Eggs · Egg

Protein in desi egg

Desi egg (country hen egg) has 13.1 g of protein in every 100 g. Here's what that means for your day, how it compares, and how to count it right.

The short answer

100 g of desi egg has 13.1 g of protein and 168 kcal.1 That's about 26% of the 50 g of protein ICMR-NIN suggests a day for a 60 kg adult.2

13.1 gprotein per 100 g
168kcal per 100 g
32%of calories from protein
152 gfor 20 g protein

Nutrition in 100 g of desi egg

Per 100 gAmount
Energy168 kcal (704 kJ)
Protein13.1 g
Fat13 g
Carbohydrate0 g
Fibre0 g
Water73 g
Edible portion, per 100 g. IFCT 2017 food code M008 (“Egg, country hen, whole, raw”), averaged across 1 regions of India. ± is the spread between samples.

IFCT measured eggs raw, boiled and as an omelette. Figures are per 100 g of the edible part, without the shell. Egg sizes vary, so weigh yours for an exact count.

How much desi egg for your protein?

The amounts below are worked out from IFCT's figure of 13.1 g per 100 g. To see how desi egg fits into a whole day, add it in the day builder.

To getEat aboutCalories
10 g of protein76 g128 kcal
20 g of protein152 g255 kcal
30 g of protein228 g383 kcal

How desi egg compares

Desi egg has more protein per 100 g than 54% of the 542 foods in IFCT 2017. Here it is beside the other eggs we cover:

EggsProtein / 100 gkcalFrom protein
Omelette16.5 g17040%
Egg yolk15.7 g29722%
Duck egg14.6 g18233%
Boiled egg13.4 g14837%
Egg13.3 g13540%
Desi egg13.1 g16832%
Egg white10.8 g4599%
Per 100 g. “From protein” is the share of calories that comes from protein.

Other foods with similar protein: walnuts (14.9 g), rajgira (13.3 g), quinoa (13.1 g), sooji (11.4 g), bajra (11 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

Egg protein contains all the essential amino acids in good proportions, which is why it is often used as the reference protein. The white is mostly water and protein; the yolk carries the fat and also has protein.3

Common questions

How much protein is in 100 g of desi egg?

13.1 g, according to the Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 from ICMR-NIN. That's for desi egg, per 100 g of the edible part. 100 g also gives 168 kcal.

How much desi egg gives 20 g of protein?

About 152 g. That's roughly 40% of the 50 g a day ICMR-NIN suggests for a 60 kg adult.

Is desi egg a good source of protein?

32% of its calories come from protein, and it has more protein per 100 g than 54% of the 542 foods in IFCT 2017. Egg protein contains all the essential amino acids in good proportions, which is why it is often used as the reference protein.

Is the protein in egg white or yolk?

Both. Per 100 g, raw egg white has 10.8 g of protein and raw yolk has 15.7 g (IFCT 2017). The white has almost no fat; the yolk carries the fat and most of the calories.

References

  1. 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).
  2. ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition. Nutrient Requirements for Indians: Recommended Dietary Allowances and Estimated Average Requirements. 2020. nin.res.in
  3. WHO/FAO/UNU Expert Consultation. Protein and amino acid requirements in human nutrition. WHO Technical Report Series 935, 2007. who.int