How much protein is in popcorn?
1 oz (28 g) of popcorn has 3.7 g of protein. Per 3.5 oz (100 g): 12.9 g.
Numbers are for the USDA entry Snacks, popcorn, air-popped. Other forms are compared below.
Protein in popcorn by size and measure
| Measure | Weight | Protein | Calories | % DV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 cup | 8 g | 1 g | 31 calories | 2% |
| 1/2 cup | 4 g | 0.52 g | 15 calories | 1% |
| 1 oz | 28 g | 3.7 g | 110 calories | 7% |
| 100 g | 3.5 oz | 12.9 g | 387 calories | 26% |
Weights are the household measures USDA lists for this exact food. % DV uses the FDA Daily Value of 50 g.
Protein per calorie
Popcorn gives 3.3 g of protein per 100 calories. About 13% of the calories come from protein, counting 4 calories per gram. How much popcorn makes 30 g of protein.
Raw, cooked and other forms
Per 100 g, the 9 USDA entries below range from 3.8 g in popcorn, caramel coated to 12.9 g in snacks, popcorn, air-popped.
| USDA entry | Per 100 g | Per serving | Water |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snacks, popcorn, air-popped | 12.9 g | 3.7 g per 1 oz | 3.3% |
| Popcorn, microwave, low fat and sodium | 12.6 g | 3.6 g per 1 oz | 2.8% |
| Popcorn, microwave (butter) flavor, made with palm oil | 8.4 g | 2.4 g per 1 oz | 0.9% |
| Popcorn, air-popped, with added butter | 11 g | 3.1 g per 1 oz | 6.2% |
| Popcorn, NFS | 9.1 g | 2.6 g per 1 oz | 2.4% |
| Popcorn, ready-to-eat, NFS | 8.9 g | 2.5 g per 1 oz | 2.3% |
| Popcorn, caramel coated | 3.8 g | 1.1 g per 1 oz | 2.8% |
| Popcorn, chocolate coated | 5.3 g | 1.5 g per 1 oz | 2.8% |
| Popcorn, microwave, kettle | 9.3 g | 2.7 g per 1 oz | 2.6% |
Each row is a separate USDA entry with its own household measure. A dash means USDA lists no comparable measure for that entry.
How popcorn compares with other snacks
Among the 30 snacks people look up most, popcorn ranks 3rd for protein per 3.5 oz (100 g) and 8th per typical serving.
| # | Food | Serving | Per serving | Per 100 g | Per 100 calories |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Soy chips | 1 cup, 30 g | 8 g | 26.5 g | 6.9 g |
| 2 | Bean chips | 1 cup, 30 g | 4.4 g | 14.6 g | 3.3 g |
| 3 | Popcorn | 1 oz, 28.3 g | 3.7 g | 12.9 g | 3.3 g |
| 4 | Bagel chips | 1 cup (pieces), 60 g | 7.4 g | 12.3 g | 2.7 g |
| 5 | Melba toast | 1 cracker, 5 g | 0.6 g | 12.1 g | 3.1 g |
| … | |||||
| 8 | Rice crackers | 1 cracker, 3 g | 0.3 g | 10 g | 2.4 g |
| … | |||||
| 13 | Rice cakes | 1 cake, 9 g | 0.74 g | 8.2 g | 2.1 g |
| … | |||||
| 18 | Tortilla chips | 1 cup, 30 g | 2.1 g | 7.1 g | 1.5 g |
| … | |||||
| 23 | Potato chips | 1 cup, 25 g | 1.6 g | 6.4 g | 1.2 g |
| … | |||||
| 25 | Rice paper | 1 medium paper, 15 g | 0.89 g | 5.9 g | 1.8 g |
The list is the 30 snacks most asked about in US searches for protein, calories, carbs, sugar and fiber, each as one USDA entry with its usual serving. Rows in between are skipped (…).
Keep exploring
Sources
Nutrients and household measures: USDA FoodData Central, April 2026 release (accessed 2026-10-15)
- Snacks, popcorn, air-popped: Snacks, popcorn, air-popped, FDC ID 167959 (SR Legacy, published 2019-04-01)
- Popcorn, microwave, low fat and sodium: Popcorn, microwave, low fat and sodium, FDC ID 168139 (SR Legacy, published 2019-04-01) · full nutrition facts
- Popcorn, microwave (butter) flavor, made with palm oil: Popcorn, microwave, regular (butter) flavor, made with palm oil, FDC ID 173141 (SR Legacy, published 2019-04-01) · full nutrition facts
- Popcorn, air-popped, with added butter: Popcorn, air-popped, with added butter, FDC ID 2708220 (FoodData Central survey (FNDDS) 2024-10-31)
- Popcorn, NFS: Popcorn, NFS, FDC ID 2708216 (FoodData Central survey (FNDDS) 2024-10-31)
- Popcorn, ready-to-eat, NFS: Popcorn, ready-to-eat, NFS, FDC ID 2708231 (FoodData Central survey (FNDDS) 2024-10-31)
- Popcorn, caramel coated: Popcorn, caramel coated, FDC ID 2708239 (FoodData Central survey (FNDDS) 2024-10-31)
- Popcorn, chocolate coated: Popcorn, chocolate coated, FDC ID 2708241 (FoodData Central survey (FNDDS) 2024-10-31)
- Popcorn, microwave, kettle: Popcorn, microwave, kettle, FDC ID 2708230 (FoodData Central survey (FNDDS) 2024-10-31)
Comparison foods:
- Soy chips: Soy chips, FDC ID 2707434
- Bean chips: Bean chips, FDC ID 2707428
- Bagel chips: Bagel chips, FDC ID 2708292
- Melba toast: Melba toast, FDC ID 2707702
- Rice crackers: Crackers, rice, FDC ID 2708163
- Rice cakes: Snacks, rice cakes, brown rice, plain, unsalted, FDC ID 170250
- Tortilla chips: Tortilla chips, plain, FDC ID 2708202
- Potato chips: Potato chips, plain, FDC ID 2709422
- Rice paper: Rice paper, FDC ID 2708166
How we calculate: every amount is the USDA value per 3.5 oz (100 g) scaled to the gram weight USDA lists for that measure. 1 oz = 28.35 g and 1 lb = 453.6 g. Daily Values: FDA, 21 CFR 101.9, for adults and children 4 years and older. A dash (—) means USDA reports no value. How we verify.