Pork bacon vs turkey bacon: which has more protein?
Full comparison · Protein · Calories · Healthier
Pork bacon has more protein: 39 g per 3.5 oz (100 g) of pork bacon vs 29.5 g in turkey bacon (32% more).
USDA FoodData Central.
| Pork bacon | Turkey bacon | |
|---|---|---|
| Per 3.5 oz (100 g) | 39 g | 29.5 g |
| Per serving | 44.2 g in 4 oz (113 g) | 33.5 g in 4 oz (113 g) |
| Per 100 calories | 8.2 g | 8 g |
| To get 30 g of protein | 2.7 oz (77 g), about 0.7 × 4 oz | 3.6 oz (102 g), about 0.9 × 4 oz |
Protein per calorie
Per 100 calories, pork bacon gives 8.2 g of protein and turkey bacon 8 g. This is the number that matters when you are fitting protein into a calorie budget, and it can rank foods differently from grams per 3.5 oz (100 g).
What the numbers don't tell you
Cooked to cooked, turkey bacon is lighter in fat. Microwaved, USDA lists pork bacon at 476 calories and 11.6 g of saturated fat per 3.5 oz (100 g), and turkey bacon at 368 calories and 6.9 g. Salt runs the other way. A medium cooked turkey slice weighs 11 g and carries about 220 mg of sodium, a pork slice 8 g and about 140 mg.
Lighter has never been tested for health. A review of 525 poultry studies found no randomized trial of processed poultry, and the review behind the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations counts processed meat, processed poultry included, as a probable risk factor for cardiovascular death and for stroke. For bacon itself the data are observational: in pooled cohorts, two slices a day went with about twice the risk of type 2 diabetes. That is a link, and it cannot show cause.
If you watch your blood pressure, turkey bacon is not the low-salt choice. Across 43 randomized trials, blood pressure rose and fell with salt intake. Cook either one through: raw bacon in US processor data carried high levels of Clostridium perfringens, a common cause of food poisoning, and cooked products did not.
Turkey bacon trims saturated fat, by about 0.2 g a slice. It is still a salty processed meat.
Pork bacon has more protein per 3.5 oz (100 g), 39.0 g against 29.5 g for turkey bacon, both microwaved. Per slice the two come out even, because a medium cooked pork slice weighs 8 g and a turkey slice 11 g. That is about 3 g of protein a slice either way, so bacon is a small source of protein whichever you choose.
Evidence behind this note
- Level E Per 100 g microwaved, USDA lists pork bacon at 476 calories with 11.6 g saturated fat and turkey bacon at 368 calories with 6.9 g, while sodium is 1783 mg against 2021 mg. USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy 2019, FDC 168321 and 171639
- Level E A medium cooked slice is 8 g for pork bacon and 11 g for turkey bacon, so a turkey slice carries about 220 mg of sodium against about 140 mg for pork. USDA FNDDS 2021-2023, FDC 2705889 and 2706135
- Level E The US dietary survey counts a medium cooked slice of turkey bacon as 11 g and a thin one as 8 g, about 220 mg and 160 mg of sodium on the microwaved USDA record. USDA FNDDS, food code 24208500, FDC 2706135
- Level C A scoping review of 525 poultry studies found no randomized trial of processed poultry and only 1% of observational studies looking at it. Adv Nutr, 2022
- Level C The Nordic Nutrition Recommendations review counts processed meat, explicitly including processed poultry, as a probable risk factor for cardiovascular death and stroke. Food Nutr Res, 2024
- Level C Across prospective cohorts, each two slices of bacon a day went with about twice the risk of type 2 diabetes. BMJ, 2019
- Level A A meta-analysis of 43 randomized trials found blood pressure graded with salt intake across below 5, 5 to 15 and above 15 g a day. Nutr Rev, 2026
- Level C Five raw bacon samples in US processor data exceeded 4-log CFU/g of Clostridium perfringens, while no cooked sample exceeded 2-log. J Food Prot, 2026
- Level E CDC names gravy alongside poultry and meat as a food commonly linked to Clostridium perfringens poisoning, estimates nearly 1 million such illnesses a year in the United States, and ties most outbreaks to large batches held between 40°F and 140°F. CDC, About C. perfringens food poisoning, 2026
- Level E Cooking shrinks both bacons, so sodium per 3.5 oz (100 g) rises from 751 to 1783 mg for pork and from 1069 to 2021 mg for turkey bacon. USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy 2019, FDC 168277, 168321, 174592, 171639
Written from the studies and agency guidance we hold for both foods, reviewed by the Bioma editorial system. How we verify.
Keep exploring
Read more about these foods
- Pork bacon: a salty slice and a risk signal of low certainty
- Turkey bacon: a salty processed meat with almost no research of its own
Rankings and guides
Where the numbers come from
- Pork bacon: USDA FoodData Central, Pork, cured, bacon, cooked, microwaved, FDC ID 168321 · all forms of pork bacon
- Turkey bacon: USDA FoodData Central, Bacon, turkey, microwaved, FDC ID 171639 · full profile · all forms of turkey bacon
Each food is one USDA entry, chosen as it is usually eaten. Other cuts, brands and preparations differ; the links show them. % DV uses FDA Daily Values for adults. How we verify.