Ground beef nutrition by lean percentage
Raw 80/20 ground beef has about 254 calories, 17 g of protein and 20 g of fat per 100 g. Raw 93/7 has about 152 calories, 21 g of protein and 7 g of fat. The lean number on the package is the single biggest lever on all three.
Quick answer
A 4 oz (113 g) raw patty of 80/20 ground beef is about 287 calories and 19 g of protein; the same patty in 93/7 is about 172 calories and 24 g of protein. Cooking concentrates the protein and drops the weight by roughly a quarter, so 3 oz cooked and 4 oz raw are close to the same piece of meat.
| Lean / fat | Calories | Protein | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80/20 | 254 kcal | 17.2 g | 20.0 g |
| 85/15 | 215 kcal | 18.6 g | 15.0 g |
| 90/10 | 176 kcal | 20.0 g | 10.0 g |
| 93/7 | 152 kcal | 21.2 g | 7.0 g |
| 95/5 | 137 kcal | 21.4 g | 5.0 g |
See also: Protein in chicken breast · Protein in eggs · Greek yogurt protein
Raw weight vs cooked weight
This is where most ground beef numbers go wrong. A patty loses roughly 25% of its weight during cooking, mostly water plus rendered fat, so 4 oz raw comes off the pan at around 3 oz. The protein does not disappear with the water — it concentrates, which is why cooked ground beef looks so much more protein-dense per 100 g than raw.
The practical rule: match the label to the state you weighed in. If you weighed the package before cooking, use raw figures. If you are weighing what is on the plate, use cooked figures. Mixing the two is what produces a 40% error in either direction.
| Lean / fat | Calories | Protein | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80/20 | 231 kcal | 21.9 g | 15.2 g |
| 85/15 | 212 kcal | 22.3 g | 13.0 g |
| 90/10 | 184 kcal | 22.4 g | 9.8 g |
| 93/7 | 170 kcal | 22.8 g | 7.9 g |
Related: BMR and TDEE calculator — see where a 300-calorie portion sits in the day
Does draining change the numbers?
It does, and more than people expect for the fattier grades. Browning 80/20 and pouring off the rendered fat removes several grams per serving — enough that drained 80/20 lands closer to undrained 85/15 than to its own raw figures. Draining 93/7 barely changes anything, because there was little to render in the first place.
Fat that stays in the pan also stays in the dish. Beef cooked into a chili, a sauce or a casserole without draining keeps everything the meat released, so the lean percentage matters more in those recipes than it does for a burger where the fat drips through the grate.
Ground beef vs ground turkey and ground chicken
The swap to poultry saves less than its reputation suggests, because ground turkey and chicken are sold at a range of lean percentages too. Ground turkey at 85/15 has more fat and fewer grams of protein per 100 g than beef at 90/10. What matters is the ratio printed on the package, not the animal on the front of it.
Where beef holds an edge is micronutrient density — heme iron, zinc and B12 in particular. Where poultry holds one is saturated fat at a matched lean percentage. Both are reasonable choices inside a varied diet.
| Ground meat | Calories | Protein | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beef, 90/10 | 176 kcal | 20.0 g | 10.0 g |
| Beef, 93/7 | 152 kcal | 21.2 g | 7.0 g |
| Turkey, 85/15 | 213 kcal | 17.3 g | 15.0 g |
| Turkey, 93/7 | 150 kcal | 19.0 g | 8.0 g |
| Chicken, about 92/8 | 143 kcal | 17.4 g | 8.1 g |
Related: protein in chicken breast — the same raw-vs-cooked correction for whole cuts · high-protein foods — how ground beef compares across the whole list
What lean and extra lean mean on the label
Both terms are regulated in the US, so they are more useful than they look. USDA rules let a meat product be labeled lean when a 100 g serving has under 10 g of fat, under 4.5 g of saturated fat and under 95 mg of cholesterol, and extra lean when it has under 5 g of fat, under 2 g of saturated fat and the same cholesterol limit.
In practice the common grades sit right on those lines rather than under them — 90/10 is exactly 10 g of fat per 100 g and 95/5 exactly 5 g — so the ratio alone does not earn the claim; the Nutrition Facts values have to come in below every threshold. The percentage on the front of the package is the lean-to-fat ratio by weight, not a claim about the finished dish — a 90/10 patty served on a buttered brioche bun is not a lean meal.
Related: low-fat foods — the full set of US fat-content label rules
Beyond protein: iron, zinc and B12
A 3 oz cooked serving of 90/10 ground beef supplies roughly 2.4 mg of iron, 5.5 mg of zinc and 2.4 µg of vitamin B12. The iron is heme iron, which the body absorbs considerably more readily than the non-heme iron in plant foods, and the B12 figure alone is around a full day's reference intake for an adult.
Ground beef also needs to reach 160°F (71°C) throughout, which is higher than the temperature for a whole steak. Grinding distributes surface bacteria through the whole batch, so color is not a reliable doneness cue — use a thermometer.
Sources
Nutrition values are estimates based on authoritative food-composition data and public-health guidance. Product labels and serving sizes vary.
- USDA FoodData Central
US Department of Agriculture food-composition database used for representative nutrient values.
- USDA: Lean Meat and Poultry Claims
US Department of Agriculture thresholds for lean meat and poultry label claims.
- USDA FSIS: Safe Minimum Internal Temperatures
US Department of Agriculture safe minimum internal cooking temperatures for meat, poultry, seafood and egg dishes.
Continue exploring protein and nutrition
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Protein in one, two or three eggs, plus whites and yolks
Protein per serving and comparisons with regular yogurt and skyr
An easy high-protein pancake recipe with estimated macros
Practical snack ideas with protein and calorie estimates
Frequently asked questions
- How many calories are in 4 oz of ground beef?
- About 287 calories raw for 80/20, 244 for 85/15, 199 for 90/10 and 172 for 93/7. Cooked, a 4 oz raw patty shrinks to roughly 3 oz and lands between about 170 and 231 calories depending on the lean percentage and how much fat is drained.
- How many calories are in a pound of ground beef?
- About 1,152 calories for a pound of raw 80/20, 975 for 85/15, 798 for 90/10 and 689 for 93/7. A pound of raw ground beef cooks down to roughly 12 oz, so a recipe that splits it four ways serves about 170 to 290 calories of beef per person depending on the grade.
- How much protein is in ground beef?
- Between roughly 17 and 21 g per 100 g raw, rising as the lean percentage rises. Cooked and drained, all the common grades converge near 22 g of protein per 3 oz serving, because cooking removes water and fat but not protein.
- Is 80/20 or 93/7 ground beef better?
- Neither is better in general. 80/20 holds moisture and flavor for burgers and meatballs; 93/7 gives more protein for fewer calories and works well in sauces and chili where other ingredients carry the richness. Many people keep both.
- Does draining ground beef reduce the calories?
- Yes, meaningfully for the fattier grades. Draining browned 80/20 removes several grams of rendered fat per serving. For 93/7 there is very little fat to pour off, so the difference is small.
- What temperature should ground beef be cooked to?
- 160°F (71°C) throughout, measured with a thermometer. Grinding spreads surface bacteria through the batch, so unlike a whole steak, ground beef cannot be judged safe by appearance.