Edamame and lentils top the list, delivering roughly 18 grams of protein per cooked cup. But the answer depends on whether you count legumes as vegetables (many people do in the kitchen, even if botanists disagree). Among non-legume vegetables, green peas, Brussels sprouts, and asparagus lead the pack, each offering 5 to 9 grams per cup.
Legumes: The Highest-Protein Vegetables
If your grocery list treats beans and lentils as vegetables, these are your heavy hitters. A cup of shelled edamame (prepared from frozen) has 18.4 grams of protein. A cup of boiled lentils is close behind at 17.9 grams. Pinto beans deliver 15.4 grams per cup, mung beans come in at 14.2 grams, fava beans at 12.9 grams, and lima beans at 11.6 grams. Dried chickpeas are especially dense at 21.3 grams per 100-gram portion, though that number drops once they’re cooked and absorb water.
Soy-based foods like edamame also score well on protein quality. Soy protein has a digestibility score of about 91 out of 100, which puts it on par with many animal proteins. That means your body can actually use most of what you eat, rather than passing it through.
Green Vegetables With the Most Protein
Once you move past legumes, protein amounts drop significantly, but a few vegetables still contribute meaningful amounts. Green peas are the standout at 8.6 grams per cup (boiled). That’s more than a whole egg. Brussels sprouts deliver 5.6 grams per cup cooked from frozen, asparagus provides 5.3 grams per cup boiled, and a medium stalk of broccoli has about 4.3 grams.
Spinach and broccoli both contain all nine essential amino acids, which makes their protein especially useful even in smaller quantities. A baked medium potato with skin adds 4.3 grams as well, and a large ear of sweet corn contributes 4.7 grams. None of these will replace a chicken breast on their own, but they add up fast when you’re eating several servings of vegetables a day.
How Mushrooms Compare
Mushrooms are often grouped with vegetables in cooking, but their protein content is modest. White button mushrooms contain about 3 grams per 100 grams raw, and oyster mushrooms are slightly lower at 2.75 grams. You’d need to eat a large volume of mushrooms to get a significant protein boost, so they’re better thought of as a small bonus rather than a primary source.
Protein Quality and Amino Acid Gaps
Not all plant protein is created equal. Your body needs nine essential amino acids to build and repair tissue, and most vegetables are low in at least one. Beans tend to be short on methionine, while grains and most non-legume vegetables are low on lysine. This is where the concept of complementary proteins comes in.
Pairing legumes with grains fills in the gaps for both. Rice and beans is the classic example, but lentils with bread, chickpeas with couscous, or edamame with quinoa all work. You don’t need to eat these combinations at the same meal. As long as you’re eating a variety of plant proteins throughout the day, your body pools the amino acids and uses them as needed.
Putting the Numbers in Context
The recommended daily protein intake is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight, or about 0.36 grams per pound. For a 150-pound person, that’s roughly 54 grams a day. A cup of edamame covers about a third of that in one sitting. Add a cup of green peas to another meal, toss some Brussels sprouts on the side, and you’ve picked up close to half your daily target from vegetables alone.
If you’re eating entirely plant-based, leaning on legumes as your protein anchors and filling in with green vegetables is the most practical strategy. Broccoli and spinach won’t carry the load by themselves, but they contribute both protein and the amino acid variety that rounds out your intake. The vegetables with the most protein are, conveniently, the ones that already show up in most balanced meals: peas, beans, lentils, and cruciferous greens.