Health & Fitness

53 great vegan sources of protein

Before anyone freaks out, I'm not telling you to eat vegan, in fact I don't eat vegan myself. However I do try to keep my animal product consumption fairly low and get organic products, because:


- It makes me feel better. I feel I have far more energy, I don't get sick as often and I never get hunghover


- It's better for the enironment. Livestock industry contributes enormously to environmental problems


- I do care about animal welfare. Even in Europe where animal welfare laws are easily the strictest in the developed world, factory farming is big and living conditions for farm animals low. In the words of Paul McCartney "If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian"


53 great vegan sources of protein


Either way one of the most common questions I get is "Where do you get your protein from". A lot of people associate protein with animal products, when in fact it can be found in a large variety of foods.


Most people who care about how many grams of protein they eat, are probably also keeping track of calories, either to lose fat or gain muscle. So I think it's fair to look at foods in (roughly) 150 cal portions.


The animal products


Animal products obviously set the standard for protein. But there are problems with them. Our oceans are overfished and polluted, our lifestock is sick (because we keep them in bad conditions), so we pump them full of anitbiotics, to which we are now increasingly building a resistance and dairy is hard to digest for many people additionally to being cruel in producing. Simply put, we are eating too many animal products and it's killing our oceans, our environment, our health and doesn't allow for humane treatment of our farm animals






To have a comparison let's look at some of the most commonly eaten animal products



  1. 2 Large Eggs: 12.6 g Protein, 10g Fat

  2. 0.75 cup Tuna in Brine: 30g Protein, 3g Fat And they're loaded with mercury. In case you don't know, mercury is the most toxic, non radioactive material on earth, so you really should not be eating too much of this or any at all

  3. 3.8 oz Steamed Salmon: 21g Protein, 7g Fat, 400mg Sodium. Salmon is low in mercury, compared to other fish, but they are mercilessly overfished.

  4. 1 cup Whole Milk: 8g Protein, 8g Fat. If you are from the U.S. you have to worry about IGF-1 (caused by injecting cows with Bovine (rBGH)) in your milk, which is associated with development of prostate, breast, colorectal, and other cancers. If you live outside the U.S. Bovine is most likley not legal

  5. 1 cup lowfat yogurt: 13g Protein, 4g Fat

  6. 1.8 oz cooked Beef: 14 g Protein, 10g Buy grass fed!. Most beef sold in the US is corn fed, which is absurd because cows don't eat corn. They get sick on a diet of corn, so we have to pump them full of medicine to artificially keep them alive. It also changes the omega 3- to omega-6 ratio in the meat AND it doesn't taste as good

  7. 2.7 oz cooked Chicken: 23g Protein, 6g Fat


The Vegetables



You'll notice that for most vegetables you'll have to eat quite a large amount, just to get up to 150 calories, but still some of them can compete with animal products in terms of protein



  1. 3lb Watercress: 31g Protein, 1g Fat, 500 mg Sodium. Additionally to protein, it's rich in iron, calcium, iodine, manganese, folic acid and Vitamin C. It also contain signifitcant amounts of Vitamin K, which is essential for strong bones

  2. 1.5 lb Spinach: 20g Protein, 3g Fat, 500 mg Sodium I know what you're thinking, you're never gonna eat 1.5 lbs of spinach. But it loses a lot of it's volume when cooking. Making it a big but eatible portion for a day.

  3. 15 cups Alfalfa Sprots: 20g Protein, 3g Fat

  4. 4.5 cups chopped Kale: 10g Protein, 2g Fat. Again, I know it sounds like a lot but Kale chips make a great snack. Just season them, sprinkle with oil and bake on low heat for a few min. and eat instead of chips, popcorn or other fried snacks

  5. 1 lb Broccoli : 13g Protein, 1g Fat

  6. 5.5 cups Sauerkraut: 7g Protein, 1g Fat

  7. 37.5 asparagus spears : 15g Protein, 1g Fat

  8. 1.4 cups frozen green Peas: 11g Protein, 1g Fat Technically a Seed, they are mostly eaten as vegetable

  9. 10 cups Mushrooms: 22g Protein, 3g Fat. Much like Spinach, mushrooms and leeks lose a lot of their volume while cooking. Cooked Leeks and Mushrooms, combined with Hummus make a great Sandwhich spread

  10. 4 Cups Brussel Sprouts: 12g Protein, 1g Fat

  11. 1 medium Cauliflower Head: 12g Protein, 1g Fat. Cauliflower is very versatile in cooking. You can mash it with a bit of butter like mashed potatoes to get a low carb version of the popular side dish, you can chop it until it gets a rice like texture or you could make a low carb pizza crust

  12. 4.5 Fennel Bulbs: 7g Protein, 1g Fat

  13. 5 medium Bell Peppers: 6g Protein, 2g Fat

  14. 5 medium Zuchinis: 12g Protein, 1g Fat. Once again a very versatile vegetable. You can spiralize them to make "Spaghetti" or blend them with nuts to make pasta sauce

  15. 5 cups Okra: 10g Protein, 1g Fat.

  16. 4 cups Kohlrabi: 10g Protein, 1g Fat.

  17. 4.5 cups Green Beans: 10g Protein, 1g Fat.

  18. 7 cups chopped green cabbage: 9g Protein, 1g Fat

  19. 1 wasabi root: 8g Protein, 1g Fat

  20. 1.1 lb Chives: 17g Protein, 4g Fat

  21. 45g Nori Seaweed: 15g Protein , 0g Fat

  22. 6 tbsp Spirulina: 24g Protein, 0g Fat. It's a complete protein containing all essential amino acids and it's easily added to smoothies or salad dressings.


The Legumes



Legumes are the Kings and Queens of vegan protein sources. They're a staple around the world as they're versatile, nutritious, inexpenisve and delicious. In fact, Gladiators sustained themselves on a vegan diet consisting only of beans and grains



  1. 1/2 cup cooked Chickpeas: 8g Protein, 2.5g Fat . The Middle eastern staple! , used in hummus, farlafel, stew or in salad

  2. 1/2 cup cooked Soybeans: 15g Protein, 8g Fat . The Asian staple! And Probably the most versatilely used legume. Used in tofu, soymilk , soy yoghurt, bean curd, tempeh .....

  3. 70g dry Beluga Lentils: 13g Protein, 1g Fat . One of the oldest cultivated corps in the middle east. They just recently grew in popularity in the west. Even before cultivated, they were eaten from the wild, so they are a Paleo food, I guess?

  4. 3/4 cup cooked black beans: 9.5g Protein, 1g Fat . The latin American staple! Commonly used in chillis, burritos, tacos , dips or even as flour substitute in cookies

  5. 3/4 cup cooked kidney beans: 11g Protein, 1g Fat . Another Latin American and Tex Mex favourite.

  6. 1/4 cup dry red lentils or yellow split peas: 13g Protein, 1g fat. Staples in Indian cuisine, those two are mainly used in curries and dals. Or commericaly to make to make vegan protein powder

  7. 3/4 cup cooked navy beans: 11.5g Protein, 1g Fat . As the name suggest were commonly used in the US navy during the early 20th century to feed their men when at sea. They're rich in fiber, iron, magnesium, vitamins and of course protein

  8. 3/4 cup cooked brown/green lentils: 12g Protein, 1g Fat. The European staple! used primarily in soups or loafs

  9. 1/4 cup dry adzuki beans: 10g Protein, 0g Fat : Widley grown throughout east asia, they are often processed to a paste and used in a variety of foods, including desserts




The Grains



I know, I know, in the era of low carb diets grains have gotten a bad reputation, but they have sustained our civilization for the past 13000 years or so. Every, big sucessfull culture has cultivated them. Jared Diamond, in his book "Guns, Germs, and Steel", even argues that the abundance of grains available in Eurasia over the past 13000 years, is the underlying reason as for why Eurasian cultures have outlived and conquered others.


We've gotten so effective at producing it, that at some point we had enough to feed it to our animals and then eat the animals. We wouldn't have survived without them and we will not be able to feed the world in the future without them



  1. 50g (a little over 1/4 cup) dry Freekeh: 10g Protein, 1g fat Made from green wheat, this protein packed food enjoys a much popularity in most of the arabic world

  2. 3/4 cups oat Bran: 12g Protein, 5g fat . Oats themselves are high protein. Cultivated in temerate regions it's a common comfort food such as in oatmeal. Bran is essentially the outer shell of the grain, which contains most of the nutrients.The bran of most grains is far richer in protein and nutrients than the rest of it.

  3. 0.2 cups dry Quinoa: 6g Protein, 2.5g fat. Recently the crop has enjoyed popularity within the health food community, but it has been cultivated in South America for over 4000 years. Technically it's a seed and has been eaten long before it was cultivated, therfore it's a raw and paleo food. It can be eaten raw by sprouting it.

  4. 0.2 cups dry Amaranth: 6g Protein, 2.5g fat. Similar to Quinoa it's cultivated in Latin America. The Aztecs would get about 80% of their calories before battle from it. Like Quinoa it can be cooked, sprouted, toasted or popped and used in cereal. Additionally to the seeds, the leaves and roots are also often eaten

  5. 1/4 cups dry Barley: 6g Protein, 1g fat. Wild Barley grows in most of asia and northeast Africa. It was a staple in ancient egypt, used in bread an beer. Today its primarily domesticated in northern climates and used in soup, bread, beer or as porridge

  6. 2 oz cups dry Buckwheat groats: 6g Protein, 1g fat. Originally domesticated in japan over 8000 years ago it's still popular all over Eurasia. Japanese soba noodles, made out of buckwheat are a gluten free alternative to standard noodles

  7. 1/4 cups dry Spelt: 8g Protein, 1g fat. A kind of wheat, it's a common food in continenal Europe , especially the german speaking area. It's used to make bread, beer, crackers, pretzel or even vodka. Spelt flour increasingly becomes more avialble in North America too, being a good alternative to traditional flour.

  8. 1/4 cups dry Rye: 6.5g Protein, 1g fat. Cultivated primarily in Europe it's traditonally used in breads or as wheat-flour substitute in other baked goods

  9. 1/4 cups dry black Rice: 5g Protein, 1.5g fat. The black rice variety is more nutriotnally dense than brown or white rice. It's loaded with iron, vitamin E, and antioxidants

  10. 50g (a little under 1/4 cup) dry Farro: 6g Protein, 1g fat Primarily used in Italinan Cuisine in Salads or Soups


The Nuts and Seeds


Nuts and seeds are often said to be protein rich , but due to their high fat content, they're rather dense in calories as well, which results in a more moderate amount of protein per 150 cal



  1. 2.5 tbsp Chia Seeds: 7.5g Protein, 7.5g Fat Chia is great as pudding, in oatmeal, in smoothies or as egg subsitute in baked goods. They're a good source of omega 3 fatty acids, calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, zinc and various B vitamins.

  2. 2.5 tbsp Hemp Seeds: 8.5g Protein, 12g Fat Much like Chia hemp contains a range of minerals and vitamins. It's considered a complete protein and the amino acid profile is comparable to other sources of protein such as meat, milk, eggs and soy

  3. 22 almonds: 6g Protein, 15g Fat

  4. 1 oz sesame : 5g Protein, 13g Fat Has been a major crop in the middle east for over 5000 years. It has one of the highest oil content found in plants, so once the oil is extracted, the resulting sesame flour has a much higher concentration of protein than the original seed

  5. 1 oz pistachios: 6g Protein, 12g Fat

53 great vegan sources of protein
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