How much protein in an egg, and how much sits in the yolk

A large egg gives you about 6.3 grams of protein for 74 calories, and close to 41% of that protein sits in the yolk. That second number surprises a lot of people who toss yolks to eat "cleaner".

So if you've been wondering how much protein in an egg you actually get, the honest answer is roughly 6 to 7 grams for a typical large one. The Australian Eggs nutrition table lists 6.3 g of protein in a 52 g egg, and USDA figures land at 6.29 g. Where that protein lives, and what it costs you in calories, is where things get interesting.

How much protein in an egg, white versus yolk

Crack a large egg and you're holding two very different foods. The white is almost pure protein and water. The yolk carries nearly all the fat, all the vitamin D, and a decent share of the protein too.

USDA data shown on FatSecret's egg entry puts a large egg white at 3.6 g of protein and 17 calories, with just 0.06 g of fat. A large yolk brings 2.7 g of protein, 4.51 g of fat and 55 calories.

Protein in egg yolk is not a rounding error

At 2.7 g, the yolk supplies a bit over 40% of the total. Australian Eggs puts the split at 59% white and 41% yolk, which matches the USDA numbers closely. Skip the yolk and you lose almost half the protein, not a sliver of it.

A large egg white has 3.6 g of protein for 17 calories. The yolk adds 2.7 g more for 55 calories. Same egg, very different maths.

Egg whites nutrition at a glance

The white wins on protein per calorie, no contest. Around 85% of its calories come from protein, because 3.6 g of protein works out to about 14 of its 17 calories. In a whole egg, protein accounts for roughly a third of the calories.

How many grams of protein in an egg by size?

Egg size changes everything a little. US cartons are graded by the weight of the dozen, so a "large" egg is a range, not a fixed number. That's why you'll see 6 g on one label and 6.5 g on another.

Calories climb steadily with size. USDA servings list a small egg at 54 calories, a medium at 65, a large at 74 and an extra large at 85. Protein scales with weight in the same way, at about 12.2 g per 100 g of whole egg according to Australian Eggs. The protein figures for other sizes below are scaled from the large egg, so treat them as estimates.

Rule of thumb: whole egg is about 12 g of protein per 100 g. Weigh one egg and you can work out its protein in your head.

How much protein in one egg you'd buy at the store

Most recipes, and most nutrition labels, assume a large egg. If your carton says jumbo or extra large, nudge your numbers up by a gram or so per egg. If you buy mixed farm eggs, a kitchen scale tells you more than the carton ever will.

How much protein in 2 eggs, 3 eggs, and a typical breakfast

Here's where it adds up. Using the USDA large egg, how much protein in 2 eggs comes to about 12.6 g for 148 calories. As for how much protein in 3 eggs, three large ones give you close to 18.9 g for around 222 calories.

That last combo is a popular trick for people cutting calories. You keep most of the protein and drop nearly 100 calories compared with three whole eggs. If eggs aren't your thing at all, we've rounded up high protein breakfast recipes that work without eggs.

Where this breakfast lands against other proteins

Three eggs sit in the same range as a modest portion of seafood or meat. For comparison, our guide to shrimp calories and protein shows a serving near 84 calories for 20 g of protein, and the numbers in how much protein in steak vary a lot by cut.

How much protein in a boiled egg compared with fried

Cooking doesn't create or destroy much protein. A large hard-boiled egg lists 6.29 g of protein and 78 calories in USDA data, while a large fried egg lists 6.27 g of protein and 92 calories. The protein barely moves; the fat from the pan does the damage.

One tablespoon of butter carries 102 calories on its own, so a generous knob can more than double a fried egg's count. We dug into that in our piece on hidden calories in olive oil and butter.

What egg protein costs you in money and calories

Eggs have gotten cheaper again. The US government's average price for a dozen Grade A large eggs was $2.27 in August 2026, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics series tracked on FRED. That works out to about 19 cents an egg.

Divide that by 6.3 g and you're paying roughly 3 cents per gram of protein. Hitting 20 g of protein takes a little over three large eggs, so about 60 cents, for around 235 calories. Hard to beat on a weeknight.

At $2.27 a dozen, a large egg costs about 19 cents and delivers 6.3 g of protein. That's roughly 3 cents per gram.

The calorie side matters just as much if you're in a deficit. Knowing your daily burn helps you decide whether three eggs or two fits the day; our TDEE guide walks through it. If you have a heart condition or high cholesterol, talk with your doctor about how many yolks suit you.

Egg calories and protein for your daily log

Logging eggs is easy once you pick a standard. Use the large egg figures unless you weigh them, and always log the cooking fat as its own entry. Snapping a photo of your plate with an AI calorie counter is a quick way to capture the toast and butter too.

Quick questions about egg protein

How many calories in an egg, on average?

A large egg comes in at about 74 calories in USDA figures, and Australian Eggs lists 74 calories for its 52 g average egg. Smaller eggs drop to about 54, extra large ones rise to 85.

How many calories in egg white compared with the yolk?

A large egg white has about 17 calories and the yolk about 55. Put another way, the yolk holds roughly three quarters of a whole egg's calories but only about 41% of its protein.

Is egg protein enough for a high protein diet?

Eggs help, but they rarely do it alone. Three large eggs give you about 19 g, so most people pair them with dairy, fish, beans or meat across the day to reach their target.

Start tracking your nutrition today. Download CalMeal for free and let AI-powered food recognition log your eggs, whites and all, from a single photo. Get the app here: iOS or Android.