Protein content
A 3 oz cooked serving of tilapia contains 22.3 g of protein - a very good source of protein, about 45% 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 | 22.3 g |
| Protein per 100 g | 26.2 g |
| Calories per serving | 109 kcal |
| Protein density | 82% of calories |
| Share of 50 g Daily Value | 45% |
| Protein quality | Complete protein |
| Category | Seafood |
| Food type | Whole food |
| USDA record | FoodData Central #175177 |
A typical 3 oz cooked serving of tilapia contains 22.3 grams of protein (26.2 g per 100 g), which makes it a very good source of protein. That covers roughly 45% of the 50 g reference Daily Value, so it can anchor a high-protein meal for the day.
About 82% of the calories in tilapia 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, tilapia ranks 20th by protein per serving, and 96th out of all 796 foods on the site. Set against bluefish, another seafood entry in the database, a serving carries about 0.5 g more protein (bluefish has 21.8 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 #175177 - "Fish, tilapia, cooked, dry 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
Tilapia has 26.2 g of protein per 100 g. A typical 3 oz cooked serving (85 g) provides 22.3 g.
Yes. Tilapia 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 tilapia contains 22.3 g of protein, about 45% of the 50 g reference Daily Value.
Tilapia is a very good source of protein, and about 82% of its calories come from protein, which makes it extremely protein-dense. Set against bluefish, another seafood entry in the database, a serving carries about 0.5 g more protein (bluefish has 21.8 g per 3 oz cooked).
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