Protein content
A 3 oz cooked serving of octopus contains 25.3 g of protein - an excellent source of protein, about 51% of the 50 g Daily Value.
Share of this food's calories that come from protein - it is extremely protein-dense.
| Serving | 3 oz cooked (85 g) |
|---|---|
| Protein per serving | 25.3 g |
| Protein per 100 g | 29.8 g |
| Calories per serving | 139 kcal |
| Protein density | 73% of calories |
| Share of 50 g Daily Value | 51% |
| Protein quality | Complete protein |
| Category | Seafood |
| Food type | Whole food |
| USDA record | FoodData Central #174249 |
A typical 3 oz cooked serving of octopus contains 25.3 grams of protein (29.8 g per 100 g), which makes it an excellent source of protein. That covers roughly 51% of the 50 g reference Daily Value, so it can anchor a high-protein meal for the day.
About 73% of the calories in octopus come from protein, which makes it extremely protein-dense - close to the practical ceiling for a whole food. Foods in this band are the ones that let you raise your protein intake without raising your calorie intake much at all.
Among the 121 seafood in the database, octopus ranks 7th by protein per serving, and 36th out of all 796 foods on the site. Set against tuna steak (yellowfin), another seafood entry in the database, a serving carries about 0.5 g more protein (tuna steak (yellowfin) has 24.8 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 #174249 - "Mollusks, octopus, common, cooked, moist heat" (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
Octopus has 29.8 g of protein per 100 g. A typical 3 oz cooked serving (85 g) provides 25.3 g.
Yes. Octopus 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 octopus contains 25.3 g of protein, about 51% of the 50 g reference Daily Value.
Octopus is an excellent source of protein, and about 73% of its calories come from protein, which makes it extremely protein-dense. Set against tuna steak (yellowfin), another seafood entry in the database, a serving carries about 0.5 g more protein (tuna steak (yellowfin) has 24.8 g per 3 oz cooked).
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