It can be a little more difficult to get all of the protein you need when you follow a vegan diet. Plant-based eating naturally involves a lot of fruit and veg, but when you’re removing meat, fish and dairy from your diet, suitable protein sources are limited.
It’s important to make sure you’re planning protein into your weekly meal plan or shopping list, as it plays a key role in helping to keep your body healthy, including contributing to growth in muscle mass.
With this in mind, we’ve put together vegan, high-protein meal inspiration for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert, helping you to stay on track with plant-based eating while getting plenty of protein.
Meal Planning Tips
We recommend choosing one breakfast, one lunch, one dinner and one or two snack options from our collection of high-protein, vegan meal ideas each day. Incorporate these into a meal plan, then base your shopping list around this.
Try to include as much variety as possible - for example, if you’re having an avocado-based breakfast, try to choose a lunch and dinner based around different ingredients; likewise, if you’re having sourdough for breakfast, you’ll probably want something different for lunch.
Make sure you’re taking care to include a little of each food group in every meal wherever possible to ensure you’re still getting a balanced diet and plenty of nutrition.
High-Protein Vegan Foods
Here are some examples of high-protein vegan ingredients to incorporate into your meal plans:
- Almonds
- Almond milk
- Beans and pulses, such as kidney beans, cannellini beans, black beans, chickpeas etc.
- Cashew nuts
- Lentils
- Potatoes
- Quinoa
- Rice
- Seeds, including sunflower, pumpkin and chia seeds
- Soy milk
- Tempeh
- Tofu
Garden of Life Raw Organic Protein Powder is another great vegan source of protein. Made using organic, whole food ingredients, this vegan protein powder is available in Unflavoured, Vanilla, Chocolate and Vanilla Chai options.
Vegan High-Protein Breakfast Ideas
Try incorporating these high-protein vegan breakfast ideas into your weekly meal plan:
- Vegan breakfast burrito with avocado, beans and tomato
- Toasted sourdough bread with avocado and baked beans
- Scrambled tofu on toast
- Vegan protein breakfast bars
- Vegan fry-up with scrambled tofu, fried mushrooms, baked beans, fried tomatoes and sourdough bread
- Quinoa porridge, made with coconut or almond milk, a scoop of Garden of Life Raw Organic All-in-One Vanilla Protein and a sprinkle of cinnamon
Vegan High-Protein Lunch Ideas
Here are some of our favourite vegan-friendly, high-protein lunch ideas:
- Three bean chilli with guacamole
- Classic jacket potato with baked beans
- Curried tofu wraps
- Lentil soup with sourdough bread
- Baked sweet potato with baked beans
- Buddha bowl, with quinoa, kale, sweet potato, roasted chickpeas, paprika, coriander and avocado
Vegan, High-Protein Snack Ideas
Add one or two of these plant-based snack ideas into your meal plan each day to help keep hunger at bay and to make sure you’re keeping your body nourished:
- Apple slices with peanut butter
- Medjool dates
- A square or two of vegan chocolate
- Vegan jerky
- Guacamole with veg crudites and homemade tortilla chips
- A Garden of Life protein shake or smoothie
Vegan, High-Protein Dinner Ideas
Round off your day with one of these delicious and nutritious vegan, high-protein dinner ideas:
- Vegan katsu curry made with tofu and served with sticky rice
- Chargrilled cauliflower tacos
- Grilled tofu burger with sweet potato wedges
- Broccoli and cashew stir fry
- Black bean and quinoa ‘meatballs’ with pasta
- Seitan stir fry
- Vegetable-stuffed aubergine topped with vegan cheese
- Grilled vegetable skewers with chargrilled corn on the cob
- Miso-roasted aubergines
Protein isn’t the only nutrient that can be a little more challenging for vegans to get enough of. Learn more about the supplements on our blog:
