Foods highest in Protein
Protein builds and repairs muscle, skin, enzymes and hormones, and helps keep you full between meals.
Below are the whole foods with the most protein in a typical serving, straight from USDA FoodData Central, plus how much you need and how to keep track without doing any math.
What protein does
Protein builds and repairs muscle, skin, enzymes and hormones, and helps keep you full between meals.
Most people meet their protein needs, but older adults, athletes, and people eating mostly plants often want to track it to hit a steady daily target.
How much you need
The Daily Value used on food labels is 50 g a day for adults.
Your real target depends on your age, sex and body, Healthy Squirrel sets it for you from NIH / Institute of Medicine reference intakes, then shows every food against your number, not a generic one.
Foods highest in protein
| Food | Serving | Amount | % Daily Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mollusks, whelk, unspecified, cooked, moist heat | 3 oz (85 g) | 41 g | 81% |
| Soybeans, mature seeds, roasted, salted | ½ cup (90 g) | 35 g | 69% |
| Tempeh | 1 cup tempeh (166 g) | 34 g | 67% |
| Pork, cured, bacon, cooked, microwaved | 3 oz (85 g) | 33 g | 66% |
| Pulled pork in barbecue sauce | 1 cup (249 g) | 33 g | 66% |
| Polish sausage, pork | 1 sausage (227 g) | 32 g | 64% |
| Veal, leg (top round), separable lean only, cooked, braised | 3 oz (85 g) | 31 g | 62% |
| Beef, round, top round, separable lean only, trimmed to 0" fat, choice, cooked, braised | 3 oz (85 g) | 31 g | 61% |
| Veal, shoulder, arm, separable lean only, cooked, braised | 3 oz (85 g) | 30 g | 61% |
| Meatballs, meatless | 1 cup meatball (144 g) | 30 g | 60% |
| Lamb, shoulder, arm, separable lean only, trimmed to 1/4" fat, choice, cooked, braised | 3 oz (85 g) | 30 g | 60% |
| Veal, cubed for stew (leg and shoulder), separable lean only, cooked, braised | 3 oz (85 g) | 30 g | 59% |
Per typical serving, using the reference amounts food labels are built on (3 oz of meat or fish, 1 tbsp of oil, 1 oz of nuts or cheese, 1 cup of milk), or the everyday size for whole fruit and vegetables. Whole foods from USDA FoodData Central, highest first. In the app, every amount scales to the serving you actually log.
Track protein free
Healthy Squirrel is a free food tracker that fills in Protein, and every other vitamin and mineral, automatically as you log meals, so you can see where your day actually lands. No account needed to start, no ads, nothing sold.
Open Healthy Squirrel and log a food to see your protein for the day.
If you train
Training doesn't change your protein target, but it can change how likely you are to fall short. The details and the evidence:
Every other nutrient
Ready to see your full nutrient profile?
Open Healthy Squirrel, it's free