The 11 Best Bulking Foods for Lean Muscle Gains

In this article, you’ll learn the 11 best bulking foods and why you should include them in your diet plan when looking to gain body weight, particularly muscle mass.

Let’s break down bulking in a way that makes it as easy to digest as your next post-workout meal.

Note that this article is mainly about the best bulking foods. For a comprehensive guide to bulking in general, check out How to Bulk: The Complete Guide to Muscle Gain.

Table of Contents

What Is Bulking? 🏋️‍♂️🍔

Bulking is a phase in bodybuilding or fitness where you focus on gaining muscle mass and body weight.

To gain weight, your body needs more energy (calories) than you burn—a caloric surplus.

But it’s not just about stuffing your face with pizza and donuts (sad, I know!).

The goal is to gain mostly muscle, with as little fat as possible.

The Two Ingredients of Bulking

Eat More Calories 🍽️
- You need to consume more calories than your body burns. A good starting point is 10–20% more than your maintenance calories (the amount you need to stay the same weight).
- These excess calories fuel your muscles to grow bigger and stronger and give you the energy to train hard.
Lift Heavy Things 💪
- Bulking without working out = just getting fat.
- You want to lift weights or do strength training exercises that challenge your muscles. You lift, they respond—they grow bigger (thanks, in part, to those extra calories).

Clean Vs. Dirty Bulking 🍔🍗

Clean bulk: You focus on nutrient-dense foods, whole foods like lean meats, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats. This likely leads to slower weight gain but less excess fat gain.
Dirty bulk: You eat anything and everything—burgers, pizza, ice cream, and aim to pack on weight fast. You’ll gain more fat along with muscle, and cutting (losing the fat later) will be harder.

The Workout Side of Bulking: What Exercises Are Best? 🏋️‍♀️

You need to progressively overload your muscles. That means gradually increasing the weight or the training volume (how many sets and reps you do) in your workouts.

The go-to exercises include:

Stick mostly to compound exercises (exercises that work multiple muscles at once) because they’re super effective for gaining size and strength.

What About Gaining Fat? 😳

Yes, you will likely gain some fat during bulking—it’s inevitable when you’re in a caloric surplus. But don’t panic! You can minimize fat gain by not overdoing the surplus (stick to a modest 300–500 extra calories a day).

Once you’ve built enough muscle or feel uncomfortably fluffy, you can start a cutting phase (eating fewer calories than you burn) to strip off the fat and reveal the muscle you worked for.

Signs You’re Bulking Right

Gaining no more than 0.5–1 pound a week (a good way to make sure you’re mainly gaining muscle, not just fat).
Getting stronger in the gym (if your lifts are going up, so are your muscles, most likely).
Your clothes fit tighter around the arms, legs, and chest, not just in the belly.

The Food Side of Bulking: What Should You Eat? 🌮🥦

Everyone’s favorite part of bulking: eating lots of food.

For a proper bulk, you need a balance of these three macros (macronutrients):

Protein (Chicken, beef, fish, eggs, etc).
Carbs (Rice, oats, pasta, potatoes, fruits, etc).
Fats (Nuts, olive oil, avocado, etc).

The 11 Best Bulking Foods

Here’s where this article comes in. Let’s take a deep dive into the 11 best bulking foods for building muscle, not just fat, in no particular order.

All nutritional data in the list is from the U.S. Department of Agriculture FoodData Central database.

Rice

Rice is a cereal grain that has been filling the bellies of more than half the world’s population for centuries. It is a top carb choice for athletes, bodybuilders, and fitness enthusiasts, both when bulking and cutting.

Carb-Loading Champion

Rice is one of the most carbohydrate-dense things you can eat that isn’t pure sugar. But unlike sugar, rice provides nutrients in addition to the carbs. Each cup of cooked rice delivers about 40–45 grams of carbohydrates.

Carbs are your muscle’s best friend when you’re bulking because they fuel your heavy workouts, replenish glycogen stores, and make your muscles look full and pumped. Without enough carbs, you’re more likely to run out of steam when lifting weights, especially during high-volume bodybuilding-style sessions.

Calorie-Dense but Clean

One of rice’s superpowers is how calorie-dense it is while being low in fat. Not that there is anything wrong with fat – on the contrary, especially when bulking. However, there are times, like before and after a workout, when you might want a low-fat meal that doesn’t stick around in your stomach.

A cup of cooked rice contains around 200 calories, and it’s easy to bump up those calories by increasing your serving size. Try eating the same amount of calories from broccoli—you’d have to eat a truckload. Plus, rice goes down easy, which is very helpful when you’re trying to hit your calorie goals for putting on size. And, since rice is relatively bland, you can pair it with practically any protein or fat source you enjoy.

Easy to Digest

Bulking means eating in a calorie surplus, which sounds fantastic at first. But there are practical downsides to eating more food than your body really needs, especially if you’re trying to keep your diet relatively clean. Sometimes, bulking can be harsh on your digestive system.

Fortunately, rice is very easy on the stomach. White rice, in particular, is low in fiber, making it less likely to cause bloating or other gastrointestinal issues. That means you can slam down more food without feeling like a balloon about to pop – one of the reasons many bodybuilders pick rice as their number one carb source when bulking.

Brown vs. White Rice

White rice is often criticized for lacking fiber and micronutrients, and for the average person trying to avoid weight gain, it might not be the best option as a staple carb.

But here’s the thing: when you’re bulking, your focus is on getting the calories you need, and white rice gets the job done, often in a more effective way than brown. It digestes quickly and easily, provides a lot of calories and carbs per serving, and works well both pre-workout for energy and post-workout when you want to refill glycogen stores fast.

But what about brown rice? It provides more nutritents – more fiber, vitamins, and minerals. It’s also a slower-digesting carb, which is neat if you’re looking to stay fuller longer. However, it takes longer to digest, and it can make you feel full too quickly if you eat large amounts.

One downside of brown rice is that it contains more naturally occurring arsenic than white, and arsenic is not good for you in any quantities. If you eat brown rice often, rinse it thoroughly first. Doing so gets rid of a good amount of the arsenic.

Versatility and Affordability

Rice is basically a blank canvas. For bulking, you want food that’s easy to prepare in large quantities and can be adapted to various meals. Rice checks all those boxes. Meal prep a big batch on Sunday, and you’ve got your carb source for the week.

Best of all, if you’re bulking on a budget, rice is relatively inexpensive. You can buy it in bulk, and it won’t break the bank, which means more room in your budget for the more pricey protein sources like beef and salmon.

In short, rice is one of the best bulking foods because it’s calorie- and carb-dense, easy to digest, affordable, and it goes with pretty much anything. Whether you go for brown or white, rice provides the fuel you need to perform your best in the weight room and pack on the pounds.

Eggs

Eggs are very close to being the perfect food, including when you’re bulking and trying to pack on the muscle mass. 🍳 They contain almost everything the human body needs, with the exception of vitamin C.¹

Top-Quality Protein

Eggs are like hitting the anabolic jackpot for bulking. They are a great source of protein for muscle recovery and growth.²

A single large egg has about 6–7 grams per egg, and it’s some of the best protein you can get for building muscle. Egg protein provides plenty of all the essential amino acids your body needs to create new muscle tissue and kickstart muscle protein synthesis after an intense workout.

Healthy Fats

In addition to providing tip-top quality protein, eggs are an excellent source of healthy fats. One large egg contains about 5 grams of fat, most of which is unsaturated. Fat is the most calorie-dense nutrient and helps you hit your bulking calorie goals without having to eat until you feel like bursting every meal.

These fats support hormone production, including testosterone, the male sex hormone that is crucial for muscle growth. Eating whole eggs post-workout is proven to boost testosterone levels.³

Vitamins and Minerals

Sure, bulking means eating plenty of calories, but you want those calories to be nutrient-packed, and eggs excel in this department. They’re a great source of:

Vitamin B12 helps your body produce red blood cells and keeps your central nervous system functioning as intended.
Choline helps your brain and nervous system control your muscles.
Vitamin D is important for bone health and testosterone levels. Eggs are one of the few foods that contain plenty of this essential vitamin, but you only get it from the yolk, so eat the whole egg.
Iron and zinc are crucial for muscle growth, physical work capacity, and immune function. They work together, and eggs provide both.

Versatility

Eggs are the poster child for versatility. You can:

Scramble them
Boil them for meal prep
Toss them in smoothies (if you can handle raw eggs)
Make omelets with extra veggies and meats
Bake them into muffins or frittatas

Eggs can even sneak into other bulking dishes like pancakes or be blended into shakes to boost their nutritional and caloric value.

Whether you like them scrambled, fried, boiled, poached, or turn them into an omelet, eggs keep your bulking meals exciting and your meal prep easy.

Cost-Effective

Eggs are very budget-friendly compared to many other protein sources like steak, chicken, or fish. You can get a dozen eggs for a couple of bucks, making them perfect for bulking without burning a hole in your wallet.

When you’re bulking, you’re likely eating more, and having a cost-effective, protein-dense option like eggs is a huge win. Buying a carton of eggs is like getting several servings of pre-packaged muscle-building goodness at a bargain price.

Egg Whites vs. Whole Eggs

Some people argue about whether to use egg whites or whole eggs for bulking.

Egg whites are pure protein and contain no fat. That can be great if you’re trying to minimize your fat intake while still getting loads of protein on a cut.
Whole eggs contain more calories, mostly from fat, but that extra fat means more energy and hormone support for muscle gain. When bulking, whole eggs win because those additional calories and fats help fuel your growth. In addition, the yolk contains most of the valuable nutrients of the egg, plus several components that might have anabolic properties, like phosphatidic acid and cholesterol.

Are There Downsides to Eggs for Bulking?

Not really, but let’s address the cholesterol (non)issue.

If you’re eating many eggs (like bodybuilders do), cholesterol may concern you. Eggs contain plenty of it.

However, recent research has shown that dietary cholesterol is not directly associated with blood cholesterol for most people.⁴ If you eat a lot of cholesterol, your body reduces its own production. Bodybuilders who eat up to 80 eggs per week (that’s a lot of eggs!) do not have higher cholesterol levels than those who don’t eat any.⁵

Also, it might have further anabolic effects since testosterone is synthesized from cholesterol.

Now, there are people who are “hyper responders” to cholesterol and should limit their cholesterol intake. This condition is usually genetic. Most people do not get unhealthy cholesterol levels from eating eggs.

How Many Eggs Should You Eat While Bulking? 🥚🥚🥚

The number of eggs you “should” eat depends on your overall calorie and macro needs. For the average bulker, 4–6 eggs a day can be a solid addition to a balanced meal plan.

For example, you could cook up a three-egg omelet in the morning and a couple of hard-boiled eggs as snacks throughout the day.

Of course, you don’t have to eat a single egg for a successful bulk; there is no “should.” No food is essential. But eggs offer plenty of nutritional benefits and are a great addition to your bulking efforts.

In short, eggs are a top-tier bulking food because they are:

An excellent source of protein and healthy fats.
Full of essential nutrients like vitamins and minerals that support muscle growth and health.
Versatile, affordable, and easy to prepare – three no-brainers to make eggs a staple in your next bulking diet. 🥚

Milk and Milk Products

The original protein shake and a staple for gym-goers and bodybuilders for decades, milk and its dairy comrades deserve a spot on your meal plan when the next bulking phase rolls around for many reasons. 🥛

Nutrient Density

Milk and dairy products are loaded with proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. Fat and carb content can vary wildly depending on the processing and type of dairy products, but they are all high-quality protein sources.

Protein

Cow’s milk contains casein (slow-digesting) and whey (fast-digesting) proteins. Both are the highest-quality complete proteins you can eat (or drink). Whey is the best protein for boosting muscle protein synthesis rapidly, while casein provides a steady stream of amino acids flowing to your muscles for longer.

A glass of milk provides about 8 grams of protein, and other dairy products like cheese can contain upwards of 10 grams per 1-ounce serving, which is perfect when you aim to meet a high daily protein intake.

Fat

Most dietary guidelines recommend increasing your consumption of low-fat or fat-free dairy products, but that might not be the best option for bulking.

Full-fat dairy products help you create a calorie surplus – the backbone of bulking – and recent research shows that fat from dairy is not associated with fat gain, diabetes, or cardiovascular disease.⁶

Carbs

Lactose is a sugar found naturally in milk and dairy products. Chemically, it’s a disaccharide comprising two simple sugars: glucose and galactose. You don’t need it in your diet, and there are better carb sources for bulking, but unless you are lactose intolerant, you don’t usually have to worry about it.

Vitamins and Minerals

Milk is also packed with essential micronutrients like:

Calcium which is important for bone health.
Vitamin D helps your body absorb said calcium and supports immune function.
Potassium helps your muscles flex and contract. Dairy is one of the most common sources of potassium in many people’s diets.
Vitamin A is essential for your vision, immune system, and overall growth and development.
Phosphorus strengthens your bones and teeth and helps with muscle and nerve function.

Versatile Calorie Bomb

One of the main benefits of turning to milk when bulking is that it’s an easy way to add a significant amount of calories without feeling stuffed.

A single cup of whole milk provides around 150 calories, which can quickly add up. If you’re drinking a couple of glasses a day or making it the base of your shakes, you’re effortlessly sneaking in hundreds of calories.

The best part for hardgainers struggling to eat enough? It’s a liquid, so it doesn’t leave you feeling as full as solid foods, making it easier to increase your daily caloric intake.

Other dairy products like cheese, Greek yogurt, and cottage cheese are similarly calorie-dense, and you can always get them with more or less fat, making it easy to adjust your calorie boost.

Cost-Effective

Bulking can be expensive—buying pounds of chicken, steak, and fish every week racks up costs.

But milk? It’s cheap! For a fraction of the cost of many other protein sources, milk provides a budget-friendly way to get protein, calories, and essential nutrients. It’s like liquid gold but more anabolic and digestible.

Milk Products: Your Dairy Dream Team

Milk doesn’t ride solo—its dairy squad is packed with equally valuable bulking foods. Here’s the starting lineup:

Cheese: Hard cheeses like cheddar, mozzarella, Swiss, and gouda are rich in both protein and fat. A little cheese in or on your meals is an easy way to boost calorie intake.
Greek Yogurt: This high-protein, low-carb gem is an excellent option for anyone into clean bulking. It packs 15–20 grams of protein per serving, making it ideal for muscle building, and you can easily mix it with nuts, oats, or fruit for a nutrient-dense snack.
Cottage Cheese: High in casein protein, cottage cheese is popular as a bedtime snack to keep muscle protein synthesis ticking while you sleep.
Butter: Yes, it’s nearly all fat, but if you are really struggling to eat enough calories, butter can be an easy way to up your calorie intake and make a calorie surplus a breeze. A tasty breeze.
Cream: Want to make your coffee, protein shake, sauce, or oatmeal richer? Heavy cream can pack on calories like nobody’s business, adding creaminess and fat to dishes and shakes.

The GOMAD Diet: Bulking Legend

If you want to take milk bulking to the extreme, there’s the infamous GOMAD diet: Gallon of Milk a Day.

GOMAD is an old-school bodybuilding strategy in which you drink a gallon of whole milk a day—about 2,400 calories and 120 grams of protein just from the milk.

While it’s not for everyone (and probably not for your digestive system long-term), it shows how milk can be a serious calorie powerhouse for bulking. Some hardgainers swear by it to this day.

Muscle Recovery and Hydration

Milk is also fantastic for muscle recovery, particularly chocolate milk. Yes, your childhood favorite is as good as or superior to any other recovery drink.⁷

In addition, there is nothing better than milk to rehydrate after training and sweating. Milk is significantly more effective than good old water, for example. And you get the muscle building effects of milk protein at the same time.

Hydration Index for commonly consumed and commercially available drinks. The higher the better.

Quick and Convenient

Unlike preparing complex meals, a glass of milk is as easy as opening the fridge. You can gulp it down on the go, add it to your shakes, or pour it over a bowl of calorie-dense cereal.

Dairy products like yogurt and cheese are also convenient snack options that don’t require much prep.

Lactose Intolerance

Some people cannot handle regular milk. For the lactose-intolerant, the bloating and digestive discomfort likely outweigh the benefits.

Fortunately, lactose-free milk products can keep you in the bulking game without turning your stomach into a battleground. There are lactose-free versions and alternatives like full-fat Greek yogurt, lactose-free milk, or even whey protein isolate if you’re looking for the muscle-building proteins without the lactose drama.

In short, milk and other dairy products are a top-tier option for anyone looking to bulk. They deliver fantastic protein and convenient calories while being easy on the wallet and delicious to boot. Just remember to pace yourself if you’re trying the GOMAD method unless you want to bulk up your toilet time, too.

Beef

Red meat, including beef, is a staple for bodybuilding diets. It’s a good source of protein and one of the most nutritious foods out there. Let’s dive into the meaty details of why beef is a fantastic bulking food. 🥩

Protein

Beef provides top-notch protein, containing all the essential amino acids you need for muscle growth. It is a “complete” protein, meaning it contains enough of all nine essential amino acids your body can’t make on its own. It’s like hiring a full construction crew for your muscle gains, not just a couple of guys with hammers.

A 100-gram serving of ground lean beef packs 25–30 grams of protein, making it a great choice for anyone trying to build muscle.

Creatine

Creatine isn’t just something you scoop into your shaker bottle—it’s naturally occurring in beef. This compound increases muscle strength and performance.

Beef contains about 1–2 grams of creatine per pound. A daily dose of 5–10 grams of creatine is a great way to maximize your gains and get the best results from your sweaty gym sessions.

Beef may not replace your supplement unless you’re really pounding down the steaks, but the creatine you get from meat does count towards that goal.

Rich in Vitamins and Minerals

The best bulking foods provide more than calories and protein. Your body also needs micronutrients—vitamins and minerals—in sufficient amounts.

Micronutrients don’t give you energy directly, like carbs or fats, but they help your body use that energy efficiently. In addition, they handle numerous essentials goings-on in your body behind the scenes.

Beef is packed with micronutrients that support everything from energy metabolism to testosterone production.

Iron helps your muscles get oxygen, keeping you from fatiguing too fast.
Zinc plays a role in hormone production (including testosterone, your muscle-building best friend).
B vitamins keep your cell metabolism running smoothly and your blood and nerve cells in top shape.

Calorie Dense

When you’re bulking, you’ve got to get in some extra calories, and beef delivers. Depending on the cut, you’re looking at anywhere from 200 to 350 calories per 100 grams of meat. Fattier cuts like a juicy ribeye or an 80/20 ground beef burger give you a bigger caloric boost.

If you’re a hardgainer who feels like you’ve got the metabolism of a hummingbird, beef is a calorie-dense option that will help tip the scales in your favor, and provide the muscle-building protein you need at the same time.

Fat for Flavor and Gains

Beef is not just protein—it’s also a solid source of fat.

And no, fat doesn’t make you fat (eating way too many calories than you need for an extended time does); it gives you energy and keeps your testosterone levels high, which is crucial for muscle growth.

If you need to increase your calories, opt for fattier cuts like ribeye, chuck eye, skirt, or flap steak. The fat adds flavor, so it’s a win-win situation.

Red meat is also rich in cholesterol, and testosterone is made from cholesterol.

Satisfaction Factor

Many people find beef delicious and highly satisfying, which is crucial to sticking to your bulking plan. You’re more likely to stay on track when you enjoy what you’re eating, and for many, there is nothing quite like the satisfaction of a well-cooked steak after a heavy lift.

Whether it’s grilled steak, burgers, or stews, beef fits into all kinds of meals, making bulking enjoyable instead of a chore.

In short, if you’re serious about bulking, you should definitely consider adding beef to your plate. Its combination of protein, creatine, fats, and essential vitamins makes it an ideal food for building lean muscle while keeping you strong and full of energy.

Basically, every steak is a direct deposit into your muscle bank. 🐮

Salmon

Salmon is your secret bulking weapon disguised as a delicious, pinkish fish. 🐟

Protein from the Sea is Great for Thee

As you know, protein is king when you’re training for muscle growth, and salmon delivers big time.

A 100 g serving of salmon packs around 20 g protein. And that protein is fantastic for building muscle. Research shows that salmon protein stimulates muscle protein synthesis, the process your body uses to build new muscle tissue, as powerfully as pure amino acids or a protein shake.⁸

Healthy Fats (Omega-3s)

Here’s where salmon really flexes on many other protein sources—omega-3 fatty acids.

Omega-3s are essential fatty acids that help every cell in your body function as intended. They are good for your heart and brain, and they also have anabolic effects. While they might not directly boost muscle protein synthesis, several studies have found increases in muscle mass and strength after supplementing with omega-3s.⁹

In addition, omega-3s help reduce DOMS (that muscle soreness you feel the day after leg day) and can improve recovery after exercise.¹⁰

Moreover, omega-3s boost insulin sensitivity, which means your body can shuttle more nutrients into your muscle cells instead of storing them as fat.¹¹

Calorie Dense, But Clean

To bulk, you need to be in a calorie surplus. Salmon is calorie-dense in the best possible way.

A typical serving of salmon has around 200–300 calories, depending on the portion size and how it’s cooked.

Those calories aren’t just empty like some lower-quality junk food or fast food—they come with quality protein, fat, and many other nutrients—perfect for building mass while staying healthy.

Rich in Micronutrients

Oily fish like salmon is packed with the vitamins and minerals you need to keep your body functioning optimally, like B vitamins, selenium, potassium, and vitamin D.

These micronutrients are essential for energy production, metabolism, muscle function, recovery, and immune health.

In short, salmon (and other fatty fish) is one of the best bulking foods—and it’s healthy food, too! It gives you all the nutrients, calories, and muscle-building goodness without the greasy pitfalls of some other bulking foods. So, load up on salmon and let the gains swim your way.

Nuts and Nut Butters

Nuts and nut butter are go-to’s when it comes to bulking up. These tasty little morsels bring a ton of benefits to the table. 🥜

Nuts Are Exceedingly Calorie-Dense

Nuts are one of the most calorie-dense foods you can find.

For example, a handful of almonds (about 28g) packs around 160–170 calories. When you’re bulking, your daily goal is to get in more calories than you burn, and nuts help you hit that surplus without feeling stuffed.

Healthy Fats

The fats in nuts, primarily polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, are considered “good fats” and heart-healthy. Fats are super helpful for bulking, providing more than twice the calories per gram (9 kcal/gram) compared to proteins and carbs (4 kcal/gram). That makes nuts an easy and healthy way to increase your calorie intake.

Protein

While nuts aren’t the highest source of protein compared to meat or dairy, they still offer a solid amount.

Most nuts contain around 4–7 grams of protein per serving (about 28g), which adds up if you snack on them throughout the day.

The protein in nuts is not the same high quality as animal proteins; they contain incomplete proteins, meaning they don’t have enough of all the essential amino acids your body needs. Specifically, they tend to be low in lysine, an important amino acid for muscle growth. So, while they provide a good chunk of protein, they aren’t the bee’s knees for building muscle on their own.

However, as long as you don’t base your entire protein intake on nuts, your body can pair them with other foods to create a complete protein that contains enough of all essential amino acids.

Micronutrients

Nuts contain plenty of vitamins and minerals essential to human health, like magnesium, potassium, copper, and selenium, as well as vitamins E and K and folate, which help with muscle function, recovery, and general health.

Versatility and Convenience

Nuts and nut butters can be incorporated into your diet in endless ways. Toss some almonds into your oatmeal, spread peanut butter on your toast or apple slices, blend cashew butter into your post-workout smoothie, make a homemade trail mix, or eat nut butter straight out of the jar.

And with nuts, no cooking is required. Nuts and nut butters are grab-and-go foods, perfect for bulking on the fly. You can stash a jar of peanut butter in a cupboard at work or a bag of mixed nuts in your backpack for high-calorie munching on the go.

Top Nuts and Nut Butters for Bulking

Almonds have a nice balance of fat, protein, and carbs and are high in fiber, vitamin E, and magnesium.
Peanuts—While not a real nut, peanuts are the most popular nut option, both in whole form or as butter. One tablespoon of peanut butter has around 90–100 calories. You can go to town with it in shakes or sandwiches or spoon it straight from the jar.
Cashews: Slightly lower in fat compared to other nuts, cashews are creamy and rich in copper, magnesium, and iron.
Walnuts are one of the best sources of omega-3 fatty acids from plant sources.
Pistachios: Pistachios are higher in protein than other nuts (except almonds), and the protein quality is unusually high for a plant-based source.
Pecans: Super calorie-dense, with the highest antioxidant capacity of all nuts.
Macadamia Nuts: the ultimate calorie nut, macadamias are loaded with fat (mostly the healthy kind) and can quickly skyrocket your daily intake.

Nut butters are exceptionally convenient for bulking. Just a few spoonfuls, and your calorie count gets a nice boost. Also, you absorb more of the calories when you consume nuts in butter form. Bad news if you’re on a weight loss diet but good news when bulking.

Downsides of Nuts and Nut Butters

Nut butters are so delicious, it’s easy to overdo it. Even though you’re bulking, you still want to avoid packing on too much body fat, and those tablespoons quickly add up.

Also, some nut butters (especially the flavored varieties) can be loaded with added sugars and unhealthy oils, so look for natural, unsweetened varieties when possible.

In short, nuts and nut butters are great for boosting you daily calorie intake. They are packed with healthy fats, and versatile enough to fit into any meal or snack. If you’re trying to gain weight and muscle without force-feeding yourself, adding a few handful of nuts to you bulking diet can go a long way.

Chicken

Whether bulking or cutting, it’s hard to go wrong with chicken. 🍗

Quality Protein

Chicken is an excellent choice if you want plenty of lean proteins. Cooked chicken breast, for instance, provides around 31 grams of protein per 100 grams, with minimal fat (around 3.6 grams if it’s skinless).

Other cuts, like thighs, wings, or drumsticks, have a higher fat content, which can be helpful if you need more calories. Thighs have about 26 grams of protein and a bit more fat than breasts, which makes them juicier and more calorie-dense, a win when you’re in full bulking mode.

Protein is the number one nutritent for muscle growth, and chicken protein is super digestible and rich in all the essential amino acids, making it one of the best complete protein sources.

Micronutrients

While chicken is known for protein, it’s also a good source of important vitamins and minerals.

B vitamins (like niacin and B6) help your body convert food into energy.
Phosphorus is crucial for maintaining healthy bones, muscles, teeth, and joints.
Selenium is a powerful antioxidant that you only need in small amounts, and a chicken breast provides more than half of your daily needs.

Cost-Effective

Bulking can be expensive, but chicken is often cost-efficient compared to other protein sources like steak or fish, especially if you buy it in bulk.

You can buy large packs of chicken breasts or thighs, cook in batches, and freeze portions for later. You save time, money, and effort.

In short, chicken checks every box when it comes to bulking foods: It is high in protein, full of essential amino acids, versatile in recipes, and you can choose which cuts you want for more or less fat and calories.

If you’re serious about bulking, get used to seeing chicken on your plate a lot. It’s cluckin’ awesome. 🐔

Grains

Grains are the small, hard seeds of cereal plants like wheat, rice, corn, and oats. They’re a major source of carbohydrates, providing energy and essential nutrients like fiber, vitamins, and minerals. 🌾

Rice, a hugely popular bodybuilding and fitness food, has already had its time to shine earlier in the article, but it is not the only grain you should consider when bulking.

Carbohydrates

Grains provide complex carbs, which often (but not always) means slow-releasing energy.

They are like the perfect pre-workout snack and post-workout recovery food combined. Before training, they give you the energy you need to perform in the gym. After training, they top up your glycogen stores for optimal recovery.

Caloric Density

Foods like oats, pasta, quinoa, and barley are excellent for bumping up your caloric intake. Here’s a breakdown of some calorie numbers:

Oats: ~300 calories per cup (uncooked)
Pasta: ~220 calories per cup (cooked)
Quinoa: ~220 calories per cup (cooked)
Barley: ~193 calories per cup (cooked)

While grains aren’t the heaviest hitters on the calorie front compared to fats, they are still calorically dense, making it easy to get your much-needed extra calories.

Protein Content

While whole grains aren’t a primary protein source like meat or eggs, they do contribute a significant amount of plant-based protein.

Quinoa, for example, is one of the few plant foods that provide a complete protein profile, containing all nine essential amino acids in sufficient amounts.

Other grains like oats and farro also offer a decent amount of protein, which, when paired with other sources like beans, milk, or chicken, create a complete protein source.

Whole Grains Vs. Refined Grains

Refined grains (white rice, white bread, etc.) have had their bran and germ stripped away, which makes them lower in fiber and some nutrients. But guess what? That can actually make them better bulking foods. It makes them easier to digest and pack in calories without feeling overly full—an advantage when you’re trying to eat a lot of food to bulk up.

On the flip side, whole grains (brown rice, quinoa, oats) are richer in nutrients and fiber, which slows digestion and makes you feel fuller longer. This is great for health and weight maintenance but can make it harder to hit your calorie targets for bulking.

Refined grains can be a better choice if you’re having a hard time eating enough food to get all the calories your bulking meal plan calls for. However, don’t ignore whole grains entirely to make sure you’re not losing out on valuable nutrients.

In short, grains can be a cornerstone in any bulking diet. They’re easy to prepare, calorie-dense, and provide both macro and micronutrients necessary for gaining mass and staying healthy.

Protein Shakes and Mass Gainers

Protein shakes and mass gainers are food in liquid form.

Protein shakes are protein-packed drinks, often made from whey, casein, or plant-based protein powders. They make getting enough protein a breeze when you don’t want to chew on yet another chicken breast. A typical serving of 30 grams of whey protein without anything added provides 120–140 calories.
A mass gainer, on the other hand, is a calorie-dense supplement with carbs and sometimes fat along with the protein. Most mass gainers start at around 500 calories per serving and go upwards to 1,200+ calories. They don’t actually provide many more calories per gram, but the “recommended serving size” can get ridiculous.

Both are quick and convenient ways to boost your protein and calorie intake, especially after workouts and between meals.

When to Use Them

Post-Workout: A protein shake or mass gainer helps jumpstart recovery and muscle protein synthesis after you’ve smashed the weights.
Meal Replacement: If you’re short on time or still feel stuffed from your last meal but need to get those calories in, that’s when gainers and protein shakes really shine.
Before Bed: Slow-digesting protein like a casein shake can keep a steady stream of amino acids flowing to your muscles while you snooze.

Both protein shakes and mass gainers are fantastic tools for bulking, especially when you’re crunched for time or simply can’t stuff down any more solid food.

Just remember that, like any good thing, they work best when used strategically, complementing the bulk of your real food-based diet.

>> Whey or Soy Protein for Building Muscle?

>> Casein vs. Whey: Which Protein Powder is Right for You?

>> The Best Protein Powder for Men and Women Over 50

Potatoes

Who doesn’t love a good potato? 🥔

Whether you’re talking about regular white potatoes or their slightly fancier cousin, the sweet potato, these spuds are your best buds for bulking.

Regular Potatoes (White, Red, Russet, etc.)

Carbohydrates

Regular potatoes are like little carbohydrate bombs. A medium potato (what a “medium potato” is depends on the type of potato) delivers about 30–35 grams of carbs.

Potatoes are one of the best sources of healthy, complex carbs. They are great for both workout energy and replenishing glycogen stores after a training session.

Calorie Dense

Despite being almost fat-free, regular potatoes are surprisingly caloric when you factor in how easy it is to eat a big pile of them.

Mash them, bake them, fry ‘them—there are endless ways to hit your caloric goals without feeling like you’re forcing down food.

One medium Russet potato contains around 160–170 calories, but that’s just the spud itself. If you eat a few and throw on some butter, sour cream, or olive oil, you’ve got yourself a high-calorie meal right there.

Micronutrients

Potatoes are a great source of vitamin C. Plus, they have a good amount of potassium (more than bananas), which keeps your organs and muscles functioning properly.

Protein

Potatoes are not high in protein, but the protein you do get is of the same muscle-building quality as milk protein.¹²

Sweet Potatoes

Complex Carbs

A medium sweet potato provides 25–30 grams of complex carbohydrates, which is a touch less than white potatoes but still plenty to fuel your workouts and recovery.

Calorie Dense

A medium sweet potato has about 100–120 calories, so you might have to eat more to hit your calorie targets. But if you top them with some butter or roast them with olive oil, you’ve got yourself a calorie-dense, nutrient-packed meal that’s anything but boring.

Micronutrients

Sweet potatoes have a bit of a health halo around them, and for good reason. They are rich in beta-carotene (a precursor to vitamin A,) vitamin C, vitamin E, manganese, and several B vitamins. Also, like regular potatoes, sweet potatoes are packed with potassium.

Which One Is Best For Bulking?

Both regular and sweet potatoes are excellent for bulking.

If you’re looking purely at calories, regular potatoes take the edge, but the difference is not huge.
But if you’re aiming for a more nutrient-dense option, sweet potatoes might be the better call, but again, by a small margin.

Either way, you can’t go wrong with potatoes as a bulking carb source.

Oils

Adding calories with oils is like sneaking in extra gains without feeling like you’re shoveling in a ton of food. You can use oils to boost your daily caloric intake in many ways.

Drizzle Oils on Proteins

Are your grilled chicken, steak, or fish a little too lean? Drizzle them with extra virgin olive oil, butter, or ghee before serving. It makes them juicier and adds extra calories.

Oils in Sauces and Dressings

Homemade dressings are a calorie goldmine. You can also sneak oils into pasta sauces, soups, or even mashed potatoes. One tablespoon in your sauce equals an easy extra 120 calories.

Drizzle Oils on Vegetables

If you’re being responsible and eating your veggies, drizzle some olive oil or avocado oil on them. It adds flavor and an extra calorie boost—another 120 per tablespoon.

Cooking with Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is a bulking buddy—add it to anything you sauté. A tablespoon gives you around 120 calories, plus it’s high in medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), which convert into energy your body can use faster than other oils.

Olive Oil in Smoothies

Toss a tablespoon or two of extra virgin olive oil into your protein shake or smoothie. Two tablespoons has about 240 calories. Bonus: it’s heart-healthy, so your gains get that cardiovascular seal of approval. 🫒

Bulletproof Coffee

You can turn your morning coffee into a calorie-loaded beverage by adding 1–2 tablespoons of MCT oil or butter for a 200–300 calorie start to your day. Bulletproof coffee does not have any magical properties like some health gurus claim, but it’s coffee with extra gains.

Final Words

Bulking up isn’t just about lifting heavy and hoping for gains.

You also have to eat plenty of food.

It’s also not just about piling on any food you can get your hands on (although an occasional slice of pizza won’t hurt). Quality matters.

Shoveling down junk food might make it easy to get the calories you need, but they won’t be quality calories that promote muscle growth.

The best bulking foods are nutrient-packed and loaded with quality protein, carbs, and fats. They give your muscles what they need to grow and keep your energy levels high to power your high-intensity workouts.

Include the foods from this article in your bulking meal plan, and you make sure you’re feeding your muscle gains, not just filling up your stomach or getting fat.

More Like This

If you enjoyed this article about the best bulking foods, be sure to check out these excellent resources:

>> Nutrition for Strength Training the Fun and Easy Way

>> The 30 Best Protein Foods for Muscle Growth

>> The 11 Best Carbs for Bodybuilding and Muscle Growth