How Much Protein Is In an Egg? This content references scientific chicken breast calories per gram and academic research, and is fact-checked to ensure accuracy.
Our team of licensed nutritionists and dietitians strives to be objective, unbiased, and honest. We are committed to bringing you researched, expert-driven content to help you make more informed decisions around food, health, and wellness. We know how important making choices about your overall health is, and we strive to provide you with the best information possible. Small, perfectly portioned, and super convenient—eggs are an ideal protein delivery system. They may be humble in size, but the mighty egg can easily anchor a breakfast, liven up a cobb salad for lunch, and top a burger for dinner. While we often preach about eggs’ satiating power and high protein content, can you say you know how much protein is in an egg?
How much protein is in an egg? While we generally assume each egg contains 6 grams of protein, that’s not always the case. The six-gram figure you often see referenced is an average, but how much protein in an egg depends on the size of the egg. Irrespective of the size, one egg contains 125 milligrams of protein per gram. In other words, each egg is just under 13 percent pure protein. Egg whites tend to get all the credit when it comes to egg protein, but they’re actually not the only source of protein in an egg.
Yolks also contain a significant amount of protein in an egg. In short: if you want to reap all the protein benefits of one egg, you’ll need to consume the entire egg, both the yolk and white. Eating just 1 egg white would mean you’re only consuming 4 grams of protein instead of the 7 grams of protein from a whole extra-large egg. If egg yolks also contain protein, what is the benefit of only eating egg whites? Even though yolks have nearly as much protein as egg whites, the reason egg whites earn most of the protein recognition is that they are lower in calories than yolks. The yolk is the home of nearly all of an egg’s fat content. One extra-large egg white is 19 calories and one extra-large egg yolk is 61 calories.