95% lean beef and pork tenderloin are the leanest cuts of their respective animals, close enough nutritionally that the choice usually comes down to flavour.
| Nutrient | Lean Beef (95% lean) | Pork Tenderloin |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 137 kcal | 119 kcal |
| Protein | 21.4 g | 21.6 g ✓ |
| Total Carbohydrate | 0 g | 0 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 0 g | 0 g |
| Total Sugars | 0 g | 0 g |
| Total Fat | 5 g | 3.9 g |
| Saturated Fat | 2.18 g | 0.87 g ✓ |
| Sodium | 66 mg | 41.4 mg ✓ |
Notable compounds in each
Lean Beef (95% lean)
Pork Tenderloin
When to choose each
Pork tenderloin comes out slightly ahead on the numbers here — marginally more protein, less saturated fat, and less sodium than 95% lean beef. Beef’s real strength doesn’t show up in this table: it’s a significantly richer source of iron and vitamin B12 than pork, both of which matter more for some people, notably anyone at risk of iron deficiency, than the small fat difference here. Both are lean, versatile cuts; the choice usually comes down to flavour and what a recipe calls for rather than a clear nutritional winner.
Common questions
Is pork tenderloin as lean as beef? Pork tenderloin is genuinely one of the leanest cuts of pork, comparable to or slightly leaner than 95% lean ground beef on fat and calories. It’s a common misconception that all pork is fattier than beef, when cut selection matters far more than the animal it comes from.
Is beef a better source of iron than pork? Yes, generally — beef carries meaningfully more iron than pork, in the more bioavailable heme form in both, but beef is typically the richer source between the two, which matters most for people managing or at risk of iron deficiency.
Nutrition values are USDA FoodData Central approximations — see our editorial approach for how we source and verify data.