Ground Beef: Nutrition by Lean Percentage, Labels and Safety

Ground beef is beef that has been chopped or ground and sold by its lean-to-fat ratio, from 70% lean to 97% lean in the USDA database. The ratio changes almost everything on the Nutrition Facts panel: in USDA SR Legacy data, 4 ounces of raw 70/30 ground beef has about 375 calories and 34 grams of fat, while the same amount of 95/5 has about 155 calories and 6 grams of fat. Protein, vitamin B12, zinc and iron stay fairly steady across the range. Below are the USDA numbers raw and cooked, what 80/20 vs 90/10 ground beef really changes, what federal rules say the label means, and the cooking temperature CDC and USDA recommend.

Peptide Labs does not sell ground beef or meat products. This article is general nutrition information, not medical advice.

Ground beef nutrition by lean-to-fat ratio

The first table uses USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy entries for raw ground beef, converted to USDA’s 4-ounce (113 g) portion, a quarter pound before cooking. The percent Daily Value (%DV) uses FDA Daily Values. FDC IDs are in brackets.

Cooking changes the picture, because fat melts out of the meat and water cooks off. The next table uses USDA SR Legacy entries for pan-broiled patties, per 3 ounces (85 g) of cooked meat, the standard cooked portion in USDA data. These values describe the cooked patty only, not the fat left in the pan.

In the USDA data, the fattiest blends lose the most fat in the pan, so a cooked 70/30 patty and a cooked 80/20 patty land close together on calories and fat. The micronutrients barely move: every cooked patty in the table has about 2.4 micrograms of vitamin B12, close to the full FDA Daily Value, and roughly half the Daily Value for zinc. Iron sits at about 11% to 13% of the Daily Value per 3 ounces, and selenium at about 31% to 33%. For context on these nutrients across many foods, see our guides to vitamin B12 foods, zinc-rich foods and iron-rich foods.

80/20 vs 90/10 ground beef: what actually changes

The 80/20 vs 90/10 ground beef question comes up in almost every recipe. Here is what USDA SR Legacy data show for the two blends side by side:

• Raw: in USDA data, per 4 ounces, 80/20 has about 287 calories and 22.6 grams of fat; 90/10 has about 199 calories and 11.3 grams of fat, so the fat roughly halves.
• Cooked: in USDA data, per 3 ounces of pan-broiled patty, 80/20 has about 209 calories and 13.6 grams of fat; 90/10 has about 173 calories and 9.1 grams, a smaller gap than raw.
• Saturated fat: the cooked 80/20 patty has about 26% of the Daily Value per 3 ounces and the 90/10 patty about 18%, according to USDA.
• Protein and minerals: nearly the same in both, with the leaner blend slightly higher because there is more lean tissue per bite.

Many cooks pick 80/20 for juicier burgers and leaner blends for sauces, a matter of texture and taste. If you are watching saturated fat for health reasons, the leaner blend and pouring off rendered fat both change what ends up on the plate, and a dietitian can help you weigh the choice against the rest of your eating pattern.

What lean ground beef labels mean under federal rules

Meat labels are regulated by USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service under Title 9 of the Code of Federal Regulations. Three rules explain most of what you see at the meat case:

• Ground beef vs hamburger (9 CFR 319.15): product labeled ground beef must be chopped fresh or frozen beef, with or without seasoning, with no beef fat added as such, no more than 30 percent fat, and no added water, phosphates, binders or extenders. Product labeled hamburger follows the same 30 percent cap but may have beef fat added.
• Lean percentage statements (9 CFR 317.362): a statement like 85% lean may appear on ground meat that does not qualify as low fat only if the fat percentage appears right next to it in the same lettering, color and size. That is why packages read 85% lean / 15% fat.
• The words lean and extra lean (also 9 CFR 317.362): as a label claim, lean means less than 10 g of fat, 4.5 g or less of saturated fat and less than 95 milligrams of cholesterol per 100 g and per serving; extra lean means less than 5 g of fat and less than 2 g of saturated fat, with the same cholesterol limit. A lean-to-fat ratio and the claim lean are two different label statements.

Grass fed describes how the animal was raised, not fat level; our grass-fed beef guide covers how those claims are reviewed and how the USDA nutrient values compare.

Is ground beef healthy?

Whether ground beef is healthy depends on the blend, the amount and the rest of the diet. On the plus side, it is a dense source of complete protein, vitamin B12, zinc, selenium, niacin and iron, as the USDA tables show; our protein foods guide compares it with other sources. The cautions:

• Saturated fat: the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2025-2030 say saturated fat should generally not exceed 10% of total daily calories. Fattier blends use up more of that room.
• Cholesterol: every blend in the USDA tables has about a quarter of the Daily Value per serving; see our cholesterol in foods guide, and ask your clinician how red meat fits if you have high LDL cholesterol.
• Red meat classification: the World Health Organization’s cancer agency, IARC, classifies red meat, including beef, as probably carcinogenic to humans (Group 2A), mainly based on colorectal cancer research, and processed meat as carcinogenic to humans (Group 1). IARC’s groups describe the strength of the evidence, not how dangerous a food is. Plain ground beef is red meat, not processed meat.
• Gout: red meat is a purine source; our guide to purine-rich foods explains this for people with gout.
• Alpha-gal syndrome: CDC describes alpha-gal syndrome as a serious, potentially life-threatening allergy linked in the US mostly to lone star tick bites; people with it may need to avoid red meat such as beef, pork and lamb.

The Dietary Guidelines 2025-2030 list red meat among the protein foods to vary with eggs, poultry, seafood and plant proteins, and suggest baking, broiling, roasting, stir-frying or grilling instead of deep-frying. For other meats with USDA data, see our bison guide and chicken breast nutrition guide; ground turkey and lamb are covered in separate guides.

Ground beef food safety: E. coli and cooking temperature

CDC calls E. coli a germ often found in raw ground beef that causes many foodborne illnesses each year. CDC and USDA say consumers should cook ground beef to 160°F, and CDC notes that cooking ground beef to 160°F kills E. coli germs rapidly. The FoodSafety.gov chart lists the same 160°F minimum for all ground meat and sausage, compared with 145°F plus a 3-minute rest for whole beef steaks and roasts; our sibling steak guide covers that rule.

• Raw ground beef dishes: a 2013 CDC report described an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak in Wisconsin linked to raw ground beef served as a winter holiday dish, with 17 patients. CDC’s advice was to cook ground beef to 160°F, as measured with a food thermometer, before eating it.
• Why it matters: CDC explains that Shiga toxin-producing E. coli can lead to a serious kidney condition called hemolytic uremic syndrome.
• Higher-risk groups: CDC lists children younger than 5, adults 65 and older, people with weakened immune systems and international travelers as being at increased risk of E. coli infection.

Homemade jerky made from ground or sliced beef has its own heating rules, covered in our beef jerky guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions about a label? Contact us or read our Buyer’s Guide. Food comes first; follow the label and ask a healthcare provider before starting a supplement, especially if you take medicines, are pregnant or have a food allergy. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Last reviewed October 2026.

Related guides: Steak: Nutrition by Cut, Sirloin vs Ribeye and Safe Cooking, Grass-Fed Beef: Nutrition, Labels and Grass-Fed vs Grain-Fed, Turkey Meat: Nutrition by Cut, Ground Turkey vs Ground Beef and Safety, Lean Protein Foods: The FDA and USDA Lean Test Applied to USDA Data.