MicroNutritiousPrecision Food & Nutrient Analytics

Best Protein-to-Calorie Ratio Foods

Foods (with at least 20 kcal per 100 g) ranked by grams of protein per 100 kcal, highlighting lean protein sources rather than pure protein isolates.

This ranking highlights foods that deliver a lot of protein without a lot of calories alongside it — useful for anyone trying to increase protein intake while managing calorie intake, such as during a weight-management phase. It naturally favors lean meats, fish, seafood, and egg whites over fattier protein sources like nuts or fatty cuts of meat, which aren't necessarily worse foods, just less efficient on this specific ratio.

This is general nutrition information, not medical advice — talk to a healthcare provider about what's right for you.

FoodProtein per 100 kcal
Soy protein isolate, potassium type27.5 g
Soy protein isolate26.4 g
Fish, cod, Atlantic, wild caught, raw24.4 g
Fish, cod, Pacific, cooked24.3 g
Crustaceans, shrimp, cooked24.2 g
Tuna, ahi or yellowfin, frozen, wild caught24.2 g
Mahi mahi, frozen, wild caught23.7 g
Crustaceans, shrimp, raw23.6 g
Egg, white, dried, stabilized, glucose reduced23.5 g
Halibut, frozen, wild caught23.5 g
Cod, Pacific or Alaskan, frozen, wild caught23.4 g
Ruffed Grouse, breast meat, skinless, raw23.1 g
Snapper, frozen, wild caught23.1 g
Crustaceans, crab, blue swimming, lump, pasteurized, refrigerated23 g
Seaweed, spirulina, raw22.7 g
Fish, pollock, Alaska, raw22.6 g
Cheese, mozzarella, nonfat22.5 g
Emu, outside drum, raw22.5 g
Fish, tuna, yellowfin, fresh, cooked, dry heat22.5 g
Frog legs, raw22.5 g
Fish, pollock, Alaska, cooked22.4 g
Fish, tuna, fresh, yellowfin, raw22.4 g
Snow crab, legs only, frozen22.4 g
Cheese, Swiss, nonfat or fat free22.3 g
Fish, cod, Pacific, raw (may have been previously frozen)22.2 g
Turtle, green, raw22.2 g
Fish, haddock, cooked, dry heat22.1 g
Lobster, tail only, frozen, wild caught22.1 g
Egg, white, dried, powder, stabilized, glucose reduced22 g
Fish, cod, Pacific, cooked, dry heat (may contain additives to retain moisture)22 g
Fish, haddock, raw22 g
Fish, ling, cooked, dry heat22 g
Fish, pollock, raw22 g
Fish, tuna, light, canned in water, without salt, drained solids22 g
Egg, white, dried, flakes, stabilized, glucose reduced21.9 g
Fish, pike, northern, raw21.9 g
Game meat, moose, cooked, roasted21.9 g
Crustaceans, crab, alaska king, raw21.8 g
Crustaceans, shrimp, farm raised, raw21.8 g
Emu, fan fillet, raw21.8 g
Emu, flat fillet, raw21.8 g
Fish, cusk, cooked, dry heat21.8 g
Fish, cusk, raw21.8 g
Fish, ling, raw21.8 g
Fish, pike, northern, cooked, dry heat21.8 g
Fish, pollock, Alaska, raw (may contain additives to retain moisture)21.8 g
Fish, sunfish, pumpkin seed, cooked, dry heat21.8 g
Fish, sunfish, pumpkin seed, raw21.8 g
Game meat, moose, raw21.8 g
Turkey, drumstick, from whole bird, meat only, raw21.8 g
Fish, cod, Atlantic, canned, solids and liquid21.7 g
Fish, cod, Atlantic, cooked, dry heat21.7 g
Fish, cod, Atlantic, dried and salted21.7 g
Fish, cod, Atlantic, raw21.7 g
Fish, haddock, smoked21.7 g
Fish, mahimahi, cooked, dry heat21.7 g
Fish, mahimahi, raw21.7 g
Fish, whitefish, mixed species, smoked21.7 g
Turkey, drumstick, from whole bird, meat only, roasted21.7 g
Turkey, retail parts, breast, meat only, cooked, roasted21.7 g
Crustaceans, crab, blue, canned21.6 g
Crustaceans, crab, blue, cooked, moist heat21.6 g
Fish, burbot, cooked, dry heat21.6 g
Fish, roughy, orange, raw21.6 g
Fish, roughy, orange, cooked, dry heat21.5 g
Crustaceans, lobster, northern, cooked, moist heat21.4 g
Fish, burbot, raw21.4 g
Fish, tuna, fresh, skipjack, raw21.4 g
Fish, tuna, skipjack, fresh, cooked, dry heat21.4 g
Turkey, retail parts, breast, meat only, with added solution, cooked, roasted21.4 g
Crustaceans, lobster, northern, raw21.3 g
Egg, white, dried21.3 g
Egg, white, raw, frozen, pasteurized21.3 g
Fish, perch, mixed species, cooked, dry heat21.3 g
Fish, perch, mixed species, raw21.3 g
Turkey from whole, light meat, meat only, with added solution, cooked, roasted21.3 g
Turkey from whole, light meat, meat only, with added solution, raw21.3 g
Turkey, back, from whole bird, meat only, with added solution, roasted21.3 g
Turkey, breast, from whole bird, meat only, with added solution, roasted21.3 g
Turkey, wing, from whole bird, meat only, with added solution, roasted21.3 g
Chicken, breast, boneless, skinless, raw21.2 g
Cowpeas, leafy tips, cooked, boiled, drained, with salt21.2 g
Cowpeas, leafy tips, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt21.2 g
Fish, pollock, Alaska, cooked, dry heat (may contain additives to retain moisture)21.2 g
Turkey, wing, from whole bird, meat only, with added solution, raw21.2 g
Egg, white, raw, fresh21.1 g
Fish, grouper, mixed species, raw21.1 g
Fish, pollock, Atlantic, cooked, dry heat21.1 g
Fish, pollock, Atlantic, raw21.1 g
Fish, tuna, light, canned in water, drained solids21.1 g
Turkey, breast, from whole bird, meat only, with added solution, raw21.1 g
Turkey, ground, fat free, raw21.1 g
Veal, leg, top round, cap off, cutlet, boneless, cooked, grilled21.1 g
Veal, shank, separable lean only, raw21.1 g
Fish, grouper, mixed species, cooked, dry heat21 g
Fish, pout, ocean, raw21 g
Turkey, ground, fat free, pan-broiled crumbles21 g
Turkey, ground, fat free, patties, broiled21 g
Fish, pout, ocean, cooked, dry heat20.9 g
Fish, tilapia, raw20.9 g