Foods with the most protein per calorie

Get more protein from your calorie budget. Find high-protein foods for your next meal, from shrimp and chicken breast to tofu and beans.

Food	Calories from protein	Protein / 100 kcal	Protein / 100 g	Calories / 100 g
Shrimp	85%	21.2 g	14 g	66 kcal
Chicken breast	81%	20.2 g	22 g	109 kcal
Steak	58%	14.5 g	20.6 g	142 kcal
Chicken	50%	12.5 g	24.2 g	194 kcal
Spinach	50%	12.4 g	2.86 g	23 kcal
Cheese	44%	10.9 g	28.7 g	263 kcal
Tofu	42%	10.6 g	13.3 g	126 kcal
Mushrooms	40%	10 g	2.3 g	23 kcal
Salmon	39%	9.8 g	20.4 g	208 kcal
Egg	36%	9 g	12.3 g	136 kcal
Ground beef	35%	8.6 g	18.59 g	215 kcal
Broccoli	33%	8.3 g	2.82 g	34 kcal
Beans	27%	6.9 g	8.7 g	127 kcal
McDouble	23%	5.6 g	14.67 g	260 kcal
Cucumber	22%	5.5 g	0.6 g	11 kcal
Big Mac	21%	5.2 g	12 g	232 kcal
McChicken	19%	4.6 g	10.8 g	233 kcal
Costco hot dog	17%	4.2 g	10.21 g	242.6 kcal
Pizza slice	17%	4.1 g	11 g	266 kcal
Quinoa	15%	3.7 g	4.4 g	120 kcal
Oatmeal	14%	3.6 g	2.54 g	71 kcal
Potato	10%	2.6 g	2 g	77 kcal
Peach	9%	2.3 g	0.91 g	39 kcal
Jasmine rice	8%	2.1 g	2.69 g	130 kcal
Rice	8%	2.1 g	2.69 g	130 kcal
Strawberries	8%	2 g	0.7 g	35 kcal
Cherries	8%	1.9 g	1 g	52 kcal
Sweet potato	7%	1.8 g	1.57 g	86 kcal
Oat milk	7%	1.7 g	0.8 g	48 kcal
Watermelon	6%	1.6 g	0.5 g	31 kcal
Avocado	5%	1.2 g	1.9 g	155 kcal
Banana	5%	1.2 g	1.09 g	89 kcal
Grapes	4%	1.1 g	0.72 g	67 kcal
Apple	2%	0.5 g	0.26 g	52 kcal
Olive Oil	0%	0 g	0 g	900 kcal

Make every meal count toward your protein goal.

Log your meals in Kibora and see how your protein and calories add up throughout the day.

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More protein for the calories you eat

A food can be high in protein and still come with plenty of calories. Comparing protein per calorie helps you choose a protein source while leaving room for the rest of your meal.

Start with a protein-rich main ingredient

Shrimp and skinless chicken breast sit near the top of this chart. For a plant-based meal, compare tofu and beans. Use the protein-per-100 g column to see what a portion adds, then build the meal around the foods you enjoy.

A high ratio is only half the picture

Spinach and mushrooms can score well per calorie because they contain so few calories. They still provide much less protein per 100 g than chicken or tofu. Treat them as additions to your meal rather than expecting a small serving to supply most of its protein.

What does the protein percentage mean?

Protein provides about 4 calories per gram. A food with 20 g of protein per 100 calories gets about 80% of its calories from protein. The percentage describes its energy, not the percentage of its weight that is protein.

Protein calories (%) = protein (g) × 4 ÷ total calories × 100. Compare the preparation you actually eat: cooking changes water content, and added oil or sauces can change the ratio. Each food link gives the preparation and nutrition sources behind its values.