From pasta dishes like bolognese or meatballs to burgers, chili, and pizzas, there is nothing you cannot do with it!
However, if you are someone who cares about the calories you are putting into your body, you might be wondering how good or bad ground beef actually is. Is it high in calories, or low?
That is what we will be exploring below. Unfortunately, there is no one answer that fits all, because there are a number of different types of ground beef.
Some ground beef has higher fat content, which will impact the calories, and others might contain different ingredients, like onion or even be a meat combination like beef and pork.
Either way, we will go through everything you need to know to get a good idea of how many calories are in ground beef.
What Are The Types Of Ground Beef?
There are six types of ground beef that you can find in most grocery stores. These types of ground beef all contain different lean meat and fat percentages, which have an impact on calories.
Here are the six types of ground beef you can find:
70% lean meat, 30% fat
75% lean meat, 25% fat
80% lean meat, 20% fat
85% lean meat, 15% fat
90% lean meat, 10% fat
95% lean meat, 5% fat
Not only does the lean meat vs fat content change the calorie count in these foods, but you will also notice that it impacts the favor.
Meat with more fat on it is typically more flavorful than the meat with lower levels. This can be great for cooking, but a nightmare if you are trying to count your calories.
How Many Calories Are There In Ground Beef?
We will preface this by saying that there might be minor differences in calories depending on the branding of the ground beef.
There might also be a handful of other factors that could have a slight impact on calories. The numbers we are talking about below are simply the ones supplied by the USDA.
Here is a table of the type of ground beef, and how many calories are in this beef:
Ground Beef Type
Quantity
Calories in This Serving
70% lean meat, 30% fat
100 grams
332
75% lean meat, 25% fat
100 grams
293
80% lean meat, 20% fat
100 grams
254
85% lean meat, 15% fat
100 grams
215
90% lean meat, 10% fat
100 grams
176
95% lean meat, 5% fat
100 grams
136
As you can see, there is a 39–40 calorie difference as you go up or down with the fat percentage in different types of ground beef.
When you compare 100 grams of the 70% lean meat ground beef with the 95% lean meat, you see a staggering calorie difference of 196 for the same amount!
Make no mistake, the fat content in ground beef definitely adds to the flavor, but when you compare the calories like that, the difference is astounding, don’t you think?
It is also important to point out that the way you cook your ground beef is going to impact the number of calories it contains.
Adding things like oil or butter will up the calorie count. In many cases, it is not even necessary to add these kinds of ingredients when cooking ground beef, because of the fat already present in it!
Which Kind Of Ground Beef Is Healthiest?
If you are judging this by the amount of calories that each option contains, then the answer is simple – 95% lean meat, 5% fat ground beef is best!
Per 100 grams, this type of ground beef only contains 136 calories. The 70% lean meat, 30% fat ground beef contains a staggering 332 calories for the same amount.
However, it is important to remember that calorie counting might not always be the best way to go, depending on your needs.
This is certainly the case when it comes to some types of foods that you do not eat often.
Seeing as ground beef can be used for a variety of dishes, and is therefore likely to be confused fairly often, these calories are ones that you might want to think about.
With that being said, there are different kinds of ground meat that you could consider, too. This includes ground turkey and chicken, or even pork and beef-pork combinations.
These could all be options for you, depending on your needs and preferences.
We will take a look at the numbers for these ground meats below.
Comparison Table With Alternatives To Ground Beef
Below is a useful comparison table you can look at. Here, we have compared the calories found in differing kinds of ground meat, including turkey and chicken, and compared them to ground beef.
This should help to give you an idea of which options you can lean to when you would like to use ground meat for a dish you are making.
Ground Meat Type
Quantity
Calories in This Serving
Ground turkey – fresh
100 grams
203
Ground chicken – fresh
100 grams
237
Ground venison – fresh
100 grams
159
Ground pork – 72% lean meat (cooked)
100 grams
393
Ground pork – 96% lean meat (cooked)
100 grams
185
Ground beef & pork combination (80/20)
100 grams
300
Ground beef – 70% lean meat, 30% fat
100 grams
332
Ground beef – 75% lean meat, 25% fat
100 grams
293
Ground beef – 80% lean meat, 20% fat
100 grams
254
Ground beef – 85% lean meat, 15% fat
100 grams
215
Ground beef – 90% lean meat, 10% fat
100 grams
176
Ground beef – 95% lean meat, 5% fat
100 grams
136
Final Thoughts
Ground beef can be used for so many things, making it an easy ingredient to use.
However, being mindful of how many calories are found in the different kinds of ground beef can go a long way to improving your overall health and fitness.
The 70% lean meat option might taste the best, but this ground beef is not a good option to go with if you frequently eat it.
Instead, go for the healthier options like 90–95% lean meat. As a big part of your diet, these options will serve you well.
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