Top 10 Grains Highest in Protein

Written by Daisy Whitbread, MScNPowered by USDA Nutrition Data

Last Updated: August 28th, 2020

Grains are a staple source of calories, carbohydrates, B-vitamins, and protein. Whole unrefined grains provide more protein for each carb because the bran and germ of grains contain the most protein per carb.

The current daily value (%DV) for protein is 50 grams per day, and is a target meant for most people. Grains high in protein include cornmeal, kamut (wheat berries), teff, quinoa, whole wheat pasta, wild rice, millet, couscous, oatmeal, and buckwheat. One cup of cooked whole grains provides between 6-20% of the DV for protein.

For more grains high in protein see the extended list of protein rich grains, and complete vegetarian protein foods.

Table of Contents

Introduction
List of High Protein Grains
More Protein Rich Grains
Nutrient Ranking Tool
Related
Feedback
References

List of High Protein Grains

#1: Kamut (Khorasan - Wheat)

Protein per Cup	Protein per 100g	Protein per 200 Calories
9.8g (20% DV)	5.7g (11% DV)	8.7g (17% DV)

Nutrition Facts for Kamut Cooked. (Source)

#2: Teff

Protein per Cup	Protein per 100g	Protein per 200 Calories
9.8g (20% DV)	3.9g (8% DV)	7.7g (15% DV)

Nutrition Facts for Cooked Teff. (Source)

#3: Quinoa

Protein per Cup	Protein per 100g	Protein per 200 Calories
8.1g (16% DV)	4.4g (9% DV)	7.3g (15% DV)

Nutrition Facts for Quinoa Cooked. (Source)

#4: Whole Wheat Pasta

Protein per Cup	Protein per 100g	Protein per 200 Calories
7g (14% DV)	6g (12% DV)	8g (16% DV)

Nutrition Facts for Whole Wheat Pasta. (Source)

#5: Wild Rice

Protein per Cup	Protein per 100g	Protein per 200 Calories
6.5g (13% DV)	4g (8% DV)	7.9g (16% DV)

Nutrition Facts for Cooked Wild Rice. (Source)

#6: Millet

Protein per Cup	Protein per 100g	Protein per 200 Calories
6.1g (12% DV)	3.5g (7% DV)	5.9g (12% DV)

Nutrition Facts for Cooked Millet. (Source)

#7: Coucous

Protein per Cup	Protein per 100g	Protein per 200 Calories
6g (12% DV)	3.8g (8% DV)	6.8g (14% DV)

Nutrition Facts for Cooked Couscous. (Source)

#8: Oatmeal

Protein per Cup	Protein per 100g	Protein per 200 Calories
5.9g (12% DV)	2.5g (5% DV)	7.2g (14% DV)

Nutrition Facts for Cooked Oatmeal. (Source)

#9: Buckwheat

Protein per Cup	Protein per 100g	Protein per 200 Calories
5.7g (11% DV)	3.4g (7% DV)	7.3g (15% DV)

Nutrition Facts for Roasted Buckwheat Groats. (Source)

#10: Cornmeal (Grits)

Protein per Cup	Protein per 100g	Protein per 200 Calories
4.4g (9% DV)	1.7g (3% DV)	4.8g (10% DV)

Nutrition Facts for White Cornmeal (Grits). (Source)

See All 34 Grains High in Protein

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More Protein Rich Grains

Food	Serving	Protein
#1 Spelt (Source)	1 cup	21% DV (10.7g)
#2 Amaranth (Source)	1 cup	19% DV (9.3g)
#3 Oat Bran (Source)	1 cup	14% DV (7g)
#4 Soba Noodles (Source)	1 cup	12% DV (5.8g)
#5 Bulgur (Source)	1 cup	11% DV (5.6g)
#6 Brown Rice (Source)	1 cup	11% DV (5.5g)
#7 White Rice (Source)	1 cup	9% DV (4.6g)
#8 Pearled Barley (Source)	1 cup	7% DV (3.5g)

From the Nutrient Ranking Tool

View more food groups with the nutrient ranking tool, or see ratios with the nutrient ratio tool.

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Data Sources and References

U.S. Agricultural Research Service Food Data Central

MyFoodData provides nutrition data tools and articles to help you organize and understand the foods you eat. Read more...