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
Table 2: Calorie, fat, and protein content of beef eye of round steak
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
Table 3: Calorie, fat, and protein content of 97% lean ground beef
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
Table 4: Calorie, fat, and protein content of beef liver
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
Table 5: Calorie, fat, and protein content of sirloin, tri-tip roast
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
Table 6: Calorie, fat, and protein content of beef top round steak
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
Table 7: Calorie, fat, and protein content of bison ribeye
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
Table 8: Calorie, fat, and protein content of skinless chicken breast
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
Table 9: Calorie, fat, and protein content of skinless chicken drumstick
Ground chicken may also be a lean protein choice, depending on the specific fat percentage.
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
Table 10: Calorie, fat, and protein content of chicken liver
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
Table 11: Calorie, fat, and protein content of skinless duck breast
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
Table 12: Calorie, fat, and protein content of 96% lean ground pork
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
Table 13: Calorie, fat, and protein content of pork liver
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
Table 14: Calorie, fat, and protein content of pork tenderloin
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
Table 15: Calorie, fat, and protein content of lean pork top loin chops
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
Table 16: Calorie, fat, and protein content of skinless turkey breast
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
Table 17: Calorie, fat, and protein content of 93% lean ground turkey
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
Table 18: Calorie, fat, and protein content of skinless turkey drumstick
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
Table 19: Calorie, fat, and protein content of venison loin steak, lean
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
Table 20: Calorie, fat, and protein content of cod
Common Questions
Which is the leanest cut of beef?
It will be difficult to find a leaner beef option than 97% lean ground beef. Additionally, the leanest cut of beef is the eye of round steak, which has only 4.26 grams of fat when cooked. However, leaner types of red meat include bison, venison, and goat meat.
What cut of pork is the leanest option?
Pork tenderloin, trimmed of visible fat, will be the leanest common cut of pork.
Which poultry products are the leanest?
The leanest poultry products include skinless chicken, duck, and turkey breast. Each option has approximately 2-3 grams of fat per 100 grams cooked.
Why do some people want lean cuts of meat?
There are several reasons people may wish to opt for a lean cut of meat. Firstly, they are lower in fat (and hence calories), so all else being equal, they can reduce the energy intake of a particular diet. As part of a healthy overall diet and lifestyle routine, this may help with weight loss. Additionally, large amounts of saturated fat in the diet can increase LDL cholesterol levels, thus increasing cardiovascular risk (40, 41). For this reason, individuals trying to lower their cholesterol levels may prefer leaner cuts of meat.
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.
Michael works as a nutritionist in a community setting and holds a Master's Degree in Clinical Nutrition. He is a Registered Associate Nutritionist with the Association for Nutrition.
