Calories in Ground Beef: By Fat Percentage

A 100 g cooked serving of 80/20 ground beef contains approximately 254 kcal, according to USDA FoodData Central (FDC #174033) — but that number shifts meaningfully as fat percentage rises or falls.

Ground beef is sold and labeled by its lean-to-fat ratio: 70/30, 80/20, 90/10, and 93/7 are the most common. The leaner the blend, the lower the calories and fat per serving, and the higher the relative protein density.

Calories by Fat Percentage (Per 100 g, Cooked)

The table below uses USDA FoodData Central values for pan-broiled, no-added-fat preparation. Cooking method and whether you drain the fat affect the final numbers.

Blend	Calories (kcal)	Protein (g)	Total Fat (g)	Saturated Fat (g)
70/30	332	24	26	10
80/20	254	26	17	7
90/10	218	27	12	5
93/7	215	28	10	4

Sources: USDA FoodData Central FDC #174033 (80/20), #174034 (70/30), #174035 (90/10), #174036 (93/7). Values rounded to whole numbers.

Macros: What You Are Actually Getting

All ground beef blends are carbohydrate-free — calories come entirely from protein and fat. The key difference between blends is the fat-to-protein ratio:

• 70/30: fat contributes about 70% of calories; useful for high-calorie bulking phases but easy to overshoot
• 80/20: the most commonly sold blend; balanced richness and protein
• 90/10 and 93/7: protein contributes over 50% of calories; similar calorie density to chicken thigh

Ground beef also supplies a meaningful amount of zinc (around 5 mg per 100 g), B12 (roughly 2.5 mcg), and iron (2–3 mg), making it nutritionally dense relative to its calorie cost at leaner blends.

For personalized targets — how much protein you need daily or what your total macros should look like — the macro calculator can model your exact numbers based on weight and goal.

Does It Fit Your Goals?

Weight loss. Lean ground beef (90/10 or 93/7) is one of the more satiating proteins available gram-for-gram. A 150 g cooked portion of 90/10 delivers about 42 g of protein at roughly 327 kcal — a strong return on calorie investment. See how that fits a daily target in our guide to counting calories to lose weight.

Blood sugar. Ground beef has no carbohydrates and a glycemic index of zero, so it does not directly raise blood glucose. However, very high fat intake (as in the 70/30 blend) can slow gastric emptying and blunt insulin sensitivity over time in people with insulin resistance. Leaner blends paired with fiber-rich vegetables are the safer default for blood-sugar management.

Muscle building. Ground beef’s complete amino acid profile — including all nine essential amino acids and a strong leucine content — makes it effective for muscle protein synthesis. The TDEE calculator can help you dial in total energy needs if you are in a structured gaining phase.

Practical Notes on Cooking

Raw ground beef loses water and fat during cooking, so raw-weight calorie counts are lower per gram than cooked-weight counts. USDA values above reflect the cooked state. If you weigh raw and cook at home, a rough conversion is that 100 g raw 80/20 yields about 70–75 g cooked, concentrating the calories per gram in the final product.

Draining and rinsing cooked crumbles can remove an additional 30–50% of the fat, pushing an 80/20 blend closer to 90/10 in the final dish — useful to know when calories are tight.

---

Photograph your plate before you eat and CalEye estimates the portion and logs the calories and macros in seconds — no manual entry needed.