Here is a list containing the 40 highest vegan protein sources per calorie in 100-calorie servings. It includes a photo of the exact quantity per serving, along with a table and chart summarizing the calories, grams in weight, and grams per serving.
I have created a list of the 40 highest vegan protein sources and sorted them by calories. This is much more helpful when it comes to knowing how many of these portions of plant-based protein you can add to your diet each day.
Most vegan protein sources lists are sorted by weight which doesn’t really help when it comes to knowing how much food to eat.
For example, a lot of lists will tell you that almonds are one of the highest sources of protein per gram. They give you 21 grams of protein per 100g. This information is nice but it’s not all that practical. In reality, hardly anyone is going to eat 100 grams of almonds each day because that amount of almonds contains 579 calories and approximately ⅔ of a cup’s worth.
Not only is ordering vegan protein lists by weight unhelpful when it comes to calorie-dense foods such as almonds, but it’s also misleading when it comes to very light food such as leafy greens.
Leafy greens don’t usually rank very highly in vegan food charts that order by weight because the portion sizes are so small that the protein allocation isn’t also very high. However, because of the low calorie-to-volume ratio of leafy greens, it’s possible to eat a lot of them and keep the calorie count fairly low, while consuming more protein compared to foods such as nuts and seeds.
This list of all of the top plant-based food sources has been ranked by 100-calorie portions which allows you to see easily at a glance how many portions you could realistically eat per day and which sources of protein you are going to choose.
Something else I wanted to note was that all of these protein sources are also gluten-free as I only share gluten-free, vegan recipes on my blog.
As you are looking down this list you might think that some of the serving sizes are unrealistic. For example, 100 grams of leafy greens look like a massive serving and far too much for anyone to eat. Similarly, the pile of mushrooms looks massive and far too much for one serving. And it might well be too much for one meal, but spread out across the day, it is easily doable.
The main thing I want to highlight is the fact that vegetables contain a high percentage of water. Meaning that if you bake a big pile of 6-8 large mushrooms in the oven, you can quickly turn that big heap into a tiny bowl of delicious mushroom bacon. A similar thing happens with leafy greens especially if you add them to a cooking sauce or a green smoothie.
I have also taken my own photos to show you exactly what 100 calories of the top 20 sources of vegan protein look like. Sources 21-40 don’t contain any photos.
For the top 20 plant-based protein sources I am also giving you my best plant-based protein-rich recipes that show you how easy it is to create easy delicious recipes containing the exact quantity of food that I have listed here.
This list is ranked in order with number 1 containing the highest source of protein per 100 calories, and 40 containing the lowest amount of protein per 100 calories.
Not only am I sharing a very helpful table and graph at the end of this list that gives you a quick breakdown of all of the vegan protein sources, but I’m also giving you the highest vegan protein sources chart so you can easily compare the items against each other.
Video Demonstration
If you’d like to see how easy it is to throw all this together, check out my video where I walk you through the recipe step by step. Click here to subscribe to my Youtube channel.
40 Highest Vegan Protein Sources Per 100 Calories
1. Vegan Protein Powder
Soy protein isolate or pea protein isolate comes in at the top of the list with the highest amount of protein per 100 calories. Each 30g serving contains 26 grams of protein.
A delicious recipe that includes vegan protein powder is my Chocolate Protein Baked Oats.
2. Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP)
Each 30g serving of TVP contains 15 grams of protein.
A hearty recipe that includes TVP is my 5 Minute One Pot Vegan Chili.
3. Nutritional Yeast
Each 27g serving of Nutritional Yeast contains 14 grams of protein.
An extremely useful recipe that includes Nutritional Yeast is my Homemade Vegan Cheese Seasoning Recipe.
4. Mushrooms (Raw)
Each 455g serving of mushrooms contains 14 grams of protein.
A tasty recipe that includes mushrooms is my Baked Mushroom Bacon.
5. Spinach
Each 450g serving of spinach contains 12.9 grams of protein.
A nutrient-packed recipe that includes spinach is my Filling Mango Spinach Smoothie.
6. Tofu (Firm)
Each 100g serving of firm tofu contains 12 grams of protein.
A mouthwatering recipe that includes firm tofu is my vegan Air Fryer Tofu Chicken Nuggets.
7. Powdered Peanut Butter
Each 27g serving of powdered peanut butter contains 11.3 grams of protein.
A moreish breakfast recipe that includes powdered peanut butter is my Chocolate Protein Baked Oats.
8. Tempeh
Each 55g serving of tempeh contains 11.2 grams of protein.
A meatless meaty recipe that includes tempeh is my Smoky Tempeh Bacon.
9. Edamame
Each 85g serving of edamame contains 10.1 grams of protein.
A creamy recipe that includes edamame is my Creamy Edamame Guacamole.
10. Kale
Each 300g serving of kale contains 8.8 grams of protein.
A totally addictive recipe that includes kale is my Nacho Cheese Baked Kale Chip.
11. Cocoa Powder
Each 45g serving of cocoa powder contains 8.6 grams of protein.
A chocoholic lovers recipe that includes cocoa powder is my Chocolate Mug Cake.
12. Cooked Lentils
Each 90g serving of cooked lentils contains 8.1 grams of protein.
An easy storecupboard recipe that includes lentils is my Red Lentil Dahl.
13. Soy Yogurt
Each 200g serving of soy yogurt contains 8 grams of protein.
A refreshing recipe that includes soy yogurt is my Vegan Ranch Dip.
14. Cauliflower
Each 400g serving of cauliflower contains 7.7 grams of protein.
A hot and spicy recipe that includes cauliflower is my Cauliflower Buffalo Wings.
15. Soy Milk
Each 250g serving of soy milk contains 7.5 grams of protein.
A traditional British comfort food recipe that includes soy milk is my Vegan Toad In The Hole.
16. Zucchini (Courgette)
Each 600g serving of zucchini contains 7.3 grams of protein.
A tasty recipe that includes zucchini is my Zucchini Fritters.
17. Broccoli
Each 300g serving of broccoli contains 7.1 grams of protein.
A great vegetable side dish recipe that includes broccoli is my Vegan Cheesy Broccoli.
18. Peas
Each 130g serving of peas contains 6.7 grams of protein.
A restaurant-quality recipe that includes peas is my Vegan Oven Baked Risotto.
19. Chickpea (Gram) Flour
Each 28g serving of chickpea flour contains 6.5 grams of protein.
A lovely recipe that includes chickpea flour is my Middle East Falafel Recipe.
20. Canned Beans (Black, White, Red)
Each 70g serving of canned beans contains 5.8 grams of protein.
A great comfort food recipe that includes canned beans is my 10 Minute Plant Based Black Bean Burger.
21. Hemp Seeds
Each 18g serving of hemp seeds contains 5.7 grams of protein.
22. Green Beans (Raw)
Each 290g serving of green beans contains 5.5 grams of protein.
23. Pumpkin Seeds
Each 18g serving of pumpkin seeds contains 5.4 grams of protein.
24. Canned Chickpeas (Cooked)
Each 60g serving of canned chickpeas contains 5.1 grams of protein.
25. Tomato (Raw)
Each 555g serving of tomatoes contains 4.9 grams of protein.
26. Peanuts
Each 17g serving of peanuts contains 4.4 grams of protein.
27. Wild Rice
Each 28g serving of wild rice contains 4.1 grams of protein.
28. Red Pepper (Raw)
Each 400g serving of red bell pepper contains 4 grams of protein.
29. Quinoa (Cooked)
Each 85g serving of cooked quinoa contains 3.7 grams of protein.
30. Dry Rolled Oats
Each 27g serving of rolled oats contains 3.6 grams of protein.
31. Peanut Butter
Each 16g serving of peanut butter contains 3.6 grams of protein.
32. Almonds
Each 17g serving of almonds contains 3.6 grams of protein.
33. Buckwheat (Uncooked)
Each 30g serving of raw buckwheat contains 3.5 grams of protein. Just in case you were wondering, Buckwheat is naturally gluten-free.
34. Cashew Nuts
Each 18g serving of cashew nuts contains 3.3 grams of protein.
35. Tahini
Each 17g serving of tahini contains 2.9 grams of protein.
36. Sweetcorn (Canned/Frozen/Fresh Corn)
Each 130g serving of sweetcorn contains 2.9 grams of protein. Sweetcorn, which is otherwise known as simply ‘Corn’ is the corn kernels from corn on the cob. It can be eaten straight off the cob, fresh, frozen, or canned.
37. Butternut Squash (Raw)
Each 250g serving of butternut squash contains 2.3 grams of protein.
38. Potato (Boiled)
Each 140g serving of potato contains 2.2 grams of protein.
39. White Rice (Cooked)
Each 80g serving of cooked white rice contains 2.2 grams of protein.
40. Sweet Potato (Baked)
Each 110g serving of cooked sweet potato contains 2.2 grams of protein.
Honorable Mentions
There are also a couple of honorable mentions that didn’t feature in the list because it wouldn’t be healthy to eat 100 calories of them, but still contain very high amounts of plant protein per small portion.
Yeast Extract (Marmite, Vegemite)
2 tablespoons of yeast extract contains 33 calories and 4.3 grams of protein. If you were able to eat 100 calories worth of yeast extract it would rank joint 5th place with 12.9 grams of protein per 100 calories. However, due to the high sodium content, it wouldn’t be healthy to eat this much yeast extract in one serving, so I had to leave it out of the main list.
Spirulina
1 tablespoon of spirulina provides 20 calories and 4 grams of protein. 35 grams of spirulina would provide 100 calories and 20 grams of protein which would have placed spirulina 2nd place in the top vegan protein list. However, I couldn’t include Spirulina in the main list because it isn’t recommended to consume more than 15 grams of spirulina per day due to the amount of natural iodine found in the plant.
Highest Vegan Protein Sources Per 100 Calories Table
Rank | Vegan Food Source | Amount (Weight In Grams) | Protein (Weight In Grams) |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Soy Protein/Pea Protein Isolate Protein Powder | 30 | 26 |
2 | TVP | 30 | 15 |
3 | Nutritional Yeast | 27 | 14.3 |
4 | Mushrooms (Raw) | 455 | 14 |
5 | Spinach | 450 | 12.9 |
6 | Tofu (Firm) | 100 | 12 |
7 | Powdered Peanut Butter | 27 | 11.3 |
8 | Tempeh | 55 | 11.2 |
9 | Edamame | 85 | 10.1 |
10 | Kale | 300 | 8.8 |
11 | Cocoa Powder | 45 | 8.6 |
12 | Cooked Lentils | 90 | 8.1 |
13 | Soy Yogurt | 200 | 8 |
14 | Cauliflower | 400 | 7.7 |
15 | Soy Milk | 250 | 7.5 |
16 | Zucchini (Courgette) | 600 | 7.3 |
17 | Broccoli | 300 | 7.1 |
18 | Peas | 130 | 6.7 |
19 | Gram/Chickpea Flour | 28 | 6.5 |
20 | Canned Beans (Black, White, Red) | 70 | 5.8 |
21 | Hemp Seeds | 18 | 5.7 |
22 | Green Beans (Raw) | 290 | 5.5 |
23 | Pumpkin Seeds | 18 | 5.4 |
24 | Canned Chickpeas (Cooked) | 60 | 5.1 |
25 | Tomato (Raw) | 555 | 4.9 |
26 | Peanuts | 17 | 4.4 |
27 | Wild Rice | 28 | 4.1 |
28 | Red Pepper (Raw) | 400 | 4 |
29 | Quinoa (Cooked) | 85 | 3.7 |
30 | Dry Rolled Oats | 27 | 3.6 |
31 | Peanut Butter | 16 | 3.6 |
32 | Almonds | 17 | 3.6 |
33 | Buckwheat (Uncooked) | 30 | 3.5 |
34 | Cashew Nuts | 18 | 3.3 |
35 | Tahini | 17 | 2.9 |
36 | Sweetcorn (Canned/Frozen/Fresh Corn) | 130 | 2.9 |
37 | Butternut Squash (Raw) | 250 | 2.3 |
38 | Potato (Boiled) | 140 | 2.2 |
39 | White Rice (Cooked) | 80 | 2.2 |
40 | Sweet Potato (Baked) | 110 | 2.2 |
Highest Vegan Protein Sources Per 100 Calories Chart
More Tasty Vegan Protein Recipes
If you’re looking for easy, vegan protein recipes, check out some of my other recipes:
- Easy Vegan Gluten Free Black Bean Meatballs
- Easy Vegan Meatloaf With Mushrooms And Oats
- Tofu ‘Egg’ Scramble
- Tofu Sausage Recipe
You can see all of my vegan protein recipes here.
If you would like to see all of my complete meals that all incorporate at least one of these top 40 plant-based protein ingredients, click the link below:
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