Foods high in protein

The 15 foods with the most protein per 100 grams, out of 486 with a USDA figure. Tap a food to compare it.

How the protein list is built

Of the 486 foods on this site, USDA gives a protein figure for 486. 19 list exactly 0 g. Per 100 grams the top is pork rinds with 61.3 g (123% of the Daily Value). Per serving it is dried spirulina with 64.4 g in 1 cup, and for the same 100 kcal it is cooked shrimp with 24.2 g.

Top 25 per 100 g · Daily Value 50 g
#	Food	Group	Per 100 g	% DV
1	Pork rinds	Snacks	61.3 g	123%
2	Whey protein powder	Dairy & eggs	58.1 g	116%
3	Dried spirulina	Vegetables	57.5 g	115%
4	Parmesan	Dairy & eggs	35.8 g	72%
5	Baked bacon	Meat	35.7 g	71%
6	Beef jerky	Snacks	33.2 g	66%
7	Hemp seeds	Nuts & seeds	31.6 g	63%
8	Roasted chicken breast	Poultry	31 g	62%
9	Pumpkin seeds	Nuts & seeds	30.2 g	60%
10	Roasted venison	Meat	30.2 g	60%
11	Roasted elk	Meat	30.2 g	60%
12	Roasted turkey breast	Poultry	30.1 g	60%
13	Braised beef chuck roast	Meat	30.1 g	60%
14	Roasted veal	Meat	30.1 g	60%
15	Cooked octopus	Fish & seafood	29.8 g	60%
16	Roasted chicken breast with skin	Poultry	29.8 g	60%
17	Microwaved turkey bacon	Meat	29.5 g	59%
18	Cooked ground beef (95% lean)	Meat	29.2 g	58%
19	Cooked yellowfin tuna	Fish & seafood	29.1 g	58%
20	Tuna (canned in oil)	Fish & seafood	29.1 g	58%
21	Roasted turkey (whole, meat only)	Poultry	29.1 g	58%
22	Roasted rabbit	Meat	29.1 g	58%
23	Braised pork spareribs	Meat	29.1 g	58%
24	Roasted goose	Poultry	29 g	58%
25	Roasted chicken (whole, meat only)	Poultry	28.9 g	58%

Per serving

Top 12 per USDA household serving
#	Food	Serving	Amount	% DV
1	Dried spirulina	1 cup (112 g)	64.4 g	129%
2	Whey protein powder	3 scoop (86 g)	50 g	100%
3	Dry lentils	1 cup (192 g)	47.3 g	95%
4	Dry red lentils	1 cup (192 g)	45.9 g	92%
5	Dry black beans	1 cup (194 g)	41.9 g	84%
6	Roasted goose	1 unit (yield from 1 lb ready-to-cook goose) (143 g)	41.4 g	83%
7	Dry chickpeas	1 cup (200 g)	40.9 g	82%
8	Roasted chicken (whole, meat only)	1 cup, chopped or diced (140 g)	40.5 g	81%
9	Miso	1 cup (275 g)	35.2 g	70%
10	Natto	1 cup (175 g)	33.9 g	68%
11	Tempeh	1 cup (166 g)	33.7 g	67%
12	Roasted duck	1 cup, chopped or diced (140 g)	32.9 g	66%

For the same 100 kcal

Top 12 per 100 kcal (foods under 10 kcal per 100 g left out)
#	Food	Grams for 100 kcal	Amount
1	Cooked shrimp	101 g	24.2 g
2	Raw shrimp	118 g	23.6 g
3	Tuna (canned in water)	116 g	22.6 g
4	Cooked yellowfin tuna	77 g	22.4 g
5	Cooked haddock	111 g	22.2 g
6	Cooked mahi-mahi	92 g	21.8 g
7	Cooked cod	95 g	21.7 g
8	Cooked crab (blue)	120 g	21.5 g
9	Cooked lobster	112 g	21.3 g
10	Cooked pollock	90 g	21.2 g
11	Egg white	192 g	21 g
12	Watercress	909 g	20.9 g

Read the rest — 3 more sections

Why the three rankings differ

Per 100 g favours concentrated foods: 3 of the top 25 are dried, dry or milled products that are rarely eaten 100 g at a time. Per serving puts foods eaten in larger portions first, and per 100 kcal puts first the foods with little energy for their weight. Only 14 foods appear in both the per-100 g and the per-serving top 25.

Protein by food group, per 100 g

Fruits: goji berries (14.3 g), dried apricots (3.4 g) and coconut meat (3.3 g).

Vegetables: dried spirulina (57.5 g), sun-dried tomatoes (14.1 g) and edamame (11.9 g).

Legumes: dry lentils (24.6 g), dry red lentils (23.9 g) and dry black beans (21.6 g).

Nuts & seeds: hemp seeds (31.6 g), pumpkin seeds (30.2 g) and peanuts (25.8 g).

Grains & pasta: wheat germ (23.1 g), oat bran (17.3 g) and wheat bran (15.6 g).

Bread & bakery: multigrain bread (13.4 g), whole-wheat bread (12.4 g) and sourdough bread (10.8 g).

Dairy & eggs: whey protein powder (58.1 g), parmesan (35.8 g) and Swiss cheese (27 g).

Poultry: roasted chicken breast (31 g), roasted turkey breast (30.1 g) and roasted chicken breast with skin (29.8 g).

Meat: baked bacon (35.7 g), roasted venison (30.2 g) and roasted elk (30.2 g).

Fish & seafood: cooked octopus (29.8 g), cooked yellowfin tuna (29.1 g) and tuna (canned in oil) (29.1 g).

Fats & oils: mayonnaise (0.96 g), butter (0.85 g) and salted butter (0.85 g).

Sweets: unsweetened cocoa powder (19.6 g), dark chocolate (70–85% cacao) (7.8 g) and milk chocolate (7.7 g).

Snacks: pork rinds (61.3 g), beef jerky (33.2 g) and trail mix (13.8 g).

Breakfast cereals: granola (13.7 g), cooked grits (1.7 g) and cooked cream of wheat (1.4 g).

Drinks: soy milk (3.3 g), chocolate milk (3 g) and coconut milk (canned) (2 g).

Condiments: ground turmeric (9.7 g), soy sauce (8.1 g) and ground cinnamon (4 g).

Against the Daily Value

The FDA Daily Value for protein is 50 g. Per the serving shown, 143 foods here reach 20% of it or more and 212 stay under 5%. Servings are USDA household measures and are not the same as the reference amounts printed on packaged-food labels, so these counts describe this list, not label claims. Daily Values are reference amounts for reading labels; individual needs differ.

How the numbers are taken. Amounts are per 100 g of the edible part, from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy, public domain), in the state named — raw, boiled, roasted and so on. Percentages use the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over, set around a 2,000-calorie diet; your own needs can be different. This site compares amounts — it does not give diet or medical advice. Sources and limits.