What is the cheapest source of protein?
Dried legumes, eggs and bulk protein powder are typically the cheapest per gram of protein, followed by canned fish and whole chicken.
Cheap High Protein Foods
Protein does not have to be expensive. Eggs, dried legumes, canned fish, milk and whole chicken cover a full daily intake for a fraction of what steak and protein bars cost.
Price per gram of protein, not price per pack, is the number to compare. Dried lentils, eggs and whole chicken almost always win it.
Buying protein powder in bulk also lands in this category — per gram of protein it usually undercuts most fresh foods.
Budget protein sources
Protein and calories per 100g, from the Protein Hunter database.
| Food | Protein | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| 🥤 Whey protein concentrate | 80g | 390 |
| 🐟 Tuna (canned in water) | 29g | 131 |
| 🍗 Chicken thigh (cooked, no skin) | 26g | 159 |
| 🐟 Sardines (canned) | 25g | 250 |
| 🥜 Peanut butter | 25g | 588 |
| 🍗 Chicken drumstick (cooked) | 24g | 151 |
| 🥚 Whole egg | 13g | 155 |
| 🌾 Rolled oats (dry) | 13g | 389 |
| 🍢 Firm tofu | 12g | 76 |
| 🫘 Lentils (cooked) | 9g | 116 |
| 🫘 Black beans (cooked) | 9g | 132 |
| 🫘 Chickpeas (cooked) | 9g | 164 |
| 🫘 Split peas (cooked) | 8g | 116 |
| 🥛 Whole milk | 3.4g | 61 |
Per 100g.
Cheap meals above 30g
- Lentil and egg curry — 200g cooked lentils plus 2 eggs is about 31g.
- Tuna pasta — 1 tin plus 100g dry pasta is about 42g.
- Chicken thigh and rice traybake — 200g thigh is about 52g on its own.
- Overnight oats with milk — 60g oats plus 300ml milk is about 18g, and costs very little.
- Buy whole chickens and dried legumes; both are dramatically cheaper per gram of protein than the pre-portioned versions.
Add up your whole meal
Type what you ate in plain words and Protein Hunter returns protein and calories for the full plate.
Try the Protein CalculatorCommon questions
Is canned tuna a cheap protein?
Yes — around 29g of protein per 100g drained, usually at a low price per tin.
Can you eat high protein on a tight budget?
Yes. A 120g-a-day intake is achievable from eggs, milk, oats, legumes and canned fish alone.
Keep reading
Protein CalculatorAdd up any meal in plain words.Protein database230+ foods with protein and calories.How much protein per daySet the target these foods feed into.What is Protein Hunter?
Protein Hunter is a protein and nutrition app with a database of 232 foods — from a leaf of kale to a wagyu steak — plus AI tools that answer protein questions, count a whole meal, build recipes to a macro target, and track what you actually eat.
- Search any food
- Count a full meal
- Recipes to your macros
- Scan a plate or label
Why it's different: the numbers are calculated from a fixed ingredient database rather than guessed, and when a target is not physically achievable the app says so instead of inventing a figure.
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