How much potassium is in ribeye?
Ribeye has 289 mg of potassium per 3 oz cooked (85 g) — about 6% of the 4,700 mg Daily Value. That's 340 mg per 100 g, roughly 0.7× a medium banana (~422 mg).
USDA FoodData Central · lean and fat, broiled · FDC 169557
Potassium by portion
| Portion | Potassium | % DV | Sodium | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 oz cooked (85 g) | 289 mg | 6% | 48 mg | 212 |
| 100 g | 340 mg | 7% | 56 mg | 249 |
| 1 oz (28 g) | 96 mg | 2% | 16 mg | 71 |
% DV against the FDA Daily Value of 4,700 mg of potassium. Whole foods are naturally potassium-rich and low in sodium — the ratio heart guidelines (like DASH) favor. Values from USDA per-100 g data (FDC 169557, SR Legacy). lean and fat, broiled.
Most people file potassium under “fruits and vegetables” and never think of a steak — but ribeye quietly carries a useful amount. A 3 oz cooked serving (85 g) holds about 289 mg of potassium, which is 340 mg per 100 g and roughly 6% of the 4,700 mg Daily Value, about two-thirds the potassium of a medium banana (~422 mg). And because nobody stops at 3 ounces, a realistic 6 oz steak pushes past 578 mg — more than one and a third bananas in one cut. Ribeye isn’t a potassium food the way a potato is, but as a protein it brings more to the table than you’d expect.
Why potassium from a protein matters
Potassium is the blood-pressure mineral. It works as the counterweight to sodium — helping the kidneys clear excess sodium and relaxing blood-vessel walls — which is why potassium-rich, lower-sodium patterns like DASH are tied to healthier blood pressure, and why most people, who land well under 4,700 mg, are told to get more. What makes ribeye useful here is the company its potassium keeps: ribeye is naturally low in sodium (about 56 mg per 100 g, before you salt it), so it sits on the favorable side of the potassium-to-sodium ratio heart guidelines care about. Lean white meats give you protein with relatively little of either mineral; a steak gives you a real potassium contribution alongside the protein.
A protein that brings potassium too
The honest framing is that ribeye is a protein food that also delivers potassium, not a potassium source you’d build a day around — but as proteins go, it pulls its weight. The same 3 oz that supplies ~289 mg of potassium also carries about 23 g of complete protein plus heme iron, vitamin B12, and zinc, three nutrients that are hard to get in usable amounts from plants. So a ribeye dinner covers a protein target, nudges potassium higher, and fills in minerals lean proteins skip — all from one cut. Set it next to a baked potato (~951 mg) and ribeye is clearly the supporting act on potassium, but it’s a far better source than its reputation suggests. One non-medical note: people with kidney disease are sometimes advised to limit potassium, so this is reference data, not medical advice. For the full protein picture, see protein in ribeye.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How much potassium is in a 3 oz cooked ribeye?
About 289 mg of potassium in a 3 oz cooked serving (85 g), which is 340 mg per 100 g (USDA FDC 169557, rib eye, lean and fat, broiled). That's roughly 6% of the Daily Value, and it comes alongside about 23 g of complete protein in the same serving.
What percent of the daily value for potassium is in ribeye?
About 6% of the 4,700 mg FDA Daily Value from a 3 oz serving (~289 mg). A 6 oz steak — closer to how ribeye is actually eaten — roughly doubles that to about 578 mg, or 12% of the target. So a real-world steak is a meaningful potassium contribution from a protein food.
How does ribeye's potassium compare to a banana?
A 3 oz ribeye has about 289 mg of potassium against a medium banana's roughly 422 mg, so 3 oz delivers around two-thirds of a banana. But a typical 6 oz steak (~578 mg) clears one and a third bananas — putting a real ribeye portion in the same league as the fruit people think of first for potassium.
Does ribeye have more potassium than chicken breast?
They're in a similar range, with ribeye often a touch higher. Both red meat and poultry carry potassium in the 300-plus mg range per 3 oz cooked, so red meat doesn't have a big edge here — the real reason to choose ribeye for potassium over chicken is that it also brings heme iron, B12, and zinc that lean white meat is lower in.
Why does potassium matter, and is ribeye a good source?
Potassium helps regulate blood pressure by counterbalancing sodium and relaxing blood vessel walls, and supports fluid balance, nerve signaling, and muscle contraction. Most people fall short of the 4,700 mg target. Ribeye helps meaningfully — about 289 mg per 3 oz with naturally low sodium (around 56 mg per 100 g) — so it sits on the favorable side of the potassium-to-sodium ratio (USDA FDC 169557). This is general nutrition information, not medical advice.
When was this data last verified?
2026-06-18, against USDA FoodData Central FDC 169557 (Beef, rib eye, small end, lean and fat, all grades, cooked, broiled; SR Legacy). We re-verify reference pages periodically and update when USDA revises the entry.
Whole-food values are USDA reference data, not a Labelgrade (that score is for branded packaged products). High-potassium diets aren't for everyone — people with kidney disease are often told to limit it; this is reference data, not medical advice. See our methodology.