High Protein Foods: 24 Best Sources Per 100 g and Per Portion

Knowing your protein target is half the job. The other half is knowing which foods actually get you there without blowing your calories. Here are the best high protein foods, with real numbers you can use at the supermarket.

The short answer: the foods with the most protein are poultry breast, lean meat, fish and seafood (about 22 to 31 g per 100 g cooked), hard cheese such as parmesan (about 36 g), seeds like hemp and pumpkin (about 30 g), and soy foods, lentils and beans (about 9 to 17 g cooked). For the most protein per calorie, pick shrimp, white fish, canned tuna, chicken or turkey breast, nonfat Greek yogurt and cottage cheese.

All values below come from USDA FoodData Central and are rounded. Meat, fish and legumes are weighed cooked, oats and nuts dry.

High protein foods: the full table

Food	Protein per 100 g	kcal per 100 g	Typical portion	Protein per portion
Parmesan	36 g	392	30 g (1 oz)	11 g
Hemp seeds, hulled	32 g	553	30 g	9.5 g
Chicken breast, roasted	31 g	165	120 g (4 oz)	37 g
Pumpkin seeds	30 g	559	30 g	9 g
Turkey breast, roasted	30 g	147	120 g (4 oz)	36 g
Lean beef mince (90%), cooked	28 g	230	100 g (3.5 oz)	28 g
Pork tenderloin, roasted	26 g	143	120 g (4 oz)	31 g
Peanuts	26 g	567	30 g	8 g
Tuna, canned in water, drained	25.5 g	116	100 g (1 small can)	25.5 g
Shrimp, cooked	24 g	99	100 g (3.5 oz)	24 g
Cod, cooked	23 g	105	150 g (5 oz)	34 g
Mozzarella	22 g	299	60 g	13 g
Salmon, farmed, cooked	22 g	206	125 g (4.4 oz)	28 g
Almonds	21 g	579	30 g	6.5 g
Tofu, firm	9 to 17 g	78 to 144	100 g	9 to 17 g
Oats, dry	13 g	379	50 g	6.5 g
Eggs, hard boiled	12.5 g	155	2 large (100 g)	12.5 g
Cottage cheese, 1% fat	12.5 g	72	150 g	18.5 g
Edamame, cooked	12 g	121	100 g	12 g
Greek yogurt, nonfat	10 g	59	170 g pot (6 oz)	17 g
Lentils, cooked	9 g	116	150 g	13.5 g
Black beans, cooked	9 g	132	150 g	13 g
Chickpeas, cooked	9 g	164	150 g	13 g
Milk, 2% fat	3.3 g	50	250 ml glass	8 g

Tofu varies a lot: the firmer and more pressed it is, the more protein it has, so check the label of the one you buy.

Most protein per calorie: the best picks for weight loss

When you’re in a calorie deficit, the useful question isn’t “how much protein per 100 g” but “how much protein for the calories”. Seeds and nuts look great per 100 g, but most of their calories come from fat.

Food	Protein per 100 kcal
Shrimp, cooked	24 g
Tuna, canned in water	22 g
Cod, cooked	22 g
Turkey breast	20.5 g
Chicken breast	19 g
Pork tenderloin	18 g
Greek yogurt, nonfat	17 g
Cottage cheese, 1% fat	17 g
Lean beef mince (90%)	12 g
Tofu, firm	12 g
Salmon, farmed	11 g
Eggs	8 g
Lentils	8 g
Peanuts	4.6 g
Almonds	3.7 g

This doesn’t make salmon, eggs or nuts worse foods. Salmon brings omega 3 fats, eggs are cheap and versatile, nuts add fiber and healthy fats. It just means that when calories are tight, the top of this list gets you to your target with room to spare.

Why protein matters when you’re losing weight

A review of the research in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that, in controlled studies, higher protein diets during calorie restriction led to more fat loss and better preservation of lean mass than lower protein diets. Higher protein meals also gave a modest boost in fullness. The authors point to 1.2 to 1.6 g of protein per kg of body weight a day, with at least about 25 to 30 g per meal.

How much you personally need depends on your weight and goal: our guide on how much protein you need per day breaks it down, and the macro calculator gives you your number in grams.

Plant based high protein foods

You don’t need meat to eat enough protein. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics states that well planned vegetarian and vegan diets are nutritionally adequate for every stage of life, including for athletes.

The best plant sources:

• Soy: tofu, tempeh, edamame and soy milk. Soy is the strongest plant option, and a meta-analysis of nine studies found that soy protein produced similar gains in muscle mass and strength as animal protein in people doing resistance training.
• Legumes: lentils, chickpeas and beans give about 9 g per 100 g cooked, plus fiber.
• Seeds and nuts: hemp and pumpkin seeds are the richest, but they’re calorie dense, so use them as toppings rather than the main source.
• Grains: oats and quinoa add smaller amounts that still count over a day.

Plant proteins are digested a little less completely than dairy proteins, according to measurements of protein quality (the DIAAS score). In practice, this is solved by eating a bit more and mixing sources over the day, for example beans with rice or hummus with wholegrain bread.

How to build a 30 g protein meal

Since 25 to 30 g per meal is a useful target, here’s what it looks like in real food:

Meal	Protein
100 g cooked chicken breast with rice and vegetables	about 31 g
300 g nonfat Greek yogurt with berries	about 31 g
120 g drained canned tuna on a salad	about 31 g
2 eggs + 150 g cottage cheese	about 31 g
150 g lentils + 100 g firm tofu	about 22 to 30 g

Worked example. Say you weigh 70 kg (154 lb) and want to lose fat. At 1.4 g per kg, your target is about 98 g a day. Split over three meals and a snack, that’s roughly:

• Breakfast: 170 g Greek yogurt with 50 g oats: about 24 g
• Lunch: 120 g chicken breast with salad and chickpeas (150 g): about 50 g
• Snack: 30 g almonds: about 6.5 g
• Dinner: 150 g cod with potatoes and vegetables: about 34 g

Total: about 115 g, comfortably above target, without any protein powder.

High protein foods to limit

Not every protein rich food is equally good for you. The World Health Organization classifies processed meat (meat that has been salted, cured, fermented or smoked, such as bacon, ham, salami and sausages) as carcinogenic to humans, and red meat as probably carcinogenic. You don’t have to cut them out, but it makes sense to get most of your protein from poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, legumes and soy.

Also keep an eye on cheese: it’s rich in protein but also in fat and salt, so a little parmesan on top works better than cheese as your main protein.

Do you need protein powder?

No. Whey protein powder contains about 60 to 80 g of protein per 100 g, which is convenient after training or when you’re short on time, but every number in this article shows you can reach your target with normal food. Powders are a shortcut, not a requirement.

If you have kidney disease, are pregnant or have another medical condition, talk to your doctor before raising your protein intake.

Quick checklist

• Put a protein source of about 25 to 30 g on every main meal.
• For weight loss, favor foods with lots of protein per calorie: fish, seafood, poultry breast, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese.
• Use nuts, seeds and cheese as extras, not as your main source.
• If you eat plant based, rely on soy and legumes and mix sources through the day.
• Limit processed meat.
• Track what you actually eat: protein adds up differently than you’d guess. BananaCal shows the protein of every meal you log, from a photo, a barcode or a quick voice note, so you can see if you’re on target.

To see how protein fits next to carbs and fat, read what macros are.