The honest protein calculator.
Most "high-protein" snacks aren't. We score every food by the % of calories that come from protein — so you can stop guessing and start hitting your target.
- Based on peer-reviewed studies (Phillips, Helms, Morton, Bauer)
- Adjusted for your goal, activity & age
- Shown as grams + as real foods
The four tiers, in the wild
How every food on this site stacks up.
38 representative foods across four categories, plotted by grams of protein per 100 calories — the volume-eating standard. Whole foods and home-cooked staples cluster on the right; most packaged snacks cluster on the left.
| Category | Food | g protein per 100 cal | Protein density | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole foods | Chicken breast (cooked, 100 g) | 18.8 | 75.2% | Platinum |
| Whole foods | Canned tuna in water, drained (1 can, 142 g) | 21.8 | 87.3% | Platinum |
| Whole foods | Top-round steak (grilled, 4 oz) | 17.9 | 71.6% | Platinum |
| Whole foods | Salmon fillet (cooked, 5 oz) | 10.5 | 42% | Platinum |
| Whole foods | Greek yogurt, plain nonfat (170 g) | 17.8 | 71.1% | Platinum |
| Whole foods | Cottage cheese, low-fat 2% (1 cup) | 13 | 51.9% | Platinum |
| Whole foods | 93/7 lean ground beef (cooked, 4 oz) | 13.6 | 54.5% | Platinum |
| Whole foods | Tofu, firm (100 g) | 11.7 | 46.9% | Platinum |
| Whole foods | Edamame, shelled (1 cup) | 9.5 | 37.9% | Gold |
| Whole foods | Lentils, cooked (1 cup) | 7.8 | 31.3% | Gold |
| Whole foods | Banza chickpea pasta, cooked (from 2 oz / 56 g dry) | 7 | 28% | Gold |
| Whole foods | Regular spaghetti, cooked (from 2 oz / 56 g dry) | 3.6 | 14.5% | Avoid |
| Whole foods | Whole-milk yogurt, plain (170 g) | 5.7 | 22.9% | Silver |
| Home-cooked plates | 2 scrambled eggs + toast | 6 | 23.8% | Silver |
| Home-cooked plates | Rice & black beans (1 cup) | 4.7 | 18.6% | Silver |
| Home-cooked plates | Pasta + marinara (2 cups) | 3.5 | 14.1% | Avoid |
| Home-cooked plates | Peanut butter sandwich | 3.4 | 13.5% | Avoid |
| Home-cooked plates | Oatmeal w/ banana | 2.6 | 10.4% | Avoid |
| Restaurant mains | McDonald's Hotcakes (no sausage) | 1.6 | 6.2% | Avoid |
| Restaurant mains | McDonald's McChicken | 3.5 | 14% | Avoid |
| Restaurant mains | McDonald's Big Mac | 4.2 | 16.9% | Silver |
| Restaurant mains | McDonald's McDouble | 5.5 | 22% | Silver |
| Restaurant mains | McDonald's Egg McMuffin | 5.5 | 21.9% | Silver |
| Restaurant mains | Starbucks Bacon & Gruyère Egg Bites | 6.3 | 25.3% | Gold |
| Restaurant mains | Tim Hortons Chili (regular) | 6.8 | 27.1% | Gold |
| Restaurant mains | Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bowl (brown rice, black beans, fajita veg, salsa, romaine) | 7.9 | 31.6% | Gold |
| Restaurant mains | Chipotle Double Chicken Salad (supergreens, fajita veg, tomato salsa, no dressing) | 15.7 | 62.9% | Platinum |
| Restaurant mains | Chipotle Chicken (single portion) | 17.8 | 71.1% | Platinum |
| Packaged snacks | Fage Total 0% Plain Greek Yogurt | 20 | 80% | Platinum |
| Packaged snacks | David Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Protein Bar | 18.7 | 74.7% | Platinum |
| Packaged snacks | Quest BBQ Tortilla Style Protein Chips | 13.6 | 54.3% | Platinum |
| Packaged snacks | Built Coconut Protein Bar | 9.4 | 37.8% | Gold |
| Packaged snacks | Magic Spoon Cocoa Cereal | 9.3 | 37.1% | Gold |
| Packaged snacks | Whisps Cheddar Cheese Crisps | 7.5 | 30% | Gold |
| Packaged snacks | ALOHA Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough | 5.8 | 23.3% | Silver |
| Packaged snacks | RXBAR Chocolate Chip Protein Bar | 5.7 | 22.9% | Silver |
| Packaged snacks | Lenny & Larry’s Chocolate Chip Complete Cookie | 3.6 | 14.5% | Avoid |
| Packaged snacks | Hippeas Cinnamon Sugar Chickpea Puffs | 3.1 | 12.3% | Avoid |
The Benchmark Tiers
Every food on this site gets scored on protein density (calories from protein ÷ total calories) and assigned to one of four tiers. The tier system reveals at a glance whether something is genuinely high-protein or just marketed that way.
Whey isolate, lean turkey, egg whites
Greek yogurt, chicken breast, most protein bars
Whole eggs, tofu, mixed nuts + jerky
"Protein-labelled" granola, peanut butter, most cereals
Want the math? Read the methodology → · Browse high protein, low calorie foods → · Look up any food in the protein in food calculator →