Which food has the most protein per calorie?

Lean white fish and shellfish top the per-100 kcal ranking (cod ~24 g); among plants, watercress leads near 21 g. Protein isolates top the per-100 g ranking. Both columns are shown in the chart.

Protein Per Calorie

Which foods deliver the most protein for the calories they cost? Ranked per 100 kcal — the density lens. Lean white fish and shellfish own the top of this table; watercress edges out chicken thigh from the plant side. The per-100 g column sits beside it, so neither lens can cheat.

Food	Protein / 100 kcal	Protein / 100 g	kcal / 100 g
Cod (cooked)	24.3 g	20.4 g	84
Shrimp (cooked)	24.2 g	24.0 g	99
Canned tuna (in water)	22.0 g	25.5 g	116
Crab (cooked)	21.5 g	17.9 g	83
Lobster (cooked)	21.3 g	19.0 g	89
Egg white	21.0 g	10.9 g	52
Turkey breast (roasted)	20.5 g	30.1 g	147
Tilapia (cooked)	20.4 g	26.1 g	128
Halibut (cooked)	20.3 g	22.5 g	111
Whey protein (dry)	20.3 g	78.0 g	385
Spirulina (dried)	19.8 g	57.5 g	290
Chicken breast (roasted)	18.8 g	31.0 g	165
Scallops (cooked)	18.5 g	20.5 g	111
Seitan	17.7 g	25.0 g	141
Flounder (cooked)	17.7 g	15.2 g	86
Alfalfa sprouts (raw)	17.3 g	4.0 g	23
Clams (cooked)	17.3 g	25.6 g	148
Cottage cheese (low-fat)	17.2 g	12.4 g	72
Greek yogurt (nonfat)	16.9 g	10.3 g	61
Skyr (plain)	16.7 g	10.5 g	63
Smoked salmon	15.6 g	18.3 g	117
Soy sauce	15.4 g	8.1 g	53
Grilled chicken salad (fast food)	15.2 g	14.0 g	92
Lamb loin (cooked)	14.7 g	29.3 g	199
Ham (lean, roasted)	14.4 g	20.9 g	145
Trout (cooked)	14.2 g	23.8 g	168
Mushrooms (white, raw)	14.0 g	3.1 g	22
Mussels (cooked)	13.8 g	23.8 g	172
Chicken thigh (roasted)	13.8 g	24.8 g	179
Pork chop (cooked)	13.6 g	26.6 g	196

Common questions

Watercress really outperforms chicken per calorie?

Per calorie, almost: watercress lands near 21 g of protein per 100 kcal — above chicken thigh (~14) and close to chicken breast (~19), because it's nearly calorie-free. You'd have to eat 1.3 kg of it. Lean cod (~24 g per 100 kcal) still wins outright — that's why both columns are shown: density and practicality are different questions.

Which lens should I use?

Calorie-limited or GLP-1 appetite? Per 100 kcal. Building muscle with a real plate? Per 100 g and the 30 g portion chart.

Method

Protein ÷ kcal × 100, USDA FoodData Central values, foods with at least 15 kcal and 2 g protein per 100 g. Same dataset as every table on this site.

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