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Best Protein Foods for Budget Eating
You don't need premium cuts to hit your protein. Eggs, chicken thighs, lentils, tuna, milk, and oats deliver grams per dollar like nothing else.
Your daily target
~98g
(84–112g range)
Bodyweight
1.2–1.6g per kg of bodyweight
How to hit it
- Buy chicken thighs, whole eggs, and dry lentils in bulk.
- Canned tuna and sardines are shelf-stable protein wins.
- Milk powder and oats stretch further than premium powders.
Top picks
Look for cheap per gram of protein — pantry staples and bulk buys.
- 1🧀ParmesanCompletecomplete amino profile · 35g protein per 100g35g420 kcal8.3g/100kcal
- 2🧀Pecorino romanoCompletecomplete amino profile · 32g protein per 100g32g387 kcal8.3g/100kcal
- 3🐔Chicken breast (cooked)Completecomplete amino profile · 31g protein per 100g31g179 kcal17.3g/100kcal
- 4🧀GruyèreCompletecomplete amino profile · 30g protein per 100g30g413 kcal7.3g/100kcal
- 5🐟Tuna (canned in water)Completecomplete amino profile · 29g protein per 100g29g131 kcal22.1g/100kcal
- 6🧀Emmental (Swiss)Completecomplete amino profile · 29g protein per 100g29g380 kcal7.6g/100kcal
- 7🥜Peanuts26g protein per 100g · cheap per gram26g567 kcal4.6g/100kcal
- 8🧀ComtéCompletecomplete amino profile · 26g protein per 100g26g400 kcal6.5g/100kcal
- 9🧀ManchegoCompletecomplete amino profile · 26g protein per 100g26g320 kcal8.1g/100kcal
- 10🧀AsiagoCompletecomplete amino profile · 26g protein per 100g26g392 kcal6.6g/100kcal
- 11🐟Sardines (canned)Completecomplete amino profile · 25g protein per 100g25g250 kcal10g/100kcal
- 12🍞Seitan25g protein per 100g · cheap per gram25g370 kcal6.8g/100kcal
- 13🧀CheddarCompletecomplete amino profile · 25g protein per 100g25g403 kcal6.2g/100kcal
- 14🧀GoudaCompletecomplete amino profile · 25g protein per 100g25g356 kcal7g/100kcal
- 15🧀EdamCompletecomplete amino profile · 25g protein per 100g25g357 kcal7g/100kcal
Also worth considering
Not the top choice for budget eating, but fine in moderation.
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