20 of the Leanest Cuts of Meat

There are many different meat products, and they can all be quite different nutritionally.

For example, some people may prefer fattier cuts of meat like steak with extensive marbling.

On the other hand, others may prioritize leaner cuts of meat.

Leaner cuts of meat have a higher protein content and are lower in fat. Thus, they also contain fewer calories.

This guide presents 20 protein-dense lean cuts of meat, alongside their calorie, fat, and protein content.

The data source for all nutritional values is the USDA’s FoodData Central nutrition database, and it is based on per-100-gram (3.5 oz) servings.

1) Beef, flank, lean

Flank steak, also known as skirt steak, is a lean cut of beef, particularly when trimmed of visible fat.

The following table shows the nutritional data for lean flank steak by raw and cooked (braised) weight (1, 2).

Name	Per 100g raw	Per 100g cooked	Per 100 calories cooked
Calories	149 kcal	237 kcal	100 kcal
Fat	6.29g	13.0g	5.49g
Saturated fat	2.61g	5.54g	2.34g
Protein	21.7g	28.0g	7.56g

For an exploration of the nutritional composition of almost all types of beef, see this guide:

30 Types of Beef: Nutrition Facts For Every Cut

2) Beef, eye of round steak, lean

Also known as beef silverside, beef eye of round steak is one of the leanest cuts of meat.

The following table shows the energy, protein, and fat content of beef eye of round steak by raw and cooked (grilled) weight (3, 4).

Name	Per 100g raw	Per 100g cooked	Per 100 calories cooked
Calories	127 kcal	158 kcal	100 kcal
Fat	3.83g	4.26g	2.70g
Saturated fat	1.34g	1.48g	0.94g
Protein	23.2g	29.9g	18.92g

3) Beef, ground, 3% fat, 97% lean

Lean ground beef can vary by fat content, but the 97% lean variety is one of the leanest meats.

The table below shows the nutritional data for 97% lean ground beef by raw and cooked (baked) weight (5, 6).

Name	Per 100g raw	Per 100g cooked	Per 100 calories cooked
Calories	121 kcal	154 kcal	100 kcal
Fat	3.0g	4.06g	2.63g
Saturated fat	1.48g	2.01g	1.31g
Protein	22.0g	27.6g	17.92g

4) Beef, liver

Beef liver is a type of organ meat, also known as ‘offal’ or ‘variety cut.’

Compared to regular cuts of meat, liver has a low fat content, and it tends to be high in protein.

Here are the protein, fat, and energy data for beef liver by raw and cooked (braised) weight (7, 8).

Name	Per 100g raw	Per 100g cooked	Per 100 calories cooked
Calories	135 kcal	191 kcal	100 kcal
Fat	3.63g	5.26g	2.75g
Saturated fat	1.23g	2.95g	1.54g
Protein	20.4g	29.1g	15.24g

5) Beef, sirloin tri-tip, lean

Beef sirloin tri-tip is a lean meat cut, but its name can cause some confusion depending on where you live.

Despite ‘sirloin’ also being a cut of meat in the United Kingdom, the American ‘sirloin’ is known as rump steak in the UK.

Per 100 grams, here is the nutritional data for lean sirloin steak by raw and cooked (roasted) weight (9, 10).

Name	Per 100g raw	Per 100g cooked	Per 100 calories cooked
Calories	154 kcal	193 kcal	100 kcal
Fat	7.06g	9.73g	5.04g
Saturated fat	2.13g	3.53g	1.83g
Protein	21.2g	26.3g	13.62g

6) Beef, top round, lean

Beef top round steak is another meat cut among the leanest options.

Depending on the country, this cut of meat may also be referred to as ‘topside.’

Here are the nutritional values for energy, fat, and protein content for lean top round by raw and cooked (braised) weight (11, 12).

Name	Per 100g raw	Per 100g cooked	Per 100 calories cooked
Calories	124 kcal	207 kcal	100 kcal
Fat	3.26g	5.8g	2.80g
Saturated fat	1.25g	1.99g	0.96g
Protein	23.6g	36.1g	17.44g

7) Bison, ribeye, lean

Gram for gram, bison meat tends to be leaner than beef.

For instance, a lean bison ribeye trimmed of fat only has 116 calories and 2.4 grams of fat per 100 grams as sold (13).

Here is lean bison ribeye’s calorie, fat, and protein content by raw and cooked (broiled) weight (13, 14).

Name	Per 100g raw	Per 100g cooked	Per 100 calories cooked
Calories	116 kcal	177 kcal	100 kcal
Fat	2.4g	5.67g	3.20g
Saturated fat	0.90g	2.42g	1.37g
Protein	22.1g	29.4g	16.61g

8) Chicken, breast, skinless

Chicken breasts are probably what many people think of when they hear ‘low-fat’ and high-‘protein.’

Most of the fat from chicken breast comes from the skin; opting for skinless chicken breast is one of the leanest meat options.

Here is the nutritional data for skinless chicken breast’s calorie, fat, and protein provision (15, 16).

Name	Per 100g raw	Per 100g cooked	Per 100 calories cooked
Calories	120 kcal	151 kcal	100 kcal
Fat	2.62g	3.17g	2.09g
Saturated fat	0.56g	0.99g	0.66g
Protein	22.5g	30.5g	20.20g

9) Chicken, leg/drumstick, skinless

With the skin on, chicken drumsticks are relatively fatty and high in calories compared to other cuts of chicken.

However, skinless chicken drumsticks are lean and protein-dense.

Per 100 grams, skinless chicken drumsticks provide the following nutritional values by raw and cooked (roasted) weight (17, 18).

Name	Per 100g raw	Per 100g cooked	Per 100 calories cooked
Calories	120 kcal	174 kcal	100 kcal
Fat	4.22g	7.8g	4.48g
Saturated fat	1.05g	2.11g	1.21g
Protein	19.2g	24.2g	13.91g

10) Chicken, liver

Like other liver products, chicken liver is also a lean, high-protein option.

Here is the nutritional data for the calorie, fat, and protein provision by raw and cooked (simmered) weight (19, 20).

Name	Per 100g raw	Per 100g cooked	Per 100 calories cooked
Calories	119 kcal	167 kcal	100 kcal
Fat	4.83g	6.51g	3.90g
Saturated fat	1.56g	2.06g	1.23g
Protein	16.9g	24.5g	14.67g

11) Duck breast, skinless

In addition to chicken, other forms of poultry tend to be a good source of lean protein.

Among these, duck breast (without skin) is one of the leanest choices.

Here is the data for calories, fat, and protein for skinless duck breast by raw and cooked (broiled) weight (21, 22).

Name	Per 100g raw	Per 100g cooked	Per 100 calories cooked
Calories	123 kcal	140 kcal	100 kcal
Fat	4.25g	2.5g	1.79g
Saturated fat	1.32g	0.58g	0.41g
Protein	19.8g	27.6g	19.71g

12) Pork, ground, 96% lean, 4% fat

Like all meats, leaner ground pork can be highly lean with minimal fat content.

Based on 96% lean ground pork, the calorie, fat, and protein content will be as follows (23, 24).

Name	Per 100g raw	Per 100g cooked	Per 100 calories cooked
Calories	121 kcal	185 kcal	100 kcal
Fat	4.0g	6.2g	3.35g
Saturated fat	1.42g	1.86g	1.01g
Protein	21.1g	31.7g	17.13g

13) Pork, liver

Pork liver is just as lean as other varieties of liver.

For instance, pork liver is lower in calories and fat yet higher in protein than many cuts of pork.

Here are the calorie, fat, and protein values for pork liver by raw and cooked (braised) weight (25, 26).

Name	Per 100g raw	Per 100g cooked	Per 100 calories cooked
Calories	134 kcal	165 kcal	100 kcal
Fat	3.65g	4.4g	2.67g
Saturated fat	1.17g	1.41g	0.85g
Protein	21.4g	26.0g	15.76g

14) Pork, tenderloin, lean

Pork tenderloin is the leanest type of pork you can buy, and lean cuts provide only slightly more than 2% fat by raw weight (27).

Here is the data for calories, fat, and protein for pork tenderloin by raw and cooked (roasted) weight (27, 28).

Name	Per 100g raw	Per 100g cooked	Per 100 calories cooked
Calories	109 kcal	143 kcal	100 kcal
Fat	2.17g	3.51g	2.45g
Saturated fat	0.70g	1.20g	0.84g
Protein	21.0g	26.2g	18.32g

15) Pork, top loin (chops), lean

Pork top loin chops are among the leanest cuts of pork, with only 3% fat by raw weight (29).

The table below shows the calorie, fat, and protein content of pork top loin by raw and cooked (roasted) weight (29, 30).

Name	Per 100g raw	Per 100g cooked	Per 100 calories cooked
Calories	127 kcal	173 kcal	100 kcal
Fat	3.42g	6.28g	3.63g
Saturated fat	1.21g	1.93g	1.12g
Protein	22.4g	27.2g	15.72g

16) Turkey, breast, skinless

Most people recognize chicken breast as a lean, high-protein option. However, turkey breast has an even lower fat content gram for gram.

As with other forms of poultry, most of the fat content comes in the skin, so skinless turkey breast is the leanest option.

Per 100 grams, skinless turkey breast provides the following calorie, fat, and protein values by raw and cooked (roasted) weight (31, 32).

Name	Per 100g raw	Per 100g cooked	Per 100 calories cooked
Calories	114 kcal	147 kcal	100 kcal
Fat	1.48g	2.08g	1.41g
Saturated fat	0.29g	0.59g	0.40g
Protein	23.7g	30.1g	20.48g

17) Turkey, ground, 93% lean, 7% fat

As with other types of ground meat, there are various ground turkey options.

The higher the lean %, the lower the fat and calorie content.

While it is possible to find ground turkey with a higher lean percentage than 93%, this 93% is the leanest option with an entry in the USDA’s nutritional database.

93% lean ground turkey provides the following calorie, fat, and protein values by raw and (broiled) cooked weight (33, 34).

It is also worth noting that there are some low-fat turkey bacon products that can be very low in fat yet high in protein.

Name	Per 100g raw	Per 100g cooked	Per 100 calories cooked
Calories	150 kcal	207 kcal	100 kcal
Fat	8.34g	11.4g	5.51g
Saturated fat	2.17g	2.96g	1.43g
Protein	18.7g	25.9g	12.51g

18) Turkey, leg/drumstick, skinless

Like chicken, a turkey drumstick without the skin is a lean cut of poultry.

Per 100 grams, a skinless turkey drumstick will provide the following values for calories, fat, and protein by raw and cooked (roasted) weight (35, 36).

Name	Per 100g raw	Per 100g cooked	Per 100 calories cooked
Calories	118 kcal	173 kcal	100 kcal
Fat	3.97g	6.52g	3.77g
Saturated fat	1.07g	1.71g	0.99g
Protein	20.5g	28.6g	16.53g

19) Venison, loin steak, lean

Similar to bison, venison is another form of red meat that tends to be leaner than beef and pork.

Unfortunately, the USDA nutritional database does not contain an entry for raw venison.

However, the table below shows the nutritional values for calories, fat, and protein for a lean venison loin steak after broiling (37).

Name	Per 100g raw	Per 100g cooked	Per 100 calories cooked
Calories	–	150 kcal	100 kcal
Fat	–	2.38g	1.59g
Saturated fat	–	1.35g	0.90g
Protein	–	30.2g	20.1g

20) White fish

Some people include fish in their definition of ‘meat,’ and others don’t.

However, there is no mistaking that white fish is an excellent option for those looking for lean protein.

White fish varieties, such as bass, cod, haddock, halibut, and pollock all contain low amounts of calories and fat. They also provide a good amount of dietary protein.

The following table shows the calorie, fat, and protein content of cod by raw and cooked weight (38, 39).

Name	Per 100g raw	Per 100g cooked	Per 100 calories cooked
Calories	82 kcal	105 kcal	100 kcal
Fat	0.67g	0.86g	0.82g
Saturated fat	0.13g	0.17g	0.16g
Protein	17.8g	22.8g	21.71g

Common Questions

How To Cook Lean Meat

One of the main reasons some people don’t like to use lean meat is that it tends to be tougher than fattier cuts of meat.

This lack of tenderness combined with less flavor can sometimes make lean cuts of meat a bit bland in the taste department.

For this reason, here are some ways to improve the flavor of lean meats:

• Add diced lean meat, vegetables, and broth of choice to a slow cooker and cook for several hours. The longer cooking time will help to make the meat more tender.
• Dice the lean meat, and combine with vegetables, soy sauce, sesame oil, and any other flavors of choice in a stir-fry.
• Add diced lean meat to curries, soups, and stews.
• Make a marinade/sauce for the lean meat using favored ingredients. Some good ingredients to pick and choose from include: hot sauce, Maggi, soy sauce, fish sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, ginger, honey, olive oil, and sesame oil.