Short answerA 6 oz cooked sirloin steak has about 52 g of protein and 320 calories. 4 oz has 34 g, and 3 oz, the size of a deck of cards, has 26 g. Fattier cuts have less protein per ounce: 6 oz of ribeye has 39 g of protein and 532 calories. All values are for cooked meat.
How much protein is in a 6 oz steak?
It depends on the cut. Lean cuts like sirloin and flank are mostly protein, while ribeye carries much more fat. For a cooked 6 ounce steak, from USDA data: A 6 oz sirloin is the centerpiece of one of our 800 calorie meals.
| Cut | 3 oz | 4 oz | 6 oz | 8 oz |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top sirloin, lean | 25.8 g | 34.4 g | 51.5 g | 68.7 g |
| Flank steak, lean | 23.6 g | 31.5 g | 47.3 g | 63.0 g |
| Ribeye, lean and fat | 19.3 g | 25.7 g | 38.6 g | 51.5 g |
| Ground beef, 85% lean | 23.6 g | 31.4 g | 47.1 g | 62.8 g |
| Top round roast beef | 25.6 g | 34.1 g | 51.2 g | 68.3 g |
So how many grams of protein in a 6 oz steak? About 52 g for sirloin, 47 g for flank and 39 g for ribeye. How much protein does a 6 oz steak have compared with your daily need? For many adults it's more than half: the RDA is 0.8 g per kg of body weight, or about 56 g for a 70 kg person.
Raw or cooked steak weight
These numbers are for cooked weight. Steak loses water as it cooks, so a raw steak weighs more than the cooked one you eat. Weigh your steak after cooking for the most accurate numbers, or use the raw weight on the package and expect the cooked piece to be smaller.
Protein in 4 oz steak
4 ounces of cooked lean sirloin has 34.4 g of protein and 213 calories. How many grams of protein in 4 oz of steak for other cuts? Flank has 31.5 g (220 calories), and ribeye 25.7 g (355 calories). Protein in 4 ounces of steak is close to 4 oz of chicken breast, which has 35 g.
How much is 3 oz of meat?
Three ounces (85 g) of cooked meat is about the size of a deck of cards. It's the serving size USDA uses for meat, and the dashed card on the plate above shows it. How much protein in 3 oz of steak? About 26 g for sirloin. How much protein in 3 oz of beef in general? 24 to 26 g for lean cuts and ground beef, and about 19 g for ribeye.
- 1 oz of meat: a third of a deck of cards; 8.6 g of protein in lean sirloin
- How much is 4 ounces of meat: a little more than a deck of cards
- 6 ounces of meat: two decks of cards
- 8 oz of meat: close to three decks, a large restaurant portion
Steak calories by cut
| Cut | Calories | Protein | Fat | Saturated fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top round roast beef | 185 | 34.1 g | 5.4 g | 2.1 g |
| Top sirloin, lean | 213 | 34.4 g | 7.4 g | 2.8 g |
| Flank steak, lean | 220 | 31.5 g | 9.4 g | 3.9 g |
| Ground beef, 85% lean | 290 | 31.4 g | 17.3 g | 6.6 g |
| Ribeye, lean and fat | 355 | 25.7 g | 28.0 g | 12.0 g |
Lean cuts give the most protein for the fewest calories, which is why they suit a diet for good abs. Ribeye has two-thirds more calories than sirloin for the same weight, and four times the saturated fat. If you're watching saturated fat, the fat intake calculator shows your daily limit.
How much steak for 30, 50 or 100 grams of protein?
Cooked lean sirloin is about 30% protein by weight, so the amounts are easy to plan:
- 30 g of protein: about 99 g (3.5 oz) of cooked sirloin, or 132 g (4.7 oz) of ribeye
- 50 g of protein: about 165 g (5.8 oz) of sirloin, or 220 g (7.8 oz) of ribeye
- 100 g of protein: about 330 g (11.6 oz) of sirloin
Protein per 100 calories
Another way to compare cuts is protein for each 100 calories you eat. Top round roast beef and a lean pork chop give about 18.5 g, close to chicken breast at 18.8 g. Sirloin gives 16.1 g and flank 14.3 g. 85% lean ground beef drops to 10.8 g, and ribeye to 7.3 g, because so much of their energy comes from fat. If you're filling a high protein target on limited calories, the lean cuts go more than twice as far as ribeye.
Ground beef and hamburger protein per ounce
Cooked 85% lean ground beef has 27.7 g of protein per 100 g, which is 7.9 g of protein per ounce, with 73 calories. A 4 oz cooked patty has 31 g of protein and 290 calories. How much protein in 1/2 cup ground beef? USDA doesn't give a cup weight for cooked crumbles, so weigh a half cup once and enter the grams above. Our guide to grams of protein per ounce compares beef with other foods.
Roast beef nutrition facts
Top round roast beef is one of the leanest cuts: 163 calories, 30.1 g of protein and 4.8 g of fat per 100 g. 3 oz has 139 calories and 25.6 g of protein. Roast beef sandwich nutrition facts depend on the bread too; a regular roast beef sandwich has 223 calories in USDA's survey data. For Italian beef, steak sandwiches and steak and cheese nutrition, see sandwich calories.
Pork vs chicken nutrition, and ham
A lean boneless pork loin chop has 162 calories and 30.0 g of protein per 100 g, almost the same as chicken breast at 165 calories and 31.0 g. One boneless chop (137 g) has 222 calories and 41 g of protein. Ham is different: sliced ham has 164 calories and 16.6 g of protein per 100 g, with 814 mg of sodium. The calories in 1 oz of ham are about 46, with 4.7 g of protein and 231 mg of sodium. For ham sandwich nutrition facts, a regular ham sandwich on white has 215 calories and 29.4 g of carbs, mostly from the bread.
How much protein do you need?
The RDA for protein is 0.8 g per kg of body weight a day, and active people often aim higher. The macro calculator turns your goal into daily protein grams, and the chicken thigh and drumstick page compares other protein foods. Log your meals in the calorie counter to see the total.
Steak protein FAQ
Is a 6 oz steak a lot of protein?
Yes. Cooked lean top sirloin of that size has about 52 grams, with 320 calories. A 6 oz cooked ribeye has about 39 grams of protein and 532 calories, because it has much more fat.
Which steak cut has the most protein?
Lean cuts: top sirloin has 30.3 grams per 100 g cooked and top round 30.1, against 27.8 in flank steak and 22.7 in ribeye.
What does a 3 oz serving of meat look like?
3 oz (85 g) of cooked meat is about the size of a deck of cards. It's the standard serving USDA uses, and in lean sirloin it has about 26 grams of protein and 160 calories.
How much protein is in 3 oz of beef?
About 24 to 26 grams in 3 oz of cooked lean beef: 25.8 g in top sirloin, 23.6 g in flank steak and in 85% lean ground beef, and 19.3 g in ribeye.
How much protein is in ground beef per ounce?
About 7.9 grams per ounce of cooked 85% lean ground beef, with 73 calories.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, FoodData Central (SR Legacy): beef, top sirloin steak, lean only, broiled (168635); beef, rib eye steak, lean and fat, grilled (173385); beef, flank steak, lean only, broiled (168611); ground beef, 85% lean, pan-browned (174034); beef, top round roast, roasted (171756); pork loin chop, boneless, lean, pan-broiled (168285); ham, sliced, regular (173864).
- National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids (protein RDA 0.8 g/kg).