Edamame and lentils lead with about 18g of protein per cooked cup. Most greens land at 3 to 5g. Here are 15 vegetables worth a spot on your plate, with USDA numbers for each one.
Edamame is young soybeans, and edamame protein is the closest a vegetable gets to meat. A cup of shelled, cooked edamame has about 18 grams, and soy counts as a complete protein, even if sports nutrition researchers rank it below milk and meat.
How to eat it: microwave a cup of frozen shelled edamame with a pinch of salt, then toss it into fried rice, grain bowls or a salad.
Lentils protein sits right next to edamame at about 18 grams per cooked cup, and the fiber is the highest on this list at 16 grams. That's why a bowl of lentil soup keeps you full for hours.
How to eat them: simmer brown or green lentils 20 to 25 minutes and spoon them under salmon or chicken. Red lentils collapse into soup in about 15.
The protein in peas surprises people. A cup of cooked green peas has about 9 grams, more than double what broccoli gives you, for 134 calories. They're technically a legume.
How to eat them: frozen peas go straight from the bag into pasta, fried rice or soup. Two minutes in the microwave and they're done.
Chickpeas protein lands at about 15 grams per cooked cup with 12 grams of fiber. They're the highest in calories here at 269, so count the cup if you're tracking.
How to eat them: rinse a can, pat dry and roast at 400°F with olive oil and spices for a crunchy topper, or mash them with lemon and garlic for hummus.
A cup of cooked black beans has about 15 grams of protein and 15 grams of fiber for 227 calories, and a can costs pocket change.
How to eat them: warm them with cumin and lime under rice and grilled chicken, or fold them into a breakfast burrito.
Lima beans get left off these lists, and they shouldn't be. A cup of cooked large limas has about 15 grams of protein and 13 grams of fiber.
How to eat them: frozen baby limas cook in about 10 minutes. Simmer them with butter, salt and pepper, or add them to vegetable soup near the end.
Corn is where the numbers drop. A cup of cooked kernels has about 5 grams of protein, roughly half of what peas give you for the same calories.
How to eat it: a cup of corn and a cup of black beans with lime and cilantro is a side that quietly adds 20 grams of protein to a plate.
A medium baked potato with the skin has about 4 grams of protein, which puts it ahead of broccoli and kale. Keep the skin on. The USDA numbers above are for flesh and skin together.
How to eat it: top it with the black beans above and a spoon of Greek yogurt and the plate climbs past 20 grams before the main course shows up.
Spinach protein is the best of the leafy greens at about 5 grams per cooked cup. Cooking matters, since a big bowl of raw spinach wilts to a few tablespoons. The same cup carries iron, though iron from plants is harder to absorb than iron from meat, and something rich in vitamin C on the plate, like tomatoes or lemon, helps you absorb more of it.
How to eat it: wilt a whole bag into eggs, pasta sauce or soup in the last two minutes.
Broccoli protein comes to about 4 grams per cooked chopped cup, with 5 grams of fiber for 55 calories. You'd need five cups to match one cup of lentils.
How to eat it: roast florets at 425°F with olive oil, salt and garlic until the edges brown, about 20 minutes.
We grouped these two because they land in the same place: about 4 grams of protein per cooked cup and under 60 calories. Asparagus first. A cup of cooked spears, about a dozen, has 4 grams of protein for 40 calories. Brussels sprouts get their own number next.
How to eat it: snap off the woody ends, toss with olive oil and roast at 425°F for 10 to 12 minutes. Finish with lemon.
A cup of cooked brussels sprouts has about 4 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber for 56 calories, in step with asparagus and broccoli.
How to eat them: halve them, roast cut side down at 425°F for 20 to 25 minutes, and finish with a splash of balsamic.
Kale is lower in protein than its reputation suggests: about 3.5 grams per cooked cup, with 5 grams of fiber for 42 calories. The fiber is the better reason to eat it.
How to eat it: massage chopped raw kale with olive oil and lemon for a salad that keeps for days, or cook it in a pan with garlic.
Collard greens quietly match spinach at about 5 grams of protein per cooked chopped cup, and they beat every other green here on fiber with 8 grams. We cook in North Carolina, so they were always making this list.
How to eat them: slice the leaves thin, simmer with onion, garlic and smoked turkey until tender, and finish with vinegar. The turkey adds the protein the greens don't have.
One medium cooked artichoke has about 3.5 grams of protein and 7 grams of fiber for 64 calories, a lot of fiber for the protein. Frozen hearts give you the same food with none of the trimming.
How to eat it: steam a whole artichoke 25 to 35 minutes, or toss frozen hearts into pasta or a pan of chicken thighs.
| Vegetable | Serving | Protein | Calories | Fiber | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Edamame for plant protein | Edamame | 1 cup, shelled | 18g | 188 | 8g |
| 2. Lentils for protein & fiber | Lentils | 1 cup | 18g | 230 | 16g |
| 3. Green peas as an easy protein boost | Green peas | 1 cup | 9g | 134 | 9g |
| 4. Chickpeas for protein & fiber | Chickpeas | 1 cup | 15g | 269 | 12g |
| 5. Black beans | Black beans | 1 cup | 15g | 227 | 15g |
| 6. Lima beans | Lima beans | 1 cup | 15g | 216 | 13g |
| 7. Sweet corn | Sweet corn | 1 cup kernels | 5g | 143 | 4g |
| 8. Baked potato | Baked potato | 1 medium, with skin | 4g | 161 | 4g |
| 9. Spinach protein & iron | Spinach | 1 cup, cooked | 5g | 41 | 4g |
| 10. Broccoli protein per serving | Broccoli | 1 cup, chopped | 4g | 55 | 5g |
| 11. Asparagus & brussels sprouts | Asparagus | 1 cup | 4g | 40 | 4g |
| 12. Brussels sprouts | Brussels sprouts | 1 cup | 4g | 56 | 4g |
| 13. Kale | Kale | 1 cup | 3.5g | 42 | 5g |
| 14. Collard greens | Collard greens | 1 cup, chopped | 5g | 63 | 8g |
| 15. Artichoke | Artichoke | 1 medium | 3.5g | 64 | 7g |
Edamame, at about 18 grams of protein per cooked cup, with lentils right behind at 18 grams as well. Black beans, lima beans and chickpeas follow at 14 to 15 grams. Among vegetables that aren't legumes, cooked spinach, collard greens and sweet corn lead at about 5 grams per cup.
You can if legumes do the heavy lifting. A 2019 review in Nutrients found that vegetarian diets built around legumes, nuts and seeds supply adequate protein and amino acids for adults, and that variety across the day matters more than combining foods at one meal. Greens alone won't get you there. A cup of spinach is 5 grams.
No. If you're searching for high protein vegetables and fruits, the fruit side of the list is short. Passion fruit and guava top out at about 4 to 5 grams per cup, and most fruit lands between 0.5 and 3 grams per serving. Our high-protein fruits post runs the full numbers. Eat fruit for fiber and flavor, and get protein from legumes, eggs, dairy, meat or fish.
No. The old rule about eating rice and beans at the same sitting doesn't hold up. The Nutrients review found no evidence that plant proteins must be combined within a meal, and that a reasonable variety of sources over the course of the day is enough. Eat legumes, grains, nuts and seeds across the day and the amino acids balance out.
