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High protein vegetables, ranked

Which vegetables have the most protein, what to expect from them and how to combine plant foods.

Written by Updated 7 min read

The highest protein vegetable is edamame, with about 12 g per 100 g cooked. Green peas come next at about 5 g, then spinach, artichokes, sweet corn and Brussels sprouts at around 3 g. Most vegetables have only 1 to 3 g per 100 g, so they support a protein target rather than meet it. Check your own target with the macro calculator and the TDEE calculator.

Infographic: High protein vegetables. Veg adds protein, but beans and soy are the real sources.
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The ranked list

Values are per 100 g of boiled or cooked vegetable and are rounded from USDA FoodData Central. Protein per 100 calories shows how efficient each one is.

VegetableProtein per 100 gCalories per 100 gProtein per 100 cal
Edamame, shelledabout 12 gabout 121about 10 g
Green peasabout 5.4 gabout 84about 6.4 g
Sweet cornabout 3.4 gabout 96about 3.5 g
Spinachabout 3.0 gabout 23about 13 g
Artichokeabout 2.9 gabout 53about 5.5 g
Brussels sproutsabout 2.6 gabout 36about 7 g
Broccoliabout 2.4 gabout 35about 7 g
Asparagusabout 2.4 gabout 22about 11 g
Kaleabout 1.9 gabout 36about 5 g
Green beansabout 1.9 gabout 35about 5.4 g
Potato, boiledabout 1.9 gabout 87about 2 g

Compare these with legumes, which are not strictly vegetables but sit in the same part of the shop: cooked lentils have about 9 g per 100 g and cooked black beans about 9 g (see the high protein grocery list).

The real high-protein plant foods

Food (cooked unless stated)Protein per 100 g
Tempeh (raw weight)about 19 g
Edamameabout 12 g
Lentilsabout 9 g
Chickpeasabout 9 g
Black beansabout 9 g
Quinoaabout 4.4 g

Legumes and soy foods deliver two to four times the protein of any other vegetable, with the fibre to match. If you are building a plant-based plan, these are your base and vegetables are the supporting cast.

A reality check

How much would you need to eat?To get 20 g of protein: about 165 g of cooked edamame (about 200 calories), or about 830 g of cooked broccoli (about 290 calories), or about 670 g of cooked spinach. Vegetables are not a practical main protein source, but they add useful grams, fibre and vitamins on top.

This is why high-protein plant eaters build meals around soy foods (tofu, tempeh, edamame), legumes, whole grains and seeds, with vegetables for volume. The 2025–2030 US guidelines advise 1.2 to 1.6 g of protein per kg body weight for adults; for an 80 kg person that is 96 to 128 g a day, so vegetables alone would not get you there. See how much protein do you need.

Combining plant proteins

  • Mix over the day. Grains tend to be lower in lysine, and legumes lower in methionine. Eating both through the day covers your amino acid needs. You do not have to combine them at one meal.
  • Include soy. Soy is a complete protein.
  • Eat enough total protein. Plant proteins are slightly less digestible on average, so aim a little higher if your diet is fully plant-based.

Meal ideas

  1. Edamame and brown rice bowl with broccoli and sesame: about 20 g protein.
  2. Pea and spinach omelette or tofu scramble.
  3. Lentil soup with kale and a slice of whole-grain bread.
  4. Artichoke and white bean salad with olive oil and lemon.
  5. Plain Greek yoghurt with raw vegetable sticks and a squeeze of lemon: about 17 g protein for a snack.

Why they still matter

Vegetables bring fibre, potassium, vitamins and volume, and they make meals filling for few calories (high volume, low calorie foods, highest fibre foods). For an overall plan, see what is a balanced diet.

Find your protein target, then plan plant-based meals around it.

Open the macro calculator

Frequently asked questions

Which vegetable has the most protein?
Edamame (young soybeans) is highest, at about 12 g per 100 g cooked. Among other vegetables, green peas have about 5 g per 100 g, and spinach, artichokes, sweet corn and Brussels sprouts have about 3 g.
Can I get enough protein from vegetables?
Not from non-starchy vegetables alone. They have only 1 to 3 g per 100 g. Legumes, soy foods, whole grains, nuts and seeds are the plant foods that carry most of the protein.
Are plant proteins complete?
Most vegetables are low in one or more essential amino acids, but soy and quinoa are complete, and eating a mix of plant foods across the day covers your needs.
Is spinach really high in protein?
Per calorie, yes: cooked spinach gives about 13 g of protein per 100 calories. Per bite, no. It has about 3 g per 100 g and wilts to a small portion.
Are beans and lentils vegetables?
They are legumes. Many guides count them with vegetables or with protein foods. They are higher in protein than most vegetables, at 7 to 9 g per 100 g cooked.

Keep reading

High protein grocery listBest foods.Highest fibre foodsRanked.What are macros?Beginner's guide.

Sources

  1. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central. fdc.nal.usda.gov. Values in this guide are rounded from USDA entries for the foods named; brands and preparation change them.
  2. U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030. Released January 2026. dietaryguidelines.gov.
  3. Jäger R, Kerksick CM, Campbell BI, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: protein and exercise. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2017;14:20. PubMed 28642676