Beef calories
There's no single “correct” number for beef: every family cooks it a little differently. Built from USDA ingredients, a standard version gives 259 kcal per 100 g, about 220 kcal for a 85 g serving.
A serving covers about 11% of the 2,000 kcal reference day used on US nutrition labels.
A real serving: 198 to 242 kcal
Nutrition facts
| Nutrient | Per 100 g | Per serving (85 g) |
|---|---|---|
| kcal | 259 | 220 |
| Protein, g | 26.1 | 22.2 |
| Fat, g | 16.6 | 14.1 |
| Carbs, g | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Fiber, g | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Calories by portion
| Portions | Most likely | Range, kcal | Steps to burn |
|---|---|---|---|
| ½ · 42 g | 110 kcal | 99-121 | 3,400 |
| 1 · 85 g | 220 kcal | 198-242 | 6,900 |
| 1½ · 128 g | 330 kcal | 297-363 | 10,300 |
| 2 · 170 g | 440 kcal | 396-484 | 13,700 |
The same portion buttons as in the Kalorea app: ½, 1, 1½ and 2 servings.
How long to burn one serving
About 6,900 steps, or 53 minutes of brisk walking for an average adult.
How we count: an adult of 75 kg and 175 cm walking at 5.6 km/h burns (4.3 − 1) × 75 = 247.5 kcal an hour above resting. Steps are distance divided by a stride of 0.415 × height. That's about 31 steps per kcal. The Kalorea app uses your own height and weight.
Shoot it from above so the whole plate is in frame. If it's oilier than usual, add “lots of oil” to the description, and Kalorea will lean to the top of the range.
Compared with similar foods
| Food | kcal / 100 g | Serving | Protein / 100 g |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pork | 238 | 202 kcal / 85 g | 26.4 g |
| Sirloin steak | 243 | 207 kcal / 85 g | 27.0 g |
| Beef | 259 | 220 kcal / 85 g | 26.1 g |
| Filet mignon | 267 | 278 kcal / 104 g | 26.5 g |
| Steak | 267 | 227 kcal / 85 g | 25.7 g |
| Ground beef | 272 | 231 kcal / 85 g | 27.0 g |
| Meat cutlet | 272 | 231 kcal / 85 g | 19.4 g |
| Hot dog | 278 | 267 kcal / 96 g | 9.8 g |
| Lamb | 282 | 240 kcal / 85 g | 25.0 g |
Lightest in this group per 100 g: Pork.
Where the numbers come from
Values from USDA FoodData Central, a public domain (CC0) database by the US Department of Agriculture: FDC 169484 (Beef, composite of trimmed retail cuts, separable lean and fat, trimmed to 1/8" fat, all grades, cooked).
The ±10% range covers natural variation between samples: size, variety, ripeness or fat content, and how it was prepared.
Questions
How many calories in beef?
Beef has about 259 kcal per 100 g. A typical 85 g serving is about 220 kcal, and realistically anywhere from 198 to 242 kcal depending on the recipe and portion.
How much protein is in beef?
26.1 g of protein per 100 g, or about 22.2 g in a 85 g serving.
Your plate isn't a lab sample
Snap your own beef and Kalorea estimates what's actually on your plate, with a range and macros.