How many grams of protein in an egg? A large egg has about 6.3 grams, according to USDA FoodData Central. A medium egg carries roughly 5.5 grams, and a jumbo egg gets close to 7.9 grams. The number moves with the shell size, not with how you cook it.
This page sticks to the egg itself, size by size, white versus yolk, raw versus cooked. It is not a recipe roundup or a meal plan, just the numbers behind one ingredient.
Egg White vs Yolk: Where the Protein Actually Sits
Split a large egg open and the white carries about 3.6 grams of protein, the yolk about 2.7 grams. The white is nearly pure protein and water. The yolk carries less protein but almost all of the egg’s fat, choline, and fat-soluble vitamins.
That is why people who dump the yolks are not doubling their protein intake. They are trading roughly 40 percent of it for a lower-calorie bowl of liquid.
Gram for gram the yolk is actually denser in protein than the white, 15.9 grams per 100 grams against 10.9. The white just makes up more of the egg’s total weight, so it ends up carrying the larger raw number per egg.
That gap matters for recipes that call for whites only. Cutting the yolks trims fat and calories hard, but it also cuts some of the egg’s total protein, not just the parts you meant to remove.
Video: GoodRx
Small, Medium, Large, Jumbo: Protein by Egg Size
Egg cartons are graded by weight, not protein density, so the grams scale in a straight line with the size printed on the carton. USDA’s figures already reflect the edible portion, shell excluded.
Swapping a large egg for a jumbo in a recipe adds close to 1.6 grams of protein without changing anything else in the bowl. Going the other way, down to medium, gives up close to 0.8 grams per egg.
The table below uses USDA FoodData Central values for whole raw egg, 12.56 grams of protein per 100 grams, applied to the standard portion weight listed for each carton grade.
| Egg Size | Weight | Protein | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small | 38 g | 4.8 g | 54 kcal |
| Medium | 44 g | 5.5 g | 63 kcal |
| Large | 50 g | 6.3 g | 72 kcal |
| Extra Large | 56 g | 7.0 g | 80 kcal |
| Jumbo | 63 g | 7.9 g | 90 kcal |
Source: USDA FoodData Central, Egg, whole, raw, fresh (FDC ID 171287), 12.56 g protein and 143 kcal per 100 g.
Raw vs Hard-Boiled: Does Cooking Change the Protein?
A hard-boiled large egg carries about 6.3 grams of protein too, per USDA’s cooked entry for the same size. Boiling does not strip protein out of an egg. The shell keeps the water and fat in place the whole time it sits in the pot.
Frying moves the number less than people expect. USDA lists a fried large egg at 6.3 grams of protein, with calories climbing to around 90 because of the oil in the pan.
Scrambled eggs look different mainly because the USDA portion for a scrambled large egg includes the milk typically whisked in, not just the egg. That version lands near 6.1 grams of protein and 91 calories for the same one-egg serving.
Poaching and soft-boiling sit in the same range as hard-boiling, since neither method adds fat or takes anything out of the shell.
How an Egg Stacks Up Against Other Protein Foods
Six grams a piece adds up fast. Two large eggs on toast covers about 12.6 grams before anything else on the plate is counted.
If you are stacking a full day of protein targets, pair eggs with something like protein pasta at dinner, or grab a couple of high protein snacks between meals so you are not relying on eggs alone.
A whey protein isolate shake works the same way, as a separate source layered on top of whatever eggs already covered.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many grams of protein are in 2 large eggs?
About 12.6 grams, based on USDA’s 6.28 grams per large egg.
Is egg white or whole egg better for protein?
Whole eggs and yolks carry more protein per gram than egg white. Egg white wins on protein per calorie, since it carries almost no fat next to the whole egg or yolk.
Does boiling an egg reduce its protein?
No. USDA data shows hard-boiled and raw large eggs land at almost the same protein gram count.