Nutrition guide
High Protein Foods
Protein provides the amino acids used to build and maintain muscle, skin, enzymes, and hormones. The widely used adult reference intake is 0.8 g per kg of body weight per day, with higher needs for active individuals and older adults. Ranking foods by protein per 100g favors lean meats, fish, legumes, seeds, and dairy — because the ranking uses measured USDA values rather than brand claims, dry legumes and seeds rank alongside meat.
Adult reference intake: 0.8 g/kg body weight/day (general guidance).
What counts as “high”?
There is no official threshold that makes a food "high protein". Practical context: a 70 kg adult's reference intake is about 56 g/day, so a food delivering 15 g+ per 100g contributes a meaningful share per serving. This page ranks by measured content only — how much you absorb and use depends on the rest of your diet.
Top 10 by protein per 100g
See the full ranking of all 30 foods →
Common questions
Which foods are highest in protein per 100g?
In the FoodDataHub database, the top of the ranking is dominated by seeds, dry legumes, and lean meats. See the live ranking for exact values — it is recomputed from USDA data, so the order is data, not opinion.
Is plant protein as good as animal protein?
Most plant proteins are lower in one or more essential amino acids, which is why varied plant sources are often combined. The per-100g ranking shows content only; it does not score amino acid completeness.
Why do dry lentils rank above chicken?
Rankings are per 100g of the food as recorded by USDA. Dry lentils are ~24 g protein per 100g dry weight, while cooked they are mostly water. Always check the state (raw, dry, cooked) on each ingredient page.
All values from USDA FoodData Central per 100g edible portion. Rankings reflect measured content, not typical serving sizes or absorption differences.