Vegan Protein Table

Low-Carb High-Protein Vegan Foods

These vegan foods have 10 g of carbs or less per 100 g. The table is filtered for you; switch views to compare per serving or per calorie, or turn off the filter to see everything.

Your daily protein target

84 g protein per day, roughly (4 portions of 20 g)

0.8 g/kg is the US Recommended Dietary Allowance for adults; 1.2 and 1.6 g/kg are ranges commonly suggested for active people. Not medical advice.

11 of 34 foods
Pea protein powdertypical labelvaries by brand
72.7 g
 364 3 g 6.1 g 28 g · 100 kcal
Seitanstore-bought, high-protein brandvaries by brand
31.6 g
 158 8.8 g 0.9 g 63 g · 100 kcal
Hemp heartshulled hemp seeds
31.6 g
 553 8.7 g 48.8 g 63 g · 350 kcal
TempehSoy
20.3 g
 192 7.6 g 10.8 g 99 g · 189 kcal
Soybeansmature, boiled
18.2 g
 172 8.4 g 9 g 110 g · 189 kcal
Firm tofucalcium-set
17.3 g
 144 2.8 g 8.7 g 116 g · 166 kcal
Edamameshelled
11.9 g
 121 8.9 g 5.2 g 168 g · 203 kcal
Silken tofufirm
6.9 g
 62 2.4 g 2.7 g 290 g · 180 kcal
Soy milkunsweetenedvaries by brand
3.3 g
 33 2.1 g 1.5 g 606 g · 200 kcal
SpinachVegetables
3 g
 23 3.8 g 0.3 g 667 g · 153 kcal
BroccoliVegetables
2.4 g
 35 7.2 g 0.4 g 833 g · 292 kcal

Values are averages per 100 g as eaten unless marked dry weight. Items marked varies by brand use typical label values, so check your package.

Highest-protein low-carb foods in this table

With the low-carb filter on, 11 foods remain. Ranked by protein per 100 g, they are:

  1. Pea protein powder: 72.7 g protein, 3 g carbs
  2. Seitan: 31.6 g protein, 8.8 g carbs
  3. Hemp hearts: 31.6 g protein, 8.7 g carbs
  4. Tempeh: 20.3 g protein, 7.6 g carbs
  5. Soybeans: 18.2 g protein, 8.4 g carbs
  6. Firm tofu: 17.3 g protein, 2.8 g carbs
  7. Edamame: 11.9 g protein, 8.9 g carbs
  8. Silken tofu: 6.9 g protein, 2.4 g carbs
  9. Soy milk: 3.3 g protein, 2.1 g carbs
  10. Spinach: 3 g protein, 3.8 g carbs
  11. Broccoli: 2.4 g protein, 7.2 g carbs

Why low-carb vegan eating is tricky

Most traditional vegan protein comes packaged with starch. Beans, lentils, chickpeas and whole grains are common protein sources, but in each of them carbohydrate outweighs protein. If you cut carbs, you remove the foods many vegans rely on for protein, so you need to replace them on purpose.

The replacements fall into three groups:

Watch the calories, not just the carbs

Low carb does not mean low calorie. Nuts and seeds pass the carb filter easily, yet they carry more than 500 calories per 100 g. Turn on Low calorie as well to see which foods are both low in carbs and light, or switch to Per 100 kcal to see which give the most protein for their calories.

A low-carb vegan day

Breakfast could be a tofu scramble with spinach. Lunch could be tempeh with stir-fried broccoli. Dinner could be seitan or tofu in a curry, with a small portion of lentils if your carb limit allows. Hemp hearts or pumpkin seeds sprinkled on salads add protein between meals.

Very low-carb diets are not right for everyone. If you have diabetes or take medication that affects blood sugar, talk to your doctor before cutting carbs sharply.

Questions people ask

Can you eat low carb and vegan at the same time?

Yes, but it takes planning, because beans, lentils and grains are the usual vegan protein sources and they are high in carbs. Tofu, tempeh, seitan, edamame, nuts and seeds let you keep protein up while keeping carbs low.

Is tofu low in carbs?

Yes. Firm tofu has only a few grams of carbohydrate per 100 g, and most of its calories come from protein and fat.

Are beans and lentils low carb?

No. Cooked black beans have about 24 g of carbs per 100 g. If you are limiting carbs you will need to keep portions small or swap them for soy foods.

What counts as low carb in this table?

Foods with 10 g of carbohydrate or less per 100 g. That threshold is a simple guide for comparing foods, not a medical definition.

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