Edamame (young soybeans) tops the list of vegetables highest in protein, delivering about 9.8 grams per 80-gram serving. If you’re looking strictly at non-legume vegetables, Brussels sprouts lead at 3.4 grams of protein per 100 grams, followed closely by collard greens, spinach, and mustard greens. The answer depends on whether you count legumes as vegetables, since they occupy a category of their own nutritionally, but either way, there are solid plant-based options worth knowing about.
Legumes: The Protein Heavyweights
Legumes sit in a class above other vegetables when it comes to protein. Edamame provides roughly 9.8 grams per 80-gram serving (about two-thirds of a cup). Lentils follow closely, with green and brown varieties offering 8.8 grams per 100 grams when cooked, and red lentils coming in at 7.7 grams. Chickpeas deliver about 7.6 grams per 100 grams cooked.
To put that in perspective, one large egg contains about 6 grams of protein. A half-cup of lentils or chickpeas gives you 8 grams, making these legumes competitive with animal sources on a per-serving basis. For a 150-pound adult, the recommended daily protein intake is about 54 grams, so a single cup of cooked lentils covers roughly a third of that.
Soy protein also scores exceptionally well on protein quality. A common measure of how completely your body can use a protein source ranks soy between 80% and 93%, close to animal proteins like egg and milk. Pea protein scores 60% to 70%, while grains like wheat and corn fall much lower, in the 40% range.
Top Non-Legume Vegetables by Protein
If you’re thinking of vegetables in the traditional sense, leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables offer the most protein per 100 grams:
- Alfalfa sprouts: 4.0 g
- Brussels sprouts: 3.4 g
- Collard greens: 3.0 g
- Spinach: 2.9 g
- Mustard greens: 2.9 g
- Broccoli: 2.8 g
- Watercress: 2.3 g
- Asparagus: 2.2 g
- Cauliflower: 1.9 g
These numbers look modest compared to legumes, but they add up. A large serving of cooked spinach or broccoli (about 200 grams) provides 5 to 6 grams of protein along with fiber, vitamins, and minerals. The protein in these vegetables also isn’t “incomplete” in the way many people assume. Research published in the American Heart Association’s journal Circulation found that plant foods broadly provide all essential amino acids in amounts that exceed minimum requirements, especially when eaten in reasonable variety throughout the day.
Protein Density: Calories vs. Grams
Raw protein numbers don’t tell the full story. Leafy greens are extraordinarily protein-dense when you compare protein to calories rather than weight. A cup of raw spinach has just 7 calories but still delivers 0.9 grams of protein. Kale is similar, with 0.6 grams in a 7-calorie cup. That means roughly half the calories in spinach come from protein.
This matters if you’re trying to increase protein intake without adding many calories. Stacking a salad with spinach, sprouts, and broccoli won’t replace a chicken breast, but it contributes meaningfully to your daily total while keeping calorie counts low. The practical challenge is volume: you’d need to eat a lot of leafy greens to match what a half-cup of lentils delivers in a few bites.
Spirulina: A Concentrated Source
Dried spirulina, a blue-green algae sometimes grouped with plant-based foods, packs 4 grams of protein into a single tablespoon (7 grams). By weight, that makes it roughly 57% protein, far exceeding any vegetable. Most people consume it as a powder mixed into smoothies or water rather than eating it in large quantities, so it works best as a protein booster rather than a primary source.
Practical Ways to Maximize Vegetable Protein
Getting meaningful protein from vegetables is less about finding a single magic option and more about combining sources throughout the day. A stir-fry with edamame, broccoli, and spinach over quinoa (which provides about 7.5 grams per cup) can easily deliver 20 or more grams of protein in one meal. Adding hemp seeds to a salad contributes 9.5 grams per three tablespoons.
Cooking method matters too. Lightly steaming or sautéing greens concentrates them significantly. A 100-gram pile of raw spinach looks like a mountain on your plate, but it wilts down to a few forkfuls, making it easier to eat larger amounts. Frozen edamame, already shelled and ready to toss into meals, is one of the most convenient high-protein vegetable options available.
If you’re relying heavily on vegetables for protein, variety covers your nutritional bases. Combining legumes with grains, or mixing different vegetables throughout the day, ensures you get the full range of amino acids your body needs without having to think about it meal by meal.