The cheapest ways to hit your protein target with real food from Tesco, Aldi, Lidl and SuperValu — every food ranked by grams of protein per euro. Prices checked Jul 2026, RoI.
Curious how Ireland compares to the wider protein boom? See our sourced protein statistics for 2026 for intake averages, market size and what the research actually says about how much you need.
Getting enough protein is the hard part of any fat-loss or muscle-building diet — and it is usually the most expensive part too. Protein per euro tells you how many grams of protein each euro actually buys, so you can build a high-protein diet in Ireland without wasting money. Below, every staple is ranked, and each food and store has its own page with a full price breakdown.
| # | Food | Category | Protein / 100g | Best protein / € |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Red split lentils (dried) | Legumes | 24g | 126.3g |
| 2 | Porridge oats | Grains | 11g | 100.9g |
| 3 | Natural Greek-style yoghurt | Dairy | 9g | 39.1g |
| 4 | Tinned chickpeas | Legumes | 7g | 37.3g |
| 5 | Low-fat cottage cheese | Dairy | 12g | 36.4g |
| 6 | Whole milk | Dairy | 3.4g | 30.6g |
| 7 | Tinned tuna (in spring water) | Fish | 25g | 28.3g |
| 8 | Turkey mince | Poultry | 20g | 25.1g |
| 9 | Chicken breast | Poultry | 23g | 23.0g |
| 10 | Large eggs | Eggs | 12.5g | 20.0g |
| 11 | Lean beef mince (5% fat) | Meat | 21g | 19.1g |
| 12 | Tinned pink salmon | Fish | 22g | 18.8g |
Prices checked Jul 2026, RoI. "Best protein / €" is the cheapest of the stores we checked for each food.
Protein per euro is simply the grams of protein you get for every euro you spend on a food. It is the most honest way to compare value: a food can look cheap per pack but poor per gram of protein. We calculate it from each food's protein per 100g and its Irish shelf price.
Dried staples like porridge oats and red lentils give the most protein per euro, followed by eggs, tinned tuna, yoghurt and own-brand chicken and mince. See the ranked table above for all 12 foods across Tesco, Aldi, Lidl and SuperValu.
They are indicative Republic of Ireland own-brand prices checked in July 2026. They move often, so use them to compare relative value between foods and stores rather than as a live quote.