Every 100 kcal of roast turkey brings 18.3 g of protein. On that measure it ranks 20th of the 133 meats in this database and 75th of all 796 foods on the site. Measured by weight instead, its 29.1 g per 100 g ranks 35th in its group.
About 73% of the calories in roast turkey 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, roast turkey has 7.6 g of protein for each gram of fat (29.1 g against 3.84 g per 100 g).
Set against beef heart, another meat entry in the database, a serving carries about 0.5 g more protein (beef heart has 24.2 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 49% of the 50 g FDA Daily Value for protein.
Light and dark meat combined, skin removed.
Serving sizes
Protein in common portions of roast turkey
Protein and calories in Roast turkey for 100 g, the site serving and USDA household portions.
Portion
Weight
Protein
Calories
100 g
100 g
29.1 g
159 kcal
3 oz cooked (serving used here)
85 g
24.7 g
135 kcal
1 bird
3812 g
1109.3 g
6061 kcal
Portion weights are the household measures listed on the USDA record; protein and calories scale from the per-100 g figures.
Amino acids
Essential amino acids in roast turkey
The nine essential amino acids in Roast turkey, per 100 g, per serving and per gram of protein.
Amino acid
Per 100 g
Per serving
mg per g protein
leucine
2.01 g
1.71 g
69
lysine
2.4 g
2.04 g
82
valine
0.929 g
0.79 g
32
isoleucine
0.833 g
0.71 g
29
threonine
1.06 g
0.9 g
36
phenylalanine
0.937 g
0.8 g
32
methionine
0.76 g
0.65 g
26
histidine
0.788 g
0.67 g
27
tryptophan
0.31 g
0.26 g
11
Per-100 g values are the amino acid analysis on the USDA record. The serving and per-gram-of-protein columns are arithmetic on those values; they are not a protein quality score.
SampleWhat goal trends look like after a week
109 g
Average per logged day
4 of 7
Days goal met
71%
Complete-protein share
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun
Sample figures for one made-up week against a 110 g goal, not your data. Red bars met the goal. Your own log fills this in with Premium.
Related
Other meats by protein per calorie
Swap for more protein per calorie
Pork tenderloin - 18.3 g per 100 kcal, 22.3 g per 3 oz cooked
Ham steak - 18.4 g per 100 kcal, 23.1 g per 3 oz cooked
Chicken breast - 18.8 g per 100 kcal, 26.4 g per 3 oz cooked
29.1 g. The 3 oz cooked serving used on this page weighs 85 g and so carries 24.7 g.
How much protein do you get per 100 calories of roast turkey?
18.3 g. That figure divides its 29.1 g of protein per 100 g by its 159 kcal per 100 g, so it does not depend on serving size.
Is the protein in roast turkey complete?
Yes. The protein in roast turkey supplies all nine essential amino acids in adequate amounts, so it can carry a meal's protein on its own.
What share of the protein Daily Value is one serving of roast turkey?
About 49%. One 3 oz cooked serving has 24.7 g, and the FDA Daily Value for protein is 50 g.
Figures from USDA FoodData Central record #171481 (Turkey, whole, meat only, cooked, roasted), 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.