High-Protein Thanksgiving: Every Dish Ranked by Protein per Calorie

Turkey is the high-protein star of Thanksgiving: 3 oz of white meat is 25.6g of protein for 125 calories, or 20.5g per 100 calories, by USDA data. Most sides return under 4g per 100 calories. Change the proportions, not the menu, and a plate goes from 77g of protein (1,768 calories) to 105g (1,663), with stuffing and pumpkin pie still on it.

This is not a post about eating less on Thanksgiving. It is for people who lift, chase a protein goal, or just like knowing which dishes pull their weight. Every dish below stays on the table. We only rank them, then show how a few easy moves make the same meal work harder for you. For the full calorie side of the meal, see Thanksgiving dinner calories.

Which Thanksgiving dishes have the most protein?

Turkey, by a mile. Then mac and cheese, then the pies. Here are the eight dishes that carry the most protein per normal serving:

Rank	Dish	Portion	Calories	Protein
1	Turkey, light meat, no skin	3 oz (85g)	125	25.6g
2	Turkey, light meat, with skin	3 oz (85g)	150	25.2g
3	Turkey, dark meat, no skin	3 oz (85g)	147	23.5g
4	Turkey, dark meat, with skin	3 oz (85g)	175	23.2g
5	Macaroni and cheese	1 cup (230g)	513	20.0g
6	Pecan pie	1 regular slice (150g)	674	9.0g
7	Pumpkin pie	1 regular slice (150g)	374	7.1g
8	Roasted turkey skin on its own	1 oz (28g)	129	6.7g

Every cut of turkey lands between 23 and 26 grams per 3 ounces, so white or dark is a taste choice, not a protein one. Mac and cheese is a real protein dish thanks to the cheese, though it takes 513 calories to get there. And yes, pecan pie out-proteins pumpkin, 9.0g to 7.1g, thanks to the nuts.

Every dish ranked by protein per 100 calories

Grams per serving tells you what a scoop delivers. Protein per 100 calories tells you how efficient it is: divide protein by calories, multiply by 100. It is the same yardstick as our Fast Food Protein Index.

Rank	Dish	Portion	Calories	Protein	Protein per 100 cal
1	Turkey, light meat, no skin	3 oz (85g)	125	25.6g	20.5g
2	Turkey, light meat, with skin	3 oz (85g)	150	25.2g	16.8g
3	Turkey, dark meat, no skin	3 oz (85g)	147	23.5g	16.0g
4	Turkey, dark meat, with skin	3 oz (85g)	175	23.2g	13.3g
5	Brussels sprouts, plain	1/2 cup (78g)	28	2.0g	7.1g
6	Green beans, plain	1 cup (125g)	44	2.4g	5.5g
7	Roasted turkey skin	1 oz (28g)	129	6.7g	5.2g
8	Turkey gravy, canned	1/2 cup (119g)	61	3.1g	5.1g
9	Macaroni and cheese*	1 cup (230g)	513	20.0g	3.9g
10	Corn	1 cup (149g)	143	5.1g	3.6g
11	Dinner roll	1 roll (28g)	87	3.1g	3.6g
12	Green bean casserole*	1 cup (230g)	129	4.5g	3.5g
13	Sweet potato, baked	1 medium (114g)	103	2.3g	2.2g
14	Pumpkin pie*	1 regular slice (150g)	374	7.1g	1.9g
15	Sweet potato casserole*	1 cup (250g)	248	4.7g	1.9g
16	Bread stuffing*	1 cup (200g)	354	6.3g	1.8g
17	Mashed potatoes, milk and butter	1 cup (210g)	237	3.9g	1.6g
18	Cornbread stuffing*	1 cup (200g)	358	5.8g	1.6g
19	Pecan pie*	1 regular slice (150g)	674	9.0g	1.3g
20	Apple pie*	1 regular slice (150g)	444	4.0g	0.9g
21	Candied sweet potatoes*	1 cup (250g)	468	3.0g	0.6g
22	Cranberry sauce, canned	1 slice (57g)	91	0.5g	0.5g

Ties are broken by fewer calories. Dishes with an asterisk are USDA "typical recipe" values from its FNDDS survey database, one standard version of each dish. Your family's recipe will differ, and the numbers match our Thanksgiving dinner and Thanksgiving pie posts.

What jumps out:

• The four turkey rows are in a league of their own. Nothing else on the table cracks 8g per 100 calories.
• Plain vegetables beat the casseroles. Brussels sprouts and green beans return more protein per calorie than any starch or pie, simply because they are so light.
• Gravy is better than its reputation. Canned turkey gravy is 5.1g per 100 calories, more efficient than mac and cheese.
• Starches and pies all sit under 2g. They are not bad food. They just are not where the protein comes from.

Classic plate vs high-protein plate

Same food, different proportions. The classic plate is the one from our Thanksgiving dinner post. The high-protein plate keeps every favorite but moves the scoops around: more white meat, half the stuffing and mash (with Greek yogurt stirred in), a full cup of green bean casserole, and the same slice of pumpkin pie.

Item	Classic plate	High-protein plate
Turkey, light meat	3 oz with skin: 150 cal, 25.2g	6 oz no skin: 250 cal, 51.2g
Turkey, dark meat with skin, 3 oz	175 cal, 23.2g	175 cal, 23.2g
Mashed potatoes	1 cup: 237 cal, 3.9g	1/2 cup: 119 cal, 2.0g
Nonfat Greek yogurt in the mash, 42.5g	none	25 cal, 4.3g
Gravy, 1/2 cup	61 cal, 3.1g	61 cal, 3.1g
Bread stuffing	1 cup: 354 cal, 6.3g	1/2 cup: 177 cal, 3.1g
Green bean casserole	1/2 cup: 64 cal, 2.3g	1 cup: 129 cal, 4.5g
Sweet potato casserole, 1/2 cup	124 cal, 2.4g	124 cal, 2.4g
Cranberry sauce, 1 slice	91 cal, 0.5g	91 cal, 0.5g
Dinner roll + 1 pat butter	123 cal, 3.1g	123 cal, 3.1g
Pumpkin pie + 2 tbsp whipped cream	389 cal, 7.3g	389 cal, 7.3g
Total	1,768 cal, 77.3g	1,663 cal, 104.7g

The high-protein plate has 27.4g more protein and 105 fewer calories, and nothing got banned. The pie stayed. The roll and butter stayed. Gravy stayed. The protein share went from 4.4g to 6.3g per 100 calories just by letting turkey take up more of the plate.

The math: 250 + 175 + 119 + 25 + 61 + 177 + 129 + 124 + 91 + 123 + 389 = 1,663 calories, and 51.2 + 23.2 + 2.0 + 4.3 + 3.1 + 3.1 + 4.5 + 2.4 + 0.5 + 3.1 + 7.3 = 104.7g of protein.

Prefer the classic plate? Great, have it. Adding a second 3 oz of white meat to it (125 calories, 25.6g) gets you to about 103g of protein too. There is more than one way to get there.

How much protein do you actually need on Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving is one meal, so think in days and weeks, not one plate. For people who lift, a 2018 meta-analysis of 49 trials in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that protein intakes above about 1.6 g per kg of body weight per day gave no further gains in fat-free mass from resistance training. For a 180 lb (81.6 kg) person, that is about 131g a day.

By that yardstick, the high-protein plate's 104.7g covers most of the day on its own. Even the classic plate's 77.3g is a solid start. If you want a number for your own body and goal, the protein intake calculator does the math, and what 200 grams of protein looks like shows a full high-protein day in real food. Protein needs vary with health conditions, so if you have kidney disease or a medical diet, check with your doctor first.

Easy high-protein swaps and add-ons

Think of these as upgrades, not rules. Pick one or two, skip the rest, enjoy dinner.

Move	Calories	Protein
Extra 3 oz turkey, white meat, no skin	+125	+25.6g
Cottage cheese dip (1% cottage cheese, 1/2 cup)	+81	+14.0g
Nonfat Greek yogurt stirred into mash (42.5g, a quarter container)	+25	+4.3g
Greek yogurt dollop on pie instead of 2 tbsp whipped cream	+10	+4.1g
1 cup plain green beans instead of 1/2 cup stuffing	-133	-0.7g
Baked sweet potato instead of 1 cup candied sweet potatoes	-365	-0.7g

A few notes on each:

Extra turkey. The biggest lever by far. One more 3 oz serving of white meat adds 25.6g of protein for 125 calories, less than a cup of mashed potatoes.

Cottage cheese dip. Blend 1% cottage cheese with herbs, garlic, or a spoon of ranch seasoning, and set it out with raw carrots before dinner. Half a cup is 81 calories and 14.0g of protein. A medium carrot adds 25 calories. It is a great snack for the long wait while the turkey rests. More ideas live in high protein foods.

Greek yogurt in the mash. A quarter of a 170g container of nonfat Greek yogurt adds 4.3g of protein and a little tang for 25 calories. It also makes the mash creamier, so you may want less butter on top. That part is up to you.

Greek yogurt on pie. A 42.5g dollop is 25 calories with 4.3g of protein, against 15 calories and 0.2g for canned whipped cream. It is a bigger serving, so the calories go up by 10 while the protein goes up by 4.1g. Add a pinch of cinnamon and it tastes like it belongs there.

The two vegetable swaps. These do not add protein. They free up calories, which you can spend on more turkey if protein is the goal, or on seconds of whatever you love. Both are optional. Candied sweet potatoes are a holiday tradition for a reason.

A protein pumpkin pie built from USDA ingredients

Protein pie recipes online usually rely on protein powder, and those numbers depend on the brand. This one uses only four ingredients USDA lists on its own, so every number is checkable. It is a crustless pumpkin pie, baked like a custard in a greased 9-inch pie dish.

Ingredient	Amount	Calories	Protein
Canned pumpkin, no salt	1 can (425g)	144	4.7g
Whole eggs	3 large (150g)	214	18.9g
Nonfat plain Greek yogurt	2 containers (340g)	201	34.7g
Granulated sugar	1/2 cup (100g)	387	0.0g
Whole pie		946	58.3g
Per slice (1/8)		118	7.3g

Add pumpkin pie spice and vanilla to taste; at a teaspoon or two they barely move the numbers, so we left them out. A slice has about the same protein as a classic slice of pumpkin pie (7.1g), for 118 calories instead of 374. That moves protein per 100 calories from 1.9g to 6.2g. Top it with a Greek yogurt dollop and the slice becomes 143 calories and 11.6g of protein.

Is it the same as Grandma's pie? No, it has no crust, so it is softer and tangier. Make it alongside the classic, not instead of it. Want your own pie by the slice? The recipe calorie calculator works it out from your ingredients.

Common mistakes on a high-protein Thanksgiving

• Skipping lunch to "save up." Arriving starving makes the plate harder to enjoy and harder to plan. A normal breakfast and lunch with some protein works better.
• Treating the pie as a problem. Pie is part of the day. A slice barely moves a weekly protein or calorie average. See the full pie lineup in Thanksgiving pie calories.
• Counting only the turkey. Mac and cheese (20.0g a cup) and gravy add real protein too. Track the whole plate and your number will be higher than you think.
• Forgetting the leftovers. Leftover white meat is 25.6g of protein per 3 oz, ready to go. More on that in Thanksgiving leftovers calories.

If food tracking has ever felt stressful or tied to guilt, it is completely fine to skip the numbers for the day, and anyone with a history of disordered eating is best supported by a doctor or registered dietitian.

How to track a high-protein Thanksgiving in Nouri

When I used MyFitnessPal, the numbers were never the problem. Adding a normal dinner took several minutes, and after a long day I just would not do it. Thanksgiving is the hardest version of that: eleven things on one plate, each with fifty database entries.

In Nouri you type the plate like a text: "6 oz turkey breast no skin, 3 oz dark meat with skin, half a cup of mashed potatoes with Greek yogurt, half a cup of stuffing, gravy, green bean casserole, a slice of pumpkin pie." Calories and protein come back right away, item by item, with the reasoning and a confidence rating for each, so you can check the turkey portion it assumed. Second helping of turkey? Add "plus another 3 oz white meat" and it recalculates.

Photo works too, if the plate is laid out clearly. Nouri turns the picture into a sentence first, so you can fix "turkey" to "white meat, no skin" before anything is counted. Still at the table? From the lock screen, say "Hey Siri, track food in Nouri" and describe the plate. All four ways are equal. Nouri scored 92.1/100 in our 100-meal accuracy benchmark (MyFitnessPal 77.0).

If protein is your main goal, turn on Prioritize Protein for a higher daily protein target. Then on Sunday evening, with four or more days tracked, the Nouri Report shows your average calories and protein against your targets, days on target, and one clear focus for the week. Thursday becomes one day in that average, which is the right size for it. Most calorie apps give you numbers. Nouri gives you answers. Nouri is iPhone (iOS only), and you can try it free.

FAQ

How much protein is in Thanksgiving turkey?

Three ounces of roasted white meat without skin has 25.6g of protein for 125 calories, by USDA. Dark meat without skin has 23.5g for 147 calories. With skin, the numbers are 25.2g (white) and 23.2g (dark).

Is white or dark turkey meat higher in protein?

White meat, but only slightly: 25.6g against 23.5g per 3 oz without skin. White meat is also 22 calories lighter, so it wins on protein per calorie, 20.5g against 16.0g per 100 calories.

What is the highest-protein Thanksgiving side dish?

Mac and cheese, at 20.0g of protein per cup (513 calories) in USDA's typical recipe. Per calorie, plain Brussels sprouts (7.1g per 100 calories) and plain green beans (5.5g) are the most efficient sides.

How much protein is in a typical Thanksgiving dinner?

A classic plate with turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, sides, a roll, and pumpkin pie has about 77.3g of protein and 1,768 calories. A high-protein version of the same menu has about 104.7g and 1,663 calories.

How can I make Thanksgiving dinner higher in protein?

Let turkey take up more of the plate. An extra 3 oz of white meat adds 25.6g of protein for 125 calories. Greek yogurt stirred into mashed potatoes and a cottage cheese dip before dinner add more.

Does Greek yogurt in mashed potatoes add much protein?

A quarter of a 170g container of nonfat Greek yogurt adds 4.3g of protein for 25 calories. A full container (170g) adds 17.3g for 100 calories, enough for a big family batch.

Which Thanksgiving pie has the most protein?

Pecan pie, at 9.0g per regular 150g slice, followed by key lime (8.7g), sweet potato (7.4g), and pumpkin (7.1g). Pecan is also the highest in calories at 674 a slice, so pumpkin has the better protein per calorie.

Is there a high-protein pumpkin pie?

Yes. A crustless pie made from a can of pumpkin, 3 eggs, 2 containers of nonfat Greek yogurt, and half a cup of sugar is about 118 calories and 7.3g of protein per eighth, using USDA values. A Greek yogurt dollop on top brings a slice to 11.6g.

How much protein should I eat if I lift weights?

A 2018 meta-analysis of 49 trials found no further gains in fat-free mass from resistance training above about 1.6 g of protein per kg of body weight per day. That is about 131g for a 180 lb person. The protein intake calculator gives a number for you.

How much protein is in gravy?

Half a cup of canned turkey gravy has 3.1g of protein for 61 calories. That is 5.1g per 100 calories, better than any starch on the table. Pan gravy made with drippings and butter will be higher in calories.

What is the easiest way to track protein on Thanksgiving?

Type or say your plate in one sentence in Nouri, like "6 oz white meat, half a cup of stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, pumpkin pie," and you get calories and protein per item right away, with the reasoning shown. Then the Sunday Nouri Report puts the holiday inside your weekly average.

More turkey, the same pie, and a plate that works for your goals. Track it in Nouri in one sentence, add up your own plate with the Thanksgiving calorie calculator, and see every cut of the bird in turkey calories. Hosting the potluck version? Friendsgiving calories covers it.

Sources

USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy, per-100 g values and USDA portion weights (checked Nov 7, 2026):

• Turkey, all classes, light meat, cooked, roasted (FDC 171491): https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/171491/nutrients
• Turkey, whole, light meat, meat and skin, cooked, roasted (FDC 171089): https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/171089/nutrients
• Turkey, whole, dark meat, cooked, roasted (FDC 171091): https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/171091/nutrients
• Turkey, whole, dark meat, meat and skin, cooked, roasted (FDC 171489): https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/171489/nutrients
• Turkey, whole, skin (light and dark), roasted (FDC 171082): https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/171082/nutrients
• Potatoes, mashed, home-prepared, whole milk and butter added (FDC 168555): https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/168555/nutrients
• Gravy, turkey, canned, ready-to-serve (FDC 171568): https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/171568/nutrients
• Sweet potato, cooked, baked in skin, flesh, without salt (FDC 168483): https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/168483/nutrients
• Cranberry sauce, canned, sweetened (FDC 173961): https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/173961/nutrients
• Rolls, dinner, plain, commercially prepared (FDC 172793): https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/172793/nutrients
• Butter, salted (FDC 173410): https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/173410/nutrients
• Cream, whipped, cream topping, pressurized (FDC 170860): https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/170860/nutrients
• Beans, snap, green, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt (FDC 169141): https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/169141/nutrients
• Brussels sprouts, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt (FDC 169971): https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/169971/nutrients
• Corn, sweet, yellow, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt (FDC 169999): https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/169999/nutrients
• Yogurt, Greek, plain, nonfat (FDC 170894): https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/170894/nutrients
• Cheese, cottage, lowfat, 1% milkfat (FDC 173417): https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/173417/nutrients
• Carrots, raw (FDC 170393): https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/170393/nutrients
• Pumpkin, canned, without salt (FDC 168450): https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/168450/nutrients
• Egg, whole, raw, fresh (FDC 171287): https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/171287/nutrients
• Sugars, granulated (FDC 169655): https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/169655/nutrients

USDA FoodData Central, Survey (FNDDS) typical recipe values (checked Nov 7, 2026):

• Macaroni or noodles with cheese (FDC 2708811): https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2708811/nutrients
• Bread stuffing (FDC 2707687): https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2707687/nutrients
• Cornbread stuffing (FDC 2707812): https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2707812/nutrients
• Green bean casserole (FDC 2710040): https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2710040/nutrients
• Sweet potato, casserole or mashed (FDC 2709708): https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2709708/nutrients
• Sweet potato, candied (FDC 2709704): https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2709704/nutrients
• Pie, pumpkin (FDC 2708011): https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2708011/nutrients
• Pie, pecan (FDC 2708015): https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2708015/nutrients
• Pie, apple (FDC 2707995): https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2707995/nutrients
• Pie, key lime (FDC 2708001) and Pie, sweet potato (FDC 2708012), protein per slice as in our pie post: https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2708001/nutrients and https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2708012/nutrients

Protein research (checked Nov 7, 2026):

• Morton RW et al. A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of the effect of protein supplementation on resistance training-induced gains in muscle mass and strength in healthy adults. Br J Sports Med. 2018;52(6):376-384. PMID 28698222: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28698222/

Per-portion values are USDA per-100 g figures times the stated weight, rounded to whole calories and 0.1g protein. Plate and pie totals are sums of the rounded rows. Protein per 100 calories is protein divided by calories, times 100. Half cups of stuffing, mash and casseroles are half of USDA's cup weight. Recipes vary, so your own dishes may differ.