The foods with the most protein per serving are chicken breast, lean white fish, egg whites, and lean cuts of pork or beef, all delivering 20 to 31 grams of protein per 100 grams. But “most protein” depends on how you measure it: per serving, per calorie, or by dry weight. Here’s how the highest-protein foods stack up across every category worth knowing about.
Highest Protein per Serving
For most people asking this question, what matters is how much protein lands on your plate. Among whole foods, these consistently top the list:
- Chicken breast (skinless, roasted): 31 grams of protein per 100 grams, or about 27 grams in a standard 3-ounce serving.
- Lean pork: One of the highest-scoring animal proteins, with roughly 26 to 28 grams per 100 grams depending on the cut.
- White fish: Tilapia packs up to 23 grams per fillet. Pollock delivers 20 grams per 3-ounce serving. Cod comes in at 16 grams for the same portion.
- Egg whites: A cup of egg whites provides 27 grams of protein with only 126 calories.
- Greek yogurt: A single cup of nonfat Greek yogurt typically provides 15 to 20 grams.
Red meat, turkey, and shrimp all cluster in the 20-to-30 gram range per 100 grams as well. If you’re just trying to hit a protein target, any of these will get you there efficiently.
Highest Protein per Calorie
If you’re trying to keep calories low while maximizing protein, the ratio of protein to total calories matters more than the raw number. Egg whites lead here: 85% of their calories come from protein. Chicken breast follows at 73%. White fish like cod sits in a similar range, offering 16 grams of protein for just 72 calories per serving.
This distinction matters if you’re cutting weight or eating in a calorie deficit. A ribeye steak has plenty of protein, but a large share of its calories comes from fat. Chicken breast and egg whites give you the protein without the caloric overhead.
Highest Protein Plant Foods
Plant proteins generally deliver fewer grams per serving than animal sources, but several stand out. Cooked lentils provide about 9 grams per half cup. Edamame (young soybeans) offers around 6 grams per half cup. Tofu, tempeh, and seitan all range from 10 to 25 grams per serving depending on preparation, with seitan (made from wheat gluten) sitting at the top of that range.
The catch with plant proteins is amino acid completeness. Your body needs nine essential amino acids from food, and most plant sources are low in at least one. Soy is the notable exception, scoring well on protein quality measures. In a study published in Food Science & Nutrition, soy earned a digestibility score of 91 out of 100, while pea protein scored 70. For comparison, pork scored 117, meaning your body can use a higher percentage of its amino acids.
This doesn’t mean plant proteins are inadequate. Eating a variety of legumes, grains, nuts, and seeds throughout the day covers all the essential amino acids without needing to combine them at every meal.
Spirulina: The Highest by Dry Weight
If you’re measuring protein as a percentage of total weight, spirulina wins. This blue-green algae is 55 to 70% protein by dry weight, and it contains all nine essential amino acids. That’s a higher protein concentration than chicken, eggs, or beef.
The practical limitation is serving size. A typical dose of spirulina is a tablespoon or two, which gives you around 4 to 8 grams of protein. Nobody is eating 100 grams of spirulina powder in a sitting. It’s a useful supplement, not a primary protein source.
Protein Powders and Supplements
Protein powders concentrate protein far beyond what whole foods offer per scoop. Whey concentrate is up to 80% protein by weight. Whey isolate pushes that to 90% or higher by filtering out more of the fat and lactose. A single scoop of either typically delivers 20 to 30 grams of protein.
Whey is the most popular choice for a reason: it’s absorbed quickly and has a strong amino acid profile. Plant-based protein powders made from pea, rice, or soy blends have closed the gap significantly, though pea protein on its own scores lower on digestibility. Many plant blends combine two or more sources to cover amino acid gaps.
How Much Protein You Actually Need
The latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans, released in 2025, recommend that adults consume 1.2 to 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. That’s 50 to 100% more than the old minimum recommendation of 0.8 grams per kilogram, which had been the standard for decades.
For a 150-pound person (68 kg), the updated range works out to roughly 82 to 109 grams of protein daily. For a 200-pound person (91 kg), it’s 109 to 145 grams. Active people, older adults trying to preserve muscle, and anyone recovering from injury or surgery generally benefit from the higher end of that range.
Hitting those numbers is straightforward with a few high-protein anchors at each meal. A chicken breast at lunch, a serving of fish at dinner, and Greek yogurt or eggs at breakfast puts most people comfortably in range without supplements. If you’re vegetarian or vegan, combining lentils, tofu, tempeh, and a quality protein powder can cover the same ground.
Quick Comparison Table
- Chicken breast: 31 g protein per 100 g, 73% of calories from protein
- Egg whites: 11 g per 100 g, 85% of calories from protein
- Cod: 19 g per 100 g, roughly 89% of calories from protein
- Pork (lean): 26–28 g per 100 g, highest digestibility score among tested meats
- Lentils (cooked): ~9 g per half cup
- Whey isolate: 90%+ protein by weight, ~25 g per scoop
- Spirulina: 55–70% protein by dry weight, but small serving sizes limit practical intake