9 plant-based foods that pack more protein than an egg

When it comes to high-protein foods, eggs are usually one of the first that come to mind. But when switching to a plant-based diet (or if you’re just eggs-hausted of eggs), what are some other foods you can get your protein fix from without resorting to powders or supplements? We’ve done the hard work for you and found nine foods that have more protein than an egg per serve, so you can live your best plant-based life with ease.

Pistachios

One of our favourite nuts, pistachios actually have the most protein per gram than any other nut. If their vibrant purple and green colouring wasn’t enough to get you to grab a bag at the supermarket, this might just convince you to add some pistachios to your diet. In a rough handful of pistachios (about one-third of a cup), you can get approximately 10 grams of protein, compared to an egg’s 6 grams of protein.

As an added benefit, pistachios can also help with mindful eating. The process of carefully removing each pistachio from its shell helps slow the eating process down and allows you to properly appreciate the nut. It also offers a visual cue of how much you’ve eaten, which can help with portion control.

Tofu

One of the first plant-based proteins people think of when removing meat from their diet, tofu is made from soybeans that have been processed in a similar way to cheese. In just half a cup of tofu, you can find an average of 22g of protein, as well as a range of other nutrients like calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium and more.

Tofu is an extremely versatile food due to its neutral taste, meaning you can dice it, fry it, marinade it, bake it, grill it, or pretty much anything else you can think of. Our Supercharged Satay tosses cubes of tofu in a peanutty satay sauce with a range of fresh veggies, and offers your body 36g of protein to nourish your body. We know what we’ll be having for dinner.

Black Beans

Another versatile food, black beans can be cooked into plenty of your favourite dishes and offer up a great amount of protein per serve. In just half a cup of black beans, you can get 8g of protein, as well as plenty of fibre. They’re also incredibly affordable and come tinned, giving them a long shelf life. Whether you cook them into tacos, stir them into soup or make them into a dip, it’s always good to have a tin of black beans in the pantry.

Oats

You might not immediately think of oats when you think of high protein foods, but a third of a cup of oats contains 8.5 grams of protein, as well as a whole lot of fibre and other nutrients. Whether you have them warm in the morning with some maple syrup or chilled overnight in the fridge with almond milk and berries, oats will help you greet every day the right way. Don’t have time to prep oats in the morning? Add our Peanut Butter & Jam Oats to your next Soulara order, with 20g of protein per serve!

Hemp Seeds

These tiny little seeds pack a large protein punch. Hemp seeds come from the hemp plant, but aren’t psychoactive and make a great addition to smoothies, salads, oats, granola and a range of other dishes. One serving (about 3 tablespoons) gives you about 9.5 grams of protein, as well as 20% of the RDI of iron. We’ve added hemp seeds to our Voyager’s Coconut Lentil Soup, which blends coconut milk, tomatoes, red lentils and ginger together to create a fragrant and nourishing dish.

Almonds

While pistachios are great, they are on the more expensive side of the nut family. If you’re after a more affordable high-protein snack, almonds are a great option. In one-quarter of a cup, you can expect to find 7g of protein. As well as eating them on their own, you can mix into a trail mix with some dairy-free chocolate chips and dried fruit, make almond butter or sprinkle almond slithers over a salad for extra crunch.

Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin seeds can be used in everything from salads to roasts, or even eaten salted as a snack. An average serving ( about four tablespoons) has about 8.5 grams of plant-based protein. You can buy them ready-roasted from the supermarket, or scoop out the seeds from a pumpkin next time you cook it and roast them up yourself at home. You can even turn pumpkin seeds into a tasty dip; simply blend with some coriander, olive oil, salt and pepper for a delicious pesto-style creation.

Peanut Butter

An all-time favourite of ours, we wish we could add peanut butter to everything. On average, peanut butter has about 7 grams of protein in a two-tablespoon serving, although there are higher-protein options available now. When choosing peanut butter, we would recommend selecting one that only contains peanuts (and maybe a little salt, if you prefer), to ensure you’re getting the most nutrients with as little interference as possible.

Our Paleo Peanut Butter Cups are a favourite treat of ours, made only with coconut oil, coconut, peanuts, peanut butter, cacao powder and maple syrup. Another quick and easy snack we love is to simply dip sliced apple or celery sticks in peanut butter. Yum!

Quinoa

Quinoa is a special kind of protein; it’s a complete protein, which means that it has all the essential amino acids while offering 8g of protein per cup. It’s also a great source of fibre and can be added to everything from salads to soups. Our favourite way to eat quinoa is in our Goodness Gracias Bowl, a Mexican-inspired creation with 27g of protein that combines quinoa with tofu, corn, kale, lemon juice, tahini and a range of delicious herbs and spices.

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