Food database · Meat & poultry
Protein content
24.2 g of protein in 3 oz cooked (85 g) of beef heart, or 17.3 g for every 100 kcal it supplies.
Share of this food's calories that come from protein - it is extremely protein-dense.
| Protein per 100 kcal | 17.3 g |
|---|---|
| Protein per 100 g | 28.5 g |
| Protein per serving | 24.2 g in 3 oz cooked (85 g) |
| Calories from protein | 69% |
| Protein to fat | 6 g per 1 g fat |
| Rank in meats, per 100 kcal | 28th of 133 |
| Rank of all foods, per 100 g | 84th of 796 |
| Share of 50 g Daily Value | 48% per serving |
| Protein quality | Complete protein |
One 3 oz cooked, 24.2 g protein.
Every 100 kcal of beef heart brings 17.3 g of protein. On that measure it ranks 28th of the 133 meats in this database and 95th of all 796 foods on the site. Measured by weight instead, its 28.5 g per 100 g ranks 42nd in its group.
About 69% of the calories in beef heart 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.
Weight for weight, beef heart has 6 g of protein for each gram of fat (28.5 g against 4.73 g per 100 g).
Set against duck leg, another meat entry in the database, a serving carries about 0.5 g less protein (duck leg has 24.7 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 quoted here is measured by weight at 85 g, and it covers about 48% of the 50 g FDA Daily Value for protein.
Heart is a working muscle, so it eats more like lean steak than like liver.
Serving sizes
| Portion | Weight | Protein | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 g | 100 g | 28.5 g | 165 kcal |
| 3 oz cooked (serving used here) | 85 g | 24.2 g | 140 kcal |
The USDA record lists no other household measure for this food; protein and calories scale from the per-100 g figures.
Related
Highest-protein meats per serving · Most protein-dense foods · Highest protein per 100 g
Quick answers
28.5 g. The 3 oz cooked serving used on this page weighs 85 g and so carries 24.2 g.
17.3 g. That figure divides its 28.5 g of protein per 100 g by its 165 kcal per 100 g, so it does not depend on serving size.
Yes. The protein in beef heart supplies all nine essential amino acids in adequate amounts, so it can carry a meal's protein on its own.
About 48%. One 3 oz cooked serving has 24.2 g, and the FDA Daily Value for protein is 50 g.
Figures from USDA FoodData Central record #169448 (Beef, variety meats and by-products, heart, cooked, simmered), SR Legacy data. USDA data is in the public domain. Values are the published reference figures for that record, not lab measurements for a specific brand or batch.