High-protein foods
USDA FoodData Central data, retrieved October 2026
Protein is the nutrient most people check first when they compare foods. The National Academies Dietary Reference Intakes set the US RDA for healthy adults at 0.8 g per kilogram of body weight per day, so your own target depends on your own weight and not on one number for everyone. This list ranks 56 foods from USDA FoodData Central by protein per 100 g. The leaders are Parmesan (35.8 g), Cooked bacon (35.7 g) and Roasted chicken breast (31 g).
A food appears here when it has at least 8 g of protein per 100 g and at least a fifth of its calories come from protein. The second condition follows the logic of the EU nutrition claim rules. It keeps nuts, seeds and oils out of the ranking, because they carry their protein inside a large amount of fat. Calories, fat and carbohydrate sit in the table beside each food, so you can see what arrives together with the protein.
These are general estimates generated from published formulas, not a medical prescription. Not reviewed by a doctor or registered dietitian.
Read the full disclaimer
Every number on this page (calorie targets, macro splits and any suggested meal plan) is produced by formulas (Mifflin-St Jeor for basal metabolic rate, standard activity multipliers) or, for AI-generated meal plans, by a language model applying those same formulas. On meal-plan pages the carbohydrate figure for each meal is calculated by difference: total calories minus protein and fat calories, divided by 4. It is not measured or estimated on its own, so read it as an arithmetic balance and not as an independent nutritional analysis of the dish. None of it is individualized medical or nutritional advice, and none of it has been reviewed by a registered dietitian, physician or other licensed healthcare professional.
Ask your doctor or a registered dietitian what is right for you before starting a new diet, especially if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, have a diagnosed medical condition, take prescription medication, or have a history of disordered eating. If you have kidney disease or another medical condition, ask your clinician before raising protein.
Mealyno never recommends a calorie target below your calculated Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), the minimum energy your body needs at complete rest. Even the most aggressive weight-loss setting is clamped at that floor.
Calorie and BMR estimates use the Mifflin-St Jeor equation (Mifflin MD, St Jeor ST, et al. Am J Clin Nutr. 1990).
Generated: October 2026
Top of the list
At the top: Parmesan (35.8 g), Cooked bacon (35.7 g), Roasted chicken breast (31 g), Pumpkin seeds (30.2 g), Roasted turkey breast (30.1 g) per 100 g. 56 of the 178 foods in our table meet the rule; the table below shows the first 30. Check the "State" column: dry grains and legumes are not equal by weight to cooked ones.
| # | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parmesan | as eaten | 35.8 g | 72% | 3.58 g in 10 g | 392 kcal | 25 g | 3.22 g |
| 2 | Cooked bacon | cooked | 35.7 g | 71% | 5.72 g in 16 g | 548 kcal | 43.3 g | 1.35 g |
| 3 | Roasted chicken breast | cooked | 31 g | 62% | 37.2 g in 120 g | 165 kcal | 3.57 g | 0 g |
| 4 | Pumpkin seeds | fresh | 30.2 g | 60% | 9.07 g in 30 g | 559 kcal | 49.1 g | 10.7 g |
| 5 | Roasted turkey breast | cooked | 30.1 g | 60% | 36.2 g in 120 g | 147 kcal | 2.08 g | 0 g |
| 6 | Braised beef liver | cooked | 29.1 g | 58% | 29.1 g in 100 g | 191 kcal | 5.26 g | 5.13 g |
| 7 | Boiled chicken breast | cooked | 29 g | 58% | 34.8 g in 120 g | 151 kcal | 3.03 g | 0 g |
| 8 | Roasted pork loin | cooked | 27.1 g | 54% | 27.1 g in 100 g | 248 kcal | 14.7 g | 0 g |
| 9 | Roasted skinless chicken thigh | cooked | 24.8 g | 50% | 22.3 g in 90 g | 179 kcal | 8.15 g | 0 g |
| 10 | Dry lentils | raw (dry) | 24.6 g | 49% | 14.8 g in 60 g | 352 kcal | 1.06 g | 63.4 g |
| 11 | Canned sardines in oil | as eaten | 24.6 g | 49% | 22.2 g in 90 g | 208 kcal | 11.5 g | 0 g |
| 12 | Red caviar | as eaten | 24.6 g | 49% | 3.94 g in 16 g | 264 kcal | 17.9 g | 4 g |
| 13 | Baked pink salmon | cooked | 24.6 g | 49% | 29.5 g in 120 g | 153 kcal | 5.28 g | 0 g |
| 14 | Cooked lamb | cooked | 24.5 g | 49% | 24.5 g in 100 g | 294 kcal | 20.9 g | 0 g |
| 15 | Cooked chicken liver | cooked | 24.5 g | 49% | 24.5 g in 100 g | 167 kcal | 6.51 g | 0.87 g |
| 16 | Pan-cooked ground beef 80/20 | cooked | 24 g | 48% | 24 g in 100 g | 246 kcal | 15.9 g | 0 g |
| 17 | Baked mackerel | cooked | 23.9 g | 48% | 23.9 g in 100 g | 262 kcal | 17.8 g | 0 g |
| 18 | Baked trout | cooked | 23.8 g | 48% | 28.6 g in 120 g | 168 kcal | 7.38 g | 0 g |
| 19 | Raw turkey breast | raw | 23.7 g | 47% | 35.5 g in 150 g | 114 kcal | 1.48 g | 0.14 g |
| 20 | Cooked pollock | cooked | 23.5 g | 47% | 28.2 g in 120 g | 111 kcal | 1.18 g | 0 g |
| 21 | Canned pink salmon | as eaten | 23.1 g | 46% | 19.6 g in 85 g | 138 kcal | 5.02 g | 0 g |
| 22 | Cheddar cheese | as eaten | 22.9 g | 46% | 6.86 g in 30 g | 403 kcal | 33.3 g | 3.37 g |
| 23 | Baked carp | cooked | 22.9 g | 46% | 27.4 g in 120 g | 162 kcal | 7.17 g | 0 g |
| 24 | Baked cod | cooked | 22.8 g | 46% | 27.4 g in 120 g | 105 kcal | 0.86 g | 0 g |
| 25 | Boiled shrimp | cooked | 22.8 g | 46% | 19.4 g in 85 g | 119 kcal | 1.7 g | 1.52 g |
| 26 | Baked halibut | cooked | 22.5 g | 45% | 27 g in 120 g | 111 kcal | 1.61 g | 0 g |
| 27 | Raw chicken breast | raw | 22.5 g | 45% | 33.8 g in 150 g | 120 kcal | 2.62 g | 0 g |
| 28 | Mozzarella | as eaten | 22.2 g | 44% | 6.65 g in 30 g | 299 kcal | 22.1 g | 2.4 g |
| 29 | Baked salmon | cooked | 22.1 g | 44% | 26.5 g in 120 g | 206 kcal | 12.4 g | 0 g |
| 30 | Baked sturgeon | cooked | 20.7 g | 41% | 24.8 g in 120 g | 135 kcal | 5.18 g | 0 g |
Values are per 100 g unless stated. Portion is a typical size. Column headers can be clicked to change the sort order.
Not sure how much of this you eat? Photograph the plate: free, no signup.
Calories from a photoHow to use this list
Check the state of the food before you compare numbers. Raw, cooked and dry versions of the same product rank very differently per 100 g: dry lentils and oats list higher than cooked ones only because cooking adds water weight. Compare foods in the same state, and use the portion column to turn a per-100 g value into what really lands on your plate.
Build a meal around one protein anchor: an egg dish at breakfast, fish or poultry at lunch, cottage cheese or beans in the evening. Vegetables and grains next to it add fibre and carbohydrate. Look at the fat and calorie columns when you want a leaner pick, and spread protein over several meals if that suits your routine.
Method: where the data comes from
The list is built from our table of 178 foods based on USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy (public domain, CC0). We retrieved the data on October 4, 2026. Values are per 100 g of the food in the state shown in the "State" column: a raw, cooked or dry food carries different amounts of water, so per-100 g figures are not comparable across states. If USDA reports no value for a nutrient, the food is left out of this list: "no data" is not zero.
A food makes the list with at least 8 g of protein per 100 g and at least 20% of its calories from protein.
The reference adult is the average of the adult male and female values in the US and Canada Dietary Reference Intakes (age 19-30), on a 2,000 kcal day. The "Portion" column shows the value in a typical portion of the food. This is general information for healthy adults, not medical advice; Mealyno does not replace a doctor or a dietitian.
Frequently asked questions
How much protein does a healthy adult need per day?
The National Academies RDA for healthy adults is 0.8 g per kilogram of body weight per day. A person weighing 70 kg would therefore land near 56 g. Needs differ with age, activity and circumstances, so a doctor or dietitian is the right person to ask about a personal plan.
Why do dry foods show more protein than cooked ones?
Dry lentils, beans and oats contain little water, so 100 g holds more of every nutrient. After cooking, the same food absorbs water and weighs more, which spreads the protein thinner. The column showing raw, cooked or dry explains most surprising differences between rows.
Why are nuts missing from the list?
Almonds, peanuts and similar foods contain a lot of protein, but also a lot of fat, so protein supplies less than a fifth of their calories. Our rule asks for both an amount per 100 g and a calorie share, which matches the logic of the EU claim wording.
Is the portion size or the 100 g value more useful?
Both help. The 100 g value is a fair way to compare foods with each other. The portion value shows what you actually eat: a spoon of hard cheese is far smaller than a chicken breast, so its share of a day's protein is smaller too.
Cite this data
You are welcome to cite this table and link to it. The USDA data is public domain (CC0); our selection, calculations and ordering are Mealyno's. Copy the link or the citation below.