A single large egg contains about 72 calories and 6.3 grams of protein. That makes eggs one of the most protein-dense foods per calorie you can eat, and the protein they deliver is among the highest quality available from any food source.
Calories and Protein by Egg Size
Most nutrition labels and recipes assume a “large” egg, which weighs about 50 grams in the shell. But egg sizes vary, and so do the numbers:
- Medium (44g): ~63 calories, 5.5g protein
- Large (50g): ~72 calories, 6.3g protein
- Extra-large (56g): ~80 calories, 7.0g protein
- Jumbo (63g): ~90 calories, 7.9g protein
If you’re tracking macros, that’s roughly 1.3 calories and 0.13 grams of protein per gram of whole egg. Scaling up or down from there gives you a reliable estimate regardless of size.
White vs. Yolk: Where the Nutrients Live
The egg white and yolk split the protein almost evenly, but the calories are heavily concentrated in the yolk. The white of a large egg has about 17 calories and 3.6 grams of protein. The yolk has about 55 calories and 2.7 grams of protein. By weight, the yolk is actually more protein-dense (15.9% protein vs. 10.9% in the white), but since the white makes up a larger portion of the egg, it edges ahead in total grams.
All 186 milligrams of cholesterol in an egg sit in the yolk, along with nearly all the fat (about 4.5 grams) and most of the vitamins. The yolk carries the egg’s vitamin D, vitamin B12, choline, and iron. Tossing the yolk to “save calories” cuts your intake by 55 calories but also strips away most of the egg’s nutritional value beyond protein.
How Cooking Changes the Numbers
A hard-boiled egg clocks in at about 78 calories, slightly higher than a raw egg because of minor water loss that concentrates the nutrients by weight. A fried egg jumps to around 90 calories per large egg, with the extra 12 to 18 calories coming from whatever fat you cook it in. Poaching lands close to the hard-boiled number since no added fat is involved.
Protein content stays essentially the same regardless of cooking method. Heat changes the structure of the protein (that’s why the white turns solid) but doesn’t destroy it. In fact, cooked egg protein is slightly easier for your body to absorb than raw egg protein.
Why Egg Protein Stands Out
Not all protein is created equal, and eggs sit at the top of the quality scale. The World Health Organization has reported egg protein to be the most digestible protein source available, with 97% digestibility compared to 95% for dairy and 94% for meat. Eggs also score highest on the PDCAAS scale, which measures how completely a protein supplies the essential amino acids your body can’t make on its own. For young children, eggs score 118% on that scale, compared to 92 to 94% for meat and fish, 90 to 93% for soy, and 35 to 57% for grains like rice and wheat.
What this means in practical terms: the 6.3 grams of protein in an egg is more usable by your body than 6.3 grams from most other foods. Eggs contain all nine essential amino acids in proportions that closely match what humans need, which is why they’ve long been used as the reference standard for evaluating other protein sources.
Other Nutrients Worth Knowing About
Eggs pack a surprising amount of nutrition into a small package beyond just protein. A single large egg provides about 1 microgram of vitamin D (roughly 5 to 7% of the daily value), making it one of the few natural food sources of this vitamin. Eggs are also one of the richest dietary sources of choline, a nutrient most people fall short on that supports brain function and liver health.
A large egg also contains about 5 grams of fat, most of it unsaturated. The 186 milligrams of cholesterol in the yolk once made eggs controversial, but current evidence shows dietary cholesterol has a smaller effect on blood cholesterol levels than previously thought for most people.
How Many Eggs Per Day
The American Heart Association recommends up to one whole egg per day (or two egg whites) for adults without heart disease, which works out to seven eggs per week. If you have heart disease or high cholesterol, the guidance drops to four yolks per week, though egg whites remain unrestricted since they contain no cholesterol.
For someone eating three eggs at breakfast, that’s about 216 calories and 19 grams of protein, a solid base for a meal. Paired with toast or vegetables, it’s enough to keep most people full for several hours, largely because protein and fat slow digestion more effectively than carbohydrates alone.