The ten everyday foods with the most protein per 100 grams in USDA FoodData Central's SR Legacy data - led by dry-roasted soybeans at 43.32 g.
Among everyday foods in USDA FoodData Central's SR Legacy data, Roasted Soybeans (soy nuts) have the most protein: 43.32 g per 100 g. Bacon (39.01 g) and Parmesan Cheese (37.86 g) follow. Foods are counted as eaten, each food once; protein powders, isolates, gluten, gelatin, supplements and dried fish are excluded.
This list ranks everyday foods by protein per 100 grams, using only one USDA data system: the SR Legacy foods in FoodData Central. 'Everyday' is defined by written rules, set out in the methodology, that anyone can check against the database. Every figure links to the FoodData Central entry it came from. Cooked meats rank on their cooked weight, which is higher in protein per 100 g than raw meat because cooking removes water. A value per 100 g says nothing about how much a typical portion supplies. This page reports what the official data says; it is not dietary advice.
Dry-roasted mature soybeans (soy nuts) are listed at 43.32 g of protein per 100 g in USDA FoodData Central - the highest of any everyday food under this list's rules.
Cooked bacon is listed at 39.01 g of protein per 100 g (microwaved entry); cooking removes much of its water and fat, which concentrates the protein.
Shredded parmesan is listed at 37.86 g of protein per 100 g; the hard-block entry is 35.75 g and the grated entry 28.42 g.
Braised lean veal leg (top round) is listed at 36.71 g of protein per 100 g, the highest of the veal entries.
Braised lean top round, choice grade, is listed at 36.12 g of protein per 100 g, the highest of the qualifying beef entries.
Braised lean lamb shoulder (arm), choice grade, is listed at 35.54 g of protein per 100 g.
Skinless chicken breast meat, fried, is listed at 33.44 g of protein per 100 g; the roasted entry is 31.02 g.
Romano, a hard grating cheese, is listed at 31.8 g of protein per 100 g.
Pan-broiled 96% lean ground pork is listed at 31.69 g of protein per 100 g, the highest of the qualifying fresh-pork entries.
Hulled hemp seeds (hemp hearts) are listed at 31.56 g of protein per 100 g, the highest nut or seed under this list's rules; dried pumpkin seed kernels follow at 30.23 g.
| # | Name | food_category | fdc_description | fdc_id |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Roasted Soybeans (soy nuts) | Legumes | Soybeans, mature seeds, dry roasted | 172441 |
| 2 | Bacon | Cured pork | Pork, cured, bacon, cooked, microwaved | 168321 |
| 3 | Parmesan Cheese | Cheese | Cheese, parmesan, shredded | 173431 |
| 4 | Veal | Veal | Veal, leg (top round), separable lean only, cooked, braised | 175270 |
| 5 | Beef | Beef | Beef, round, top round, separable lean only, trimmed to 0" fat, choice, cooked, braised | 170235 |
| 6 | Lamb | Lamb | Lamb, domestic, shoulder, arm, separable lean only, trimmed to 1/4" fat, choice, cooked, braised | 174331 |
| 7 | Chicken Breast | Poultry | Chicken, broilers or fryers, breast, meat only, cooked, fried | 171078 |
| 8 | Romano Cheese | Cheese | Cheese, romano | 171249 |
| 9 | Pork (lean ground) | Pork | Pork, ground, 96% lean / 4% fat, cooked, pan-broiled | 168375 |
| 10 | Hemp Seeds (hulled) | Seeds | Seeds, hemp seed, hulled | 170148 |
Foods are ranked by protein (g per 100 g) as published in USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy data type (the final release of the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference). No other database is mixed in. 'Everyday' is defined mechanically: Every candidate is an SR Legacy entry and every rule below was applied to the full SR Legacy food list, not a shortlist. (1) Food groups: only Dairy and Egg; Poultry; Pork; Beef; Lamb and Veal; Finfish and Shellfish; Legumes; Nuts and Seeds; Vegetables; Fruits; Cereal Grains and Pasta; and, from Sweets, chocolate. Spices and herbs, breakfast cereals, baked goods, snacks, beverages, sausages and luncheon meats, sauces and soups, mixed dishes, fast and restaurant foods, baby foods and the regional American Indian/Alaska Native group are out. (2) As eaten: meat, poultry, fish and shellfish only from cooked entries; legumes only cooked, roasted or fermented (no raw or dry uncooked entries; tofu as sold); grains only cooked; nuts, seeds, fruit, vegetables and cheese as sold. (3) Out: organ meats other than liver (spleen, lungs, kidneys, heart, giblets, brain, tongue, pancreas, thymus, tripe); game meats and game birds (FDC 'Game meat' entries, emu, ostrich, pheasant, quail, squab); imported-product entries (New Zealand, Australian); brand-named entries; fortified or enriched foods; reduced-fat, fat-free, low-sodium and 'added solution' variants; powders, flours, meals, protein isolates and concentrates, vital wheat gluten, gelatin, dry milk and supplements; dried, sun-dried, freeze-dried or dehydrated foods other than nuts and seeds, including dried salted fish; breaded or battered and canned entries; brans and germ; nut and seed butters and pastes; fresh herbs, fungi and seaweeds; food parts sold separately (e.g. potato skins); caviar and roe; formulated or meatless products; cottonseed (not a retail food); and entries FDC labels 'mixed species' or 'unspecified', which do not identify a specific product. (4) Each food once: entries that differ only by cut, grade, trim, cooking method, salt, cacao percentage, wild versus farmed, or variety are one food, represented by its highest-valued qualifying entry. Fresh meats are grouped by FDC's leading name (Beef, Veal, Lamb, Pork, Chicken, Turkey), with liver, bacon and ham counted as separate foods. Values are shown exactly as published.
Under this list's rules, dry-roasted soybeans (soy nuts): 43.32 g per 100 g in USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy, FDC 172441).
They are higher by weight - SR Legacy lists soy protein isolate at 88.32 g, unsweetened dry gelatin at 85.6 g, dried egg white at 81.1 g and vital wheat gluten at 75.16 g of protein per 100 g - but this list excludes isolates, concentrates, powders, gluten, gelatin and supplements.
Lean cooked meats are mostly protein and water, so once cooked they land in a narrow band: veal 36.71 g, beef 36.12 g, lamb 35.54 g, chicken breast 33.44 g and lean ground pork 31.69 g per 100 g in the highest qualifying SR Legacy entries.
Below the top ten. In SR Legacy, bluefin tuna cooked with dry heat is listed at 29.91 g of protein per 100 g, and raw whole fresh egg at 12.56 g; dried pumpkin seed kernels, just outside the top ten, are 30.23 g.
The U.S. Recommended Dietary Allowance set by the National Academies is 0.8 g of protein per kilogram of body weight per day for adults. This page does not give dietary advice.
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