Foods Highest in Energy

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Top 50 whole foods per 100g, from USDA Standard Reference and Foundation databases

Fat, beef tallow ranks #1 of 50 for Energy, at 902KCAL per 100g.

What These Energy Rankings Mean

This ranking surfaces the top 50 whole foods for Energy, pulled from USDA Standard Reference Legacy and Foundation databases. Those two sources intentionally exclude branded and processed entries, which keeps the list focused on raw ingredients where nutrient content reflects the food itself rather than fortification or recipe adjustments. There is no established FDA Daily Value for Energy, so amounts are reported in absolute terms (KCAL per 100g edible portion).

At the top of the ranking sits Fat, beef tallow, delivering 902KCAL per 100g. The top three (Fat, beef tallow, Fish oil, herring, Fish oil, menhaden) together form a practical "big lever" set, foods where a single serving meaningfully moves daily intake. The visual bars beside each row scale against the top food, so you can see at a glance whether a lower-ranked food is still a strong source or a distant runner-up.

Because this page excludes branded products, it is the right tool for comparing whole-food cooking choices rather than packaged-food shopping decisions, for those, the per-food pages and the branded search tools cover the same nutrient at product level. All values are reported per 100g edible portion, which means the raw numbers can be directly compared but real-world servings differ (a 100g portion of spinach is very different from 100g of almonds by volume). The nutrition guides linked below explain how to translate % DV and per-100g figures into practical daily targets and how to read nutrition labels when comparing whole foods to their processed equivalents.

→ Compare the top three Energy sources side-by-side

# Food Amount % DV
1 Fat, beef tallow 902 KCAL -
2 Fish oil, herring 902 KCAL -
3 Fish oil, menhaden 902 KCAL -
4 Fish oil, menhaden, fully hydrogenated 902 KCAL -
5 Fish oil, salmon 902 KCAL -
6 Fish oil, cod liver 902 KCAL -
7 Fish oil, sardine 902 KCAL -
8 Oil, whale, bowhead (Alaska Native) 900 KCAL -
9 Oil, walrus (Alaska Native) 900 KCAL -
10 Oil, beluga, whale (Alaska Native) 900 KCAL -
11 Oil, corn, industrial and retail, all purpose salad or cooking 900 KCAL -
12 Oil, industrial, canola, high oleic 900 KCAL -
13 Butter, Clarified butter (ghee) 900 KCAL -
14 Oil, industrial, soy, low linolenic 900 KCAL -
15 Shortening, household, lard and vegetable oil 900 KCAL -
16 Shortening industrial, lard and vegetable oil 900 KCAL -
17 Shortening frying (heavy duty), beef tallow and cottonseed 900 KCAL -
18 Oil, bearded seal (Oogruk) (Alaska Native) 899 KCAL -
19 Pork, bacon, rendered fat, cooked 898 KCAL -
20 Animal fat, bacon grease 897 KCAL -
21 Oil, spotted seal (Alaska Native) 894 KCAL -
22 Oil, flaxseed, cold pressed 884 KCAL -
23 Oil, corn, peanut, and olive 884 KCAL -
24 Oil, corn and canola 884 KCAL -
25 Shortening, household, soybean (partially hydrogenated)-cottonseed (partially hydrogenated) 884 KCAL -
26 Oil, soybean, salad or cooking, (partially hydrogenated) 884 KCAL -
27 Oil, rice bran 884 KCAL -
28 Oil, wheat germ 884 KCAL -
29 Oil, sesame, salad or cooking 884 KCAL -
30 Oil, sunflower, linoleic (less than 60%) 884 KCAL -
31 Oil, cottonseed, salad or cooking 884 KCAL -
32 Oil, sunflower, linoleic, (approx. 65%) 884 KCAL -
33 Oil, safflower, salad or cooking, linoleic, (over 70%) 884 KCAL -
34 Oil, safflower, salad or cooking, high oleic (primary safflower oil of commerce) 884 KCAL -
35 Oil, grapeseed 884 KCAL -
36 Oil, apricot kernel 884 KCAL -
37 Oil, vegetable, Natreon canola, high stability, non trans, high oleic (70%) 884 KCAL -
38 Oil, peanut, salad or cooking 884 KCAL -
39 Oil, soybean, salad or cooking 884 KCAL -
40 Oil, olive, salad or cooking 884 KCAL -
41 Oil, cocoa butter 884 KCAL -
42 Oil, poppyseed 884 KCAL -
43 Oil, tomatoseed 884 KCAL -
44 Oil, hazelnut 884 KCAL -
45 Oil, cooking and salad, ENOVA, 80% diglycerides 884 KCAL -
46 Oil, industrial, soy, ultra low linolenic 884 KCAL -
47 Oil, industrial, soy, fully hydrogenated 884 KCAL -
48 Oil, industrial, cottonseed, fully hydrogenated 884 KCAL -
49 Oil, sunflower, linoleic, (partially hydrogenated) 884 KCAL -
50 Shortening bread, soybean (hydrogenated) and cottonseed 884 KCAL -

Frequently Asked Questions

What food is highest in Energy?

Fat, beef tallow is the food highest in Energy, with 902KCAL per 100g.

How much Energy do I need per day?

There is no established FDA Daily Value for Energy. Consult a healthcare professional for guidance on appropriate intake levels.

What are good whole food sources of Energy?

Top whole food sources of Energy include Fat, beef tallow, Fish oil, herring, Fish oil, menhaden, and more. These rankings are based on USDA Standard Reference and Foundation food data, measured per 100g edible portion.

Source: USDA FoodData Central — Standard Reference Legacy and Foundation databases. Branded and processed products are excluded. All values per 100g edible portion.
Source: FDA Daily Value reference — Energy (no established DV) based on a 2,000-calorie diet.
This information is for reference only and should not replace professional dietary advice.

Read our methodology , how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.