How Many Grams Of Protein In 1Lb Of Ground Beef? | No Guess

One pound of ground beef has about 65–97 grams of protein, depending on the lean-to-fat ratio and how it’s cooked.

Ground beef shows up in weeknight tacos, meatballs, chili, burgers, and meal prep bowls for a reason: it’s versatile, filling, and protein-dense. Still, that “1 lb” label can fool you. Protein in a pound isn’t a single fixed number. It shifts with the lean percentage, the cut blend, added water, and what happens in the pan.

This post gives you a clear range, then walks you through the two things that change the count most: lean-to-fat ratio and cooking yield. By the end, you’ll be able to estimate protein for the exact package you bought, and for the way you cook it.

Why A Pound Isn’t A Single Protein Number

When you buy ground beef, you’re buying a mix of lean muscle and fat. Protein lives mostly in the lean muscle. Fat brings calories and flavor, but it doesn’t bring protein. So as the fat percentage rises, protein per pound drops.

There’s another twist. Raw meat contains water. As it cooks, water and rendered fat leave the pan. That means cooked beef weighs less than raw beef, while the protein you started with is mostly still there. So “4 oz cooked” can hold more protein than “4 oz raw,” just because the cooked portion is more concentrated.

That’s why you’ll see two useful ways to think about protein:

• Protein per pound raw (package weight): best for meal planning and tracking what you buy.
• Protein per ounce cooked (plate weight): best for portioning after cooking and weighing your serving.

Protein In 1Lb Of Ground Beef: What The Numbers Look Like

If you just need a reliable range, start here: a one-pound package of ground beef lands around 65–97 grams of protein, with the lean percentage doing most of the steering.

As a quick mental shortcut:

• Higher fat (70/30): mid-60s grams per pound.
• Middle blends (80/20 to 85/15): high-70s to mid-80s grams per pound.
• Leaner packs (90/10 to 95/5): low-90s to high-90s grams per pound.

Next, I’ll show you how to calculate the number from any label or database entry. After that, you’ll get a detailed table of common lean ratios, plus cooked-yield estimates for quarter-pound patties.

How To Calculate Protein For Your Exact Pack

If you want a number that matches your package and your tracking app, you can do it with a simple math pass. You need one piece of data: protein per 100 g (or per 4 oz) for your lean ratio from a nutrient database or a label.

Step 1: Convert One Pound To Grams

One pound is 454 grams. Most nutrient databases list protein per 100 grams, so this makes the math clean.

Step 2: Multiply Protein Per 100 g By 4.54

Say your database entry lists 80/20 raw ground beef at 17.17 g of protein per 100 g. Multiply 17.17 × 4.54 to estimate protein in the full pound.

Step 3: sanity-check With The Lean Percentage

If your result is far outside the typical 65–97 g range for a pound, something’s off. Check that you pulled the right entry (raw vs cooked, patty vs crumbles, drained vs not drained).

Ground Beef Type	Protein Per 1 lb (Raw)	Notes
70% lean / 30% fat	65.09 g	Most fat; lowest protein per pound
75% lean / 25% fat	71.49 g	Common “regular” blend in many stores
80% lean / 20% fat	77.88 g	Classic all-purpose option
85% lean / 15% fat	84.32 g	Leaner, still flavorful for most recipes
90% lean / 10% fat	90.72 g	High protein per pound with less grease
95% lean / 5% fat	97.12 g	Extra-lean; can dry out if overcooked
80/20 quarter-pound patties (cooked yield from 1 lb raw)	79.80 g	4 patties; cooked weight is lower than 1 lb
70/30 quarter-pound patties (cooked yield from 1 lb raw)	71.08 g	4 patties; protein stays, weight drops

Two patterns show up every time:

• As beef gets leaner, protein per pound climbs.
• Cooked portions can look “higher” per ounce because water leaves the meat.

Cooking Changes Weight More Than Protein

This is the part that trips people up. Protein doesn’t “burn off” when you cook beef. What changes is water and fat loss. That shifts the protein concentration per ounce.

Here’s a real-world way to think about it:

• Raw weight is stable: your package says 1 lb, so you can plan protein for the full pack using the table.
• Cooked weight moves: you might end up with 10–13 oz cooked, depending on heat, time, and how much fat you drain.

If you weigh your cooked beef for portions, this matters. Two people can cook the same 1 lb pack and end up with different cooked weights, which makes “protein per cooked ounce” differ.

Draining And Rinsing: What It Does To Protein

Draining the pan removes rendered fat, not lean meat. Protein stays in the meat. If you rinse cooked crumbles, you can wash away small bits and juices, which can shave off a little protein along with fat. For most home cooks, the protein change is minor compared with the fat change.

Patty vs crumbles: Why the shape matters

Patties hold on to juices differently than loose crumbles. Crumbles have more surface area, so they can lose water faster. Patties can also drip more fat, depending on your pan and heat. That’s why nutrient databases list separate entries for “raw,” “cooked,” “pan-browned,” “broiled,” and “drained.”

On the safety side, cook ground beef to a temperature that’s actually checked with a thermometer. The USDA’s guidance for ground beef is ground beef cooking and handling steps, including the internal temperature target.

Portion Math That Helps In Real Life

Most recipes don’t use the full pound per person. They use fractions: half a pound for tacos, a quarter-pound patty, or a few ounces stirred into pasta. Here are simple ways to get close without pulling out a calculator every time.

Fast estimates by fraction of the pack

• Half-pound (8 oz raw): take the “per 1 lb” protein and cut it in half.
• Quarter-pound (4 oz raw): take the “per 1 lb” protein and divide by four.
• Third-pound (common burger size): multiply the “per 1 lb” protein by 0.33.

Cooked serving estimate by cooked weight

If you cook a full pound, then weigh the finished meat, you can estimate protein per cooked ounce like this:

1. Start with protein for the raw pound (from the table).
2. Divide by the cooked total ounces you ended up with.
3. Multiply by the ounces you serve on the plate.

This is the simplest way to make cooked weighing match your protein tracking.

Lean Ratio vs Protein: Picking What Fits Your Meal

Protein is one goal. Taste, texture, and how the beef behaves in a recipe are just as real. Here’s how the lean ratio tends to play out in the kitchen.

70/30 And 75/25: Rich, moist, and forgiving

These blends are great when you want a burger that stays juicy or a chili that carries a lot of flavor. You’ll get less protein per pound, but you often get a more tender bite. Plan for more draining, and expect more shrink in the pan.

80/20: The classic middle

This is the default for a reason. It browns well, stays flavorful, and works in almost any recipe. Protein per pound sits in the high 70s, which is still a lot for a single package.

85/15 And 90/10: Leaner, still easy to cook

These are great when you want less grease in the pan and more lean meat on the plate. For tacos, pasta sauce, stuffed peppers, and meal prep bowls, 90/10 gives a high protein count without feeling dry if you don’t overcook it.

95/5: High protein, needs a gentler touch

95/5 can dry out faster, especially in patties. It shines in saucy meals where moisture comes from tomatoes, broth, or a stir-in like beans. If you’re making burgers, mix in a panade (a little bread and milk) or add finely chopped onion to hold moisture.

Common Mistakes That Skew Your Protein Count

Most “wrong” protein numbers come from mixing up the reference point. Here are the traps that show up all the time:

• Using cooked data for raw weight: cooked entries can look higher per 100 g because water is gone.
• Ignoring the lean ratio: “ground beef” isn’t one thing; 70/30 and 95/5 are miles apart.
• Trusting a generic app entry: some app listings are user-added and sloppy.
• Weighing after draining without adjusting: if you portion by cooked ounces, use the cooked-weight method above.

A quick cross-check with a trusted database

If you want to verify the numbers against an official nutrient database entry, the University of Rochester’s nutrition facts pages mirror USDA database values for specific foods and serving sizes, like 80% lean ground beef, raw, 1 lb. It’s a handy way to confirm you’re looking at the right food form and serving size.

Protein In Ground Beef vs Other Proteins

Ground beef stacks up well per pound. A pound of lean ground beef can push near 100 grams of protein, which is a lot of servings for most households. Chicken breast can run higher per calorie, while beans can be lower per pound but come with carbs and fiber. The “best” pick depends on the meal you’re making and what you want on your plate.

Ground beef also brings iron, zinc, and B vitamins. If you’re building meals that keep you full, pairing beef with high-fiber sides like beans, lentils, or roasted vegetables can make the plate feel bigger without chasing more meat.

What Changes The Count	What You’ll See	How To Handle It
Lean-to-fat ratio	Protein per pound rises as beef gets leaner	Use the raw 1 lb table based on your label
Raw vs cooked	Cooked servings can show more protein per ounce	If you weigh cooked, divide total protein by cooked ounces
Draining fat	Calories drop more than protein	Track protein from raw weight; adjust calories if needed
Patty vs crumbles	Different moisture loss, different cooked weights	Weigh your cooked batch once, then portion from there
Brand variability	Small swings in protein	Stay in the expected range; verify entries when unsure
Added ingredients	Protein per ounce drops when you add fillers	Separate “meat only” from “meat mixture” in tracking

Takeaways For A Clean Estimate

If you want one clean answer for most kitchens, use the lean ratio on your package and grab the matching row in the first table.

• Regular ground beef (70/30): 65.09 g protein per pound.
• 80/20: 77.88 g protein per pound.
• 90/10: 90.72 g protein per pound.
• Extra-lean 95/5: 97.12 g protein per pound.

Then decide how you’ll portion:

• If you portion raw, divide the “per 1 lb” protein by the fraction you use.
• If you portion cooked, weigh the cooked batch once and use the cooked-weight method.