Edamame (young soybeans) tops the list, delivering about 18 grams of protein per cooked cup. That’s more than any other vegetable and roughly equivalent to a small chicken breast. Green peas come in second at around 8 grams per cup, followed by other legume-vegetables like lentils and chickpeas. Beyond these standouts, several everyday vegetables pack a surprising protein punch when you look at what percentage of their calories comes from protein.
Edamame and Green Peas Lead the Pack
Edamame is in a category of its own among vegetables. At nearly 10 grams of protein per 80-gram serving (about half a cup), a full cooked cup pushes close to 18 grams. Soybeans are also one of the few plant foods considered a complete protein, meaning they supply all nine essential amino acids your body can’t make on its own. Soy protein scores a perfect 1.0 on the PDCAAS scale, the standard measure of protein quality, putting it on par with eggs and dairy.
Green peas are the next best option, with about 8 grams of protein per cup. Pea protein scores 0.9 on the same quality scale, making it one of the highest-quality plant proteins available. Peas are also easy to add to almost anything: soups, rice dishes, pasta, or straight from the freezer to the microwave.
Lentils and Chickpeas Are Close Behind
Lentils and chickpeas are technically legumes, but many people think of them as vegetables, and they show up in the same conversations about plant-based protein. Green and brown lentils contain about 8.8 grams of protein per 100 grams cooked, while red lentils come in slightly lower at 7.7 grams per 100 grams. Chickpeas land at 7.6 grams per 100 grams. Per standard 80-gram serving, that works out to roughly 7 grams for lentils and 6 grams for chickpeas.
The protein quality of cooked beans in general is lower than soy or peas, scoring about 0.65 on the PDCAAS scale. That doesn’t mean the protein is wasted. It means beans are slightly less efficient at delivering usable amino acids, and pairing them with grains (rice and beans, hummus and pita) fills in the gaps.
Leafy Greens With Surprising Protein Density
Raw vegetables like spinach, kale, and collard greens don’t deliver huge protein totals per serving, but their protein-to-calorie ratios are remarkable. Spinach provides 2.9 grams of protein per 100 grams while containing only 23 calories. That means 50% of spinach’s calories come from protein, a ratio that beats most foods on the planet. Broccoli is similar, with 2.8 grams per 100 grams and 33% of its calories from protein.
Collard greens stand out among leafy greens with about 4 grams of protein per cooked cup, along with significant calcium and iron. Kale and mustard greens each provide around 2 to 3 grams per cup. You’d need to eat large volumes to match the protein in a cup of edamame, but these greens contribute meaningful protein when they’re a regular part of your diet, especially given how few calories they contain.
How Much Protein You Actually Need
The latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans (2025-2030) recommend that adults consume 1.2 to 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. That’s 50 to 100% higher than older minimum recommendations. For a 150-pound person, this translates to roughly 82 to 109 grams of protein daily.
Vegetables alone won’t get most people to that target, but they can meaningfully contribute. A lunch with a cup of edamame and a cup of green peas already provides about 26 grams of protein. Toss in lentils at dinner and leafy greens on the side, and vegetables could supply a third or more of your daily needs. The key is variety: mixing different plant proteins throughout the day ensures you’re getting all the essential amino acids without relying on any single source.
Protein Quality Matters, Not Just Grams
Not all plant protein is absorbed equally. The PDCAAS scale (which ranges from 0 to 1.0) measures both amino acid completeness and how well your body digests the protein. Soy protein hits 1.0, pea protein scores 0.9, and most cooked beans fall around 0.65. For comparison, eggs and dairy also score 1.0.
What this means practically: if you eat 18 grams of protein from edamame, your body uses nearly all of it. If you eat 7 grams from black beans, your body uses a smaller fraction. This doesn’t make beans a poor choice. It just means you may want to eat slightly more total plant protein than the minimum recommendation suggests, or combine different sources to improve the overall amino acid profile. Grains and legumes together tend to complement each other well, which is why traditional cuisines around the world pair them naturally.