Protein in Cow Milk: 3.3 g per 100 g

The short answer

100 g of cow milk has 3.3 g of protein and 73 kcal.¹ That's about 7% of the 50 g of protein ICMR-NIN suggests a day for a 60 kg adult.²

3.3 gprotein per 100 g

73kcal per 100 g

18%of calories from protein

613 gfor 20 g protein

Nutrition in 100 g of cow milk

Edible portion, per 100 g. IFCT 2017 food code L002 (“Milk, whole, Cow”), averaged across 6 regions of India. ± is the spread between samples.
Per 100 g	Amount
Energy	73 kcal (305 kJ)
Protein	3.3 g ± 0.1
Fat	4.5 g
Carbohydrate	4.9 g
Fibre	0 g
Water	86.6 g

These figures are per 100 g of cow milk as sold. A millilitre of milk weighs about 1.03 g, so per 100 ml the numbers are a little higher.

How much cow milk for your protein?

The amounts below are worked out from IFCT's figure of 3.3 g per 100 g. To see how cow milk fits into a whole day, add it in the day builder.

To get	Eat about	Calories
10 g of protein	307 g	224 kcal
20 g of protein	613 g	447 kcal
30 g of protein	920 g	672 kcal

How cow milk compares

Cow milk has more protein per 100 g than 38% of the 542 foods in IFCT 2017. Here it is beside the other milk and milk products we cover:

Per 100 g. “From protein” is the share of calories that comes from protein.
Milk and milk products	Protein / 100 g	kcal	From protein
Paneer	18.9 g	258	30%
Khoa	16.3 g	316	21%
Buffalo milk	3.7 g	107	14%
Cow milk	3.3 g	73	18%

Other vegetarian foods with similar protein: jackfruit seeds (5.8 g), methi leaves (3.7 g), mushroom (3.7 g), spinach (2.1 g), potato (1.5 g). For more protein per 100 g, try soybean (37.8 g), masoor dal (24.4 g), moong dal (23.9 g). See every food on one protein chart.

Protein quality

Milk protein, mostly casein and whey, contains all the essential amino acids in good proportions, and it is easy to digest. That makes milk, curd and paneer the main complete-protein foods for many vegetarians.³

Cow milk in Indian languages

Names as listed in IFCT 2017, which records what the food is called in each region it was sampled from.¹

Assamese: Garoor gakhir
Bengali: Doodh (garu)
Gujarati: Gai nu dhudh
Hindi: Gai ka doodh
Kannada: Hasuvina halu
Marathi: Doodh (gay)
Odia: Gai dudha
Punjabi: Gaan da doodh
Tamil: Pasumpaal
Telugu: Aavu paalu

Common questions

How much protein is in 100 g of cow milk?

3.3 g, according to the Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 from ICMR-NIN. That's for cow milk, per 100 g of the edible part. 100 g also gives 73 kcal.

How much cow milk gives 20 g of protein?

About 613 g. That's roughly 40% of the 50 g a day ICMR-NIN suggests for a 60 kg adult.

Is cow milk a good source of protein?

18% of its calories come from protein, and it has more protein per 100 g than 38% of the 542 foods in IFCT 2017. Milk protein, mostly casein and whey, contains all the essential amino acids in good proportions, and it is easy to digest.

How much protein is in a glass of cow milk?

A 250 ml glass weighs about 258 g, so it has about 8.4 g of protein, using IFCT 2017's 3.3 g per 100 g.

References

Longvah T, Ananthan R, Bhaskarachary K, Venkaiah K. Indian Food Composition Tables 2017. National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR), Hyderabad. nin.res.in. Read through the open-data copy by Subhajit Sahu (ifct2017, MIT licence).
ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition. Nutrient Requirements for Indians: Recommended Dietary Allowances and Estimated Average Requirements. 2020. nin.res.in
WHO/FAO/UNU Expert Consultation. Protein and amino acid requirements in human nutrition. WHO Technical Report Series 935, 2007. who.int

Protein in cow milk