Menu Scan AI
Download now

Muscle Gain

Best Foods to Bulk Up for Skinny Guys: A Grocery List That Works

The best foods for bulking skinny guys: whole milk, eggs, Greek yogurt, beef, rice, oats and peanut butter. Plus easy 700-850 calorie bulking meals.

Reviewed by Menu Scan Editorial TeamLast reviewed 9 min read

Published

The short answer

The best foods to bulk up as a skinny guy are calorie-dense foods that also bring protein: whole milk, whole eggs, Greek yogurt, beef, salmon and chicken thighs, plus easy carbs like rice, oats, bagels and potatoes, and fats like olive oil, nut butter, nuts and cheese. Drinking some of your calories in a shake helps when your appetite is small, and building every meal around a protein makes the extra calories turn into muscle.

You know you need to eat more. You've read the plan for how to bulk up as a skinny guy, you've got your calorie target, and now you're standing in the grocery store wondering what actually goes in the cart. Chicken breast and broccoli? That's a cutting diet, and it'll leave you full long before you hit 3,000 calories.

Bulking is about picking foods that pack a lot of calories and protein into a small amount of space. Here's the list, why each food earns its spot, and how to put it together into a day of eating.

What makes a food good for bulking?#

A good bulking food gives you a lot of calories per bite and brings protein along with it. If you have a small appetite, the enemy is volume: big salads, plain chicken breast and huge bowls of vegetables fill you up before you've eaten enough.

Look for foods that are:

  • Calorie-dense. Fats have 9 calories per gram versus 4 for protein and carbs, so a drizzle of oil or a handful of nuts adds a lot without making the plate bigger.
  • Protein-rich. You still need about 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day to max out muscle growth, according to a large 2018 meta-analysis in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
  • Easy to eat. Soft, quick foods you can eat without much chewing or cooking go down easier when you're not hungry.
  • Cheap and repeatable. You'll eat these every week, so they need to fit your budget and your schedule.

You still need vegetables and fruit for fiber and micronutrients. Just don't let them crowd out the calories.

What are the best protein foods for bulking?#

The best bulking proteins carry some fat with them, so they add calories as well as protein. Lean protein is great on a cut, but on a bulk you want more bang per bite.

  • Whole eggs. Don't throw away the yolks. In a 2017 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, young men who ate whole eggs after lifting had a bigger muscle-building response than when they ate egg whites with the same amount of protein.
  • Whole milk. Cheap, easy to drink, and backed by research. In a 2007 study of novice lifters, young men who drank milk after training for 12 weeks gained more lean mass than those who drank a soy or carbohydrate drink with the same calories. That study used fat-free milk; whole milk gives you the same protein plus extra calories.
  • Greek yogurt and cottage cheese. Go for whole-milk versions. Add granola, honey and fruit for an easy 500-calorie snack.
  • Ground beef and steak. 80/20 or 85/15 ground beef works well in rice bowls, pasta and burritos.
  • Salmon. More calories and fat than white fish, plus omega-3s.
  • Chicken thighs. Cheaper and juicier than breast, with a bit more fat.
  • Whey protein. Not magic, just convenient. Whey digests fast and stimulates muscle protein synthesis well; a 2009 study found it raised muscle protein synthesis after lifting more than soy or casein.

What are the best carbs for bulking?#

Easy, dense carbs fuel your training and fill out your calories without much effort. Your muscles run on glycogen, and hard lifting sessions go better when you've eaten enough carbs.

  • White rice. Easy to digest, cheap, and goes with everything. Make a big batch at the start of the week.
  • Oats. Cook them in whole milk instead of water, or blend them raw into a shake.
  • Bagels. A plain bagel has more calories than two slices of most sandwich bread. Top with eggs, cream cheese or peanut butter.
  • Potatoes. Baked, roasted in olive oil, or mashed with butter and milk.
  • Pasta. One of the easiest ways to eat a lot of calories, especially with meat sauce.
  • Granola. Much denser than plain cereal. Pour it over yogurt or eat it with whole milk.
  • Dried fruit and bananas. Dried fruit gives you the calories of fresh fruit without the volume, and bananas are the perfect pre-workout snack.

What are the best fats for bulking?#

Fats are the easiest way to add calories without adding more food to your plate. A tablespoon of olive oil has about 120 calories, according to Harvard Health, and you barely notice it on rice or pasta.

  • Olive oil. Drizzle it on rice, pasta, eggs, potatoes and vegetables.
  • Peanut butter and other nut butters. Spread on bagels, stir into oats, or blend into shakes.
  • Nuts and trail mix. Keep a bag in your car, backpack or desk.
  • Cheese. Add it to eggs, sandwiches, pasta and burritos.
  • Avocado. Great on toast, eggs and rice bowls.
  • Butter. On potatoes, toast and cooked vegetables.

How many calories are in common bulking foods?#

Here's a quick reference for some of the easiest bulking foods. Values are rounded and approximate, based on typical entries in USDA FoodData Central; exact numbers vary by brand.

Food Serving Approx. calories Approx. protein
Whole milk 1 cup 150 8 g
Whole eggs 3 large 220 18 g
Whole-milk Greek yogurt 1 cup 220 20 g
Ground beef (85/15), cooked 4 oz 280 28 g
Salmon, cooked 4 oz 230 25 g
White rice, cooked 1 cup 200 4 g
Oats, dry ½ cup 150 5 g
Plain bagel 1 medium 280 11 g
Peanut butter 2 tbsp 190 7 g
Almonds 1 oz (about 23) 165 6 g
Cheddar cheese 1 oz 115 7 g
Olive oil 1 tbsp 120 0 g

Notice how the fats and dense carbs add up fast. A bagel with two tablespoons of peanut butter and a glass of whole milk is over 600 calories before you've even thought about lunch.

Should you drink your calories when bulking?#

Yes, if you struggle to eat enough. Liquids don't fill you up the way solid food does. In a 2000 study in the International Journal of Obesity, when people got an extra 450 calories a day from soda, they didn't eat less food to make up for it and gained weight. When the same people got those calories from jelly beans, they naturally ate less at other meals.

That's a problem for most people and a cheat code for hardgainers. Easy ways to drink more:

  • A homemade shake. Whole milk, whey, a banana, peanut butter and oats comes to roughly 850 calories and 50 grams of protein. The exact recipe is in our bulking guide.
  • Whole milk with meals instead of water.
  • Smoothies with Greek yogurt, fruit and a spoonful of nut butter.

What are easy bulking meals for skinny guys?#

Easy bulking meals for skinny guys pair a real protein with dense carbs and some fat: eggs, cheese and a bagel with whole milk, a beef and rice bowl, or salmon with potatoes cooked in olive oil. Each lands around 700 to 850 calories. Here's an example day for a 150-pound guy aiming for around 3,000 calories and 130 grams of protein:

Meal What to eat Approx. calories Approx. protein
Breakfast 3 whole eggs scrambled with cheese, a bagel with butter, a glass of whole milk 850 45 g
Lunch Rice bowl with ground beef, black beans, cheese, salsa and avocado 800 40 g
Snack Greek yogurt with granola, honey and a banana 500 22 g
Dinner Salmon, roasted potatoes with olive oil, and green beans 700 30 g
Before bed A glass of whole milk and a handful of almonds 300 14 g

That's roughly 3,150 calories and 150 grams of protein, and none of it is fancy. Swap in your own favorites from the lists above and adjust the portions to hit your number.

What should you order when bulking at a restaurant?#

Pick a dish built around a real protein and let the restaurant's big portions do the rest. Restaurants are one of the easiest places for skinny guys to hit a surplus, as long as you don't fill up on fries and soda.

  • Mexican: a burrito or bowl with double meat, rice, beans, cheese and guacamole. See our high-protein Mexican restaurant orders.
  • Fast food: grilled chicken, double-patty burgers or a double-protein bowl. Our guide to high protein fast food ranks the best orders at major chains.
  • Steakhouse: steak with a loaded baked potato and a side.
  • Italian: pasta with meat sauce or grilled chicken, plus bread.
  • Breakfast spot: eggs, potatoes, toast and a side of sausage, with a glass of milk.

If you're staring at a menu and can't tell which dish packs the most protein, Menu Scan AI can help. Snap a photo of the menu and it estimates calories, protein, carbs and fat for every dish, then ranks them against a muscle-gain goal, so you can order the meal that actually moves your bulk forward.

Frequently asked questions#

What is the best food to gain weight fast for skinny guys?#

Whole milk, peanut butter, oats, rice, whole eggs and olive oil are some of the best because they're cheap, calorie-dense and easy to eat in large amounts. Pair them with a protein at every meal, like beef, chicken, salmon, eggs or Greek yogurt, so the extra weight is more muscle and less fat.

Is it okay to eat junk food to bulk up?#

A little is fine, but don't make it the base of your diet. Fast food and snacks can help you hit your calories, but they're often low in protein and fiber. Build most meals around protein, dense carbs and healthy fats, and use treats to fill small gaps.

Do I need mass gainer supplements to bulk?#

No. Mass gainers are mostly expensive calories from sugar and protein powder. A homemade shake with whole milk, whey, oats, a banana and peanut butter gives you similar calories and protein for less money, and you control what's in it.

How do I eat more when I'm never hungry?#

Eat on a schedule instead of waiting for hunger, choose calorie-dense foods so each bite counts, and drink some of your calories as milk or shakes. Liquids don't fill you up the way solid food does, which makes it much easier to hit a calorie surplus with a small appetite.

What is a good bulking breakfast for skinny guys?#

Three whole eggs scrambled with cheese, a bagel with butter and a glass of whole milk comes to about 850 calories and 45 grams of protein. If a big breakfast is hard to face, a homemade shake with whole milk, whey, oats, a banana and peanut butter gives you similar calories in a glass.

Sources#

Related reading