39 High Protein Plant-Based Foods
If you’ve been following or have just started a plant-based, vegetarian, or vegan diet, you’ve probably thought, or had someone ask you “How do you get enough protein without eating meat?”
Easy. There are a lot of plants that are high in protein.
How much protein should we consume per day?
Protein intake has become one of those hot topics in the last few years.
If you are eating a diet focused on a variety of plant-based foods, you are probably already getting enough protein.
The average person needs to consume about 7 grams of protein every day for every 20 pounds of their body weight.
If you’re very active you’ll need more protein.
Canada’s new food guide does not include protein amounts, because it says most people eating a mixed diet get enough protein.
Instead, it recommends the plate method of eating which it illustrates with a plate of 50% fruits or vegetables, 25% whole grains, and 25% proteins with a recommendation to choose more plant-based proteins.
Canada’s food guide also teaches that plant-based proteins can provide more fiber and less saturated fat than other sources which can beneficial to heart health.
It also makes us aware that you don’t need to consume large amounts of protein foods to meet nutritional needs.
Conclusion: You are probably eating enough protein, especially if you have a varied diet.
The Canada Food Guide is not perfect but I do try to follow the principle of eating half my bowl full of vegetables.
Why is protein amount such a hot topic for vegan, vegetarian, and plant-based diets?
Getting enough protein is such a hot topic because animal products are the main sources of complete proteins.
Once you omit or limit animal products, you need to make sure you’re still taking in a good amount of protein. The same is true for Vitamin B12 – see below for more information.
What is protein and what does it do?
Protein is made up of building blocks called amino acids.
Your body uses protein to:
- help build and repair muscles
- make hormones and enzymes
- helps keep the immune system strong
- maintains pH and fluid balance
Amino Acids combine to form protein. Your body needs amino acids but can only make 11 of the 20 you require to function properly.
The 9 amino acids your body can’t make are called essential amino acids and you must get them from the food you eat.
Your body makes the other 11 which are called non-essential amino acids.
Food containing all 9 essential amino acids are called complete proteins and include beef, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, soy, quinoa and buckwheat.
Foods that only contain some of the essential amino acids are called incomplete proteins and include nuts, seeds, beans and some grains.
You can combine different incomplete proteins to form a complete protein.
What does this mean?
This means when following a vegan, vegetarian, or plant-based diet you should include several types of incomplete proteins to ensure you’re consuming all 9 essential amino acids.
What does this really mean?
This really means that if you eat a varied diet, you’ll be getting all the amino acids you need.
So a daily meal plan including a variety of foods like oatmeal, fruits, vegetables, nut butter, seeds, quinoa, and legumes will help you achieve that goal.
Combining grains and legumes (rice and beans) yields a complete protein – they provide the amino acid the other is missing. The same happens with hummus and bread.
Don’t listen to hype. It’s not difficult to get protein on a vegan, vegetarian or plant-based diet. Just eat a variety of protein sources and you will do well.
List of plant-based food sources
The following tables are made using common foods and the nutritional data from the searchable USDA food database and are accurate to their research, but you should always read your food labels. You can try the database yourself using the foods you regularly consume.
What are plant-based sources of protein?
Soy beans are a good source of plant based protein, containing all essential amino acids, as well as calcium, manganese, iron, and Vitamin A.
note: I’m allergic to soy (through allergy testing, not just being quirky) so you won’t find any recipes with soy on my website. Try our partner site theVeggieYaya for Tofu recipes.
| Source | Protein in grams per 100 grams |
| Tofu | 8 |
List of soy-free plant-based protein sources
Legumes
Protein amounts for cooked canned, drained, and rinsed beans, as well as raw green peas and peanuts, peanut butter, and hummus.
| Food | Protein in grams per 100 g | Protein in grams per cup |
|---|---|---|
| black beans | 6 | 14.5 |
| chickpeas | 7 | 11 |
| cooked lentils | 9 | 18 |
| green peas | 5.5 | 8 |
| peanuts | 26 | 38 |
| creamy peanut butter | 23 | 57 |
| store-bought hummus | 8 | 19 |
Grains
Protein amounts are shown in grams of protein per cup of cooked grain.
| Food | Protein in grams per cup |
|---|---|
| Quinoa | 8 |
| Brown Rice | 4.5 |
| Amaranth | 9 |
| Millet | 6 |
| Spelt | 11 |
| Oats | 11 |
| Wild Rice | 7 |
| Corn | 5 |
Fruits + Vegetables
Protein amounts for fresh fruits and vegetables, mostly raw, cooked where noted.
| Food | Protein in grams |
|---|---|
| Avocado | 4.5 per cup |
| Asparagus (Raw) | 10 per lb. |
| Bananas | 1.5 per medium fruit |
| Blackberries | 2 per cup |
| Broccoli (Raw, chopped) | 2.5 per cup |
| Brussels Sprouts (Raw) | 3 per cup |
| Guava | 4.5 per cup |
| Kale (cooked) | 3.5 per cup |
| Mushrooms (cremini, sliced) | 2 per cup |
| Oranges | 1 per fruit |
| Peaches | 3 per fruit |
| Potatoes (cooked) | 3 per cup |
| Spinach (cooked) | 5 per cup |
Nuts + Seeds
Protein amount per ounce of nuts + seeds, which is about 30 grams.
| Food | Protein Per 1 oz/30 grams |
|---|---|
| Almonds (about 23 almonds) | 6 |
| Cashews | 5 |
| Chia Seeds | 5 |
| Hemp Seeds | 9.5 |
| Pumpkin Seeds | 8.5 |
| Walnuts (about 14 halves) | 4 |
Other Foods
| Food | Protein |
|---|---|
| Beyond Meat’s Beyond Beef | 18 grams per 1/3 cup/100 g |
| Nutritional Yeast | 8 grams per 1/4 cup |
| Whole Wheat English Muffin | 6 grams per muffin |
| Whole Wheat Pita | 6 grams per 6-inch pita |
| Whole Wheat Bread | 3 grams per slice |
| Earth’s Own Oat Milk Original | 4 grams per cup (250 ml) |
Conclusion
All values have been calculating using the searchable USDA food database and might not be 100% accurate depending on brands. Use your food labels if these amounts are important you.
vitamin b12 on a vegetarian or vegan diet
If you’ve recently started a vegetarian, vegan, or plant-based diet, you’ve likely also heard about the importance of Vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 occurs naturally in animal products, like protein.
- energy
- synthesizing DNA
- forming and dividing red blood cells
- protecting your nervous system
However, Vitamin B12 isn’t found in plants except for in nutritional yeast, along with certain mushrooms and algae.
As a vegan, vegetarian, or plant-based eater, it’s important to include foods fortified with Vitamin B12 in your diet or possibly take a supplement. This should be discussed with your healthcare provider.
1 cup of low-fat cow’s milk gives you 50% of the recommended daily value of Vitamin B12, or 1.2 micrograms (mcg). 1 egg contains 25% of the recommended daily value of Vitamin B12, or 0.6 mcg.
As a vegan, vegetarian, or plant-based eater you can get Vitamin B12 through fortified cereals and breads. Read the labels for your products to determine how much Vitamin B12 they offer.
1 cup of Earth’s Own Oat Milk has 42% of the recommended daily value, + 4 grams of protein!
1 tablespoon of nutritional yeast provides 2.4 mcg, or 100% of the recommended daily value, making it a popular ingredient among plant-forward eaters.
It’s important to mention this here because protein and Vitamin B12 are both very important and both mainly occur in animal products.
Check my recipe index for recipes to fill your bowl and please your soul.
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