Top 10 Complete Vegetarian Protein Foods with All the Essential Amino Acids

Protein is necessary for the proper growth, development, and repair of all tissues in the human body.

Proteins are made up of amino acids. There are nine amino acids that are considered essential, meaning that you must eat them because your body cannot synthesize them on its own. A protein is considered "complete" if it contains all nine of these amino acids. (1)

Vegetarian foods can be a great source of protein. In general, animal foods contain all nine essential amino acids in relatively high quantities. Plant foods also contain all nine, but they often have lower amounts of particular amino acids. For example, grains contain lower amounts of lysine, while legumes contain lower amounts of methionine and cystine. Because of this, plant foods are sometimes considered to be "incomplete" sources of protein. However, combining multiple different plant foods can give you adequate amounts of all nine essential amino acids. (2) Examples include combining lentils with rice, or hummus with whole wheat bread. Use the complete protein calculator to make sure your foods contain 100% of the recommended daily intake for amino acids.

This list provides the top 10 complete vegetarian protein foods. For the purposes of this list, we assume that "vegetarian" refers to a person who does not eat meat or fish, but does eat dairy and eggs.

Vegetarian foods high in protein include tofu, beans, lentils, yogurt, milk, cheese, green peas, nuts, seeds, whole grains, peanut butter, eggs, and white button mushrooms. The current daily value (DV) for protein is 50 grams per day. (3) This is considered to be a healthy target amount for most people.

However, a specific person's protein needs depend on many factors, including their body size and how physically active they are. The USDA recommends a more specific target of 0.36 grams of protein per pound of body weight per day. Multiply your weight in pounds by 0.36 to get your personalized protein target. If you're an athlete or are very physically active, then you may need more protein than this. You can use this online calculator to provide a personalized estimate of your protein needs.

Below is a list of vegetarian protein foods ranked by common serving size, for more vegetarian protein food ideas see the articles on high protein beans, high protein nuts, and protein rich vegan foods.

• 1. Firm Tofu

  Protein per Cup	Protein per 100g	Protein per 200 Calories
  43.5g (87% DV)	17.3g (35% DV)	24g (48% DV)

  Nutrition Facts for Firm Tofu. (Source)

  More Tofu High in Protein

  • 20g (40% DV) per cup of medium soft tofu
  • 18g (36% DV) per cup of soft tofu
  • 34g (67% DV) per cup of tempeh (fermented tofu)

  Note: The amount of protein in tofu can range between 4.8g (10% DV) to 17.3g (35% DV) per 100 gram serving (or a little less than 1/2 cup).

  See the nutrition comparison of 10 common tofu brands. To find more, use the detailed nutrient ranking of all vegan foods high in protein.

  Looking for a brand with this much protein? Try House Foods Tofu.

• 2. Lentils

  Protein per Cup	Protein per 100g	Protein per 200 Calories
  17.9g (36% DV)	9g (18% DV)	15.6g (31% DV)

  Nutrition Facts for Cooked Lentils (Boiled) (Mature Seeds). (Source)

  More Beans High in Protein

  • 17.4g (35% DV) per cup of large white beans
  • 16.3g (33% DV) per cup of split peas
  • 15.4g (31% DV) per cup of pinto beans
  • 15.2g (30% DV) per cup of black beans
  • 15g (30% DV) per cup of navy beans
  • 14.7g (29% DV) per cup of large lima beans
  • 14.5g (29% DV) per cup of chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

  See more beans and legumes high in protein.

• 3. Low-Fat Yogurt

  Protein per Cup	Protein per 100g	Protein per 200 Calories
  14g (28% DV)	5.7g (11% DV)	20.5g (41% DV)

  Nutrition Facts for Non Fat Yogurt. (Source)
  • 15g (30% DV) protein per 16oz glass on unsweetned soymilk
  • 15g (30% DV) protein per 16oz glass of low-fat milk
• 4. Cottage Cheese

  Protein per 1/2 Cup	Protein per 100g	Protein per 200 Calories
  11.8g (24% DV)	10.5g (21% DV)	25.8g (52% DV)

  Nutrition Facts for Lowfat Cottage Cheese (2%). (Source)

  Other Cheese High in Protein

  • 10.2g (20% DV) per oz of grated parmesan
  • 9.3g (19% DV) per 1/2 cup of ricotta
  • 9g (18% DV) per oz of non-fat cheddar

  See the list of cheese high in protein.

• 5. Green Peas

  Protein per Cup Cooked	Protein per 100g	Protein per 200 Calories
  8.6g (17% DV)	5.4g (11% DV)	12.8g (26% DV)

  Nutrition Facts for Cooked Green Peas (Boiled, Drained). (Source)

  See more vegetables high in protein.

• 6. Squash and Pumpkin Seeds

  Protein per 1oz Handful	Protein per 100g	Protein per 200 Calories
  8.5g (17% DV)	29.8g (60% DV)	10.4g (21% DV)

  Nutrition Facts for Roasted Squash And Pumpkin Seeds (Pepitas) (Unsalted). (Source)

  Other Nuts and Seeds High in Protein

  • 6.9g (14% DV) per 1 oz handful of peanuts
  • 6g (12% DV) per 1 oz handful of almonds
  • 6g (12% DV) per 1 oz handful of pistachios
  • 5.5g (11% DV) per oz of sunflower seeds
  • 5.2g (10% DV) per oz of flax seeds
  • 4.7g (9% DV) per oz (~2 tbsp) of chia seeds
  • 4.3g (9% DV) per oz of cashews

  See more high protein nuts.
• 7. Quinoa

  Protein per Cup	Protein per 100g	Protein per 200 Calories
  8.1g (16% DV)	4.4g (9% DV)	7.3g (15% DV)

  Nutrition Facts for Quinoa, cooked. (Source)

  Other Whole Grains High in Protein

  • 9.8g (20% DV) per cup of kamut
  • 9.8g (20% DV) per cup of teff
  • 7g (14% DV) per cup of whole wheat pasta
  • 5.9g (12% DV) per cup of oatmeal
  • 4.4g (9% DV) per cup of grits

  See the list of whole grains high in protein.

• 8. Peanut Butter

  Protein 2 Tblsp	Protein per 100g	Protein per 200 Calories
  7.7g (15% DV)	24.1g (48% DV)	8.2g (16% DV)

  Nutrition Facts for Peanut Butter (Chunk Style). (Source)
• 9. Eggs

  Protein in 1 Large Egg	Protein per 100g	Protein per 200 Calories
  6.3g (13% DV)	12.6g (25% DV)	16.2g (32% DV)

  Nutrition Facts for Hard Boiled Eggs. (Source)
  • 1 egg white provides 7% DV
  • 1 cup of hard boiled eggs provides 34% DV
• 10. Mushrooms

  Protein per Cup Cooked	Protein per 100g	Protein per 200 Calories
  3.9g (8% DV)	3.6g (7% DV)	27.5g (55% DV)

  Nutrition Facts for Stir Fried White Button Mushrooms. (Source)

  More Mushrooms High in Protein

  • 4g (8% DV) per cup of cooked portobello
  • 3.5g (7% DV) per cup of cooked shiitake
  • 3g (6% DV) per cup of oyster mushrooms
  • 2g (4% DV) per cup of morels
  • 2g (4% DV) per cup of cremini
  • 1.5g (3% DV) per cup of enokis

  Note: Cooking reduces the water content of mushrooms, allowing you to eat more mushrooms and more protein per cup.

  See the curated list of vegetables high in protein.

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More Complete Protein Rich Foods for Vegetarians

Food	Serving	Protein
1. Soy Protein Isolate	100 grams	177% DV (88.3g)
2. Spirulina	100 grams	115% DV (57.5g)
3. Toasted Wheat Germ	100 grams	58% DV (29.1g)
4. Tempeh	100 grams	41% DV (20.3g)
5. Cocoa Powder	100 grams	39% DV (19.6g)
6. Natto (Fermented Soybeans)	100 grams	39% DV (19.4g)
7. Falafel	100 grams	27% DV (13.3g)
8. Whey Powder	100 grams	26% DV (12.9g)

From the Nutrient Ranking Tool

Use the ranking tool links below to select foods and create your own food list to share or print.

• Foods High in Protein
• Foods Low in Protein
• Vegetables High in Protein
• Fruits High in Protein
• Vegetarian Foods High in Protein
• Nuts High in Protein
• Grains High in Protein
• Beans High in Protein
• Dairy High in Protein
• Breakfast Cereals High in Protein
• Fast Foods High in Protein

View more nutrients with the nutrient ranking tool, or see ratios with the nutrient ratio tool.

Related

• Amino Acid Protein Calculator
• Beans and Legumes with the Most Protein
• Grains High in Protein
• Nuts High in Protein
• High Protein Foods
• Vegetables Highest in Protein
• Fruits Highest in Protein
• Vegetarian Sources of Protein
• Vegan Weight Gain Foods

Data Sources and References

1. Michael J. Lopez; Shamim S. Biochemistry, Essential Amino Acids. Mohiuddin. National Library of Medicine.
2. François Mariotti1 and Christopher D. Gardner. Dietary Protein and Amino Acids in Vegetarian Diets—A Review Nutrients. 2019 Nov; 11(11): 2661.
3. U.S.FDA - Daily Value on the New Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels
4. U.S. Agricultural Research Service Food Data Central