkey breast, nonfat Greek yogurt and 1% cottage cheese. They keep you full on fewer calories and help you hold on to muscle while you lose weight.

How protein helps when losing weight:

• Satiety. Protein is the most filling macronutrient, and higher-protein meals tend to reduce hunger later in the day (Leidy et al., American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2015).
• Lean mass. In a calorie deficit, a higher protein intake helps preserve muscle mass, so more of the body weight you lose comes from fat (Leidy et al., 2015).
• Thermic effect. The body uses about 20–30% of protein’s calories to digest it, against 5–10% for carbohydrate and 0–3% for fat (Westerterp, Nutrition & Metabolism, 2004).

These effects are real and modest. A high-protein diet for weight loss still needs a calorie deficit, sized from how many calories you need a day.

Protein makes that deficit easier to hold. In practice, build each meal around one food from the top of the per-calorie tab, then add non-starchy vegetables and a measured portion of carbohydrate or fat. Tracking macros for two or three weeks shows whether you are hitting your target, and you can set protein alongside carbs and fat with the macro calculator. When fat loss stalls, protein and portion size are the first two things to check.

Which meat has the most protein?

Beef jerky has the most protein of any meat per 100 g, about 33 g, because it is dried. Among fresh cooked meats, skinless chicken breast leads at 31 g, followed by lean top sirloin and turkey breast at about 30 g each, then lean ground turkey, pork tenderloin and 90% lean ground beef at 26–27 g (USDA FoodData Central).

Jerky, bacon, ham and deli meats count as processed meat, the category IARC places in Group 1 (IARC, 2015).

Treat them as an occasional convenience. For everyday meals, roasted chicken breast, turkey breast and pork tenderloin give the most protein for the fewest calories.

How can you eat more protein each day?

To eat more protein, aim for 25–30 g of protein per meal, start the day with eggs or Greek yogurt, and swap one snack for cottage cheese, edamame or jerky. Spreading protein across three meals supports muscle better than eating most of it at dinner (Paddon-Jones and Rasmussen, Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care, 2009).

The RDA for healthy adults is 0.8 g per kilogram of body weight per day, and needs rise with physical activity, age and some medical conditions (Institute of Medicine, Dietary Reference Intakes, 2005). You can work out your own daily protein target in under a minute, or read what each macronutrient does first.

Sample 100 g protein day (every food is in the table)
Breakfast: 6 oz nonfat Greek yogurt (17 g) + 3 tbsp hemp seeds (9 g) = 26 g
Lunch: 3 oz canned light tuna (22 g) + ½ cup black beans (8 g) = 30 g
Snack: ½ cup 1% cottage cheese = 14 g
Dinner: 3 oz chicken breast (26 g) + 1 cup cooked quinoa (8 g) = 34 g
Total: about 104 g

Small swaps help too: egg whites in an omelet, Greek yogurt for sour cream, lentils in soup.

To build muscle, pair resistance training with a higher target; the International Society of Sports Nutrition suggests 1.4–2.0 g/kg/day for most exercising people (Jäger et al., Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2017). Leucine, one of the essential amino acids, triggers muscle protein synthesis, and dairy, eggs, meat and soy are rich in it (Paddon-Jones and Rasmussen, 2009). Plant eaters can reach a similar dose with somewhat larger portions.

What is “poor man’s protein”? The cheapest protein per dollar

“Poor man’s protein” is a nickname for the cheapest filling protein foods, traditionally dried beans, eggs, milk, peanut butter and canned tuna. At September 2026 US average prices, dried beans cost about 43 cents per 25 g of protein and eggs about 75 cents (BLS Average Price Data).

Turned into protein per dollar, dried beans give about 58 g and eggs about 33 g, while sirloin gives under 7 g. Ground beef is five times the cost of beans for the same protein.

Method: cost per 25 g protein = (price per 100 g as purchased) ÷ (protein per 100 g as purchased) × 25. Raw or dry protein values are used for foods sold raw or dry, so cooking water and fat loss do not distort the comparison. A dozen large eggs is counted as 600 g of edible egg and a gallon of milk as 3,904 g (16 cups of 244 g). BLS does not state a lean percentage for its ground beef price, so 80% lean raw beef is used. Raw protein values come from FoodData Central: pinto beans (FDC 175199) for dried beans, whole raw egg (171287), whole milk (171265), raw boneless skinless chicken breast (171077), 80% lean raw ground beef (174036) and raw top sirloin, lean and fat (168726).

BLS no longer publishes average prices for canned tuna or peanut butter, so neither is ranked here even though both are classic budget proteins.

Canned and dried legumes usually score well on this measure because they are shelf-stable, keep for months and carry no water weight when dry, so little goes to waste. Canned beans and tuna cost more per gram than dry beans, yet they need no cooking, which matters when time is tighter than money.

Prices go stale. The table caption shows the month the data was pulled, and the page is re-priced at each review.

Which plant foods are highest in protein?

Per 100 g, the plant foods highest in protein are hemp seeds (about 32 g), pumpkin seeds (30 g), peanut butter (22 g), almonds (21 g), tempeh (20 g) and firm tofu (17 g). Per serving, a cup of cooked lentils gives about 18 g. Soy foods rank among the strongest plant-based proteins on protein-quality scores (FAO, 2013).

Protein quality is scored with DIAAS, the Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid Score, which the FAO recommended in 2013 to replace the older PDCAAS (FAO Food and Nutrition Paper 92, 2013). A score of 100 or more counts as excellent quality and 75–99 as good. Most legumes and grains fall short on one amino acid, so a complete protein day comes from mixing beans, grains, nuts and seeds across meals.

Do vegetables have protein? A little. Cooked spinach gets about half its calories from protein, yet a full cup holds only about 5 g, and broccoli gives about 4 g.

Is a high-protein diet safe? Who needs more and who needs less

For healthy adults, a high-protein diet built from whole foods is generally considered safe. Four groups need a different target: adults over 65 need more, people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) who are not on dialysis usually need less, and pregnant women and people after bariatric surgery need a set minimum.

Older adults. Sarcopenia, the age-related loss of muscle, speeds up when protein intake falls. The PROT-AGE study group recommends 1.0–1.2 g/kg/day for adults 65+, above the 0.8 g/kg RDA, with about 25–30 g at each meal (Bauer et al., JAMDA, 2013). Soft, leucine-rich foods such as eggs, yogurt and fish suit a poor appetite and weak teeth.

Chronic kidney disease. Here protein is a dose to manage. KDOQI 2020 advises 0.55–0.6 g/kg/day for CKD stages 3–5 without diabetes and not on dialysis, and 1.0–1.2 g/kg/day once dialysis starts (Ikizler et al., American Journal of Kidney Diseases, 2020). Protein powders and high-protein diets are a poor fit, and a renal dietitian should set the number.

If you are not sure where your kidneys stand, a creatinine blood test is the usual first check before a high-protein plan.

Pregnancy. The RDA rises to 71 g/day in the second and third trimesters (Institute of Medicine, 2005).

If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, the FDA–EPA fish advice suggests 2–3 servings a week of “best choice” fish such as salmon, cod, shrimp and canned light tuna, and names the high-mercury fish to avoid (FDA and EPA, Advice About Eating Fish).

After bariatric surgery. The stomach holds very little, so protein comes first at every meal. The ASMBS guideline sets at least 60 g a day, up to 1.5 g/kg of ideal body weight (Mechanick et al., 2019 update). Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, eggs and soft fish pack the most protein into a small volume, and the guideline adds a protein supplement when food alone falls short.

High-protein foods: quick answers

What are the highest-protein breakfast foods?

Egg whites, nonfat Greek yogurt, cottage cheese and whole eggs. A 6-oz pot of nonfat Greek yogurt with 3 tablespoons of hemp seeds gives about 26 g.

What are good high-protein snacks?

Cottage cheese, beef jerky, edamame, string cheese, a hard-boiled egg or an ounce of pumpkin seeds. Each gives 6–14 g of protein per serving in the table above.

Which foods are high in protein and fiber?

Lentils, black beans, chickpeas, edamame, chia seeds and pumpkin seeds. Half a cup of cooked lentils gives about 9 g of protein and 8 g of fiber (USDA FoodData Central).

Do I need protein powder?

Food covers the daily target for most healthy adults. Whey protein helps when appetite, time or a bariatric plan makes eating enough difficult, and it is a poor fit with kidney disease unless your clinician says otherwise.

Is plant protein as good as meat?

Soy comes close. Other plant proteins score lower on DIAAS, so mix beans, grains, nuts and seeds through the day.

Sources and method

Nutrient values come from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy), using the cooked or as-eaten entry, with each FDC ID listed in the table. Costs use U.S. city average BLS Average Price Data on as-purchased weight, with the month shown. I ranked cost on as-purchased weight because that is what you pay at the till; cooked weights would make water-heavy foods look cheaper than they are. Last reviewed: 29 October 2026.

General information for healthy adults. If you have kidney disease, are pregnant or have had bariatric surgery, follow your own clinician’s protein target.

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