Turkey Calories & Nutrition Calculator

Raw skinless turkey breast contains 104 kcal per 100g with 23.68g protein and just 0.65g fat — making it the leanest cut among all mainstream poultry. For comparison, raw skinless chicken breast has 120 kcal with 2.62g fat (4x more fat), and chicken thigh skinless has 144 kcal with 7.91g fat (12x more). Turkey breast's fat content is so low that 91% of its calories come from protein ^[1][2].

Saturated fat is nearly absent at 0.20g per 100g (1% DV). Per 3 oz (85g) serving: 88 kcal, 0.55g fat, 20.1g protein. Per 4 oz (113g): 117 kcal, 0.73g fat, 26.8g protein. Even roasted, turkey breast remains remarkably lean at 135 kcal with 1.77g fat per 100g ^[1][3].

For calorie-conscious food journaling, turkey breast is uniquely efficient: you can consume over 200g (a generous portion) and still stay under 300 kcal while taking in nearly 60g of protein. No other commonly available meat achieves this calorie-to-protein ratio.

Roasted skinless turkey breast delivers 29.3g protein at only 135 kcal per 100g — a protein efficiency of 4.6 kcal per gram of protein. This surpasses roasted chicken breast (31.0g protein at 165 kcal = 5.3 kcal/g) because turkey breast has dramatically less fat. Among mainstream proteins, only cod (4.7 kcal/g) and egg whites (3.6 kcal/g) approach turkey breast's efficiency ^[1][3].

Per 3 oz (85g) roasted serving: 115 kcal with 24.9g protein — nearly 50% of the 50g daily value in a single small serving. Per 6 oz (170g): 230 kcal with 49.8g protein. The complete amino acid profile has a PDCAAS of 1.0, with high leucine content (~2.3g/100g roasted) for muscle protein synthesis signaling ^[1][5].

Ground turkey (93% lean) is less efficient: 148 kcal with 19.7g protein per 100g raw = 7.5 kcal/g protein — because it includes dark meat and added fat. For protein-maximizing food journals, turkey breast is significantly better than ground turkey; a 3 oz serving of breast provides 25g protein at 115 kcal vs. ground at 17g protein at 126 kcal.

Turkey dark meat (leg, thigh) has substantially different mineral content than breast: zinc at 2.96mg (27% DV) vs. breast at 1.15mg (10% DV), and iron at 1.09mg vs. breast at 0.37mg. The dark-white mineral divergence is consistent with chicken and results from higher myoglobin content in muscles used for sustained activity ^[1][2].

Roasted dark meat concentrates these further: 3.90mg zinc (35% DV) and 1.53mg iron per 100g. Per 4 oz (113g) roasted serving: 4.41mg zinc (40% DV) — nearly double the zinc from the same weight of breast. For food journals tracking zinc, turkey dark meat is among the most efficient poultry sources, approaching beef (4.8mg/100g) ^[1][4].

The trade-off: dark meat has more fat (4.38g raw, 6.31g roasted) and more calories (125 raw, 173 roasted per 100g). But the mineral advantage is substantial enough that from a micronutrient standpoint, dark meat is nutritionally richer — it provides more iron, zinc, and vitamin A per serving than breast.

Turkey breast is a standout source of selenium at 22.8mcg per 100g raw (41% DV), increasing to 28.2mcg roasted (51% DV). Per 3 oz roasted: 24.0mcg (44% DV). Combined with chicken breast (27.6mcg), turkey and chicken are the two most commonly consumed selenium sources in protein-rich diets ^[1][3].

Niacin (B3) at 10.43mg per 100g raw (65% DV) places turkey breast close to chicken breast (12.3mg). Per 4 oz (113g): 11.8mg niacin (74% DV). Other B-vitamins include B6 at 0.46mg (27% DV), B12 at 0.36mcg (15% DV), and riboflavin at 0.12mg (9% DV). The B-vitamin profile is comparable to chicken but with slightly less niacin and slightly more B6 ^[1][5].

Tryptophan, an amino acid precursor to serotonin, is present at approximately 0.28g per 100g — the same level as other poultry meats. The widespread belief that turkey contains uniquely high tryptophan is a myth; turkey's tryptophan content is comparable to chicken (0.27g/100g) and lower than cheese (0.32g) or soybeans (0.59g).

Ground turkey nutrition depends heavily on the lean-to-fat ratio printed on the package. 93% lean (the most common): 148 kcal, 19.7g protein, 7.56g fat per 100g raw. 85% lean: approximately 210 kcal, 18g protein, 15g fat per 100g. The 8% lean difference nearly doubles the fat and adds 62 kcal per 100g — a significant food journaling variable ^[1][4].

Compared to ground beef: 93% lean ground turkey (148 kcal, 7.56g fat) is slightly leaner than 93% lean ground beef (152 kcal, 7.7g fat) — the difference is marginal. The common perception that ground turkey is dramatically leaner than ground beef is only true when comparing turkey breast ground (99% lean, ~110 kcal) to regular ground beef (70% lean, ~332 kcal). At the same lean percentage, they're nearly identical ^[1][5].

Per turkey patty (~113g raw, cooks to ~85g): 93% lean provides approximately 167 kcal, 22.2g protein, 8.5g fat raw weight. Always log ground turkey by raw weight and lean percentage for accurate tracking — a '93% lean' vs. '85% lean' logging error can mean a 60+ calorie per serving difference.