I Compared 16 High Protein Foods to Find the Cheapest & Healthiest Protein

When you think of a high protein meal, you may think of a big, juicy hamburger, or maybe a medium-rare stake. But does high protein have to mean red meat? And what type of protein is the most cost-effective?

I’ve evaluated eight animal product foods and eight higher protein plant foods to figure out which protein is cheapest and healthiest! But before we look at my lovely table 😉 let’s dive into some of the aspects I evaluated.

Cost per Gram of Protein

We could just look at packing in the most protein, or eating food that’s the most nutrient dense while getting your protein in. But I wanted to find food that’s high in protein, healthy overall, and cost-effective. So one of the categories I examined is cost per gram of protein.

This number will of course depend on where you’re buying your food, whether you go with organic, etc. I included links to all my sources (both for nutrition facts and price) from my local Walmart to give you a point of reference. In order to find the cost per gram of protein, I took the grams of protein per serving size and multiplied by the number of servings included in a package. I then divided the price by the total amount of protein per package.

For the plant products, I did use dried beans and lentils as my price point. This will be much cheaper than if you use canned beans, because one can of beans only contains about 3.5 servings, whereas a bag of beans contains 13 servings for only a tiny bit more money. So just something to keep in mind — if you want to reap the benefits of low cost protein, use the dried legumes. 😉

Complete vs. Incomplete Protein

Not all protein is created equal. In order to be considered a complete protein, the protein must contain all nine essential amino acids. You might notice that animal products are all complete proteins. On the other hand, most plant based foods are incomplete. However, much of this can be remedied by eating foods in the right combinations. (For more on this, see my post How to Get Enough Protein on Meatless Monday.)

Saturated Fat Content

Just like not all protein is created equal, not all fat is either. While saturated fat isn’t the worst (I’m looking at you, trans fat!), doctors usually recommend limiting your intake. So while ground beef is quite high in protein, it’s also by far the highest in saturated fat — something to consider as you’re making your protein choice.

As a side note, I also wanted to evaluate the amount of healthy fats in each food. However, nutrition facts don’t always show the amount of monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fat. And nutrition facts similarly don’t report amounts of Omega 3s and Omega 6s. But as you look into what kinds of proteins you want to include in your diet, know that some foods are going to be higher in healthy fats than others (think salmon, nuts, certain types of chicken and eggs, etc.).

Iron

When you need a boost in iron, your thoughts may turn again to that big hamburger or juicy steak. And while red meat does have high iron content, you may be surprised to see many plant-based foods (legumes, hemp seeds, quinoa) have even higher amounts of iron per serving! That said, animal product iron and plant-based iron are absorbed differently by the body. The iron found in animal products (heme iron) is more easily absorbed, whereas the iron found in plants (non-heme iron) is a little harder. The good news is, there are things you can eat or not eat to help aid in that absorption. (See this great article from the Harvard School of Public Health for more about iron.)

Fiber

While fiber isn’t directly related to protein, it’s an important part of a healthy diet. And according to the Harvard School of Public Health, most Americans get only about half of the fiber they need each day. Often, foods higher in unhealthy fats are also lower in fiber. (You might notice, all of the animal products have 0 grams of fiber per serving.) On the other hand, most of the plant-based proteins have significant amounts of fiber, which lowers risk of heart disease, aids in digestion, and helps manage blood sugar levels.

Of course, there are other aspects of these foods you could examine, depending on your own dietary needs. For example, you could look at grams of carbs in case you’re concerned about carb overload, or you might compare other vitamin and mineral content too. But these basic categories should provide a pretty good profile to figure out which food is highest in protein, healthiest overall, and easy on your pocketbook.

Now that we’ve explored the different categories, let’s dive in to my charts!

Animal Product Protein

Animal Product Protein	Protein (g)	Cost per g of Protein ($)	Complete or Incomplete	Saturated fat (g)	Iron (% DV)	Fiber (g)
80% lean ground beef	19.4	0.06	Complete	8.6	10	0
Fresh Chicken breast	24	0.03	Complete	0.5	2	0
Canned tuna	24	0.03	Complete	0	6	0
Frozen Salmon	22	0.05	Complete	1.5	2	0
Eggs	6	0.03	Complete	1.5	6	0
Fat free Greek yogurt	17	0.04	Complete	0	0	0
Low-fat cottage cheese	12	0.04	Complete	1	0	0
2% milk	8	0.03	Complete	3	0	0

All values are per serving

Several foods tie for the cheapest animal product protein — chicken, canned tuna, eggs, and 2% milk. However, when we take other factors into account such as iron and saturated fat content, canned tuna appears to be the winner! With a whole 24 grams of protein per serving, no saturated fat, and 6% of your daily value of iron, canned tuna is a fairly cheap and healthy way to get some protein. What’s more, tuna also is a good source of healthy fats like Omega-3s. Unfortunately, canned tuna is sometimes high in mercury; usually doctors recommend one to two servings of tuna per week.

Plant-based Proteins

Plant-based Proteins	Protein (g)	Cost per g of Protein ($)	Complete or Incomplete	Saturated fat (g)	Iron (% DV)	Fiber (g)
Chickpeas	7	0.01	Incomplete	0	8	4
Black beans	8	0.01	Incomplete	0	10	5
Lentils	9	0.01	Incomplete	0	15	4
Tofu	7	0.05	Complete	0.5	6	<1
Quinoa	6	0.05	Complete	0	10	3
Almonds	6	0.06	Incomplete	1	6	3
Shelled hemp seeds	10	0.07	Complete	1.5	20	1
Peanut butter	7	0.01	Incomplete	3	2	2

All values are per serving

Once again, we have several foods that tie for the cheapest protein — chickpeas, black beans, lentils, and peanut butter all come in around $0.01 per gram of protein. But when we look at the other factors, we have a clear winner.

With 9 grams protein per serving, 15% of your daily value of iron, and 4 grams of fiber, lentils are a stellar food to keep on hand. Lentils usually come in around only $1 per bag! So stock up on those lentils.

Animal Product vs Plant Based Protein

Now to compare the winners from each category — canned tuna and lentils. Canned tuna does have more protein per serving (a whopping 24 grams!). However, it only has 6% of your daily value of iron, and it’s missing fiber altogether. Lentils have nine grams of protein per serving, but the iron is at 15% of your daily value, not to mention four grams of fiber. When it comes down to the cost comparison, tuna costs $0.03 per gram of protein, whereas lentils are only $0.01.

Each food has their pros and cons. Lentils have an incomplete protein and are a non-heme iron source, which requires some extra planning for your meals. Tuna should be limited to avoid too much mercury. Tuna has some healthy fats, while lentils are a good source of fiber. Both foods are fairly cheap and last a long time when stored in your pantry.

So whatever you’re looking for in your protein choice, if you want a cheap and healthy option, grab some light canned tuna and some lentils to throw into the mix! Your body and your bank account will thank you. 😉

Want to know how to use lentils in your cooking? Check out this lentil detox soup from Pinch of Yum, or these smoky lentil tacos from Minimalist Baker.

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