High-Protein Vegetables to Eat on a Regular Basis

Vegetables can be a good source of protein

Medically reviewed by Jonathan Purtell, RDN

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.

Some of the veggies that deliver the most protein are chickpeas, edamame, and lentils, but there are plenty of others—including some non-starchy vegetables—that you can work into your diet. Here's a list of some of the top plant-based sources of protein.

Vegetables and Plant-Based Protein Sources

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 be very good sources of protein.

What Is a Complete Protein?

A complete protein contains all nine essential amino acids that people must get from food rather than being manufactured by their bodies.

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.

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.

You can also calculate your protein goal by your weight, using 7 grams of protein per 20 pounds. If you weigh 160 pounds, for example, you should aim for 56 grams of protein per day.

A Note on Gender and Sex Terminology

Verywell Health acknowledges that sex and gender are 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.

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.

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.

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 with spinach and carrots and a poached egg on top.

Lentils are an adaptable food and can also be used to make veggie burgers and fritters.

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 hearty bean soup.

Chickpeas

A cup of canned chickpeas, 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.

Chickpeas are the base for hummus, which you can try for breakfast on a piece of whole grain toast or use as a dip along with raw veggies. You can roast chickpeas with lemon to make a crispy side dish, or use them as an entree accompanied by other roasted vegetables and, if you eat animal protein, some lean chicken or beef.

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).

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.

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.

Spinach

When it comes to vegetables other than legumes and beans, the versatile spinach has 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.

Brussels Sprouts

Brussels sprouts deliver 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.

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.

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.

Broccoli

Broccoli is 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.

Asparagus

Asparagus contains 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.

Mushrooms

At 2.03 grams of protein per cup, mushrooms can 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 as umami to many dishes.

Sweet Potato

Sweet potatoes are 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.

How Many Vegetables Do You Need?

Beyond protein, vegetables contain many nutrients needed for good health, including potassium, 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 recommends quantities based 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.

Summary

Protein is an essential part of a healthy diet, but you can look beyond meat, fish, and poultry by knowing which vegetables contain higher amounts of protein. Legumes like beans, peas, and lentils contain the highest amounts of protein, but spinach, artichoke hearts, broccoli and other non-starchy vegetables are also healthy, plant-based protein sources.

Read the original article on Verywell Health.