High calorie high protein foods: the ones that do both

Written by James Frost, founder of Flaming Phoenix and the maker of Phoenix Bars. Updated November 2026.

Quick answer: The foods highest in both calories and protein are whole eggs, cheese and full-fat dairy, nuts and nut butters, oily fish, red meat, beans and lentils, and oats. They work because the protein comes packaged with fat or starch: two eggs give about 140 calories and 14g of protein, and 100g of salmon about 205 calories and 20g. The trick is knowing which foods carry protein and calories together, because most foods are heavy on one and light on the other. For the wider list of dense foods, see calorie-dense foods.

This is the gap most advice leaves open. Search for high calorie foods and you get oils and butter, which are almost pure fat with barely any protein. Search for high protein foods and you get chicken breast and egg whites, which are lean and low in calories. What people usually want, especially when gaining weight, is the middle ground: foods that deliver both, from whole eggs and cheese to high calorie protein bars. A Phoenix Bar, which I make, is one of the foods that does both: up to 557 calories and up to 19g of protein in a compact, 120g bar.

What makes a food high in both calories and protein?

It comes down to how the protein is packaged. Lean protein foods, like skinless chicken or white fish, are high in protein but low in calories, because they have little fat. The foods that are high in both are the ones where protein comes bundled with fat, or where a protein-rich food is also starchy.

So look for foods like whole eggs, cheese, fatty fish, red meat and nuts, where protein sits alongside plenty of fat, and protein-rich staples like beans, lentils and oats, which bring carbohydrate calories with their protein. Those are the foods that move both numbers at the same time.

The best high calorie high protein foods

Here are the foods that carry a useful amount of both, with typical figures per serving. The last column shows how much protein each gives per 100 calories: the higher it is, the more the food leans towards protein; the lower it is, the more it leans towards calories.

Figures are typical UK values; brands vary a little. If you are gaining weight on a small appetite, the foods lower down the table do more work per mouthful. If you are building muscle and already eat plenty, the foods at the top add protein without adding much bulk.

For the plant-based angle specifically, see high calorie vegan foods, and for gluten-free, high calorie gluten free foods.

How to get more calories and protein together

The simplest approach is to pair a protein source with a fat, so a meal climbs on both counts. Cook eggs in oil, melt cheese over things, spread nut butter thickly, stir full-fat Greek yoghurt into breakfast, and add nuts and seeds to meals.

A few quick combinations: Greek yoghurt with nuts and honey, eggs fried in oil on buttered toast, a handful of cheese and nuts, or lentils cooked with a good glug of olive oil. Each one lands a solid dose of both protein and calories in a single serving.

For gaining weight and muscle

If you are working out how to gain weight, the thing that adds it is a calorie surplus, eating more than you burn. Protein matters for what kind of weight you gain: paired with resistance training, a higher protein intake helps more of the gain come as muscle rather than fat. On its own, protein does not build anything, it is protein plus training plus enough calories.

Work out your target with how many calories to gain weight and see how to eat in a calorie surplus for the mechanism. The gym-focused side is covered in bulking.

A compact option with calories and protein

When you want both without cooking, a bar saves the effort.

Each of our Phoenix Bars has up to 557 calories in a compact, lightweight 120g bar and up to 19g of protein, so it is a source of protein as well as calories, with no preparation. It is vegan and gluten-free, comes in six flavours, and can be stirred into milk to make porridge. Other brands are ranked in the best energy bars for weight gain. You can see the full range of high calorie bars on the homepage.

Frequently asked questions

What foods are high in both calories and protein?

Eggs, cheese and full-fat dairy, nuts and nut butters, oily fish, red meat, and legumes like beans and lentils are all high in both. So are protein-rich staples like oats. The common thread is protein packaged with fat, or protein alongside starch, rather than lean protein on its own.

What is the difference between high calorie and high protein foods?

High calorie foods are dense in energy, often mostly fat, like oils and butter, which are low in protein. High protein foods are rich in protein but can be low in calories if they are lean, like chicken breast. Foods high in both combine protein with fat or carbohydrate, so they move both numbers together.

What are high calorie high protein snacks?

Cheese and nuts, Greek yoghurt with nuts and honey, a nut butter sandwich, a handful of trail mix, or a boiled egg with something calorie-dense alongside. Each pairs a protein source with fat or carbohydrate, so it delivers both protein and calories in a small snack.

What are high calorie high protein vegan foods?

Legumes like beans, lentils and chickpeas, plus nuts, nut butters, seeds, tofu, tempeh and oats, all bring protein and calories together. Pairing them with plant oils lifts the calories further. Our guide to high calorie vegan foods covers the plant-based options in detail.

How much protein do I need to gain muscle?

It varies by body size and training, but a common guideline is roughly 1.6 to 2.2g of protein per kilogram of bodyweight per day when training to build muscle. Alongside that, you still need a calorie surplus and resistance training, since protein alone does not add muscle. For how to build whole days and weeks around these foods, see my high calorie high protein diet guide.

Related guides

For all dense foods, see calorie-dense foods. For plant-based and gluten-free versions, see high calorie vegan foods and high calorie gluten free foods. For gaining weight, see how many calories to gain weight and bulking. For the porridge method, see how to use Phoenix Bars.

Written by James Frost, founder of Flaming Phoenix and the maker of Phoenix Bars. James started Flaming Phoenix in 2024 and has spent the years since working out how to get the most calories into the least food, building and testing compact, calorie-dense recipes. He can be reached at jfrost@flaming-phoenix.co.uk. Last reviewed: November 2026.

Sources: McCance and Widdowson's CoFID 2021; Morton RW and others, British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2018; Phoenix Bar values from our own pack labels.