Food database · Meat & poultry
Protein content
A 3 oz cooked serving of turkey dark meat contains 23.5 g of protein - a very good source of protein, about 47% 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 | 23.5 g |
| Protein per 100 g | 27.7 g |
| Calories per serving | 147 kcal |
| Protein density | 64% of calories |
| Share of 50 g Daily Value | 47% |
| Protein quality | Complete protein |
| Category | Meat & poultry |
| Food type | Whole food |
| USDA record | FoodData Central #171091 |
A typical 3 oz cooked serving of turkey dark meat contains 23.5 grams of protein (27.7 g per 100 g), which makes it a very good source of protein. That covers roughly 47% of the 50 g reference Daily Value, so it can anchor a high-protein meal for the day.
About 64% of the calories in turkey dark meat 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 133 meats in the database, turkey dark meat ranks 48th by protein per serving, and 70th out of all 796 foods on the site. Set against goat, another meat entry in the database, a serving carries about 0.5 g more protein (goat has 23 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 #171091 - "Turkey, whole, dark meat, cooked, roasted" (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
Turkey dark meat has 27.7 g of protein per 100 g. A typical 3 oz cooked serving (85 g) provides 23.5 g.
Yes. Turkey dark meat 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 turkey dark meat contains 23.5 g of protein, about 47% of the 50 g reference Daily Value.
Turkey dark meat is a very good source of protein, and about 64% of its calories come from protein, which makes it extremely protein-dense. Set against goat, another meat entry in the database, a serving carries about 0.5 g more protein (goat has 23 g per 3 oz cooked).
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