Which is cheaper for protein, egg whites (liquid) or vital wheat gluten?

Vital wheat gluten, at $0.013 per gram of protein against $0.046 for egg whites (liquid) (July 2026 US grocery prices). A 30 g protein serving costs $0.40 vs $1.38.

Which has more protein per calorie, egg whites (liquid) or vital wheat gluten?

Egg whites (liquid), with 21.0 g protein per 100 kcal against 20.3 g for vital wheat gluten, 1.0x leaner. That matters when you are cutting and calories are the binding constraint.

Which should I buy, egg whites (liquid) or vital wheat gluten?

Depends on your constraint. On a tight budget with room in your calories, vital wheat gluten is cheaper per gram of protein. On a calorie-capped cut, egg whites (liquid) gives you 1.0x more protein per calorie and is usually worth its $0.046/g price.

Protein head-to-heads · July 2026

Egg whites (liquid) vs Vital wheat gluten: which protein is cheaper?

USDA macros joined to current US grocery prices, reduced to the two numbers that decide it: dollars per gram of protein, and protein per calorie.

Vital wheat gluten is 3.4x cheaper per gram of protein ($0.013/g vs $0.046/g), while Egg whites (liquid) is the leaner choice at 21.0 g protein per 100 kcal against 20.3 g. Budget favours one, a calorie cap favours the other.

Food	$/g protein	30 g protein costs	You need	kcal that come with it	Protein/100 kcal
Egg whites (liquid)	$0.046	$1.38	275 g	143 kcal	21.0 g
Vital wheat gluten	$0.013	$0.40	40 g	148 kcal	20.3 g

Full macros, per serving

Food (per serving)	Price	kcal	Protein	Carbs	Fat
Egg whites (liquid) (100 g)	$0.50	52	10.9 g	0.7 g	0.2 g
Vital wheat gluten (100 g)	$1.00	370	75.2 g	13.8 g	1.9 g

A week of protein from each

Hitting a common 100 g/day protein target from vital wheat gluten alone costs $9.31 a week; from egg whites (liquid) alone, $32.11. That is a gap of $22.80 every week for the same protein. In practice you mix sources: the planner computes the cheapest mix for your exact target and calorie cap, live from the same dataset.

Budget says one, calories say the other

Vital wheat gluten costs $0.013 per gram of protein against $0.046, so it saves $22.80 a week at a 100 g/day target. Egg whites (liquid) answers a different question: 21.0 g of protein per 100 kcal against 20.3 g, which is what matters once calories, not dollars, are the thing you run out of first.

One of these is a convenience purchase

Egg whites (liquid) ranks #20 of 25 on cost per gram of protein, near the bottom. It is not a bad food, it is an expensive way to buy protein: $1.38 per 30 g against $0.40 for vital wheat gluten. If it is in your basket for the protein, swap it. If it is there because it travels well or you enjoy it, that is a different and perfectly good reason.

Compare against other foods

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper for protein, egg whites (liquid) or vital wheat gluten?: Vital wheat gluten, at $0.013 per gram of protein against $0.046 for egg whites (liquid) (July 2026 US grocery prices). A 30 g protein serving costs $0.40 vs $1.38.
Which has more protein per calorie, egg whites (liquid) or vital wheat gluten?: Egg whites (liquid), with 21.0 g protein per 100 kcal against 20.3 g for vital wheat gluten, 1.0x leaner. That matters when you are cutting and calories are the binding constraint.
Which should I buy, egg whites (liquid) or vital wheat gluten?: Depends on your constraint. On a tight budget with room in your calories, vital wheat gluten is cheaper per gram of protein. On a calorie-capped cut, egg whites (liquid) gives you 1.0x more protein per calorie and is usually worth its $0.046/g price.

Prices are representative US grocery prices as of July 2026; your store will differ. Educational content, not medical or dietary advice. Dataset: free download, CC-BY.