How much protein is in tilapia?
Tilapia has 22.3 g of protein per 3 oz cooked (85 g) — that's 26.2 g per 100 g, or about 7.4 g per ounce. One 3 oz cooked is roughly 45% of the 50 g Daily Value for protein.
USDA FoodData Central · cooked, dry heat · FDC 175177
Protein & macros by portion
| Portion | Protein | Calories | Fat | Carbs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 oz cooked (85 g) | 22.3 g | 109 | 2.3 g | 0 g |
| 100 g | 26.2 g | 128 | 2.7 g | 0 g |
| 1 oz (28 g) | 7.4 g | 36 | 0.8 g | 0 g |
Values computed from USDA per-100 g data (FDC 175177, SR Legacy). cooked, dry heat.
A lot of protein for very few calories
Most people meet tilapia as a thin, mild white fillet that cooks in a few minutes, and on the numbers that ordinary fillet earns its place. A 3 oz cooked serving (85 g) carries about 22.3 g of protein for just ~109 calories, which is 26.2 g of protein per 100 g — and crucially, it does that with under 3 g of fat per serving. That ratio is the whole story: gram for gram of protein, tilapia is one of the most calorie-efficient foods you can put on a plate, ahead of most cuts of meat and right in line with chicken breast. It’s also a complete protein, with all nine essential amino acids your body can actually use, so it stands on its own without any pairing.
Portion size is where the real protein shows up. Nobody eats just 85 g at dinner — a typical home or restaurant fillet runs closer to 6 oz cooked, which lands around 44 g of protein for roughly 218 calories, close to a full meal’s worth of protein in a single piece of fish. If you’ve ever underestimated how much protein you got from a fish dinner, it’s usually because you pictured a 3 oz card and ate a fillet twice that size.
The honest catch: it’s lean, not omega-3 rich
Here’s where tilapia needs a straight answer. It is an excellent lean protein, but it is not a source of the long-chain omega-3 fats (EPA and DHA) that make salmon and sardines nutritionally special — tilapia carries very little of them. That’s not a flaw so much as a different job: tilapia is the affordable, mild, everyday white fish you reach for when you want maximum protein for minimum calories and fat, not the fish you eat for heart-and-brain fats. It does bring useful amounts of selenium, vitamin B12, phosphorus, and potassium (about 380 mg per 100 g), so it’s far from empty — just don’t count it toward your omega-3s.
If you want tilapia’s lean-protein payoff without cooking a fillet, the closest no-cook moves are canned fish: a can of albacore tuna or pink salmon delivers comparable lean protein straight from the pantry, and canned salmon throws in the omega-3 and calcium tilapia lacks. The graded packaged options below are a solid place to start when you want fish protein with zero prep.
Packaged fish options, graded
If you'd rather grab it off a shelf, here are the best-graded fish in our catalog — each scored on our transparent 6-dimension Labelgrade.
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Labelgrade 81/100 · 18 g protein · 90.1 cal
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Labelgrade 80/100 · 16 g protein · 79.9 cal
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Buy links are affiliate links — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The Labelgrade is independent of any affiliate relationship. More.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much protein is in tilapia?
About 22.3 g of protein in a 3 oz cooked serving (85 g), which is 26.2 g per 100 g, or roughly 7.4 g per ounce (USDA FDC 175177). And it does that for only about 109 calories a serving, which is what makes tilapia stand out.
Is tilapia a good protein source?
Yes — genuinely. Tilapia is one of the leanest ways to hit a protein target: ~22 g of complete protein for ~109 calories in a 3 oz serving, with under 3 g of fat. On a protein-per-calorie basis it beats most meats. The honest caveat is that it's a lean-protein food, not an omega-3 food — if you want the heart-and-brain fats, salmon or sardines are the better pick.
How much tilapia is one serving?
A standard cooked serving is 3 oz (85 g), about the size of a deck of cards, and that's ~22.3 g of protein. A whole dinner fillet is usually larger — a 6 oz cooked portion lands around 44 g of protein for roughly 218 calories, close to a full meal's worth of protein in one piece of fish.
Is tilapia a complete protein?
Yes. Like all fish, tilapia contains all nine essential amino acids in usable amounts, so it counts as a complete, high-quality protein on its own — no pairing with other foods required to round out the amino acid profile.
What is tilapia good for nutritionally?
It's a lean, high-protein, low-calorie, low-fat white fish — useful when you want maximum protein for minimum calories. It also supplies selenium, vitamin B12, phosphorus, and potassium (about 380 mg per 100 g). What it does not bring in any meaningful amount is omega-3 (EPA/DHA), so don't count it toward those.
When was this data last verified?
2026-06-03, against USDA FoodData Central FDC 175177 (Fish, tilapia, cooked, dry heat; SR Legacy). We re-verify reference pages periodically and update when the underlying USDA entry changes.
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.