Curated list
Best foods for muscle gain
Foods that support muscle gain — protein for synthesis, carbs for fuel, calorie density for the surplus.
Why these
Muscle gain requires a calorie surplus plus 0.8-1.0g/lb protein. These foods make hitting both targets easy without volume eating yourself sick.
18 top picks
- 1. Chicken thigh 199 kcal · 24.7g P · 1 thigh boneless
- 2. Salmon 235 kcal · 24.9g P · 4 oz fillet
- 3. Ground beef (90/10) 221 kcal · 30.5g P · 4 oz patty
- 4. Sirloin steak 350 kcal · 51g P · 6 oz steak
- 5. Eggs (large) 78 kcal · 6.5g P · 1 large egg
- 6. Whey protein (1 scoop) 114 kcal · 24g P · 1 scoop (~30g)
- 7. Cottage cheese (low-fat) 183 kcal · 24.9g P · 1 cup
- 8. Greek yogurt (plain, nonfat) 145 kcal · 24.5g P · 1 cup
- 9. Oatmeal (cooked) 166 kcal · 5.8g P · 1 cup cooked
- 10. White rice (cooked) 205 kcal · 4.3g P · 1 cup cooked
- 11. Sweet potato 112 kcal · 2.1g P · 1 medium baked
- 12. Pasta (cooked) 221 kcal · 8.1g P · 1 cup cooked
- 13. Banana 105 kcal · 1.3g P · 1 medium
- 14. Peanut butter 94 kcal · 4g P · 1 tbsp
- 15. Almonds (raw) 162 kcal · 5.9g P · 1 oz (~23 nuts)
- 16. Avocado 320 kcal · 4g P · 1 medium
- 17. Milk (whole) 146 kcal · 7.7g P · 1 cup (8 oz)
- 18. Pork tenderloin 162 kcal · 29.4g P · 4 oz
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