11 Vegetables That Are High In Protein That Might Surprise You

Dec 21, 2018

When you think about getting more protein in your diet, you may not think about vegetables. But adding certain plants to your diet can increase the amount of protein you get as well as giving you some valuable vitamins and minerals. And you may find some of these sources of protein in some unsuspected vegetables.

For an excellent source of high protein without eating meat, try adding edamame to your diet. Edamame looks like a tender green bean that is quite tasty. Add this excellent source of protein, zinc, vitamins, and magnesium to your diet. You may find more on nutritional facts for Edamame here.

Edamame works very well in Asian cuisine, or merely steam or roast them with your favorite savory seasonings. The beans inside the edamame work well by themselves in dumplings, soups and rice recipes, too.

Salad lovers, rejoice! Leafy greens are not only high in protein, but are also an amazing source for other nutrients such as calcium, vitamin K, iron, folate, and carotenoids.

Add spinach to a smoothie, or add to a tomato dish for some high protein and lovely green color. Kale is also a beautiful leafy green veggie that increases protein, vitamins, and color to your diet. Or interchange spinach, kale, collard greens or beet greens in recipes to add some variety to your menus.

Both sweet potatoes and russet-style potatoes have around seven grams of protein per cup. These potatoes have the most protein when the skins are left on them. The skins are entirely edible, too.

Boiled potatoes have nearly the same amount of protein as do the baked potatoes if they are boiled with the skins on. Plus, leaving the skins on your potatoes when you cook them gives them a wide variety of vitamins and minerals, too. A nice change from russet and white potatoes includes the sweet potato.

A sweet potato can be prepared in many of the same ways as a white potato. Just be sure to keep the skins on the sweet potato to give you the most in vitamins, minerals, and protein.

Some ways to serve any of these types of potatoes include baked, boiled, as a part of chili or dunked in chili, or with plain yogurt and butter. They also make a delightful main course.

Many varieties of squash contain a little bit of protein. But if you want to get significant amounts of protein in your diet from a plant source, eat Hubbard squash as a first choice. Cooked Hubbard squash contains over five grams of protein per cup. One of a squash lover’s favorite ways to eat this lovely orange squash is to bake it until it caramelizes.

Browned butter, garlic, and parmesan placed on baked hubbard squash are delightful ways to eat this naturally sweet, protein-packed squash. Saute the squash with herbs, garlic, and onions for a mouthwatering blend of sweet and savory, especially if you also add a few herbs, too. Or make sweet mashed potatoes adding fennel and nutmeg to the mix.

A cup of green peas adds over eight grams of protein to your diet. Pea soup is a perpetual favorite for veggie lovers. Frozen peas and fresh peas are two sources of the plant-based protein that last a long time for you to enjoy and add protein as well as a large number of vitamins, minerals, and fiber to your diet.

For the most substantial amount of pea protein available, boil fresh green peas. Add green peas to pasta dishes or oriental food. Peas taste marvelous with onions, garlic, and many green herbs.

Fresh and frozen sweet corn is both beautiful and quite tasty. This fiber filled vegetable remains a favorite with almost everyone. A cup of boiled corn provides over five grams of protein and a ton of color to any dish.

It is terrific when roasted, boiled or the ever popular corn on the cob. Add a squeeze of lemon for a change in taste. Spices and butter also give sweet corn an unexpected zing to the taste buds. Plus, corn chowder is a great way to get more protein in your diet during the winter months.

Artichokes take a little work to prepare, but the result is worth it in the end. One cup of artichoke hearts provides you with just under five grams of protein. A cheesy dip sets this vegetable off with flair. Also, artichoke hearts are a great addition as a pizza topping.

Asparagus gives you 4.32 grams of protein per cup. Also, asparagus remains simple to cook. Just saute roast or grill this spikey veggie with salt and pepper. Chopped cooked asparagus remains a unique addition to wild rice and risotto, too.

Cruciferous vegetables are cauliflower, broccoli,brussels sprouts, and cabbage, to name just a few. Brussels sprouts contain almost four grams of protein per cup, as does broccoli.

Make Asian coleslaw, cover any of these veggies with cheese sauce, or add any of these vegetables to stir-fry with soy sauce. Mashed cauliflower also makes a surprising substitute for mashed potatoes, too.

Mushrooms are fun to cook with and contain about four grams of protein per cup of cooked mushrooms. Mushrooms come in a variety of flavors, so don’t be shy about experimenting with different types of the vegetable. They are quite tasty in stir-fry, Italian, and nearly every kind of cuisine.

About 3 grams of protein is contained in one cup of boiled beetroots. Borscht remains a warm and spicy way to serve beets, especially when the weather is cold. Mashed beets even make muffins more moist and flavorful.

What did you think about these vegetable sources of protein? Do you have any we might have forgotten to add? Let us know - and pass this on to any of your friends who might want to cut down on meat! 

Our content is created to the best of our knowledge, yet it is of general nature and cannot in any way substitute an individual consultation by your doctor. Your health is important to us!