Calories in Ground Beef

How Many Calories Are in Ground Beef?

Ground beef calories are almost entirely determined by the fat percentage printed on the package. A 4-ounce cooked serving of 80/20 ground beef (80% lean) has about 290 calories, while leaner 90/10 has about 200. The protein content stays roughly the same across blends — about 22 grams per 4 ounces — so when you choose leaner beef, you are mainly cutting fat and calories, not protein.

It is important to track whether you are weighing the beef raw or cooked. Ground beef loses water and renders out fat during cooking, so 4 ounces raw shrinks to roughly 3 ounces cooked. Most nutrition databases list both; the table below uses cooked weights, which is how the beef ends up on your plate.

Ground Beef Calories by Fat Percentage (Cooked)

Ground beef	Serving	Calories	Protein (g)	Fat (g)	Sat. fat (g)
70/30 (regular)	4 oz cooked	~320	21	26	10
80/20 (lean)	4 oz cooked	~290	22	22	9
85/15	4 oz cooked	~240	23	16	6
90/10 (extra lean)	4 oz cooked	~200	24	11	4
93/7	4 oz cooked	~170	24	8	3
96/4 (super lean)	4 oz cooked	~145	25	5	2

The spread is significant: choosing 90/10 over 80/20 saves about 90 calories per 4-ounce serving, which adds up quickly if you eat ground beef several times a week.

Macros and Nutrition in Ground Beef

Ground beef is a protein-and-fat food with essentially zero carbohydrates. A 4-ounce cooked serving delivers 21 to 25 grams of high-quality complete protein, plus meaningful amounts of iron, zinc, selenium and vitamin B12. The main nutritional trade-off is saturated fat — fattier blends like 70/30 carry around 10 grams of saturated fat per serving, so leaner cuts are the better choice for heart-healthy eating.

Raw vs Cooked and the Pound Question

A raw pound of 80/20 ground beef contains about 1,150 calories. During cooking, it renders fat and water, so the same pound yields roughly 12 ounces of cooked beef totaling around 870 to 900 calories — assuming you drain the fat. That draining step matters: pouring off the rendered fat from fattier blends can shave 50 to 100 calories per serving, and blotting with a paper towel removes a bit more.

Choosing the Right Ground Beef

For calorie-controlled meals, leaner blends (90/10, 93/7) give you the same protein with far less fat — ideal for tacos, chili, meat sauces and meal prep. For juicy burgers and where flavor is the priority, 80/20 is the classic choice; the extra fat keeps the patty moist. If you use a fattier blend but want to save calories, simply brown it and drain well before adding it to your recipe.