How much protein is in canned tuna in water?

Canned tuna in water has 19.4 g of protein per 100 g and 16.5 g per 3 oz (85 g). That is 22.6 g of protein per 100 kcal — a high-protein food by any standard.

Should tuna, shrimp and sardines be weighed raw or cooked?

Weigh it in whichever state you log it, and use the row that matches — this page is the as-listed row. Cooking does not change how many calories are there, only how many grams they are spread across: meat loses water in the pan and gets denser, grains and pasta absorb it and get lighter per gram.

All foods

Tuna, shrimp and sardinesUSDA SR LegacyFDC 173709

Calories in canned tuna in water

USDA FoodData Central record for “Fish, tuna, light, canned in water, drained solids (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program)” — per 100 g, per every USDA serving size, and next to the other tuna, shrimp and sardines rows.

The short answer

Canned tuna in water: 86 kcal per 100 g. 3 oz (85 g) is 73 kcal with 16.5 g of protein. Source: USDA FoodData Central record 173709, "Fish, tuna, light, canned in water, drained solids (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program)".

Per 100 g

Nutrient	Per 100 g	Share of energy
Energy	86 kcal	100%
Protein	19.4 g	90%
Fat	1 g	10%
Carbohydrate	0 g	0%

Canned tuna in water is 86 kcal per 100 g in USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy). Of that energy, about 90% comes from protein, 10% from fat and 0% from carbohydrate. That works out to 22.6 g of protein per 100 kcal — a high-protein food by any standard.

Per serving

The serving sizes USDA lists for this record, priced from the per-100 g figures above. Nothing here is rounded to a “portion” — the gram weight next to each label is what the calories are computed from.

Serving	Weight	Calories	Protein	Fat
100 g	100 g	86	19.4 g	1 g
3 oz	85 g	73	16.5 g	0.8 g
1 can	165 g	142	32 g	1.7 g
1 cup, solid or chunks	154 g	132	29.9 g	1.5 g
1 can (12.5 oz), drained	315 g	271	61.1 g	3.2 g

Compared with other tuna, shrimp and sardines

Food	kcal / 100 g	Protein / 100 g	Per serving
Canned tuna in water	86	19.4 g	73 kcal · 3 oz
Raw yellowfin tuna	109	24.4 g	93 kcal · 3 oz
Raw shrimp	85	20.1 g	72 kcal · 3 oz
Cooked shrimp	99	24 g	84 kcal · 3 oz
Canned sardines in oil	208	24.6 g	59 kcal · 1 oz

The tuna, shrimp and sardines rows exist in more than one state because water moves during cooking: this is the as-listed row. Weigh the food in the state you log and pick the row that matches — the calories don’t change in the pan, the grams do. The mechanics are in cooked vs raw weights.

Worth knowing

Drained light tuna in water is the most protein-dense thing in most kitchens: about 19 g of protein for 86 kcal per 100 g. The same tuna canned in oil roughly doubles the calories unless you drain it hard.

Other tables in finfish and shellfish products

The same numbers for the foods this one usually shares a plate — or a shopping list — with.

Questions about canned tuna in water

How many calories are in canned tuna in water?: Canned tuna in water: 86 kcal per 100 g. 3 oz (85 g) is 73 kcal with 16.5 g of protein. Source: USDA FoodData Central record 173709, "Fish, tuna, light, canned in water, drained solids (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program)".
How much protein is in canned tuna in water?: Canned tuna in water has 19.4 g of protein per 100 g and 16.5 g per 3 oz (85 g). That is 22.6 g of protein per 100 kcal — a high-protein food by any standard.
Should tuna, shrimp and sardines be weighed raw or cooked?: Weigh it in whichever state you log it, and use the row that matches — this page is the as-listed row. Cooking does not change how many calories are there, only how many grams they are spread across: meat loses water in the pan and gets denser, grains and pasta absorb it and get lighter per gram.

How calorie.one logs it

Type “canned tuna in water” into calorie.one and the app matches this exact record — “Fish, tuna, light, canned in water, drained solids (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program)” — estimates the grams, and shows the line with its USDA label. You correct the amount; the per-100 g figure is never guessed. That split between recognition and arithmetic is the whole methodology. For the numbers in context, read How much protein do you need per day?.