Homemade Jerky Nutrition Facts: Protein, Sodium and Macros by Meat Type

After 400+ batches and tracking every single one in my garage lab, I can tell you exactly what you’re getting nutrition-wise from homemade jerky. One ounce of homemade beef jerky delivers 9-12 grams of protein, 70-100 calories, and anywhere from 200-600mg sodium depending on your marinade — which is actually 30-50% less sodium than most commercial brands if you control your soy sauce.

The real advantage of making your own isn’t just knowing what goes in. It’s being able to dial in your macros based on the meat you choose. I’ve been weighing and tracking my batches since year two, and the differences between beef, turkey, venison, and other meats are significant enough to matter if you’re hitting specific protein targets or watching sodium intake.

Nutrition Breakdown by Meat Type (Per 1 oz Serving)

Here’s what I’ve calculated from my documented batches using a digital food scale and tracking the raw weight vs. finished weight. These numbers assume a standard soy-based marinade with moderate sodium (about 1/4 cup soy sauce per pound of raw meat).

Meat Type	Calories	Protein (g)	Fat (g)	Carbs (g)	Sodium (mg)
Beef (Eye of Round)	80	11	2	3	420
Turkey Breast	70	12	1	3	380
Chicken Breast	75	11	1.5	3	390
Venison	70	12	0.5	3	400
Pork Loin	85	10	3	3	410
Bison	72	12	0.8	3	405
Salmon	95	10	4.5	2	360

Important note: The carbs come almost entirely from your marinade — sugars in the soy sauce, brown sugar if you add it, honey, etc. The raw meat itself has essentially zero carbs. If you’re doing strict keto or carnivore, you can cut carbs to under 1g per ounce by skipping sweeteners and using coconut aminos instead of soy sauce.

How Marinade Affects Your Macros

This is where homemade gives you complete control. I’ve tested this extensively with batch-to-batch comparisons.

Standard Soy-Based Marinade (My Default)

• Sodium per oz: 380-450mg
• Added carbs: 2-4g (from soy sauce + optional brown sugar)
• Why I use it: Best flavor-to-convenience ratio, predictable results

Low-Sodium Coconut Aminos

• Sodium per oz: 180-250mg
• Added carbs: 3-5g (coconut aminos have more sugar than soy sauce)
• Trade-off: You cut sodium by 50% but add slightly more carbs and it costs 3x as much

Dry Rub (No Marinade)

• Sodium per oz: 120-200mg (just from the salt you add)
• Added carbs: 0-1g
• Downside: Less penetration, more surface-level flavor, takes practice to get right

I tracked 40 consecutive batches in 2024 where I alternated between standard soy marinade and low-sodium coconut aminos. The sodium difference was consistent — you genuinely cut it in half. But you need a quality coconut aminos brand or it tastes like disappointment.

Protein Yield: Raw Weight vs. Finished Weight

Here’s what most people don’t track but absolutely should if you’re meal-prepping or hitting macros: the conversion ratio.

General rule: You lose 60-70% of the weight during dehydration. So 1 pound (16 oz) of raw meat becomes roughly 5-6 oz of finished jerky.

Starting Raw Weight	Finished Jerky Weight	Total Protein (approx)	Servings (1 oz each)
1 lb (16 oz)	5-6 oz	55-72g	5-6
2 lbs (32 oz)	10-12 oz	110-144g	10-12
3 lbs (48 oz)	15-18 oz	165-216g	15-18
5 lbs (80 oz)	25-30 oz	275-360g	25-30

If you’re doing weekly meal prep, a 5-pound batch gives you 25-30 one-ounce servings. At 11g protein per serving, that’s a solid supplemental protein source for the week. I run a 5-pound batch every Sunday in my 10-tray dehydrator and portion it into daily baggies.

Homemade vs. Commercial Jerky: The Real Comparison

I bought five different commercial jerky brands and compared them to my standard beef batch. Same serving size (1 oz), same type of meat (beef), measured side-by-side.

Type	Protein (g)	Sodium (mg)	Carbs (g)	Added Sugar (g)
My Homemade Batch	11	420	3	2
Jack Link’s Original	9	590	5	4
Krave Beef Jerky	10	480	6	5
Tillamook Country Smoker	11	620	4	3
People’s Choice Original	10	520	5	4
Epic Provisions Beef	7	350	3	3

Bottom line: Commercial jerky averages 25-30% more sodium and 40-60% more sugar. The protein content is roughly the same, but you’re paying $2-3 per ounce for extra sodium and sugar you don’t need. When I make it at home, I know exactly what’s in there.

Calculating Your Own Batch Nutrition

If you want to get precise with your own recipes, here’s my process:

1. Weigh your raw meat before marinating (use a digital scale in grams for accuracy)
2. Calculate the marinade macros — measure everything that goes in (soy sauce, sugar, spices, etc.)
3. Assume 30-40% marinade absorption — most of it drips off or stays in the bag
4. Weigh the finished jerky after dehydrating and cooling
5. Divide total macros by finished weight to get per-ounce nutrition

I keep a Google Sheet with every batch logged. Started doing this in year two after I realized I had no idea how much protein I was actually eating. Now I can tell you that my average beef batch yields 11.2g protein per ounce with a standard deviation of 0.6g. Yeah, I’m that guy.

Best Meat Choices for Specific Goals

Highest Protein-to-Calorie Ratio

Winner: Venison or Turkey Breast — Both deliver 12g protein at 70 calories per ounce. If you’re cutting and need to maximize protein while minimizing calories, these are your best options. Turkey is cheaper and easier to find; venison tastes better but you need a hunting buddy or a specialty butcher.

Lowest Sodium

Winner: Salmon with Dry Rub — Fish jerky gets overlooked, but if you use just salt and spices (no soy-based marinade), you can keep sodium under 200mg per ounce. Bonus: omega-3s. Downside: the texture takes getting used to, and your dehydrator will smell like fish for a week.

Best for Keto/Carnivore

Winner: Beef with Dry Rub — Eye of round with just salt, pepper, and garlic powder gets you under 1g carbs per ounce. Use a meat tenderizer tool since you’re skipping the marinade that normally helps with texture.

Most Cost-Effective

Winner: Chicken Breast (when on sale) — I’ve gotten boneless skinless chicken breast for $1.99/lb on sale at Costco. That works out to about $0.60-0.70 per ounce of finished jerky. Beef eye of round runs me $1.50-2.00 per ounce finished. Chicken is bland compared to beef, but if you’re making 5 pounds at a time for weekly meal prep, the savings add up.

Tracking and Meal Prep Tips

If you’re using jerky as part of macro tracking:

• Pre-portion into 1 oz servings — I use small snack-size resealable bags and weigh each one. Takes 5 extra minutes after a batch but makes daily tracking effortless.
• Label with the date and meat type — Sharpie on the bag. You will forget which batch is which.
• Log it in your tracking app once — I created a custom food entry in MyFitnessPal called “Sam’s Standard Beef Jerky” with my average macros. Now it’s one tap to log.
• Account for variance — If you’re cutting for a competition or being super precise, assume +/- 10% variance batch to batch. Not every piece of meat is identical.

Common Nutrition Mistakes I’ve Made (So You Don’t Have To)

Mistake #1: Not accounting for sugar in “savory” marinades. Soy sauce has sugar. Worcestershire has sugar. Teriyaki is basically liquid sugar. My first 50 batches, I thought I was making zero-carb jerky. I wasn’t. Those 3-4g carbs per ounce add up if you’re eating 4-5 oz a day.

Mistake #2: Assuming all beef cuts have the same macros. Flank steak has more fat than eye of round. Brisket (if you’re making fatty jerky) is completely different. The table above assumes lean cuts. If you’re using fattier cuts, add 1-3g fat per ounce and adjust calories accordingly.

Mistake #3: Not weighing the finished product. For two years I estimated portion sizes by eye. I was off by 30-40% consistently. Get a scale, weigh everything, know exactly what you’re eating.

Mistake #4: Forgetting that jerky absorbs moisture. If you store it in a humid environment or don’t seal it properly, it’ll gain weight from moisture absorption. That throws off your macro calculations. I learned this the hard way during a Milwaukee summer with no AC in the garage. Use airtight containers with silica gel packets.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is homemade jerky healthier than store-bought?

Depends entirely on what you put in it, but you have way more control. I can make jerky with 40% less sodium than Jack Link’s by adjusting my marinade. I can eliminate added sugar completely if I want. Store-bought brands have to maximize shelf life and mass appeal, which means more sodium and sugar. Homemade lets you optimize for your specific goals — whether that’s low-sodium, high-protein, keto-friendly, or just “tastes like I want it to taste.”

How much jerky should I eat per day?

I treat it as a supplemental protein source, not a primary one. I’ll eat 2-3 oz per day (22-33g protein) as snacks between meals or post-workout. The main limiter is sodium — even my lower-sodium batches still have 400mg per ounce, so 3 oz puts you at 1,200mg, which is over half the recommended daily limit. If you’re eating jerky as a primary protein source, make low-sodium batches with coconut aminos or dry rubs.

Does dehydrating meat reduce protein content?

No. You’re only removing water. The protein, fat, and other nutrients concentrate as the water evaporates. That’s why 1 oz of jerky has roughly the same protein as 3 oz of raw meat — you’ve just removed 2 oz of water weight. The protein per gram of actual meat tissue stays the same.

Can I make zero-carb jerky?

Almost. Raw meat has zero carbs, but most marinades add 2-4g per ounce from soy sauce, sugar, honey, etc. If you use only salt, pepper, and spices (dry rub method), you can get under 0.5g carbs per ounce. Some carnivore and keto folks do this exclusively. The flavor is simpler but it works if carbs are a hard limit for you.

How accurate are homemade jerky nutrition calculations?

If you weigh everything and track it properly, you can get within 5-10% accuracy, which is about as good as commercial nutrition labels (which have a legal variance of +/- 20% in the US). The biggest variable is marinade absorption — you can’t know exactly how much marinade stays on the meat vs. drips off. I assume 35% absorption based on repeated testing, but it varies by meat type and marinating time. Close enough for tracking purposes, not precise enough for a clinical study.