20 High-Protein Low-Calorie Foods to Lose Weight

The yardstick for high protein low calorie foods is protein per 100 calories: grams of protein divided by calories, times 100. Shrimp is 20 ÷ 84 × 100 = 23.8. Black beans are 15 ÷ 227 × 100 = 6.6. Above 15 is a lean protein. Under 10 means the protein comes with something else, usually carbs and fiber.

Why protein at all? A 2012 meta-analysis pooled 24 trials and 1,063 adults eating the same calories with more or less protein, for about 12 weeks. The higher-protein groups lost about 0.8 kg (1.7 lb) more and kept about 0.4 kg (1 lb) more lean mass. Real, and modest. A 2015 review found longer trials less consistent, mostly because people stopped following the diet.

So protein makes a deficit easier to hold. It doesn't replace one. If portions are where your week slips, our weight loss meal plan is portion- and calorie-controlled, from $89.95 for 10 meals. With kidney disease or a GLP-1 medication, talk with your doctor or a registered dietitian before raising protein.

These are the low calorie high protein foods most of us already cook. All four land at 22 to 26 grams of protein per 3 cooked ounces. For muscle versus fat-loss goals, see our guide to protein sources for losing fat.

1. Chicken breast

Most versatile · 26g protein · 140 calories (3 oz, roasted)

Roasted, skinless chicken breast works out to 18.6 grams of protein per 100 calories. It takes any seasoning and reheats well, which is why it anchors so much meal prep. Bake a tray at once and slice it thin: thin slices spread 3 ounces across a wrap or a salad so it doesn't look like a diet plate. Watch for: skin, breading and sauce, which add calories without adding protein.

2. Turkey breast

Leanest poultry · 26g protein · 125 calories (3 oz, roasted)

Turkey edges out chicken at 20.8 grams per 100 calories. Roast a breast on Sunday and slice it for salads all week. Watch for: deli turkey. Roasted breast has about 84mg of sodium per 3 ounces, and sliced deli versions vary a lot by brand, so check the label.

3. Pork tenderloin

Leanest pork cut · 22g protein · 122 calories (3 oz, roasted)

Tenderloin lands at 18.0 grams per 100 calories, nearly level with chicken. Watch for: "added solution" on the label, a salty marinade with less protein per ounce in USDA's data.

4. Extra-lean ground beef

Leanest beef · 22g protein · 148 calories (3 oz, 95% lean)

At 95% lean, ground beef gives 14.9 grams per 100 calories, the lowest in this group and still lean.

Watch for: the lean percentage. At 85% lean, the same 3 ounces has about 213 calories for the same 22 grams.

Every pick here gives you 17 to 22 grams of protein for under 110 calories per 3 cooked ounces. Most high protein low calorie recipes built on seafood use one move: cook it simply with lemon, garlic or a spice rub, and keep the added fat low.

5. Shrimp

Leanest pick · 20g protein · 84 calories (3 oz, cooked)

Shrimp tops the whole list at 23.8 grams per 100 calories. Thaw a frozen bag under cold water and it cooks in a few minutes. Watch for: the pan. Shrimp is so lean that butter or a creamy sauce can outweigh it on calories.

6. Cod

Mildest flavor · 19g protein · 89 calories (3 oz, cooked)

Cod gives 21.3 grams per 100 calories, mild enough for fish skeptics. Watch for: overcooking. Pull it when it flakes.

7. Canned tuna

No cooking · 22g protein · 99 calories (3 oz, light in water)

Light tuna in water runs 22.2 grams per 100 calories and needs no cooking. One drained can, about 165 grams in USDA's data, holds about 42 grams of protein for 191 calories, which is two lunches. Watch for: mayo, which can add more calories than the tuna. Use mustard or Greek yogurt instead. Our USDA entry is no-salt-added, so regular cans carry more sodium.

8. Tilapia

Weeknight fish · 22g protein · 109 calories (3 oz, cooked)

Tilapia lands at 20.2 grams per 100 calories and cooks fast in a hot pan. Watch for: breaded fillets. Buy plain.

9. Scallops

Watch the sodium · 17g protein · 94 calories (3 oz, steamed)

Scallops give 18.1 grams per 100 calories. Sear them until both sides brown.

Watch for: sodium. USDA lists about 567mg per 3 ounces, roughly six times the sodium of the same amount of shrimp. If salt is the number you track, this is the seafood to eat less often.

This group is where a high protein low calorie breakfast comes from, with almost no work.

10. Egg whites

Lowest calorie · 11g protein · 51 calories (3 large whites)

Egg whites run 21.6 grams per 100 calories. A cup of liquid whites gets you about 26 grams for 126 calories. A whole large egg, by comparison, is about 9 grams per 100 calories, because the yolk carries nearly all the fat. Scramble the whites with spinach until firm. Watch for: a thin plate. Add toast or fruit, or keep one whole egg in the pan.

11. Nonfat Greek yogurt

Easiest breakfast · 17g protein · 100 calories (170 g cup, plain)

Plain nonfat Greek yogurt is an even 17.0 grams per 100 calories. Watch for: flavored cups. Buy plain, add your own fruit.

12. Low-fat cottage cheese

Sweet or savory · 14g protein · 81 calories (1/2 cup, 1%)

Cottage cheese gives 17.3 grams per 100 calories. Eat it with pineapple, or with tomatoes and black pepper. Watch for: sodium, about 459mg per half cup.

13. Skyr

Thickest texture · 19g protein · 105 calories (170 g cup, plain)

Skyr is an Icelandic cultured dairy food, strained thick like Greek yogurt. FoodData Central has no generic entry, so we used a branded plain one: 18.1 grams per 100 calories. Watch for: brand differences. Check the label and skip flavored cups.

14. Part-skim mozzarella

Portion helper · 7g protein · 84 calories (1 oz stick)

One string cheese gives 8.3 grams per 100 calories, half the ratio of everything else in this group. That's why it sits at the end of the dairy picks. It earns a spot by being portable and pre-portioned, not by carrying a meal.

Watch for: 189mg of sodium. Pair it with an apple or a few slices of turkey.

Plant proteins bring fiber the animal foods don't, and more calories per gram of protein. Seitan comes close to lean meat. Beans and lentils land at 7 to 8 grams per 100 calories, because most of their calories are carbohydrate. Measured edamame is one of the better low calorie high protein snacks here.

15. Tofu

Most plant protein · 22g protein · 181 calories (1/2 cup, firm)

Firm tofu set with calcium sulfate gives 12.2 grams per 100 calories. Press it, cube it and roast it with soy sauce. Watch for: firmness. USDA's softer tofu has less than half the protein per 100 grams, so read your package.

16. Tempeh

Fermented pick · 17g protein · 166 calories (3 oz, cooked)

Tempeh is fermented soybeans pressed into a cake, at 10.2 grams per 100 calories. Watch for: fat, about 10 grams per 3 ounces.

17. Edamame

Best plant snack · 18g protein · 188 calories (1 cup, shelled)

Shelled edamame gives 9.6 grams per 100 calories plus 8 grams of fiber a cup. Watch for: two cups is 376 calories, a meal.

18. Lentils

Most fiber · 18g protein · 230 calories (1 cup, cooked)

Lentils sit at 7.8 grams per 100 calories, but their 16 grams of fiber a cup is the most on our list. A pot cooked on Sunday goes into soup, salads and grain bowls all week, and a cup under 3 ounces of chicken turns a lean protein into 44 grams for 370 calories. Watch for: carbs. A cup carries about 40 grams, so count lentils as protein and starch at once.

19. Seitan

Not for celiac · 21g protein · 120 calories (3 oz)

Seitan is made from wheat gluten and is the leanest plant protein here, at 17.5 grams per 100 calories. FoodData Central has only branded entries, so this is one of them.

Watch for: gluten and salt. It's off the table with celiac disease, and that entry lists about 380mg of sodium.

20. Black beans

Best side · 15g protein · 227 calories (1 cup, cooked)

Black beans are the lowest ratio on our list at 6.6 grams per 100 calories, with 15 grams of fiber a cup. They're the side that turns a lean protein into a meal. Watch for: the portion. Half a cup is about 8 grams of protein for 114 calories.

Easy low calorie high protein meals follow one pattern: a lean protein, a vegetable for volume, and a measured starch or beans. Three ounces of chicken breast plus a cup of black beans is 41 grams of protein for 367 calories, before vegetables and oil.

Other low calorie high protein meals built that way: tuna in a lettuce wrap with lentil soup, or shrimp over peppers with half a cup of rice. For high protein low calorie snacks, a cup of Greek yogurt or skyr gives you 17 to 19 grams for about 100 calories.

High protein low calorie meal prep is mostly a Sunday job: roast a turkey breast, cook a pot of lentils, portion it all out. Illinois Extension says to use refrigerated leftovers within 3 to 4 days and reheat to 165°F, so Sunday's batch covers you to about Wednesday.

Thursday is where most plans fall apart.

If cooking is the hard part, not knowing what to eat, our high protein meal delivery does it for you. On our current menu (October 2026), 14 of 32 meals are under 500 calories with 30 grams of protein or more. Not every meal is: the menu runs 20 to 55 grams of protein and 360 to 1,550mg of sodium, so sort our Nutrition Info table by the number you care about. These high protein low calorie meals heat in a few minutes.

Credit where it's due: cooking these foods yourself costs less per serving than any prepared meal, ours included. For rushed mornings, our High Protein Overnight Oats have 20 grams of protein a pouch, 270 calories in Apple Cinnamon.

All 20, from most protein per 100 calories to least. Numbers are rounded estimates from the USDA FoodData Central nutrient database for the serving shown.

By this measure, the best high protein low calorie foods are seafood, egg whites and poultry. Plant foods sit lower, the trade for their fiber. A ratio isn't a grade, though. Black beans still belong next to the chicken.