Food database · Meat & poultry
Protein content
A 3 oz cooked serving of ground beef (80% lean) contains 21.9 g of protein - a very good source of protein, about 44% of the 50 g Daily Value.
Share of this food's calories that come from protein - it is very protein-dense.
| Serving | 3 oz cooked (85 g) |
|---|---|
| Protein per serving | 21.9 g |
| Protein per 100 g | 25.8 g |
| Calories per serving | 230 kcal |
| Protein density | 38% of calories |
| Share of 50 g Daily Value | 44% |
| Protein quality | Complete protein |
| Category | Meat & poultry |
| Food type | Whole food |
| USDA record | FoodData Central #171797 |
A typical 3 oz cooked serving of ground beef (80% lean) contains 21.9 grams of protein (25.8 g per 100 g), which makes it a very good source of protein. That covers roughly 44% of the 50 g reference Daily Value, so it can anchor a high-protein meal for the day.
Protein accounts for roughly 38% of the calories in ground beef (80% lean), making it very protein-dense. The rest comes from fat and carbohydrate, so it adds a solid amount of protein while still carrying real energy - useful when you are eating to a calorie target rather than under one.
Among the 133 meats in the database, ground beef (80% lean) ranks 75th by protein per serving, and 108th out of all 796 foods on the site. Set against chicken hearts, another meat entry in the database, a serving carries about 0.5 g less protein (chicken hearts has 22.4 g per 3 oz cooked).
It is a complete protein - it supplies all nine essential amino acids in adequate amounts, so it can carry a meal's protein on its own. The serving above is measured by weight at 85 g. The per-100 g figure lets you compare it directly against any other food here, whatever its serving.
Source: USDA FoodData Central #171797 - "Beef, ground, 80% lean meat / 20% fat, patty, cooked, broiled" (SR Legacy, published 4/1/2019). Values are the published reference figures for that record, not lab measurements for a specific brand or batch.
Quick answers
Ground beef (80% lean) has 25.8 g of protein per 100 g. A typical 3 oz cooked serving (85 g) provides 21.9 g.
Yes. Ground beef (80% lean) is a complete protein - it supplies all nine essential amino acids in adequate amounts, so it can carry a meal's protein on its own.
A 3 oz cooked serving of ground beef (80% lean) contains 21.9 g of protein, about 44% of the 50 g reference Daily Value.
Ground beef (80% lean) is a very good source of protein, and about 38% of its calories come from protein, which makes it very protein-dense. Set against chicken hearts, another meat entry in the database, a serving carries about 0.5 g less protein (chicken hearts has 22.4 g per 3 oz cooked).
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