10 HIGH PROTEIN VEGAN FOODS
Vegan diets tend to be rich in phytonutrients, vitamins, magnesium, and fiber; while also being lower in undesirable nutrients like saturated fat and cholesterol. Those following a vegetarian diet, including Vegans, also generally have lower rates of cardiovascular disease, obesity, and type II diabetes. Though strict vegan and vegetarian diets do not contain animal products, when planned properly, you should have no problem meeting your daily protein needs. Vegans rejoice—there are more ways to get your protein than tofu. Not that there is anything wrong with tofu, but we need options! In case you are looking for some, here are a few!
High Protein Vegan Foods
Vegan protein options have never been more abundant. Check out this list of vegan protein sources to meet your daily protein needs or maybe even just to spice up meatless Monday!
1. Beans
This nutrition powerhouse is a vegan’s best friend. There are a variety of options including pinto, adzuki, black, navy, and kidney. A half-cup serving of beans provides around 8g of protein.3 Beyond chilis and soups, beans have tons of applications in the kitchen. You can use bean purees as a sandwich spread like mayonnaise, add them to brownies, mix them into pastas, and even smoothies. If sodium intake is a concern, using dried beans can help you avoid the higher sodium content of canned beans.
2. Lentils
Another super versatile protein option is lentils. These tiny pulses have similar protein content to beans, with about 8-9g in a ½ cup cooked serving.4 Lentils come in many varieties including brown, green, red, black and French (also known as Lentils du Puy). One of the beautiful things about lentils is that they cook up relatively quickly, so you can pull together a protein and fiber rich meal at a moment’s notice. The brown, green and red varieties are great for soups, as they will add thickness and earthy flavors as they fall apart into the broth. French and black lentils tend to have thicker skin and hold up better in a salad, or side-dish format.
3. Chickpeas
Similar to lentils and beans, chickpeas offer up about 8g of protein per half cup serving.5 You might also know chickpeas by their more exotic-sounding name, garbanzo beans. Whatever you call them, these guys are a great vegan protein option to work into the rotation. Though their obvious application is in hummus, chickpeas are delicious sprinkled atop a salad or pasta or even oven baked to crispy, snack-worthy perfection.
4. Seitan
Seitan is made with isolated wheat gluten, which is a protein found in wheat that imparts the chewy texture to baked goods. This vegan-friendly option has a chewier texture than other vegan proteins, so many recipes use it as a substitute for meat. With a half cup of cubes providing about 8-9g of protein,6 it provides great flavor, texture and variety to a vegan diet.
5. Tempeh
In a half-cup of tempeh, you can get a whopping 15g of protein.7 Tempeh is made by fermenting a mixture of soybeans, whole grains and flavorings, which turns this mixture into a dense and tasty little cake. It can be sliced up and cooked in all sorts of ways! Thinly sliced tempeh can be cooked like bacon, put in a taco, or it can be a replacement for the ground meat in a Bolognese sauce. The possibilities are endless, so check out tempeh ASAP.
6. Edamame
Edamame offers 9g of protein in a half-cup,8 and can be eaten as a yummy snack straight out of the pod, or steamed and sprinkled on salads, rice or noodle bowls.
7. Nuts
Nuts provide a nice little dose of vegan protein in a crunchy (or creamy in the case of nut butters, of course), snackable format. Almonds, cashews, peanuts, and pistachios are the best sources of protein in the nut department.9 Add nuts to salads, rice bowls, or grab a handful as a snack. A quarter cup of almonds delivers 7.5g of protein. Remember, nuts do come along with more fat (and calories) than many other vegan proteins, so don’t overdo it!
8. Seeds
There are tons of options in the seed category including pumpkin, chia, hemp hearts, and sesame seeds. These little guys are a simple addition to your morning cereal, your salad at lunch or your entrée at dinner. They bring healthy fats, fiber and minerals along with them while offering diversity to the protein mix of your diet.
9. Textured Vegetable Protein (aka TVP)
TVP is another soy-based product, and it provides 18g of protein in a half-cup…Are you noticing a theme yet? Soy is a protein rockstar! Anyway, TVP is another flexible vegan protein that can be made into different shapes and formats to mimic chicken, crumbled ground beef, etc. It is also shelf-stable, so great to have on hand when you don’t have time for a grocery run. One thing to note about TVP is that it is more highly processed than many other vegan proteins, so if you are trying to limit your processed food intake, you might consider another option in its place.
10. Meatless Meats
So maybe you are a carnivore in recovery and looking for a way to wean yourself off of meat. Meatless meats to the rescue! Brands like Soyrizo, Beyond Meat, Impossible Foods, Gardein, Boca and Morningstar foods are just a few options that make meatless versions of burgers, hot dogs, sausage, ground beef crumbles and even grilled chicken. They might be just the thing to help you go from meat-obsessed to meat-less.
Don’t forget that if you are looking for some other ways to add protein to your vegan diet, there are lots of delicious vegan protein powders that you can use in baking, oatmeal, smoothies and more. Vegan protein options have never been more abundant, so if you are thinking of going meatless or just trying to consume less meat—carpe diem!
