37 High-Protein Foods
These protein-rich foods are essential for building muscle and aiding recovery
Protein has never been more popular. It’s so popular every food producer’s cramming the stuff into their grub. Should you so desire, you can start your day with a bowl of Weetabix Protein, dine on high-protein bread or pasta, and snack on a protein-packed Bounty bar in between, washing it all down with protein-enriched water.
The reason for this popularity is protein’s vital role in building muscle. When you work out you cause small, microscopic tears in your muscles so you need protein – which is made up of amino acids, also known as the building blocks of muscle – to repair this damage and rebuild your muscles bigger and stronger.
Even if you’re not working out regularly, protein is a vital nutrient for building and maintaining body tissues, and the NHS recommends that men eat 55.5g a day. If you are very active you will want to increase that significantly, even if you focus on endurance sports rather than strength training. Endurance athletes should look to eat 1.2-1.4g per kg of bodyweight every day, while strength athletes should aim for 1.2-1.7g per kg of bodyweight daily.
Before turning to supplements or protein-enriched food to meet your protein quota, take a spin through our list of high-protein foods – there’s a good chance you can get more than enough protein through your diet. We’ve started with a complete list ranked by their protein content per 100g, then broken up the list into food groups – meat, seafood, meat replacements, eggs and dairy, and nuts, seeds and legumes. Have at it.
31 High-Protein Foods Ranked By Protein Content Per 100g
- Beef jerky 30-40g
- Parmesan 32g
- Tuna steak 32g
- Pumpkin seeds 30g
- Turkey 30g
- Peanuts 25-28g
- Edam 27g
- Canned tuna 25g
- Cheddar 25g
- Beef 20-24g
- Chicken 24g
- Salmon 24g
- Almonds 21g
- Sardines 21g
- Cod 20g
- Lamb 20g
- Mackerel 20g
- Pistachios 20g
- Tempeh 20g
- Cashew nuts 18g
- Mozzarella 18g
- Mussels 18g
- Chia seeds 17g
- Prawns 15-18g
- Quorn mince 14.5g
- Brazil nuts 14g
- Edamame beans 13g
- Eggs 13g
- Tofu 12g
- Cottage cheese 10g
- Greek yogurt 10g
- Oats 10g
- Lentils 7-9g
- Kidney beans 8g
- Chickpeas 7g
- Peas 6g
- Quinoa (cooked) 5g
Meat
Beef jerky
Protein content: 30-40g
Keep some of these dried, cured pieces of lean beef in your gym bag for a meaty hit of protein that doesn’t require firing up the grill. Different brands have different levels of protein – and make sure you check the label for added sugar and the salt content, because both can be alarmingly high.
Turkey
Protein content: 30g
A turkey supper shouldn’t just be for Christmas: the festive bird contains more protein per gram than most other meats including its greatest feathered rival – chicken.
Chicken
Protein content: 24g
The classic lean protein source. Chicken contains vast amounts of protein while being very low in fat, especially if you opt for skinless breasts.
Beef
Protein content: 20-24g
Different cuts have different levels of protein but you can rely on beef to bring in plenty of muscle fuel in whatever form you take it. Opt for leaner cuts to avoid eating too much saturated fat.
Lamb
Protein content: 20g
Those sweet little lambs you see frolicking in the fields every spring? They’re also excellent sources of protein. That’s how Mary got so hench.
Seafood
Tuna steak
Protein content: 32g
The “chicken of the sea” is rich in omega 3 fatty acids, among other valuable nutrients, as well as protein. It’s far more meaty and flavoursome than the canned version (with a price to match).
Canned tuna
Protein content: 25g
A cupboard well-stocked with tuna canned in spring water will see you through all manner of hardships. It’s packed with protein and virtually fat-free.
Salmon
Protein content: 24g
As well as plenty of protein, the pink flesh of salmon contains loads of omega 3 fatty acids that make it great for a range of things from eye health to reducing the risk of heart disease.
Sardines
Protein content: 21g
This fish is remarkably cheap if you buy the canned kind and it contains omega 3 fats as well last protein. Make sardines your new favourite toast topping.
Cod
Protein content: 20g
This fish is low in fat, but full of flavour. Naturally we’d advise avoiding battered versions due to the extra fat they contain.
Mackerel
Protein content: 20g
Both the fillet and canned versions of this oily fish are great picks for a quick and tasty protein hit. Try not to pair them with chips, though, or you’ll blow your daily salt intake out of the water.
Mussels
Protein content: 18g
Mussels – a famously popular foodstuff in Belgium. Belgium – home of “The Muscles From Brussels”, Jean-Claude van Damme. Coincidence? At 18g of protein per 100g of mussel meat, we think not.
Prawns
Protein content: 15-18g
Quick to prepare and easy to fit into a variety of recipes, prawns are a worthy addition to every shopping list, whether you opt for the finest fresh king prawns or a hefty sack of frozen small ones.
Meat Replacements
Tempeh
Protein content: 20g
Tofu is not the only soy product in town and tempeh actually outdoes its more famous cousin in terms of its protein and fibre content.
Quorn mince
Protein content: 14.5g
You can’t talk meat-free without mentioning Quorn. As well as containing a solid portion of protein, this mince alternative is high in fibre and low in fat.
Tofu
Protein content: 12g
Sure, we trash-talked tofu when bigging up tempeh, but it’s also a good source of protein. Tofu is also far more widely available than tempeh.
Eggs And Dairy
Parmesan
Protein content: 32g
No-one’s saying that eating 100g of parmesan in one sitting is a smart idea, but if you did the protein content would be a big upside.
Edam
Protein content: 27g
Take a tip from the Dutch next time you hit the cheese counter for a tasty treat that’s high in protein. Just make sure you also embrace the Dutch love of cycling too, so you work off the high amounts of saturated fat.
Cheddar
Protein content: 25g
Britain’s favourite cheese brings plenty of protein to the table. That includes the lower-fat versions, if you’re trying to keep your saturated fat intake down.
Mozzarella
Protein content: 18g
One way to look at this is to shriek with joy and assume that pizza is now on the protein-packed menu. Another way, and let’s be honest a better way, is to slice some mozzarella onto a salad rich with greens to up its protein tally.
Eggs
Protein content: 13g
One of the finest ways to up your protein intake at breakfast time, a couple of medium eggs will easily net you over 10g of the stuff.
Cottage cheese
Protein content: 10g
You can get versions of cottage cheese with added protein nowadays, but even the standard stuff contains a good portion. Compared with other cheese it’s also relatively low in fat and salt.
Greek yogurt
Protein content: 10g
As well as protein, Greek (not Greek style) yogurt is packed full of healthy bacteria and enzymes that will do wonders for your digestive health.
Nuts, Seeds, Legumes And Grains
Pumpkin Seeds
Protein content: 30g
Ever wondered why pumpkins look so swole? It’s because they’re full of pumpkin seeds and you should be too, because along with their impressive protein content, pumpkin seeds offer other nutritional riches in the shape of magnificent magnesium and zincy zinc.
Peanuts
Protein content: 25-28g
The underground legume is a fabulous source of protein, and if you steer clear of the roasted and salted varieties, it’s a fairly healthy snack. In peanut butter form you’ll get around 4g of protein per tablespoon.
Almonds
Protein content: 21g
Along with their high protein content, almonds are also high in fibre and a great source of vitamin E, which is needed to maintain healthy skin and eyes.
Pistachios
Protein content: 20g
Find a friend because this is a prime fist-bump opportunity. Perhaps the tastiest nuts of all are plump with protein. Sure, they’re also pretty fatty and if you opt for the roasted and salted versions, salty as heck, but still, pistachios are on the list.
Cashew nuts
Protein content: 18g
Any open packet of mixed nuts is quickly picked clean of all the cashews. Is that because they are the tastiest of nuts or because they’re high in protein? It’s probably the taste thing, but they’re protein-rich too.
Chia seeds
Protein content: 17g
The most in-vogue seed around is chock-full of fibre and protein, and most of the fat it contains is of the “good” unsaturated variety.
Brazil nuts
Protein content: 14g
Fun fact: brazil nut trees can grow to 50m in height and live for up to 1,000 years. They can be so tall that when the fruit ripens and drops it reaches speeds of up to 80km/h on the the way to the ground. Still thinking about protein? The nuts contain protein.
Edamame beans
Protein content: 13g
These tasty beans can be bought frozen to consume at your convenience and add a shot of fibre, vitamins and minerals to your diet alongside the protein. If you find them a tad bland try livening them up with fresh lemon juice, smoked paprika and a pinch of salt.
Oats
Protein content: 10g
You can get souped-up versions of oats that have even more protein crammed into them, but the bog-standard supermarket own-brand versions aren’t light on the stuff. No breakfast is complete without them.
Lentils
Protein content: 7-9g
Whatever your favourite type of lentil is, you can be sure it’s adding some extra protein to your plate. Use them to thicken meaty stews and bulk up salads.
Chickpeas
Protein content: 7g
One of the earliest cultivated legumes – dating back 7,500 years in the Middle East – chickpeas are particularly rich in folate, a B vitamin that helps to support and maintain a healthy nervous system. Blend with lemon, fresh garlic and tahini for an easy and delicious homemade hummus.
Kidney beans
Protein content: 8g
A 120g serving (half a regular can) provides an impressive 7.4g of fibre, which plays a key role in healthy digestive function, as well as 8.3g of protein. Don’t confine these tasty beans to chilli con carne – they’re great in curries, stews and salads too.
Peas
Protein content: 6g
It may seem the most basic, bland, at-least-the-children’ll-eat-them legume there is, but a few spoonfuls of peas adds a useful amount of protein to your plate.
Quinoa
Protein content: 5g (cooked)
Quinoa’s protein stats look more impressive when you look at its uncooked numbers, but at 5g for 100g – not a mad amount of quinoa, compared with chomping down 100g of parmesan for example – it’s a good way to get some extra protein on your plate, especially if you’re not a meat-eater.
