Food Protein Calculator

Count the protein in chicken, eggs, fish, dairy, beans and other foods by serving, grams or ounces, and compare the total with your daily target.

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Food protein in short
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How to use the food protein calculator

1

Pick a food

Choose from 29 common foods, from chicken, fish and eggs to dairy, beans, tofu and grains. Pick Other food to enter one from a nutrition label.

2

Enter the amount

Type the number of servings, or switch the unit to grams or ounces if you weighed it. The serving size for each food is shown in the result.

3

Add more foods

Use up to four rows to count a whole meal. Leave a row on No food to skip it.

4

Compare with your target

Open Compare with a daily target and enter your goal in grams to see the share covered and how much is left.

How much protein is in chicken?

Chicken breast is one of the most protein-dense everyday foods. The amount depends on whether you weigh it raw or cooked, because cooking drives out water while the protein stays.

Protein in chicken

USDA values for skinless chicken.

  • Cooked chicken breast, 100 g (3.5 oz) about 31 g
  • Cooked chicken breast, 3 oz (85 g) about 26 g
  • Cooked chicken breast, 6 oz (170 g) about 53 g
  • Cooked chicken breast, 1 cup diced (140 g) about 43 g
  • Raw chicken breast, 100 g about 22.5 g
  • Raw chicken breast, 4 oz (113 g) about 25.5 g
  • Cooked chicken thigh, 3 oz (85 g) about 21 g

If you weigh chicken raw, pick the raw option. 4 oz of raw breast cooks down to roughly 3 oz, which is why both have similar protein.

Protein in common foods

Meat, fish and seafood

Protein per serving, from USDA data.

  • Turkey breast, roasted, 3 oz about 25.6 g
  • Beef sirloin steak, cooked, 3 oz about 24.7 g
  • Pork loin, roasted, 3 oz about 22.5 g
  • Ground beef 85% lean, cooked, 3 oz about 20.9 g
  • Shrimp, cooked, 3 oz about 20.4 g
  • Salmon (farmed), cooked, 3 oz about 18.8 g
  • Tuna in water, drained, 1 can (165 g) about 42.1 g

Eggs and dairy

Protein per serving, from USDA data.

  • Cottage cheese 2%, 1 cup about 23.6 g
  • Greek yogurt, plain nonfat, 170 g container about 17.3 g
  • Milk 2%, 1 cup about 8.1 g
  • Cheddar cheese, 1 oz about 6.5 g
  • Egg, 1 large hard-boiled about 6.3 g
  • Egg white, 1 large about 3.6 g

Plant foods and grains

Protein per serving, from USDA data.

  • Tempeh, 1 cup about 33.7 g
  • Tofu, firm, ½ cup about 21.8 g
  • Edamame, cooked, 1 cup about 18.5 g
  • Lentils, cooked, 1 cup about 17.9 g
  • Black beans, cooked, 1 cup about 15.2 g
  • Chickpeas, cooked, 1 cup about 14.5 g
  • Quinoa, cooked, 1 cup about 8.1 g
  • Pasta, cooked, 1 cup about 7.2 g
  • Peanut butter, 2 tbsp about 7.1 g
  • Almonds, 1 oz about 6.0 g
  • Oats, dry, ½ cup about 5.3 g
  • White rice, cooked, 1 cup about 4.3 g
  • Whole-wheat bread, 1 slice about 4.0 g

Brands and recipes vary, so check the label when you have it.

How the calculator works

Food protein formula

Grams of food = servings × serving size in grams, or ounces × 28.35

Protein (g) = grams of food × protein per 100 g ÷ 100

Calories from protein = protein (g) × 4

For a food from a label, protein per 100 g = protein per serving ÷ serving size in grams × 100.

Worked example: a day of meals

Two 3 oz servings of cooked chicken breast, two hard-boiled eggs and one 170 g container of Greek yogurt.

  • Chicken, 170 g × 31.02 ÷ 100 52.7 g
  • Eggs, 100 g × 12.58 ÷ 100 12.6 g
  • Greek yogurt, 170 g × 10.19 ÷ 100 17.3 g
  • Total protein 82.6 g
  • Share of a 120 g daily target 69%

That leaves about 37 g to go, roughly one more chicken serving plus a glass of milk.

Raw or cooked weight?

Meat and fish lose water when cooked, so the same piece weighs less afterward but keeps nearly all of its protein. That is why cooked chicken breast shows about 31 g per 100 g and raw shows about 22.5 g. Grains and beans do the opposite: they soak up water, so a cup of cooked rice or lentils has far less protein per gram than the dry food. Always match the state you weighed with the food you pick.

Where a food protein calculator helps

Hitting a protein goal

See how close a meal or a whole day gets you to your target.

Meal prep

Plan portions of chicken, fish or tofu for the week.

Plant-based eating

Compare beans, lentils, tofu and tempeh at a glance.

Reading labels

Turn any label into protein per 100 g with the Other food option.

Related tools

Not sure how much protein you need? Use the protein intake calculator to find a daily target for your weight and goal, then come back here to count it. The macro calculator and calorie calculator help plan the rest of your diet. This is general information, not dietary advice.

Food protein calculator FAQ

About 31 g when cooked (roasted, skinless) and about 22.5 g when raw, according to USDA data.

About 25.5 g if you weigh it raw, or about 35 g if 4 oz is the cooked weight.

A large hard-boiled egg has about 6.3 g of protein. The white alone has about 3.6 g.

Either works, as long as you pick the matching food. Meat loses water when cooked, so cooked weights show more protein per gram than raw weights.

Choose Other food and enter its protein per 100 g. From a label, divide the protein per serving by the serving size in grams and multiply by 100.

From the USDA FoodData Central database (SR Legacy), using the protein per 100 g of each food as described. Brands and recipes can differ a little.

A healthy adult needs at least 0.8 g per kg of body weight. Active people often need more. Use the protein intake calculator for a target that fits your weight and goal.

Sources and further reading

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Estimates, not advice

PureCalculate’s calculators give estimates for planning and education. They aren’t financial, tax or legal advice. Fees and tax rules change, so check the official source before making a decision. Spotted a mistake? Please tell us through the contact page.

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