Does salmon or tuna have more protein?
Tuna, at 29g per 100g versus 25g for salmon.
Salmon vs Tuna: Which Has More Protein?
Tuna wins on protein: 29g per 100g versus 25g, a gap of 4g. Calories and protein quality change the picture, so here is the full comparison.
Head to head, per 100g
| Food | Protein | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| 🐟 Tuna (canned in water) | 29g | 131 |
| 🐟 Salmon (cooked) | 25g | 250 |
Per 100g.
What the numbers mean
Salmon delivers 25g of protein for 250 calories per 100g. Tuna delivers 29g for 131 calories. If you are counting calories as well as protein, tuna is the leaner choice per 100g.
Protein quality: salmon is a complete protein, tuna is a complete protein. Complete proteins carry all nine essential amino acids in useful amounts; incomplete ones are still valuable, they just want a complementary source across the day.
Complete + omega-3 fats. Extremely lean. Watch mercury if eating daily.
Which should you choose?
- For maximum protein per 100g: tuna (29g).
- For the fewest calories per 100g: tuna.
- For everyday practicality, the better choice is the one you will actually eat regularly — the difference between 25g and 29g matters far less than consistency across the week.
- Mixing both across the week covers a wider spread of micronutrients than committing to one.
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
Which has fewer calories, salmon or tuna?
Tuna — 131 calories per 100g versus 250.
Can I swap one for the other in a recipe?
Usually yes, but adjust the weight so the protein matches. To replace 100g of tuna you need about 116g of salmon.
Keep reading
Protein in salmon25g per 100g in full detail.Protein in tuna29g per 100g in full detail.Compare any two foodsSearch the full protein database.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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