How much protein is in corn?
Corn has 3 g of protein per 1 ear (90 g) — that's 3.3 g per 100 g, or about 0.9 g per ounce. One 1 ear is roughly 6% of the 50 g Daily Value for protein.
USDA FoodData Central · raw · FDC 169998
Protein & macros by portion
| Portion | Protein | Calories | Fat | Carbs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 ear (90 g) | 3 g | 77 | 1.3 g | 16.8 g |
| 100 g | 3.3 g | 86 | 1.4 g | 18.7 g |
| 1 oz (28 g) | 0.9 g | 24 | 0.4 g | 5.3 g |
Values computed from USDA per-100 g data (FDC 169998, SR Legacy). raw.
Corn is a more interesting “protein in X” question than most vegetables, because the answer has an honest twist. A realistic serving — 1 medium ear of sweet corn (90 g) — delivers about 2.9 g of protein for roughly 77 calories, which is 3.3 g per 100 g. That is genuinely a bit more protein than you would get from most vegetables; watery veg like carrots or cucumber come in well under that. But the number is still small in absolute terms, and the rest of corn’s profile tells the real story: it is a starchy carbohydrate, not a protein source.
Corn has more protein than most vegetables — but it’s a starchy carb
Give corn its due: at 3.3 g per 100 g it out-proteins the large majority of vegetables, and a cup of kernels climbs to nearly 5 g. So if you have heard that “corn has more protein than you’d think,” that is fair. The catch is everything around the protein. Most of corn’s 77 calories per ear come from carbohydrate — close to 19 g of carbs per 100 g, including natural sugars — which is why corn sits much closer to rice or potato on the plate than to a vegetable like broccoli. To reach the protein in a single chicken breast you would have to eat several ears, loading up on a lot of starch along the way. The accurate framing: corn is a higher-protein starch, not a high-protein food.
Quality reinforces it. Like most grains, corn is an incomplete protein — low in the amino acid lysine. This is exactly why traditional cuisines pair corn with beans: the beans supply the lysine corn lacks, and together they form a complete protein. On its own, corn is best counted as the carb portion of your meal.
What corn is genuinely good for
Treated as a starch, corn is a good one. It brings fiber, real energy from carbohydrate, and a dose of lutein and zeaxanthin — antioxidant pigments studied for eye health — plus some folate and vitamin C, all in a naturally sweet, satisfying package. There is nothing wrong with corn; it just belongs in the starch column.
The smart play is to plate corn the way you would rice or a potato and add the protein separately. Serve an ear next to grilled chicken breast or fish, stir kernels into a bowl built on black beans — the classic corn-and-beans pairing that completes the amino-acid profile — or scatter it over a salad anchored by eggs or edamame. For a sense of the daily protein number your sides are supporting, see our guide on how much protein per day.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much protein is in corn?
About 2.9 g of protein in one medium ear of sweet corn (90 g), which is 3.3 g per 100 g (USDA FDC 169998). That ear runs about 77 calories. Interestingly, that is a little more protein than most vegetables deliver — but it is still a small amount, and corn is really a starchy carbohydrate, not a protein food.
Is corn a good source of protein?
Not really, though it is a notch above most veg. At roughly 3 g per ear, corn out-proteins watery vegetables like carrots or cucumber, but you would need several ears to match a single chicken breast. The bigger picture is that most of corn's calories come from carbohydrate, so it behaves like a starchy side dish — pair it with a real protein rather than leaning on it.
How much protein is in a cup of corn?
A cup of corn kernels is about 145 g, so roughly 4.8 g of protein for around 125 calories. That is more than you get from a cup of most vegetables, but it comes alongside a meaningful load of starch and sugar — corn earns its spot on the plate as a carb, with the protein as a minor bonus.
Is corn a complete protein?
No. Corn is an incomplete protein — like most grains it is low in the amino acid lysine. Traditional cuisines pair it with beans, which supply the missing lysine, to form a complete protein together. On its own, corn's amino-acid profile is one more reason to treat it as a side rather than a protein source.
What is corn actually good for nutritionally?
Energy from carbohydrate, fiber, and antioxidants — sweet corn carries lutein and zeaxanthin, pigments studied for eye health, plus some folate and vitamin C. It is a satisfying, naturally sweet starchy vegetable; just count it as your starch for the meal, the way you would rice or potato, and add a protein alongside it.
When was this data last verified?
2026-06-04, against USDA FoodData Central FDC 169998 (Corn, sweet, yellow, raw; SR Legacy). We re-verify reference pages periodically and update when USDA revises its underlying data.
Whole-food values are USDA reference data and are not assigned a Labelgrade — that score is for branded packaged products, where ingredients and added sugar/sodium actually vary. See our methodology and how much protein you need per day.