Table of ContentsView AllTable of Contents15 High-Protein VegetablesVegetables and Plant-Based Protein SourcesHow Many Vegetables Do You Need?
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
15 High-Protein Vegetables
Vegetables and Plant-Based Protein Sources
How Many Vegetables Do You Need?
Vegetables can be a surprisingly good source of protein as well as vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Protein is the essential nutrient that our bodies use to build and maintain tissue. Including high-protein vegetables in your diet is a great way to get enough energy and fiber for your day.
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15 Vegetables With Higher Levels of Protein
Here is a list of some of the plant-based foods that are highest in protein, with ideas for how you can incorporate more of them into your diet. Protein amounts can vary according to preparation and portion size, but the list assumes 1 cup of the food. The nutritional information is from the United States Department of Agriculture’s database.
1. Edamame
Edamame, the young beans of the soy plant, come in at the top of the list with 18.6 grams of protein per cup. These slightly nutty and sweet legumes are hard to beat when it comes to adding plant-based protein to your diet.
Edamame makes a great snack raw. You can add them to salads, roast or sauté them with a touch of sesame oil, or serve them in a veggie-heavy stir-fry dinner.
2. Lentils
Lentils, a staple of Indian food, are the seeds of the lentil plant. They contain 15.5 grams of protein per cup. Lentils are known for making a hearty soup, or they can form the base for an entree like roasted lentils withspinachand carrots and a poached egg on top.
Lentils are an adaptable food and can also be used to make veggie burgers and fritters.
3. Black Beans
The legume known as the black bean is native to the Americas and has 15.23 grams of protein per cup. They are common in Mexican and Cuban dishes and are easy to brighten up with onion, garlic, herbs, and spices.
You can also make black bean burgers or use them as part of a bean salad for lunch. Black beans can also be a base for a heartybeansoup.
4. Chickpeas
A cup of cannedchickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, contains 14.74 grams of protein per cup. Chickpeas have a dense texture like most other legumes, so they are a quick and easy way to make a meatless meal hearty.
5. Lima Beans
Lima beans, also known as butter beans, contain 13.41 grams of protein per cup. You can use them in ways similar to edamame, but when you cook them, they take on a creamier texture. You can add tomatoes, herbs, lemon, or garlic to limas to mix things up.
If you eat meat, adding a bit of bacon or ham will give them a Southern twist (lima beans are a traditional Southern food).
6. Fava Beans
Fava beans, or broad beans, are widely eaten in parts of Europe and contain 13.06 grams of protein per cup. They are similar to lima beans but have a mild, buttery taste compared to the earthier qualities of limas.
Fresh fava beans are found in large pods. When you remove the pods and any of the beans' “skin,” you’ll have a delicious snack you can eat raw.
Fava beans take on other flavors very well. You can roast them with lemon or even wasabi for a side dish. You can spread mashed or pureed fava beans mixed with a bit of olive oil and herbs on a piece of fresh bread for a lunch or as an appetizer.
7. Green Sweet Peas
Green peas are the round seeds from the pods of the pea vine and contain 7.86 grams of protein per cup. Snow or snap peas contain less protein (at 5.23 grams per cup). Green sweet peas can be added to dishes like chicken and rice for dinner or to salads for lunch to increase their protein content.
Split pea soup is great in the winter for a protein-rich, plant-based meal, or served cold in the warmer months. Mint is a good accompaniment to peas, and you can mash peas with a touch of it to make a fresh-tasting dip.
8. Spinach
When it comes to vegetables other than legumes and beans, the versatilespinachhas significant protein at 6.14 grams per cup, cooked. Be aware that raw spinach is a different story at 0.9 grams per cup because the leaves lose a lot of volume when cooked.
Try a bit of spinach with your eggs in the morning or get creative with a spinach salad for lunch with red pepper, a few pistachio nuts, mushrooms, and a poached egg. Don’t forget about sautéed spinach with a hint of lemon and a few chopped walnuts for dinner, along with a fish or chicken course if you eat animal protein.
9. Brussels Sprouts
Brussels sproutsdeliver about 5.44 grams of protein per cup, cooked. This cruciferous veggie (which means it’s part of the cabbage family) can be cooked whole, sliced, or shaved.
Crispy sautéed Brussels sprouts with garlic are a good side dish with almost any meal. You can also try roasting them with balsamic vinegar and honey. If you eat pork, a bit of bacon will give your sprouts an extra zing.
10. Artichoke Hearts
Artichokes, which have about 4.9 grams of protein per cup, are members of the thistle family. The globe-shaped veggie is the flower. Though you can eat the tender layer at the bottom of the leaves, the meaty heart of the artichoke at the center of the globe is more versatile.
Artichokes can be added to pasta or skillet chicken dishes, mashed into a dip as an appetizer or snack, or roasted or baked with a breadcrumb or panko topping and served as a side.
11. Corn
Corn is a good option for getting plant-based protein into your diet, at 5.38 grams of fresh corn, or 3.78 grams per cup of canned corn. Add it to bean salad, make a corn pudding or casserole, eat it fresh off the cob, or add it to a taco with chicken and beans for lunch.
Corn is incredibly versatile. You can also put it in salsa to eat as a healthy snack with a few chips. Its yellow color adds visual appeal as well as protein to any dish it’s in.
12. Broccoli
Broccoliis another cruciferous vegetable, with 2.31 grams of protein per cup. It’s the flower of the broccoli plant that develops at the top of the stalk.
Cut broccoli into bite-sized pieces, roast it, and top it with some sprinkled Parmesan cheese. You can also put it in a veggie pasta and keep it handy for a healthy lunch. You can also go for a beef and broccoli dinner, making a stir fry with a little soy sauce, ginger, and garlic.
13. Asparagus
Asparaguscontains 2.97 grams of protein per cup. These shoots of the perennial asparagus plant are eaten when they’re young, before they get tough.
Asparagus is quick to prepare, needing just a few minutes to roast or sauté. You can have asparagus in an omelet or frittata for breakfast or as an earthy side dish to fish or chicken. It’s also great in pasta for dinner.
14. Mushrooms
At 2.03 grams of protein per cup,mushroomscan add to your daily protein intake. They are considered vegetables, though strictly speaking, they are a type of fungus.
Mushrooms are great in omelets for breakfast, can top a veggie burger for lunch, are indispensable in salads, or can be sautéed with other veggies for dinner. Whether they are raw or cooked, mushrooms add the earthy, savory taste known asumamito many dishes.
15. Sweet Potato
Sweet potatoesare root vegetables with a decent amount of protein at 2.1 grams per cup cubed. You can slice them thinly and cook them in an air fryer to make sweet potato chips for a snack, add them to sheet pan recipes for dinner, use them in casseroles, or even try a sweet potato pie for dessert.
What Is Complete Protein?
Amino acids are the building blocks of the proteins the body uses for a wide array of functions, including calibrating hormones, supporting your immune system, and building and repairing tissues.
Some plants do not provide all of the essential amino acids. Varying your diet can help ensure you take in all of the essential amino acids.
Vegetables are foods that come from any edible part of a plant, such as leaves, seeds, roots, flowers, tubers, stems, and bulbs. That includes legumes, which grow pods containing fruit or seeds and tend to be particularly good protein sources.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) no longer uses the term legume for this group of vegetables, calling it the “beans, peas, and lentils” group.But no matter what you call them, they can bevery good sources of protein.
How Much Protein Do You Need?
The USDA recommends that most adults get at least 10% to 35% of their calories from protein each day. The daily goal is about 56 grams of protein for adult males and 46 grams for adult females.
A Note on Gender and Sex TerminologyVerywell Health acknowledges thatsex and genderare related concepts, but they are not the same. To reflect our sources accurately, this article uses terms like “female,” “male,” “woman,” and “man” as the sources use them.
A Note on Gender and Sex Terminology
Verywell Health acknowledges thatsex and genderare related concepts, but they are not the same. To reflect our sources accurately, this article uses terms like “female,” “male,” “woman,” and “man” as the sources use them.
Beyond protein,vegetablescontain many nutrients needed for good health, includingpotassium,fiber, folate, vitamin A, and vitamin C.
When you’re planning your plant-based intake, consider the five categories of vegetables, according to the USDA’s dietary guidelines.They include dark green vegetables, red and yellow vegetables, the beans, peas, and lentils group, starchy vegetables, and “other” veggies including artichoke, asparagus, beets, and cauliflower.
The USDA recommendsquantitiesbased on calorie intake. For example, if you eat 1,600 calories a day, you should eat 2 cups of veggies. If you eat 2,200 calories, you should eat 3.
A Word From VerywellYou can sustain a healthy lifestyle with plant-based foods meeting 100% of your recommended daily protein needs. They can also be a great source of antioxidants, fiber, vitamins, and minerals that may not be found in animal proteins.—JONATHAN PURTELL, RDN, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
A Word From Verywell
You can sustain a healthy lifestyle with plant-based foods meeting 100% of your recommended daily protein needs. They can also be a great source of antioxidants, fiber, vitamins, and minerals that may not be found in animal proteins.—JONATHAN PURTELL, RDN, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
You can sustain a healthy lifestyle with plant-based foods meeting 100% of your recommended daily protein needs. They can also be a great source of antioxidants, fiber, vitamins, and minerals that may not be found in animal proteins.
—JONATHAN PURTELL, RDN, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
Summary
5 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.United States Department of Agriculture.FoodData Central.Piedmont Healthcare.What is a complete protein?MedlinePlus.Amino acids.United States Department of Agriculture.Why are beans, peas, and lentils in both the protein foods group and the vegetable group?United States Department of Agriculture.Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025.
5 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.United States Department of Agriculture.FoodData Central.Piedmont Healthcare.What is a complete protein?MedlinePlus.Amino acids.United States Department of Agriculture.Why are beans, peas, and lentils in both the protein foods group and the vegetable group?United States Department of Agriculture.Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
United States Department of Agriculture.FoodData Central.Piedmont Healthcare.What is a complete protein?MedlinePlus.Amino acids.United States Department of Agriculture.Why are beans, peas, and lentils in both the protein foods group and the vegetable group?United States Department of Agriculture.Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025.
United States Department of Agriculture.FoodData Central.
Piedmont Healthcare.What is a complete protein?
MedlinePlus.Amino acids.
United States Department of Agriculture.Why are beans, peas, and lentils in both the protein foods group and the vegetable group?
United States Department of Agriculture.Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025.
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