Foods highest in Protein per 100 g (USDA)
The 100 USDA food records with the most protein per 100 g, with the share of the 50 g Daily Value and the dataset behind each number.
- Unit:
- g per 100 g
- Daily Value:
- 50 g
- Datasets:
- Foundation Foods, SR Legacy and FNDDS
Protein is the sum of the amino acids in a food. In USDA FoodData Central it is usually calculated from total nitrogen multiplied by a food-specific conversion factor, which is why two records of the same food can differ slightly. The Daily Value used for labels is 50 g.
The top of the list is dominated by concentrated foods: dried egg white, gelatin, protein isolates, dried fish and hard cheeses. They contain little water, so 100 g of them holds far more protein than 100 g of a cooked or fresh food, even when the fresh food is a major protein source in a normal diet.
Top 100 foods by Protein per 100 g
13,579 of 13,621 Normal catalog records report this nutrient (Foundation Foods: 355/397 · SR Legacy: 7,793/7,793 · FNDDS: 5,431/5,431). Records without a value are not ranked.
How to read this ranking
Compare foods in the same state. A cooked meat with 30 g of protein per 100 g ranks below a dried one with 80 g, although a serving of the cooked meat is what most people eat. Amino-acid quality is a separate question; see the lysine and tryptophan pages.
Values are USDA amounts per 100 g of edible portion, ordered as reported; this is information, not dietary advice. Methodology