What's the best food to gain fat?

January 9, 2026 •

4 min read

For those who are underweight or looking to build muscle, simply eating more is not enough; the focus must be on nutrient-dense foods. The goal is to achieve a healthy weight gain that balances muscle mass and fat, rather than accumulating unhealthy visceral fat.

Quick Summary

This guide outlines the most effective, nutrient-rich foods for healthy weight gain, focusing on a balanced intake of high-calorie proteins, carbs, and fats to help you build mass.

Key Points

Focus on Nutrient-Density: Prioritize high-calorie foods that also offer substantial nutritional value, such as healthy fats, protein, and complex carbohydrates, to promote healthy weight gain.
Embrace Healthy Fats: Incorporate calorie-dense healthy fats from sources like avocados, nuts, nut butters, and oils to significantly increase daily caloric intake without excessive volume.
Increase Meal Frequency: Eat 5-6 smaller, balanced meals and snacks throughout the day to meet your calorie goals, especially if you have a smaller appetite.
Strategically Add Calories: Boost the calorie content of your existing meals by adding grated cheese, olive oil, dried fruits, or nut butters.
Leverage Homemade Smoothies: Use homemade, high-calorie smoothies with ingredients like whole milk, bananas, and protein powder as a convenient way to add substantial calories.
Combine with Strength Training: Pair your high-calorie diet with regular resistance training to ensure a larger portion of the gained weight is muscle mass rather than just fat.
Consistency is Key: Healthy weight gain is a gradual process that requires consistent effort in both diet and exercise to achieve lasting results.

Gaining Weight Healthily: More Than Just Calories

Healthy weight gain is a deliberate process that requires consuming more calories than you burn, but critically, these calories should come from nutrient-dense sources. This approach helps build muscle and ensures a balanced distribution of fat, avoiding the accumulation of unhealthy visceral fat that poses health risks. Focus on whole foods rather than processed junk food, which lacks essential vitamins and minerals.

The Power of Calorie-Dense Foods

For individuals with a small appetite or a high metabolism, consuming enough calories can be a challenge. Calorie-dense foods are the solution, as they pack a significant number of calories into smaller portions, making it easier to meet your daily intake goals without feeling uncomfortably full.

Top High-Calorie Food Categories for Healthy Gain

Healthy Fats and Oils

As the most calorie-dense macronutrient, healthy fats are crucial for weight gain. Adding them to meals is an easy way to increase your total calorie count without adding much volume.

Avocados: A medium avocado can provide over 250 calories from heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, along with fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
Nuts and Nut Butters: Almonds, walnuts, and peanuts, and their butters, are packed with protein, fiber, and healthy fats. Just two handfuls of nuts can add hundreds of calories.
Olive Oil and Coconut Oil: Drizzling a tablespoon of olive oil on salads or adding coconut oil to smoothies can boost your intake by 120 calories.
Fatty Fish: Salmon and mackerel are excellent sources of both protein and omega-3 fatty acids, which are beneficial for heart health and can help with weight gain.

Proteins and Dairy

Protein is essential for muscle repair and growth, which is a major component of healthy weight gain. Combining protein sources with carbohydrates and fats can create balanced, calorie-rich meals.

Red Meats: Fatty cuts of beef and pork are rich in calories and high-quality protein, which contains nutrients that stimulate muscle protein synthesis.
Eggs: Whole eggs are a versatile source of protein and healthy fats, with most of the beneficial nutrients found in the yolk.
Full-Fat Dairy: Whole milk, full-fat Greek yogurt, and cheese offer a great balance of protein, carbs, and fat, making them ideal for snacks or adding to meals.

Starchy Carbohydrates and Grains

Starchy foods provide the body with energy and help increase muscle glycogen stores.

Potatoes and Sweet Potatoes: These tubers are a cost-effective and calorie-dense source of carbohydrates and essential nutrients.
Rice: An accessible and easy-to-digest carbohydrate source that can be paired with various protein and fat sources.
Oats and Quinoa: These whole grains provide complex carbohydrates and fiber, sustaining energy levels throughout the day.

Convenient Calorie-Boosters

These options are great for snacks or adding a quick calorie boost to your diet.

Dried Fruit: With water content removed, dried fruits like raisins and dates are highly concentrated sources of calories and nutrients.
Homemade Smoothies: Blending whole milk, nut butter, and fruit can create a nutrient-dense shake with 400-600 calories.
Dark Chocolate: Quality dark chocolate (70%+ cacao) offers antioxidants and a good amount of calories.

Calorie Density Comparison

This table illustrates the approximate calorie content of different food types per serving, highlighting their role in a weight gain diet.


Food Item	Serving Size	Calorie Range	Primary Macronutrient
Nuts (Almonds)	1/4 cup	170 kcal	Healthy Fats, Protein
Whole Milk	1 cup	150 kcal	Protein, Carbs, Fat
Avocado	1 medium	250-320 kcal	Healthy Fats
Cooked Rice	1 cup	204 kcal	Carbohydrates
Salmon	3 oz cooked	200-250 kcal	Protein, Healthy Fats
Full-Fat Greek Yogurt	170g	165 kcal	Protein, Carbs, Fat
Dried Fruit (Raisins)	1 oz	100-130 kcal	Carbohydrates

Practical Tips for Successful and Healthy Gain

Eat Frequently: Aim for 3 main meals and 2-3 substantial snacks throughout the day. This keeps your energy levels high and provides a consistent flow of calories for weight gain.
Don't Drink on an Empty Stomach: If you feel full easily, avoid drinking beverages immediately before or during meals, as this can reduce your appetite. Instead, enjoy high-calorie shakes between meals.
Incorporate Resistance Training: To ensure your weight gain is composed of more muscle mass and less fat, pair your diet with regular strength training exercises. Lifting weights also helps stimulate your appetite.
Plan Your Meals: Create a meal plan to ensure you consistently meet your daily calorie targets. This helps avoid reliance on less healthy, processed options.
Enhance Your Meals: Sprinkle cheese on pasta, mix dried fruit and nuts into your oatmeal, or add a drizzle of olive oil to cooked vegetables to easily increase calorie count.

Conclusion

For those seeking to gain fat and weight healthily, the best approach involves a strategic, nutrient-dense diet. Focusing on a caloric surplus from high-quality sources like healthy fats (avocados, nuts), proteins (red meat, eggs, dairy), and complex carbohydrates (potatoes, whole grains) is the most effective method. Combining this dietary plan with regular resistance training ensures the weight gained is primarily muscle and healthy fat, leading to improved health and a better body composition. With consistency and the right food choices, achieving your weight gain goals is a sustainable and healthy pursuit.

Frequently Asked Questions

No, healthy weight gain involves gaining a balanced amount of muscle mass and subcutaneous fat, not unhealthy visceral fat. Focusing on nutrient-dense foods is key, rather than relying on junk food.

Some of the most calorie-dense foods include avocados, nuts and nut butters, full-fat dairy products like Greek yogurt and cheese, healthy oils, and dried fruits.

While junk food is high in calories, it lacks the essential nutrients needed for healthy weight gain. It will contribute to gaining unhealthy fat and can lead to other health problems.

You can add more calories by drizzling olive oil on vegetables, topping salads with nuts and seeds, adding cheese to dishes, and using nut butters in your oatmeal or smoothies.

Combining strength training with a high-calorie diet is recommended to ensure a larger proportion of your weight gain is muscle, not just fat. Exercise also helps stimulate your appetite.

Yes, dried fruits are high in calories and natural sugars, making them a convenient and energy-dense snack for boosting calorie intake.

High-calorie beverages like homemade protein shakes, smoothies made with whole milk and nut butters, and whole milk can help increase your calorie intake without making you feel overly full.

Regular exercise, especially strength training, can help increase your appetite naturally. Additionally, scheduling smaller, more frequent meals can prevent you from feeling overwhelmed by large portions.