Vegan Protein Sources: UK Foods, Powders and the Science

The vegan protein sources with the most protein per portion are tempeh, firm tofu, seitan, edamame, soya beans, mycoprotein and cooked pulses; nuts and seeds add 4 to 8 g a handful. A vegan adult needs the same protein as anyone else. The table below gives UK figures per 100 g as eaten, per realistic portion and per 100 kcal from the national dataset.^{1, 2} How plant protein compares with animal protein is reported below as trial counts.

Which vegan foods have the most protein?

The figures are from McCance and Widdowson's Composition of Foods Integrated Dataset, 2021, with the food code for every row; portions are editorial.¹

Notes. Seitan, TVP, chia and hemp seeds have no row in the dataset, so their figures are typical UK pack values marked "label". Quinoa is given dry because the dataset has no cooked row; cooked, it is about a third of that (estimated). And a gram of pulse protein is not a gram of isolate: cooked chickpeas and yellow peas delivered about 72 to 75% of their essential amino acids by the end of the small intestine in one human study, a pea protein isolate about 94% in another.^{3, 4} The all-diet table is on foods high in protein.

How much protein do vegans need?

The same as everyone else: the UK dietary reference value, set in the 1991 Dietary Reference Values report, is 0.75 g per kilogram of body weight a day, carried in the government's dietary recommendations as 45 g for a woman and 55.5 g for a man aged 19 to 64.² The sports-nutrition position stand puts people who train at 1.4 to 2.0 g/kg and the PROT-AGE group puts healthy adults over 65 at 1.0 to 1.2 g/kg.^{5, 6} Spread matters too: in eight adults, about 30 g at each of three meals gave 25% more muscle protein synthesis over 24 hours than the same total skewed to dinner.⁷ Body-weight arithmetic: how much protein vegans need; the general figure: how much protein you need a day.

Which sources are these, one by one?

Soya. The bean behind tofu, tempeh, edamame and soya drinks, with the largest trial record of any plant protein, and one of the UK's 14 labelled allergens.⁸ On the digestibility score FAO recommends (DIAAS) soya averages at or above 75 in the 2020 compilation, the band whey shares; among plant proteins only potato scored above 100, with casein and egg.⁹ Hormones, thyroid and cholesterol are on soya protein.

Pea. Whole peas and the isolate behind most vegan powders are different numbers: in 15 adults the isolate scored a DIAAS of 1.00 against 1.45 for casein, in a study co-authored by the ingredient's maker, whereas cooked yellow peas delivered 71.6% of their essential amino acids.^{3, 4} Pea is not a labelled allergen, yet pea isolates have caused anaphylaxis in a Canadian case series of children; speak to your allergy clinic before trying a new isolate if you have a legume or nut allergy.^{8, 10} More on pea protein.

TVP, soya chunks and soya mince. Defatted soya flour, cooked and dried: soya flour is 34.3 g of protein per 100 g (11-898), the rehydrated food about 15 to 17 g (label).¹ Cooking is on TVP, soya chunks and soya mince.

Seitan. Wheat gluten kneaded and simmered, about 25 g of protein per 100 g as sold (label); the 75 g often quoted is the dry powder. Cereals containing gluten are a labelled allergen class; seitan is out in coeliac disease and wheat allergy.⁸

Mycoprotein. A fermented fungus sold as pieces and mince: 14.0 g of protein per 100 g at 73 kcal, the most protein per 100 kcal in the table.¹ Some lines use egg white and are vegetarian, not vegan. In a 10-week UK trial funded by the producer, a mycoprotein-rich vegan diet gave the same muscle gains as an omnivorous one.¹¹

Pulses. Lentils, chickpeas, beans and split peas: 8 to 9 g per 100 g cooked, 10 to 17 g per portion; 200 g of red lentils gives 16 g for pence.¹ None is on the UK allergen list.⁸ Pulses head the NHS list of iron sources for vegans; see foods high in iron.¹⁴

Nuts and seeds. 4 to 8 g from a 25 to 30 g handful. Peanuts, tree nuts and sesame are labelled allergens.⁸ Chia seeds and partially defatted chia powders are authorised GB novel foods with conditions of use.¹²

Grains. Oats, wholemeal bread, wholewheat pasta, quinoa and brown rice add 4 to 9 g a portion and supply the amino acids pulses lack.

Hemp. Hulled hemp seeds are about 31 g of protein per 100 g (label), but the DIAAS compilation places hemp protein below 75.⁹

Fava bean, potato and rapeseed protein. The pulse behind "fava bean protein" is the broad bean, 26.1 g of protein per 100 g dried (13-067) and 9.0 g boiled (13-648), an established UK pulse now also sold as an extracted protein.¹ Potato and rapeseed proteins are authorised GB novel-food ingredients with conditions of use.¹² In a compilation by employees of a potato-protein producer, potato protein averaged a DIAAS above 100 and fava bean, rapeseed, pea and rice below 75; in 24 men, 30 g of potato protein matched milk protein for muscle protein synthesis.^{9, 13}

Not a protein source per serving. Spirulina, chlorella, nutritional yeast, leaf powders and yeast extract are high per 100 g and eaten by the teaspoon: yeast extract is 40.7 g per 100 g, 1.6 g in a 4 g scraping.¹ The NHS says a vitamin B12 supplement "may be needed" on a vegan diet; see foods high in vitamin B12.¹⁴

Is plant protein as good as animal protein?

When the day's total is adequate, the trials do not separate soya from milk protein, and single non-soya sources show a small gap in muscle mass with no gap in strength. In 2018, 9 trials in 266 people found no difference in strength or lean mass between soya and whey or other animal protein during resistance training.¹⁵ In 2021, 16 trials found no difference in absolute lean mass or strength; animal protein was ahead on percent lean mass, and adults under 50 gained 0.41 kg more lean mass on it.¹⁶ In 2025, 30 pooled trials gave plant protein slightly less muscle mass (standardised mean difference -0.20), in under-60s but not over-60s; soya equalled milk protein across 17 trials; non-soya single sources (rice, chia, oat, potato) sat behind animal protein in 5 trials and plant-based diets in 7; strength (14 trials) and performance (5) did not differ; no trial measured sarcopenia.¹⁷ Head to head, 19 vegans on soya and 19 omnivores on whey at 1.6 g/kg gained the same 1.2 kg of leg lean mass and strength over 12 weeks, and 22 young adults at about 2 g/kg gained the same lean mass over 10 weeks.^{11, 18}

What is a complete protein, and does it matter?

"Complete protein" describes composition, a food carrying all nine essential amino acids at or above the reference pattern; it is not a benefit. Soya averages a DIAAS of at least 75 and potato protein above 100; most pulses are short of methionine and most grains of lysine, so variety across the day, not pairing at every meal, is what the amino acid data support.⁹ Collagen, an animal protein, has no tryptophan; the whey comparison is on what collagen lacks. Scores for every food are on what a complete protein is.

How do you get 25 to 30 g in a meal from plants?

By stacking two or three rows of the table: 100 g of tempeh with 180 g of wholewheat spaghetti is 30.1 g; 200 g of green lentils with two slices of wholemeal bread, 80 g of broccoli and 25 g of pumpkin seeds is 31.8 g; 150 g of fried tofu with 180 g of brown rice is 41.7 g.¹ The 25 to 30 g figure is from the distribution study above; a full day is on how much protein vegans need.⁷

How much protein do older adults need on a plant-based diet?

PROT-AGE recommends 1.0 to 1.2 g/kg a day for healthy adults over 65, 1.2 or more with exercise and 1.2 to 1.5 g/kg during illness; severe kidney disease without dialysis is the exception, where protein may need limiting.⁶ Per meal, older men needed about 0.40 g/kg to reach the plateau young men reached at 0.24 g/kg, 28 g for a 70 kg person; the gap was borderline by body weight and clear by lean mass.¹⁹ On plant sources the evidence is thin: the 2025 analysis found no difference in over-60s, with few trials.¹⁷ Anyone with a long-term condition has a figure set by their GP or dietitian.

When does a vegan protein powder fit?

When a meal cannot carry 25 to 30 g, after 65 when each meal needs more, or when training lifts the daily target. A serving typically supplies about 20 g of protein at about 100 kcal with 1.5 to 2 g of leucine (label norms); the position stand's dose is 20 to 40 g with 700 to 3,000 mg of leucine.⁵ Soya and lupin are labelled allergens and pea is not, yet pea isolates have caused anaphylaxis; anyone with a legume or nut allergy asks their allergy clinic first.^{8, 10} Labels are on is vegan protein powder healthy, the questions women ask on protein powder for women, and protein when appetite is much reduced. The GB register's authorised wording is that protein contributes to the maintenance of muscle mass; the claim "may be used only for food which is at least a source of protein", at least 12% of its energy from protein.²⁰

Which sources are novel foods, and which are not on the GB register?

Authorised, with conditions of use: rapeseed protein (novel-121), coagulated potato proteins and hydrolysates (novel-116), partially hydrolysed protein from spent barley and rice (novel-164), chia seeds and partially defatted chia powders (novel-27, novel-105) and lucerne leaf extract (novel-84).¹² Not on the GB register of authorised novel foods, read 11 October 2026 (register last updated 31 March 2026): duckweed or water lentil in any form, mung bean protein isolate, sacha inchi seed or powder (only the oil, novel-124, is authorised), moringa and other leaf protein concentrates, precision-fermentation dairy and egg proteins, and bacterial single-cell proteins; none is described here as a UK food.¹² It lists authorisations only, so long-established foods such as soya, peas and hemp seed do not appear.

Frequently asked questions

What vegan food is highest in protein?

Per 100 g: peanuts 25.8 g, pumpkin seeds 24.4 g, fried tofu 23.5 g, tempeh 20.7 g, with hulled hemp seeds (about 31 g) and seitan (about 25 g) on label values. Per portion: fried tofu 35 g, seitan about 25 g, tempeh 21 g.¹

Is seitan really 75 g of protein per 100 g?

No. About 75 g is dry vital wheat gluten; seitan as sold and eaten is about 25 g per 100 g on typical UK labels, because it has taken up water. It is out in coeliac disease and wheat allergy.⁸

Do vegans need more protein than meat eaters?

The reference intake is the same, 0.75 g/kg.² A pulse- and grain-led diet sits a little higher within its band, because cooked pulses delivered 63 to 75% of their essential amino acids in the human study and most single plant proteins in the DIAAS compilation score below 75.^{3, 9}

Is soya safe for men?

Across 41 clinical studies, testosterone in 1,753 men and oestradiol in 1,000 did not change with soya protein or isoflavones at any dose or duration.²¹ Thyroid and cholesterol are on soya protein.

Can you build muscle on a vegan diet?

In two protein-matched trials, one producer-funded, vegans eating 1.6 to 2 g/kg and lifting for 10 to 12 weeks gained the same muscle and strength as omnivores; seven pooled diet trials found less muscle.^{11, 17, 18} The register's authorised wording is that protein contributes to a growth in muscle mass, for a food that is at least a source of protein.²⁰

Sources

1. McCance and Widdowson's Composition of Foods Integrated Dataset (CoFID), 2021. gov.uk.
2. Public Health England. Government dietary recommendations, 2016; protein figures from the 1991 Dietary Reference Values report. gov.uk.
3. Kashyap S, et al. True ileal digestibility of legumes in Indian adults. Am J Clin Nutr, 2019. PubMed 31374575.
4. Guillin FM, et al. Real ileal amino acid digestibility of pea protein compared to casein in humans. Am J Clin Nutr, 2022. PubMed 34665230.
5. Jäger R, et al. ISSN position stand: protein and exercise. J Int Soc Sports Nutr, 2017. PubMed 28642676.
6. Bauer J, et al. Dietary protein intake in older people: PROT-AGE position paper. J Am Med Dir Assoc, 2013. PubMed 23867520.
7. Mamerow MM, et al. Dietary protein distribution and 24-h muscle protein synthesis. J Nutr, 2014. PubMed 24477298.
8. FSA. Allergen labelling for food manufacturers: the 14 allergens, 2017. gov.uk.
9. Herreman L, et al. Quality of plant- and animal-sourced proteins by DIAAS. Food Sci Nutr, 2020. PubMed 33133540.
10. Lavine E, Ben-Shoshan M. Anaphylaxis to hidden pea protein: a Canadian pediatric case series. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract, 2019. PubMed 30794967.
11. Monteyne AJ, et al. Vegan and omnivorous high protein diets support comparable muscle protein synthesis and hypertrophy. J Nutr, 2023. Producer-funded. PubMed 36822394.
12. FSA. GB novel food authorisations register, updated 31 March 2026, read 11 October 2026. data.food.gov.uk.
13. Pinckaers PJM, et al. Potato protein ingestion increases muscle protein synthesis at rest and after exercise. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 2022. PubMed 35438672.
14. NHS. The vegan diet, reviewed 5 June 2026. nhs.uk.
15. Messina M, et al. Soy protein versus animal protein on muscle mass and strength with resistance exercise. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab, 2018. PubMed 29722584.
16. Lim MT, et al. Animal protein versus plant protein for lean mass and muscle strength: meta-analysis. Nutrients, 2021. PubMed 33670701.
17. Reid-McCann RJ, et al. Plant versus animal protein on muscle mass, strength, performance and sarcopenia: meta-analysis. Nutr Rev, 2025. PubMed 39813010.
18. Hevia-Larraín V, et al. High-protein plant-based diet versus protein-matched omnivorous diet with resistance training. Sports Med, 2021. PubMed 33599941.
19. Moore DR, et al. Protein dose for myofibrillar protein synthesis in older versus younger men. J Gerontol A, 2015. PubMed 25056502.
20. DHSC. Great Britain nutrition and health claims register, 19 May 2026: the three protein health claims and the nutrition claim "source of protein". gov.uk.
21. Reed KE, et al. Neither soy nor isoflavone intake affects male reproductive hormones: meta-analysis. Reprod Toxicol, 2021. PubMed 33383165.

General information, not medical advice; kidney disease and food allergy are GP or dietitian conversations.