What food has the most protein?

Per 100 g, dried and concentrated foods top the list: whey protein powder (about 76 g), jerky and biltong (45 to 50 g), and parmesan (about 33 g). Of everyday foods, cooked chicken breast, tuna and turkey have around 30 g per 100 g.

What is the highest protein food for the fewest calories?

Egg whites, white fish such as cod, prawns, tinned tuna, chicken and turkey breast, skyr and 0% Greek yoghurt all give 17 to 24 g of protein per 100 kcal.

What are the best vegetarian protein foods?

Eggs, Greek yoghurt, skyr, cottage cheese, quark, tofu, tempeh, seitan, Quorn, edamame, lentils and chickpeas. Seitan, quark and Quorn have the most protein per calorie.

How much protein do I need a day?

The UK reference intake is 0.75 g per kg of body weight. If you exercise, want to build muscle or are losing weight, 1.6 to 2.2 g per kg is better supported by research.

High protein foods list

A list of 50 high protein foods with the protein per 100 g and per 100 calories, so you can see which give you the most protein for the fewest calories.

By the Calori team · Updated 21 October 2026 · 6 min read

Protein per 100 g or per calorie?

Most lists rank foods by protein per 100 g, which puts nuts, cheese and seeds near the top. That is useful if you are trying to eat more protein without eating more food. If you are trying to lose weight, protein per 100 calories is more useful, because it shows which foods give you protein without many calories. This list shows both.

Typical values. Brands and cooking methods vary, so check labels for exact figures.

The 10 best protein foods per calorie

Food	Protein per 100 g	kcal per 100 g	Protein per 100 kcal
Prawns	20 g	85	23.5 g
Tinned tuna in spring water, drained	25 g	110	22.7 g
Tuna steak	29 g	130	22.3 g
Turkey breast, skinless	30 g	135	22.2 g
Cod	23 g	105	21.9 g
Egg whites	11 g	52	21.2 g
Whey protein powder	76 g	380	20.0 g
Seitan	25 g	130	19.2 g
Chicken breast, skinless	31 g	165	18.8 g
Biltong	50 g	270	18.5 g

High protein meat and poultry

Cooked weights.

Food	Protein per 100 g	kcal per 100 g	Protein per 100 kcal
Chicken breast, skinless	31 g	165	18.8 g
Turkey breast, skinless	30 g	135	22.2 g
Chicken thigh, skinless	25 g	180	13.9 g
Lean beef mince (5% fat)	27 g	170	15.9 g
Sirloin steak, lean	29 g	175	16.6 g
Pork tenderloin	26 g	145	17.9 g
Lamb leg, lean	28 g	190	14.7 g
Ham, sliced	19 g	110	17.3 g
Beef jerky	45 g	280	16.1 g
Biltong	50 g	270	18.5 g

High protein fish and seafood

Cooked or ready-to-eat weights.

Food	Protein per 100 g	kcal per 100 g	Protein per 100 kcal
Tinned tuna in spring water, drained	25 g	110	22.7 g
Tuna steak	29 g	130	22.3 g
Cod	23 g	105	21.9 g
Prawns	20 g	85	23.5 g
Salmon	22 g	206	10.7 g
Smoked salmon	23 g	184	12.5 g
Mussels	24 g	172	14.0 g
Sardines in tomato sauce	17 g	160	10.6 g
Smoked mackerel	19 g	330	5.8 g

High protein eggs and dairy

Food	Protein per 100 g	kcal per 100 g	Protein per 100 kcal
Egg whites	11 g	52	21.2 g
Eggs, whole	12.6 g	131	9.6 g
Skyr, plain	10.6 g	62	17.1 g
Greek yoghurt, 0% fat	10 g	57	17.5 g
Quark	12 g	66	18.2 g
Cottage cheese, reduced fat	12.5 g	78	16.0 g
Light mozzarella	19 g	165	11.5 g
Halloumi	22 g	320	6.9 g
Cheddar	25 g	416	6.0 g
Parmesan	33 g	400	8.3 g
Semi-skimmed milk	3.6 g	47	7.7 g
Whey protein powder	76 g	380	20.0 g

High protein vegetarian and vegan

Food	Protein per 100 g	kcal per 100 g	Protein per 100 kcal
Seitan	25 g	130	19.2 g
Tempeh	20 g	192	10.4 g
Firm tofu	12.5 g	120	10.4 g
Quorn mince	14.5 g	105	13.8 g
Edamame beans	12 g	121	9.9 g
Red lentil pasta, dry	24 g	340	7.1 g
Lentils, cooked	9 g	116	7.8 g
Chickpeas, tinned, drained	7.2 g	120	6.0 g
Kidney beans, tinned, drained	7 g	105	6.7 g
Baked beans	4.7 g	80	5.9 g
Green peas	6 g	70	8.6 g

High protein nuts, seeds and grains

Food	Protein per 100 g	kcal per 100 g	Protein per 100 kcal
Hemp seeds	32 g	553	5.8 g
Pumpkin seeds	30 g	559	5.4 g
Peanut butter	25 g	600	4.2 g
Almonds	21 g	579	3.6 g
Chia seeds	17 g	486	3.5 g
Porridge oats	11 g	375	2.9 g
Wholemeal bread	10 g	230	4.3 g
Quinoa, cooked	4.4 g	120	3.7 g

How to use this list

Losing weight: build meals around foods with 15 g or more of protein per 100 kcal, such as chicken, fish, egg whites, skyr and Greek yoghurt.
Building muscle: add calorie-dense protein like nuts, peanut butter, cheese and whole milk to reach your total.
Vegetarian or vegan: pair a soy or dairy protein with a pulse at each meal, such as tofu with edamame or Greek yoghurt with oats.

Find your daily target with our protein calculator, read how much protein you need, or see 30 high protein meals built from these foods. Calori shows the protein in every meal you photograph, so you can check you are hitting your number.

Frequently asked questions

What food has the most protein?: Per 100 g, dried and concentrated foods top the list: whey protein powder (about 76 g), jerky and biltong (45 to 50 g), and parmesan (about 33 g). Of everyday foods, cooked chicken breast, tuna and turkey have around 30 g per 100 g.
What is the highest protein food for the fewest calories?: Egg whites, white fish such as cod, prawns, tinned tuna, chicken and turkey breast, skyr and 0% Greek yoghurt all give 17 to 24 g of protein per 100 kcal.
What are the best vegetarian protein foods?: Eggs, Greek yoghurt, skyr, cottage cheese, quark, tofu, tempeh, seitan, Quorn, edamame, lentils and chickpeas. Seitan, quark and Quorn have the most protein per calorie.
How much protein do I need a day?: The UK reference intake is 0.75 g per kg of body weight. If you exercise, want to build muscle or are losing weight, 1.6 to 2.2 g per kg is better supported by research.