Firm tofu has more protein than whole egg: 17.3g per 100g against 12.6g, at almost exactly the same calories (144 against 143). It also leads on fiber and on every mineral both rows carry, and it has a tenth of the sodium. The egg's one clear edge in our data is vitamin A.
The rows are USDA FoodData Central "Tofu, raw, firm, prepared with calcium sulfate" (FDC 172475) and "Egg, whole, raw, fresh" (FDC 171287). Because the two have near-identical calories per 100g, the per-100g and per-100-calorie answers agree here. That is rare, and it means no choice of basis can flip the result.
Does tofu or eggs have more protein?
Firm calcium-set tofu, by 1.37× per 100g (17.3g against 12.6g for raw whole egg) and 1.36× per 100 calories (12.01g against 8.81g). In kitchen terms: 100g of whole egg is two large eggs at 50g each, so a 100g slab of firm tofu gives 4.7g more protein than two large eggs for one more calorie.
| Food | Protein per 100g | Fiber per 100g | Carbs per 100g | Saturated fat per 100g | Fat per 100g | Calories per 100g |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tofu | 17.3g | 2.3g | 2.78g | 1.26g | 8.72g | 144 |
| Egg | 12.6g | 0g | 0.72g | 3.13g | 9.51g | 143 |
"Tofu" is firm, calcium sulfate-set tofu and "Egg" is whole raw egg. Total fat is close. Saturated fat is not: the egg has 2.48× as much.
Is tofu healthier than eggs?
On the nutrients our two rows share, yes: per 100g, firm tofu has 12.2× the calcium, 4.83× the magnesium, 1.72× the potassium, 1.52× the iron and 1.22× the zinc of whole egg. The egg has 142mg of sodium per 100g against 14mg for the tofu, and 372mg of cholesterol against none.
| Food | Calcium per 100g | Magnesium per 100g | Potassium per 100g | Iron per 100g | Zinc per 100g | Sodium per 100g |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tofu | 683mg | 58mg | 237mg | 2.66mg | 1.57mg | 14mg |
| Egg | 56mg | 12mg | 138mg | 1.75mg | 1.29mg | 142mg |
The closest gap is zinc, 1.22× per 100g and 1.21× per 100 calories. We pushed both values to the edges of their USDA rounding ranges and the tofu still leads, with at least 1.08mg per 100 calories against at most 0.91mg.
Why does tofu have so much more calcium than eggs?
Because this tofu is set with calcium sulfate: 683mg of calcium per 100g against 56mg for whole egg comes mostly from the coagulant, not the soybean. Tofu set with nigari (magnesium chloride) is a different food and will not carry this number; the pack's ingredient list tells you which one you have. Drop calcium from the comparison and firm tofu still leads the egg on protein, fiber and the other four minerals.
What the egg has that this table can't show
Whole egg has 160mcg of vitamin A per 100g. The tofu row lists no vitamin A value at all, so we do not score it as a win for either side, but it is the one nutrient here where the egg is the only food with a number. Vitamin B12, vitamin D and choline are not in our data for either food, and those are the usual reasons people pick eggs, so this page cannot settle them. Protein quality is not in the rows either.
Related
The full rows are on tofu and egg, and egg vs tofu lays them side by side. Protein in 2, 3 or 4 eggs works out the egg side for small, large and jumbo eggs, and the highest-protein legume puts firm tofu against beans and lentils.
Scramble either, log it in one line
Swapping eggs for tofu in a breakfast scramble only helps if you know what landed on the plate. Send Sunn "150g tofu scramble with spinach" or "3 eggs and toast" on WhatsApp and it logs the protein for you, so you can see the difference at the end of the day without weighing anything twice.
Written by Espen Opdahl
Founder of Sunn. Building AI-powered nutrition coaching to make healthy eating simple. Nutrition data sourced from the USDA FoodData Central database.
Medical disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before making changes to your diet or exercise routine.