Protein per Calorie Calculator
Enter calories and protein from any food label to see how much protein you get per calorie (its protein density), then compare foods side by side.
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Compare foods by protein per calorie
Use the numbers for the same serving. Results update as you type.
Ranked by protein per 100 calories
Enter calories and protein for at least one food to see its protein per calorie.
Ratings are ProTrack AI's rule of thumb, not an official standard: very high is 20 g or more per 100 kcal, high is 10 to 20 g, moderate is 5 to 10 g, and low is under 5 g. Estimates for personal tracking, not medical advice.
How it works
How to calculate protein per calorie
Protein per calorie compares two numbers you already have on every nutrition label: grams of protein and calories. The calculator works out three things from them.
- Protein per 100 calories = protein (g) ÷ calories × 100. This is the main number to compare foods by.
- Share of calories from protein = protein (g) × 4 ÷ calories × 100, because protein gives about 4 calories per gram.
- Calories for your protein goal = calories ÷ protein (g) × your goal, for example 30 g of protein in one meal.
Example: roasted chicken breast has 31.02 g of protein and 165 calories per 100 g (USDA). That's 31.02 ÷ 165 × 100 = 18.8 g of protein per 100 calories, about 75% of its calories from protein, and roughly 160 calories for 30 g of protein.
Serving size doesn't change the answer, as long as the protein and calories come from the same serving. Labels from Europe, the UK or Australia often list energy in kilojoules; switch the calculator to kJ and it converts for you (1 kcal = 4.184 kJ).
Protein density
What is protein density, and why does it matter?
Protein density is how much protein a food gives you for its calories. It's a different question from "how much protein is in this food". Almonds have 21 g of protein per 100 g, more than Greek yogurt, but they also have 579 calories, so you get only about 3.7 g of protein per 100 calories. Low-fat Greek yogurt gives about 13.6 g.
That difference matters when you have both a calorie goal and a protein goal. Foods with high protein density let you reach your protein target while leaving room in your calorie budget for everything else you eat. Foods with low protein density aren't bad. They just do less of the protein work per calorie.
Common foods
Protein per calorie of common foods
Ranked from most to least protein per 100 calories. All values are per 100 g from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy). The share of calories from protein uses 4 calories per gram, so treat it as an estimate.
| Food | Protein per 100 kcal | % kcal from protein | Protein | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shrimp, cooked 23.98 g protein · 99 kcal USDA FDC 175180 | 24.2 g | 97% | 23.98 g | 99 |
| Whey protein powder 78.13 g protein · 352 kcal USDA FDC 173180 | 22.2 g | 89% | 78.13 g | 352 |
| Tuna, canned in water 25.51 g protein · 116 kcal USDA FDC 171986 | 22.0 g | 88% | 25.51 g | 116 |
| Cod, cooked 22.83 g protein · 105 kcal USDA FDC 171956 | 21.7 g | 87% | 22.83 g | 105 |
| Egg whites 10.9 g protein · 52 kcal USDA FDC 172183 | 21.0 g | 84% | 10.9 g | 52 |
| Turkey breast, roasted 30.13 g protein · 147 kcal USDA FDC 171496 | 20.5 g | 82% | 30.13 g | 147 |
| Chicken breast, roasted 31.02 g protein · 165 kcal USDA FDC 171477 | 18.8 g | 75% | 31.02 g | 165 |
| Cottage cheese, 1% fat 12.39 g protein · 72 kcal USDA FDC 173417 | 17.2 g | 69% | 12.39 g | 72 |
| Greek yogurt, plain, low-fat 9.95 g protein · 73 kcal USDA FDC 170903 | 13.6 g | 55% | 9.95 g | 73 |
| Ground beef 90% lean, cooked 28.45 g protein · 230 kcal USDA FDC 171794 | 12.4 g | 49% | 28.45 g | 230 |
| Tofu, firm 17.27 g protein · 144 kcal USDA FDC 172475 | 12.0 g | 48% | 17.27 g | 144 |
| Salmon, cooked 22.1 g protein · 206 kcal USDA FDC 175168 | 10.7 g | 43% | 22.1 g | 206 |
| Skim milk 3.37 g protein · 34 kcal USDA FDC 171269 | 9.9 g | 40% | 3.37 g | 34 |
| Edamame 11.91 g protein · 121 kcal USDA FDC 168411 | 9.8 g | 39% | 11.91 g | 121 |
| Parmesan cheese 35.75 g protein · 392 kcal USDA FDC 170848 | 9.1 g | 36% | 35.75 g | 392 |
| Eggs, hard-boiled 12.58 g protein · 155 kcal USDA FDC 173424 | 8.1 g | 32% | 12.58 g | 155 |
| Lentils, boiled 9.02 g protein · 116 kcal USDA FDC 172421 | 7.8 g | 31% | 9.02 g | 116 |
| Black beans, boiled 8.86 g protein · 132 kcal USDA FDC 173735 | 6.7 g | 27% | 8.86 g | 132 |
| Pumpkin seeds 30.23 g protein · 559 kcal USDA FDC 170556 | 5.4 g | 22% | 30.23 g | 559 |
| Chickpeas, boiled 8.86 g protein · 164 kcal USDA FDC 173757 | 5.4 g | 22% | 8.86 g | 164 |
| Peanut butter 22.21 g protein · 598 kcal USDA FDC 172470 | 3.7 g | 15% | 22.21 g | 598 |
| Quinoa, cooked 4.4 g protein · 120 kcal USDA FDC 168917 | 3.7 g | 15% | 4.4 g | 120 |
| Almonds 21.15 g protein · 579 kcal USDA FDC 170567 | 3.7 g | 15% | 21.15 g | 579 |
| Oats, dry 13.15 g protein · 379 kcal USDA FDC 173904 | 3.5 g | 14% | 13.15 g | 379 |
| White rice, cooked 2.69 g protein · 130 kcal USDA FDC 168878 | 2.1 g | 8% | 2.69 g | 130 |
Brands and recipes vary. For a packaged food, use the numbers on its own label, or look it up with the free food barcode scanner.
FAQ
Protein per calorie questions
How do I calculate protein per calorie?
Divide the grams of protein by the calories, then multiply by 100 to get grams of protein per 100 calories. Chicken breast has 31 g of protein in 165 calories, so 31 ÷ 165 × 100 = 18.8 g of protein per 100 calories. Use the protein and calories from the same serving on the nutrition label.
How many calories are in a gram of protein?
About 4 calories. That is why the share of calories from protein is protein grams × 4 ÷ total calories. Carbs also give about 4 calories per gram and fat about 9.
What is a good protein-to-calorie ratio?
There is no official cutoff for a single food. As a rule of thumb, 10 g or more of protein per 100 calories (40% or more of calories from protein) is high. For the whole day, the National Academies' acceptable range for adults is 10 to 35% of calories from protein, so foods above that range help raise your daily share.
Does serving size change the result?
No. The ratio stays the same for any serving size, as long as the protein and calories come from the same serving. Small servings can look a little off because US labels round calories to the nearest 5 or 10 and protein to the nearest gram.
Which foods have the most protein per calorie?
In the USDA values on this page, shrimp, whey protein powder, tuna canned in water, cod, egg whites, turkey breast and chicken breast come out on top, all above 18 g of protein per 100 calories. Nuts, seeds and grains have plenty of protein by weight but much less per calorie.
Why can the protein share come out above 100%?
Labels round their numbers, and the 4-calories-per-gram rule is an average, so a very lean food can work out slightly above 100%. The calculator caps the share at 100% and shows a note when that happens. A result far above 100% usually means a typo.
Is protein density the same as protein quality?
No. Protein density is how much protein a food gives per calorie. Protein quality is about the mix of amino acids and how well your body digests them, which nutrition scientists measure with scores such as PDCAAS and DIAAS. A food can be dense but lower quality, or the other way around.
How do I track my daily protein?
Log what you eat and compare the total with a daily protein goal. ProTrack AI, a free-to-try iPhone app, tracks calories and protein against daily goals and estimates meals from a photo on your device. We also compared other options in our guide to the best protein tracker apps for iPhone.
ProTrack AI provides nutrition estimates for personal tracking and is not medical advice.