Chicken, Turkey & Lean Meats
Protein in Lean Ground Beef: Protein, Calories, and Meal Ideas
Lean ground beef gives a strong protein serving plus iron, zinc, and B12. It is more calorie-dense than chicken because it contains more fat.
Protein per serving
39g
150 g cooked 93/7 ground beef / about 5.3 oz
Calories per serving
264
150 g serving
Protein per 100g
26g
176 calories per 100 g
Protein density
14.8g
protein per 100 calories
Lean Ground Beef Nutrition Snapshot
| Measure | Amount | Protein | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical serving | 150 g cooked 93/7 ground beef / about 5.3 oz | 39g | 264 |
| Per 100 g | 100 g | 26g | 176 |
| Protein density | 100 calories | 14.8g | 100 |
Representative source entry: Beef, ground, 93% lean meat / 7% fat, patty, cooked, pan-broiled. These values fit 93/7 cooked ground beef. Higher-fat blends such as 80/20 have more calories for similar protein.
Good for weight loss? Good
Lean ground beef can fit weight loss, but choose lean blends and drain excess fat to keep calories controlled.
Good for muscle gain? Excellent
Lean ground beef is useful for muscle gain because it provides complete protein, calories, iron, zinc, and creatine-containing meat.
Meal Ideas with Lean Ground Beef
Lean beef taco bowl with rice and beans
High-protein beef chili
Lean beef pasta with tomato sauce
Burger bowl with potatoes and salad
How to Use Lean Ground Beef
Best Use Cases
Lean ground beef is strongest when you want complete protein plus iron, zinc, B12, and more flavor than very lean poultry.
- Use 93/7 or leaner blends for chili, taco bowls, burger bowls, and pasta sauce.
- Choose lean beef when meals need more calories than chicken but still need a high protein share.
- Drain cooked crumbles consistently if you compare entries across weeks.
Common Mistakes
The lean percentage changes calories a lot. A serving of 80/20 beef is not interchangeable with 93/7 beef even if the protein looks similar.
- Match the tracker entry to the package lean percentage.
- Separate cheese, oil, buns, tortillas, and sauces from the beef entry.
How Lean Ground Beef Compares for Protein Density
Lean Ground Beef works as a meat or poultry protein with about 26 g protein and 176 calories per 100 g. That equals 14.8 g protein per 100 calories, or about 6.8 calories per gram of protein. This density number is useful because two foods can both look high protein while one needs far more calories to deliver the same protein target.
Lean Ground Beef is more protein-dense than the average of the related foods shown below, so it is easier to use when calories are tight. Meat and poultry values change with cut, fat trim, skin, cooking yield, and whether the entry is raw, cooked, deli, ground, or roasted. Use the comparison table as a planning shortcut: choose the higher-density option when calories are limited, and choose the more calorie-dense option when appetite is low or muscle-gain meals need to be easier to finish.
| Food | Serving protein | Protein / 100g | Protein / 100 cal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lean Ground Beef | 39g | 26g | 14.8g |
| Lean Ground Turkey | 36g | 24g | 13.3g |
| Sirloin Steak | 37g | 25g | 12.1g |
| Black Beans | 15.1g | 8.9g | 6.7g |
Best Uses for Lean Ground Beef
For Weight Loss or Calorie Control
Lean Ground Beef can work for weight loss or maintenance when the serving is measured and the rest of the plate is planned. The easiest approach is to decide the protein target first, then add carbs, fats, and sauces around that target. For this page's representative serving, 150 g cooked 93/7 ground beef / about 5.3 oz gives about 39 g protein. If your meal target is 30 g protein, that is roughly 0.8 typical servings, or about 115.4 g by weight. This is why weighing the first few servings is useful: it turns a vague protein food into a repeatable meal component.
For Muscle Gain or Higher-Calorie Meals
Lean ground beef is useful for muscle gain because it provides complete protein, calories, iron, zinc, and creatine-containing meat. When using lean ground beef for muscle gain, the question is not only whether it contains protein; it is whether the whole meal has enough total protein, carbohydrates, and calories to support training. If you need leaner protein, compare against chicken breast, turkey breast, pork tenderloin, shrimp, cod, or egg whites. If you need more calories, fattier cuts or larger portions can fit muscle-gain meals. A practical muscle-gain plate is to keep the lean ground beef portion consistent, then adjust rice, pasta, oats, potatoes, bread, beans, oil, nuts, or dairy up or down depending on your calorie target.
For Meal Prep and Repeatable Tracking
Lean Ground Beef is easiest to track when the serving method stays the same from week to week. Choose one default serving, log it with the matching raw, cooked, dry, drained, or label-based entry, and then build meals around that known number. Good repeatable options include Lean beef taco bowl with rice and beans, High-protein beef chili, Lean beef pasta with tomato sauce, and similar meals where the protein portion is measured before sauces and toppings are added.
Exact Serving Conversions
Serving conversions help when your food scale, recipe, or tracking app uses a different unit than this page. For Lean Ground Beef, 1 oz is about 28.35 g and provides roughly 7.4 g protein and 49.9 calories based on the representative per-100-g values. Half of the typical serving gives about 19.5 g protein and 132 calories, while a double serving gives about 78 g protein and 528 calories.
Use gram targets when precision matters. To get 25 g protein from lean ground beef, you need about 96.2 g, which is roughly 169.2 calories. To get 30 g protein, use about 115.4 g and 203.1 calories. To get 40 g protein, use about 153.8 g and 270.8 calories. These estimates are based on the USDA or representative source entry listed below, so the label on your exact product should win when there is a difference.
| Target | Approx. amount | Calories | Typical servings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25g protein | 96.2g | 169.2 | 0.6x |
| 30g protein | 115.4g | 203.1 | 0.8x |
| 40g protein | 153.8g | 270.8 | 1.0x |
Raw, Cooked, Dry, or Label Weight?
The best tracking rule for Lean Ground Beef is simple: match the database entry to the state of the food when you weighed it. This page uses Beef, ground, 93% lean meat / 7% fat, patty, cooked, pan-broiled as the representative source entry, with the serving shown as 150 g cooked 93/7 ground beef / about 5.3 oz. These values fit 93/7 cooked ground beef. Higher-fat blends such as 80/20 have more calories for similar protein.
For meat and poultry, use a raw entry for raw weight and a cooked entry for cooked weight. Skin, bones, breading, marinades, pan oil, and sauces should be separate entries. If you batch cook, portion after cooking only when your tracker entry is also cooked. If you weigh before cooking, use a raw or dry entry and divide the finished batch into servings after cooking. If you are eating a packaged product, the label is normally the most specific source because brands can change water, sodium, sugar, fat, fortification, and serving size.
The most reliable workflow is to choose one method and repeat it: weigh the food, choose the matching raw, cooked, dry, drained, or packaged entry, then log oils, sauces, toppings, sides, and drinks separately. This avoids the most common protein tracking error, which is accidentally counting a prepared meal as if it were a plain serving of lean ground beef.
Common Mistakes with Lean Ground Beef
Most mistakes with Lean Ground Beef are not about the protein number itself; they are about matching the wrong food form, ignoring preparation, or forgetting the extra ingredients that travel with the serving. Avoid these issues before comparing your intake against a daily target from the protein calculator.
- Using a generic lean ground beef entry when the actual food is cooked, raw, flavored, breaded, sweetened, packed in oil, or from a specific brand.
- Counting Lean Ground Beef as the entire meal even when the real calorie load comes from oil, dressing, sauce, bread, rice, tortillas, cheese, nuts, or toppings.
- Estimating by eye instead of weighing the first few times. A small portion change can move the meal by 5-15 g of protein or by a few hundred calories for calorie-dense foods.
- For meat and poultry, use a raw entry for raw weight and a cooked entry for cooked weight. Skin, bones, breading, marinades, pan oil, and sauces should be separate entries.
- Use the lean percentage from the package when tracking.
- Track cooked weight after draining if that matches your database entry.
- Do not use 93/7 values for 80/20 beef.
Building a High-Protein Meal with Lean Ground Beef
Start with the protein target, not the recipe name. A light snack might only need 10-20 g protein, while a main meal often works better at 30-45 g protein depending on body size, meal frequency, and training. With Lean Ground Beef, a 30 g protein meal is approximately 115.4 g of the representative food before sides and toppings. If that portion feels too large, combine a smaller amount of lean ground beef with another protein from the related-food list.
A balanced plate usually needs more than protein. Pair lean ground beef with a fiber source, a carbohydrate source if you train or need energy, and enough fat to make the meal satisfying. For lower-calorie meals, keep sauces light and increase vegetables. For higher-calorie meals, add rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, oats, beans, dairy, nuts, seeds, avocado, or oil depending on the type of food and your goal.
If the meal is meant to be repeated, write down the exact version that worked: the grams of lean ground beef, the cooking method, the sides, and the sauce. That gives you a reusable meal template instead of a one-time estimate, and it makes future protein targets easier to hit without redoing the math every day.
Tracking Tips
- Use the lean percentage from the package when tracking.
- Track cooked weight after draining if that matches your database entry.
- Do not use 93/7 values for 80/20 beef.
Compare Similar Protein Foods
Related Calculators and Guides
Common Questions
Is 93/7 ground beef good for weight loss?
Yes, if portions are controlled. It is lean enough for calorie-conscious meals but still higher in calories than chicken breast, shrimp, or white fish.
What is the best way to track lean ground beef?
Use the exact lean percentage from the package, then choose a raw, cooked patty, or cooked crumbles entry that matches how you weighed it.
Does draining ground beef reduce calories?
Usually, yes. Draining removes some rendered fat, but the exact change depends on the blend and cooking method, so consistency matters more than guessing.
Is lean ground beef good for muscle gain?
Yes. It provides complete protein and useful calories, and it also supplies iron, zinc, B12, and naturally occurring creatine from beef.
Sources reviewed
- USDA FoodData Central: Beef, ground, 93% lean meat / 7% fat, patty, cooked, pan-broiled - U.S. Department of Agriculture
- International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: protein and exercise - Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition