Top Foods Highest in Protein | Ranked by Protein per 100g

Complete ranking of foods by protein content per 100g. Includes per-calorie efficiency, tier groupings, keto/vegan filters, and serving-adjusted amounts. USDA data.

Top Foods Highest in Protein

The highest-protein foods per 100g raw weight are: Parmesan cheese (38.5 g/100g), Pork bacon (35.5 g/100g), Chicken breast (31 g/100g). Use the tables below to find the best source for your diet, with per-calorie efficiency ranking, tier groupings, and diet-specific filters. All data from USDA FoodData Central.

Top Foods Ranked by Protein per 100g

#	Food	Category	Protein per 100g	Calories per 100g
#1	Parmesan cheese	Dairy	38.5 g	431 kcal
#2	Pork bacon	Meat	35.5 g	541 kcal
#3	Chicken breast	Meat	31 g	165 kcal
#4	Cheese	Dairy	30.1 g	403 kcal
#5	Turkey breast	Meat	29.9 g	135 kcal
#6	Cheese	Dairy	29.6 g	421 kcal
#7	Beef steak	Meat	29 g	207 kcal
#8	Pork chop	Meat	27.7 g	242 kcal
#9	Turkey	Meat	27.1 g	220 kcal
#10	Cheese	Dairy	27 g	393 kcal
#11	Ground beef (80% lean)	Meat	26.1 g	283 kcal
#12	Chicken thigh	Meat	25.9 g	247 kcal
#13	Salmon	Meat	25.4 g	233 kcal
#14	Cheddar cheese	Dairy	24.9 g	403 kcal
#15	Lentils	Vegetable	24.6 g	352 kcal

Top Protein Foods Chart Data

Chart-ready top-10 protein ranking per 100g, generated from the same table data.

#1 Food for Protein: Parmesan cheese

#1 overall: Parmesan cheese — 38.5 g per 100g (+8.5% more than #2 Pork bacon).

Best per calorie: Fish — 24.39 g per 100 kcal.

Protein Content Tier Rankings

Tier	Food	Category	Protein
S	Parmesan cheese	Dairy	38.5 g/100g
S	Pork bacon	Meat	35.5 g/100g
S	Chicken breast	Meat	31 g/100g
A	Cheese	Dairy	30.1 g/100g
A	Turkey breast	Meat	29.9 g/100g
A	Cheese	Dairy	29.6 g/100g
A	Beef steak	Meat	29 g/100g
A	Pork chop	Meat	27.7 g/100g
A	Turkey	Meat	27.1 g/100g
A	Cheese	Dairy	27 g/100g
A	Ground beef (80% lean)	Meat	26.1 g/100g
A	Chicken thigh	Meat	25.9 g/100g
A	Salmon	Meat	25.4 g/100g
A	Cheddar cheese	Dairy	24.9 g/100g
A	Lentils	Vegetable	24.6 g/100g
A	Cheese	Dairy	24.5 g/100g
A	Shrimp	Meat	24 g/100g
A	Chicken	Meat	23.9 g/100g
A	Turkey breast	Meat	23.7 g/100g
A	Beef	Meat	23.7 g/100g

Best Sources of Protein per Calorie

#	Food	Protein per 100 kcal	Protein per 100g	Calories per 100g
#1	Fish	24.39 g/100kcal	16.1 g	66 kcal
#2	Turkey breast	22.15 g/100kcal	29.9 g	135 kcal
#3	Crustaceans	21.85 g/100kcal	15.6 g	71.4 kcal
#4	Tuna	21.56 g/100kcal	19.4 g	90 kcal
#5	Chicken	21.23 g/100kcal	22.5 g	106 kcal
#6	Fish	21.11 g/100kcal	19 g	90 kcal
#7	Egg white	20.96 g/100kcal	10.9 g	52 kcal
#8	Turkey breast	20.79 g/100kcal	23.7 g	114 kcal
#9	Shrimp	20.17 g/100kcal	24 g	119 kcal
#10	Beef	19.27 g/100kcal	23.7 g	123 kcal
#11	Shrimp	19.15 g/100kcal	20.3 g	106 kcal
#12	Chicken breast	18.79 g/100kcal	31 g	165 kcal
#13	Chicken breast	18.75 g/100kcal	22.5 g	120 kcal
#14	Pork	18.15 g/100kcal	21.6 g	119 kcal
#15	Greek yogurt	17.29 g/100kcal	10.2 g	59 kcal

Best Protein Sources by Diet Type

Diet	Food	Protein per 100g	Carbs per 100g
Keto	Parmesan cheese	38.5 g	4.1g carbs
Keto	Pork bacon	35.5 g	1.3g carbs
Keto	Chicken breast	31 g	0g carbs
Keto	Cheese	30.1 g	4.33g carbs
Keto	Turkey breast	29.9 g	0g carbs
Vegan	Peanut Butter	22.2 g	22.3g carbs
Vegan	Peanut Butter	22.2 g	22.3g carbs
Vegan	Almond Butter	20.8 g	21.2g carbs
Vegan	Almond Butter	20.7 g	21.1g carbs
Vegan	Fish	19 g	0.08g carbs
High-protein	Parmesan cheese	38.5 g	4.1g carbs
High-protein	Pork bacon	35.5 g	1.3g carbs
High-protein	Chicken breast	31 g	0g carbs
High-protein	Cheese	30.1 g	4.33g carbs
High-protein	Turkey breast	29.9 g	0g carbs

Parmesan cheese Benefit Signals

Lean protein: Provides 38.5 g protein per 100 g. Basis: protein >= 20 g per 100 g.

Parmesan cheese Condition-Aware Nutrition Notes

Type	Context	Guidance	Basis
mayFit	low sodium goal	May fit low-sodium meal planning at this serving size.	0 mg sodium

Smart Protein Substitutes for Parmesan cheese

Food	Equivalent portion	Category	Protein delta	Calorie delta	Sodium delta
Egg	306 g	Dairy	+0 g	+6 kcal	+434 mg
Yogurt	910 g	Dairy	+0 g	+24 kcal	+469 mg
Eggs	310 g	Dairy	+0 g	+29 kcal	+401 mg
Milk	1132 g	Dairy	+0 g	-35 kcal	+0 mg
Yogurt	478 g	Dairy	+0 g	-35 kcal	+153 mg
Milk	1122 g	Dairy	+0 g	-49 kcal	+460 mg

Protein per Typical Serving Size

Food	Serving	Protein	Calories
Parmesan cheese	100g	38.5 g	431 kcal
Pork bacon	100g	35.5 g	541 kcal
Chicken breast	130g	40.3 g	215 kcal
Cheese	100g	30.1 g	403 kcal
Turkey breast	100g	29.9 g	135 kcal
Cheese	100g	29.6 g	421 kcal
Beef steak	100g	29 g	207 kcal
Pork chop	100g	27.7 g	242 kcal
Turkey	100g	27.1 g	220 kcal
Cheese	100g	27 g	393 kcal

Top Foods for Protein — FAQs

What food has the most protein per 100g? Parmesan cheese has the highest protein content at 38.5 g per 100g, followed by Pork bacon (35.5 g) and Chicken breast (31 g).

What is the best source of protein per calorie? Fish delivers the most protein per calorie: 24.39 g per 100 kcal. This makes it the best choice for high-protein diets on a calorie budget.

Which foods are highest in protein for vegans? Top vegan foods for protein: Peanut Butter (22.2 g/100g), Peanut Butter (22.2 g/100g), Almond Butter (20.8 g/100g).

Which high-protein foods are also low in calories? Below-average-calorie foods with high protein: Chicken breast (31 g/100g, 165 kcal), Turkey breast (29.9 g/100g, 135 kcal), Beef steak (29 g/100g, 207 kcal).

How do I quickly increase my protein intake? Add Parmesan cheese (38.5 g/100g) or Pork bacon (35.5 g/100g) to meals. A 150g serving of Parmesan cheese provides 57.8 g.

Understanding Protein Content in Foods

The top three foods for protein per 100g are Parmesan cheese, Pork bacon, Chicken breast.

By category: Dairy: best is Parmesan cheese (38.5 g/100g); Meat: best is Pork bacon (35.5 g/100g); Vegetable: best is Lentils (24.6 g/100g); Fat: best is Peanut butter (22.2 g/100g).

When comparing foods for protein, consider both absolute content (per 100g) and relative efficiency (per calorie). A food high in protein per 100g but also very high in calories may not be the most efficient choice for a calorie-controlled diet. The per-calorie table above accounts for this.

All values are from USDA FoodData Central and represent raw weight unless noted.

Parmesan cheese Page Quality Signals

Source, density, prep-state, serving, and allergen checks used to decide whether this page is safe to promote from generated to indexed.

Data Sources & Methodology

Data source: USDA FoodData Central.

Ranking method: Foods are sorted by the criterion value computed directly from per-100g USDA data. The per-calorie view is computed as criterionPer100g / caloriesPer100g × 100. Tier groupings use equal-interval breaks on the criterion range. No subjective scoring or editorial ranking is applied.

Accuracy note: Macro values represent averages across measured samples; individual items may vary ±5–10% depending on brand, farming method, and preparation technique. For clinical nutrition, consult a registered dietitian.

Update policy: Macro values are reviewed quarterly against USDA FoodData Central updates. Page last verified: 2026.

Top Foods Highest in Protein | Ranked by Protein per 100g

Complete ranking of foods by protein content per 100g. Includes per-calorie efficiency, tier groupings, keto/vegan filters, and serving-adjusted amounts. USDA data.

Select Food Source

Direction

Amount

Target

protein

22.5g

3.53 oz•2% sodium

Portion: 100gFood fit: 69/100

Serving reality: 3.53 oz, 0.4 cups, 0.57 pieces.

Best benefits

Lean protein: Strong protein with low carbohydrate and low sodium for this serving.

Meal-prep friendly: Useful for repeat meals when raw/cooked logging is handled correctly.

Protein target support: Useful for building a high-protein meal or snack.

Full micronutrients and nutritional profile

calories

120kcal

protein

23g

carbs

fat

2.6g

sodium

45mg

potassium

260mg

magnesium

28mg

caffeine

0mg

cholesterol

73mg

saturated fat

0.6g

vitamin b12

0.2mcg

Source: USDA FoodData Central reference|generic|FDC ID: 331960•Energy density: 301 kcal/cup