Highest Protein Jerky (2026)

Jerky is often the most protein-dense snack format on the shelf — most picks are 50%+ Platinum tier. The differences come down to sodium, sugar, and price per protein gram.

10 products tracked · sorted by Protein Density (% of calories from protein)

HIGHEST PROTEIN JERKY · TOP 8 OF 10

Ranked by Protein Density

Percent of calories from protein. Secondary column is grams of protein per serving.

Top 8 of 10
PLATINUM · 40%+
GOLD · 25–39%
SILVER · 15–24%
AVOID · under 15%
The same data, as a table
Filters10/10
Showing 10 / 10

Tiers are set by % of calories from protein

QualityServing
Original Beef Jerky
Country Archer
60%12g8015g0.81gComplete28g
Sweet BBQ Beef Jerky
Country Archer
60%12g8015g0.81gComplete28g
Old Fashioned Beef Jerky
Old Trapper
55%11g8013.8g0.81gComplete28g
Original Beef Jerky
Chomps
51.4%9g7012.9g0.81gComplete28g
Original Turkey Stick
Chomps
51.4%9g7012.9g0.72gComplete28g
Chipotle Beef Jerky
Krave
45%9g8011.3g0.81gComplete28g
Sweet Chipotle Beef Jerky
Krave
45%9g8011.3g0.81gComplete28g
Italian Style Beef Stick
Chomps
40%9g9010g0.81gComplete28g
Jalapeno Beef Stick
Chomps
40%9g9010g0.81gComplete28g
Beef Bison Bacon Cranberry Bar
EPIC
36.7%11g1209.2g0.88gComplete43g

Visualize the highest protein jerky

The same data, charted — see efficiency at a glance.

Highest protein jerky

Top 10 by protein / 100 cal.

1. Country A…1512g protein · 80 kcal2. Country A…1512g protein · 80 kcal3. Old Trapp…13.811g protein · 80 kcal4. Chomps Or…12.99g protein · 70 kcal5. Chomps Or…12.99g protein · 70 kcal6. Krave Chi…11.39g protein · 80 kcal7. Krave Swe…11.39g protein · 80 kcal8. Chomps It…109g protein · 90 kcal9. Chomps Ja…109g protein · 90 kcal10. EPIC Bee…9.211g protein · 120 kcal

Bars colored by Protein Density (% of calories from protein) tier. Values in g/100cal.

  1. Country Archer Original Beef Jerky: 15 g/100cal (platinum tier), 12g protein, 80 kcal
  2. Country Archer Sweet BBQ Beef Jerky: 15 g/100cal (platinum tier), 12g protein, 80 kcal
  3. Old Trapper Old Fashioned Beef Jerky: 13.8 g/100cal (platinum tier), 11g protein, 80 kcal
  4. Chomps Original Beef Jerky: 12.9 g/100cal (platinum tier), 9g protein, 70 kcal
  5. Chomps Original Turkey Stick: 12.9 g/100cal (platinum tier), 9g protein, 70 kcal
  6. Krave Chipotle Beef Jerky: 11.3 g/100cal (platinum tier), 9g protein, 80 kcal
  7. Krave Sweet Chipotle Beef Jerky: 11.3 g/100cal (platinum tier), 9g protein, 80 kcal
  8. Chomps Italian Style Beef Stick: 10 g/100cal (platinum tier), 9g protein, 90 kcal
  9. Chomps Jalapeno Beef Stick: 10 g/100cal (platinum tier), 9g protein, 90 kcal
  10. EPIC Beef Bison Bacon Cranberry Bar: 9.2 g/100cal (gold tier), 11g protein, 120 kcal
Highest protein jerky

Calories per serving vs. protein per 100 cal. Up-and-left is more efficient. Labels show the top performers directly; tap or focus a dot for brand and exact numbers.

PlatinumGoldSilverAvoid050100150200Calories per serving3.756.2510Protein g per 100 calOriginal Beef…Sweet BBQ Bee…Old Fashioned…Original Beef…Original Turk…Chipotle Beef…Sweet Chipotl…Italian Style…Jalapeno Beef…Beef Bison Ba…
Highest protein jerky: calories per serving and protein per 100 calories
FoodCaloriesProtein g per 100 calProtein (g)Tier
Country Archer Original Beef Jerky801512platinum
Country Archer Sweet BBQ Beef Jerky801512platinum
Old Trapper Old Fashioned Beef Jerky8013.811platinum
Chomps Original Beef Jerky7012.99platinum
Chomps Original Turkey Stick7012.99platinum
Krave Chipotle Beef Jerky8011.39platinum
Krave Sweet Chipotle Beef Jerky8011.39platinum
Chomps Italian Style Beef Stick90109platinum
Chomps Jalapeno Beef Stick90109platinum
EPIC Beef Bison Bacon Cranberry Bar1209.211gold
Static image of this chart (for sharing)
Bar chart: top 10 Highest protein jerky foods ranked by Protein / 100 cal. 1. Country Archer Original Beef Jerky, 15 g/100cal, 12g protein, 80 kcal. 2. Country Archer Sweet BBQ Beef Jerky, 15 g/100cal, 12g protein, 80 kcal. 3. Old Trapper Old Fashioned Beef Jerky, 13.8 g/100cal, 11g protein, 80 kcal. 4. Chomps Original Beef Jerky, 12.9 g/100cal, 9g protein, 70 kcal. 5. Chomps Original Turkey Stick, 12.9 g/100cal, 9g protein, 70 kcal. Full ranking in the adjacent list.
Bar chart: top 10 Highest protein jerky foods ranked by Protein / 100 cal. 1. Country Archer Original Beef Jerky, 15 g/100cal, 12g protein, 80 kcal. 2. Country Archer Sweet BBQ Beef Jerky, 15 g/100cal, 12g protein, 80 kcal. 3. Old Trapper Old Fashioned Beef Jerky, 13.8 g/100cal, 11g protein, 80 kcal. 4. Chomps Original Beef Jerky, 12.9 g/100cal, 9g protein, 70 kcal. 5. Chomps Original Turkey Stick, 12.9 g/100cal, 9g protein, 70 kcal. Full ranking in the adjacent list.

How highest protein jerky compares to every other category

Same Protein Density scoring, every category on one chart — some categories cluster at Platinum/Gold, others cluster at Silver/Avoid with zero Platinum picks.

Stacked bar matrix: Protein Density (% of calories from protein) tier distribution across 11 snack categories, best to worst by share at Gold tier or better. Highest protein yogurt: 10 Platinum, 0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Avoid, of 10 tracked. Highest protein jerky: 9 Platinum, 1 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Avoid, of 10 tracked. Highest protein cheese: 6 Platinum, 4 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Avoid, of 10 tracked. Highest protein pasta: 3 Platinum, 7 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Avoid, of 10 tracked. Highest protein cereal: 3 Platinum, 6 Gold, 1 Silver, 0 Avoid, of 10 tracked. Highest protein bars: 7 Platinum, 2 Gold, 2 Silver, 0 Avoid, of 11 tracked. Highest protein chips: 4 Platinum, 4 Gold, 0 Silver, 2 Avoid, of 10 tracked. Highest protein oatmeal: 0 Platinum, 8 Gold, 2 Silver, 0 Avoid, of 10 tracked. Highest protein ice cream: 0 Platinum, 4 Gold, 5 Silver, 1 Avoid, of 10 tracked. Highest protein cookies: 0 Platinum, 2 Gold, 4 Silver, 4 Avoid, of 10 tracked. Highest protein granola: 0 Platinum, 0 Gold, 6 Silver, 4 Avoid, of 10 tracked.
Stacked bar matrix: Protein Density (% of calories from protein) tier distribution across 11 snack categories, best to worst by share at Gold tier or better. Highest protein yogurt: 10 Platinum, 0 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Avoid, of 10 tracked. Highest protein jerky: 9 Platinum, 1 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Avoid, of 10 tracked. Highest protein cheese: 6 Platinum, 4 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Avoid, of 10 tracked. Highest protein pasta: 3 Platinum, 7 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Avoid, of 10 tracked. Highest protein cereal: 3 Platinum, 6 Gold, 1 Silver, 0 Avoid, of 10 tracked. Highest protein bars: 7 Platinum, 2 Gold, 2 Silver, 0 Avoid, of 11 tracked. Highest protein chips: 4 Platinum, 4 Gold, 0 Silver, 2 Avoid, of 10 tracked. Highest protein oatmeal: 0 Platinum, 8 Gold, 2 Silver, 0 Avoid, of 10 tracked. Highest protein ice cream: 0 Platinum, 4 Gold, 5 Silver, 1 Avoid, of 10 tracked. Highest protein cookies: 0 Platinum, 2 Gold, 4 Silver, 4 Avoid, of 10 tracked. Highest protein granola: 0 Platinum, 0 Gold, 6 Silver, 4 Avoid, of 10 tracked.

High Protein Density doesn't mean low sodium

Even our top-ranked picks vary a lot on sodium — an axis Protein Density doesn't score.

Bar chart: 10 items ranked by sodium content in milligrams. Old Trapper Old Fashioned Beef Jerky has the most sodium at 620mg and is also the highest-sodium item across all 111 products this site tracks, despite being platinum tier on Protein Density (% of calories from protein) at 55% — 11g protein in 80 kcal.
Bar chart: 10 items ranked by sodium content in milligrams. Old Trapper Old Fashioned Beef Jerky has the most sodium at 620mg and is also the highest-sodium item across all 111 products this site tracks, despite being platinum tier on Protein Density (% of calories from protein) at 55% — 11g protein in 80 kcal.

Browse other categories

Same Protein Density scoring, different snack types.

Going beyond snacks

Jerky protein: common questions

Which jerky has the most protein?

Country Archer Original Beef Jerky leads: 12 g of protein in 80 kcal (a 28 g serving) — 60% Protein Density, Platinum tier. Runners-up: Country Archer Sweet BBQ Beef Jerky (60%, 12 g) and Old Trapper Old Fashioned Beef Jerky (55%, 11 g).

How much protein is in jerky?

Protein ranges from 9 g to 12 g per serving across the 10 products we track (calories run 70-120 kcal); a typical serving lands around 9 g.

Is jerky a good source of protein?

Yes — every one of the 10 jerky products we track reaches Gold tier or better (at least 25% of calories from protein); 9 of them go further, to Platinum tier (40%+).

What beef jerky has the most protein?

Country Archer Original Beef Jerky leads: 12 g of protein in 80 kcal (a 28 g serving) — 60% Protein Density, Platinum tier. Runners-up: Country Archer Sweet BBQ Beef Jerky (60%, 12 g) and Old Trapper Old Fashioned Beef Jerky (55%, 11 g).

Nutrition data sourced from USDA FoodData Central and Open Food Facts. Tier rankings calculated by Protein Density (% of calories from protein). See methodology for the math.
Powered by ProteinBenchmark — free protein calculators & nutrition database