Protein Guide: vegan protein sources for everyday life

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Note: The following recommendations do not replace individualized nutritional consultation or medical advice. In cases of extreme sports, pregnancy, pre-existing deficiencies, allergies, gastrointestinal conditions, or eating disorders, professional medical guidance should be sought.

This guide is brought to you by The Militant Vegan and The Veganist 🤝

Foreword

‼️ Veganism is not a diet, but a moral decision against the abuse of animals as food, clothing, entertainment, test subjects, or any other consumer goods.

There are specialized nutritionists who can offer consultations beyond the information in this guide for conditions such as multiple allergies, short bowel syndrome, IBD, ulcerative colitis, or situations involving extreme physical demands (e.g. competitive sports).

💡 Our recommendations are based on current nutritional science and our practical everyday experience. They are intended to provide a sound, accessible foundation for a sensible and easily implementable vegan diet for the general public.

💡 For specific information and tips on eating plant-based with allergies, check out our Allergy Guide!

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Introduction: Fundamentals & Reference Values

(Updated according to guidelines, 31.12.25)

Practically recommended protein intake for a vegan diet (BMI < 30):

For physically inactive vegans:
(everyday physical activity, no or only very minimal structured exercise)
→ approx. 1.2–1.6 g protein / kg of body weight

Example: 175 cm, 70 kg, little physical activity

• Lower end: 70 × 1.2 = 84 g protein / day
• Upper end: 70 × 1.6 = 112 g protein / day

→ ≈ 85–112 g protein / day

For physically active vegans:
(regular, intense resistance training, possibly combined with endurance training)
→ approx. 1.6–2.0 g protein / kg of body weight

Example: 175 cm, 70 kg, intense resistance and endurance training

• Lower end: 70 × 1.6 = 112 g protein / day
• Upper end: 70 × 2.0 = 140 g protein / day

→ ≈ 112–140 g protein / day

Explanation: Plant-based protein sources may, depending on the source and level of processing, exhibit lower digestibility and, in some cases, reduced availability of certain essential amino acids compared with highly digestible animal reference proteins. Contributing factors include plant cell structures and antinutritional compounds, which can impair protein digestion and amino acid absorption. This does not indicate an inferiority of plant-based proteins. Rather, it explains why slightly higher protein intake ranges may be appropriate in a fully plant-based diet in order to achieve a comparable level of effective amino acid availability. Therefore, from a practical standpoint, it is advisable for vegans to remain in the upper range of the recommended intake levels, particularly during periods of physical activity, caloric deficit, or high training frequency.

✅ First rule of thumb for a healthy BMI:

To avoid exceeding the recommended daily fat intake, and therefore overall calorie intake, we’ve established a personal rule of thumb: the fat content of protein sources/snacks/spreads should never exceed 13 g/100 g, ideally staying below 10 g/100 g. Additionally, we make sure that the fat content does not surpass the protein content.

→ Example: Hummus is often seen by many vegans as a protein-rich go-to snack. However, most store-bought hummus contains over 22 g of fat per 100 g and only about 8 g of protein! Similarly, falafel are frequently offered as a protein-rich vegan menu option, yet often pack a hefty 18 g of fat for just 13 g of protein ...

! Disclaimer regarding our recommendation to eat a relatively low-fat diet (macronutrients: approximately 60 % carbohydrates, 20–25 % protein, and 15–20 % fat): Our recommendation is based on our personal preference for high-volume rather than calorie-dense meals. If you do better with a more liberal fat intake and slightly reduced carbs (roughly 50 % carbohydrates, 20–25 % protein, 25–30 % fat), that’s absolutely valid too. According to nutritional science, both approaches can support a healthy BMI and lifestyle!

Some of the products featured in this document are sponsored or available through affiliate links, but we only recommend products that we genuinely love, use every day, and wholeheartedly stand behind 💚

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Simple protein sources for cooking

Soy Granules (Textured Soy Protein, TSP)

> 60 g protein, < 5 g fat / 100 g dry product

Textured soy protein is available in both fine and coarse varieties in large bags and, incredibly, contains up to 60 g of protein per 100 g (this refers to the dry product; once rehydrated, it contains around 20 g per 100 g)! Soy has a complete amino acid profile and is now extremely affordable and widely available in regular supermarkets as well as health food stores.

• Soak in a bit of soy sauce or vegetable broth, squeeze out, fry briefly in a little oil, and mix with tomato sauce for a great Bolognese alternative.
• For coarser soy granules (soy strips or chunks), also soak briefly and stir with, for example, Alpro Soy (Light) cream or soy- and low-fat coconut milk or almond butter with onions and mushrooms to make a “Stroganoff” sauce.
• There are also slightly sweet textured soy protein forms like breakfast flakes or soy crispies, which are great for muesli or porridge.

Other notable examples of the many varieties of textured soy protein include soy medallions and “big steaks”, which are available online and often in larger supermarkets and health food stores.

Textured Protein without Soy

> 60 g protein, < 5 g fat / 100 g dry product

Except in cases of soy allergy, there is no sensible reason to generally oppose the consumption of textured soy protein (TSP), especially since soy offers a complete amino acid profile, is very affordable, and can be used in a variety of ways. Nevertheless, we would like to show you alternatives or varieties to TSP with similar applications:

Natural/Smoked Tofu and Silken Tofu

Natural/Smoked Tofu: approx. 7 g fat, 14 g protein / 100 g
Silken Tofu: approx. 2.5 g fat, 5 g protein / 100 g

Tofu is a plant-based food (usually) made from soybeans, it is also available made from chickpeas. It’s produced in a similar way to cheese: soy milk is curdled, pressed, and formed into blocks. It’s mild, versatile, and a popular source of protein worldwide!

Tofu is now available in every supermarket, usually in “natural” and “smoked” tofu varieties. The store brands from supermarkets are quite affordable (around €2.50 for 400 g) and are often made from locally grown soybeans. You can buy tofu even cheaper and in a wider variety at Asian supermarkets, although the soybeans used there sometimes do not come from Europe.

Ways to prepare/use:

• Can be pre-sliced and served raw on bread and taken as a sandwich. (Introducing bread + tofu: BROFU! 🍞💪)
• Mix into various sauces in chunks
• As a spreadable cheese: Mix natural and smoked tofu in a ratio of 1:1 in a blender with Kala Namak salt and nutritional yeast for a hearty, cheesy spreadable cheese
• Turn thinly sliced smoked tofu, fried with a little bit of oil with Kebab or Gyros spices into a meaty filling for a Vegan Kebab!
• Silken tofu looks like pudding and can be used in many recipes (sweet and savory). It’s a bit more expensive in regular supermarkets but incredibly cheap in Asian stores. We love it as an egg substitute in dishes like egg-fried rice, and scrambled eggs:
  • For vegan scrambled eggs, mash a firm natural tofu and a block of silken tofu with a fork and fry them in a pan, season with Kala Namak salt and curry powder. Garnish with parsley and serve on fresh toast!
  • For vegan egg-fried-rice, prepare the rice and vegetables, prepare the vegan scrambled eggs (see step 1), and fry everything in a pan until crispy.

Tempeh

(approx. 11 g fat, 19 g protein / 100 g)

Tempeh is made from pressed, fermented soybeans and is now available in most large supermarkets. To find particularly good, affordable tempeh, we recommend a visit to your local Asian supermarket. There, you can buy 400 g tempeh sticks fresh or frozen for around €2.50.

Pasteurized tempeh can generally be eaten “raw” on bread by healthy adults. You can also slice it and bake it in the oven with paprika seasoning until crispy, or soak it in soy sauce and stir it into vegetable sauces.

✨ With the code BEVEGAN, you get super tasty tempeh from FOURTASTE with 10 % off. (Sponsored, but genuinely a heartfelt recommendation!)

Seitan (= wheat protein / gluten)

(approx. 2 g fat, 75 g protein / 100 g)

Seitan is wheat protein and therefore not suitable for people with celiac disease (gluten allergy). For most people, however, this protein is harmless and is very popular in plant-based cuisine as a meat-like ingredient. It can be purchased in Asian supermarkets, health food stores, and well-stocked larger supermarkets as a powder (“seitan base”, “seitan mix”) or as a ready-made product.

ℹ️ Seitan is often referred to as a “bad” protein, especially by the carnivore community, because it lacks a complete amino acid profile. An apple doesn’t have a complete amino acid profile either, but that doesn’t make it unhealthy. We assume that seitan isn’t the ONLY protein source and that side dishes are also consumed. Combining seitan with rice, for example, provides a complete amino acid profile. You don’t have to include all amino acids in every dish, but rather focus on a varied diet with a selection of different nutrient sources.

• In powder form, you can try making burger patties, roulades, or roast beef using various recipes online.
• Alternatively, some brands offer ready-to-fry seitan-dough pieces in a jar. Simply squeeze out any water and fry it in a pan with a touch of oil along with other vegetables, spices, and soy sauce, or mix it into various sauces after frying until crispy.

Various vegan “meat alternatives”

Nowadays, virtually every type of animal-carcass-meat is available without a slaughterhouse! What ignorant non-vegans like to dismiss as evil “chemical meat” is usually just pressed soybeans or pea protein with spices. Of course, there are healthier and less healthy versions of these products depending on the brand and processing. We’ve listed a few recommended products (in terms of taste and macronutrient content) below. The general rule when food shopping also applies here: stick to the protein-to-fat rule of thumb (ideally < 13 g fat/100 g; protein in g > fat in g) and vary your protein sources.

Attention: Processed foods can contain high amounts of salt, and daily salt intake should not exceed 3.5 g (see Food Pyramid Guide).

These alternatives are an easy and delicious way to incorporate more plant-based protein into your everyday diet, with little compromise on taste:

Protein Pasta

Many brands are now relying on (usually overpriced) lentil or pea noodles. These are marketed as protein-rich fitness food and a low-carb alternative to regular wheat noodles. We do not want to feed the unreasonable fear of carbs, but we still want to mention that such noodles do exist. Instead of eating them as an alternative to regular pasta, you can combine them 50:50. If you prefer a cheaper, equally protein-rich option, you can simply add lentils, beans, or the cheaper protein sources mentioned above to your pan!

Protein Shakes

(~20 g protein per serving, excluding plant milk proteins)

Protein shakes are a simple way to quickly increase your protein intake in everyday life. Almost every protein brand now offers vegan versions. We drink the shakes from Nutri-Plus with a 1:1 mix of soy milk and water, see below! :) Discount code VEGANIST → 10% at NUTRI-PLUS

Drinkable meals: Huel and Y-Food, for example, offer “complete meals” for 500 calories per bottle. These drinkable meals are delicious and convenient, but unfortunately quite high in fat (approx. > 20 g fat per drink) and, with only 500 calories, don’t make much sense as a meal replacement, as they are marketed. It’s better to bring your own protein shake or prepared meals for everyday use!

There are many varieties and manufacturers of protein powder, each with varying levels of nutritional quality and flavor. Shop around, you’ll find powders ranging from fairly neutral “natural” to more intensely flavored! When purchasing, keep in mind: reputable manufacturers provide the amino acid profile on the packaging. Don’t be irrationally afraid of soy protein shakes, soy, in particular, offers a complete amino acid profile (contains all 9 essential amino acids in balanced ratios).

Attention: Liquid calories count too! Drink slowly and keep each sip in your mouth for a while. Don’t rush your meals either!

Nutri-Plus.de: 10% with the code VEGANIST

Sponsored, but genuinely recommended 💚

Why protein shakes from Nutri-Plus?

• ✅ Sugar-free and with an optimally balanced amino acid profile, for real results.
• ✅ You choose: with or WITHOUT sweeteners! Without sweeteners → perfect for high-protein baking at high temperatures 🔥
• ✅ Made in Germany, produced in small batches and according to the highest standards (IFS & GMP).

Ethical advantages of Nutri-Plus:

• You support a fully vegan company ⚖️
• 5 % of their monthly website revenue goes to animal & environmental protection organizations 🐷

Our favorite Nutri-Plus products (10% with the code VEGANIST):

Preparation: We mix 30 g of powder with approx. 150 ml of soy milk and 150 ml of water in a shaker.

➡️ If you are looking for a vegan, sugar-free shake with an ideal amino acid profile that provides you with high-quality protein and keeps you full, Nutri-Plus is perfect.

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Higher-protein Vegetables

(In this paragraph, soy and legumes are not listed as vegetables.)

✅ Second rule of thumb for a healthy BMI:

To achieve and maintain your ideal weight and ensure adequate micronutrient intake, it’s helpful to ensure that roughly half of your plate is covered with vegetables at every meal. These vegetables should be prepared with low-fat ingredients (in water, in a steamer, or in the oven).

For an additional protein boost: in addition to your main protein source (see above), here is a list of particularly protein-rich vegetables:

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Watch out: NOT recommended as a vegan protein source

Legumes

Example: Kidney beans, 8.7 g protein, 0.5 g fat / 100 g COOKED beans

There is a myth that legumes such as kidney beans, peas, and chickpeas are good vegan sources of protein. It is true that they have slightly higher protein values than bread or rice, but these are less well absorbed than the previously mentioned sources due to several mechanisms (cellulose coating as well as the acid in legumes inhibit digestibility). Legumes can and should be consumed as an integral part of a healthy diet, but they should not be considered the primary source of protein intake.

Furthermore, increased consumption of legumes or increased consumption of high-fiber carbohydrate sources (brown rice, spelt, etc.) can lead to digestive discomfort in the form of bloating, especially in people who have recently adopted a plant-based diet. Often, the intestinal flora gets used to the increased fiber intake within a few weeks, but initial discomfort should not stop anyone from getting their protein!

Vegan cheese:

Many animal exploiters meet a large portion of their protein needs through dairy products. Low-fat cheese, in varieties such as cream cheese, or skyr, is particularly popular in the fitness world.

There are vegan versions of virtually every milk and cheese product that are practically identical in taste and consistency. BUT (!!!) there’s a big disappointment: We are not yet aware of any low-fat, high-protein vegan alternatives for these stolen breast milk products!

Current cheese alternatives are practically exclusively nutritionally “garbage”, and we avoid these products in our daily lives. These plant-based cheeses usually consist of pure coconut oil and mixtures of vegetable fats, nut milk, and/or pressed nuts. Products that are actually just fermented pressed nuts can still be considered not to be a health disaster, but they are still very high in fat and calories and definitely cannot be considered a sensible source of protein in everyday life.

Our recommendation: Vegan cheese substitutes are OK for taste, but they should be considered an unreasonable exception from a health and fitness perspective!

Here are some ideas for more healthy, yet still rather high-fat home-made cheese alternatives:

• Pizza-cheese: Cashew butter + nutritional yeast + garlic salt
• Parmesan: nutritional yeast + garlic salt + ground walnuts
• Cream cheese (even relatively low-fat): let unsweetened plain soy yogurt drain overnight in the fridge through a cheesecloth, then season with herb salt and chives the next day; mix with agave syrup, date syrup or berries for a sweet variation

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Easy on-the-go protein sources

Attention: In today’s non-vegan world, many bakeries and restaurants still DO NOT adapt their vegan options to include an adequate SOURCE OF PROTEIN in vegan meals! It is therefore very important that we pay attention to this ourselves and don’t simply replace a schnitzel with a salad and avocado or swap a ham-and-cheese sandwich for a hummus and cucumber sandwich. It helps to be aware of this and proactively bring vegan protein sources with us for everyday use (see above for recommendations).

DM/Rossmann

Nowadays, many supermarkets and health food stores offer small, low-fat vegan protein shakes and protein cookies that are reasonably balanced in terms of macronutrients and even fairly affordable. Here are some reasonable example products we find in Germany:

Raffaelas (weird) on-the-go-tip: For those who enjoy eating tempeh raw as a snack: It is very suitable as a high-protein food to take on the go, as unlike tofu it does not drip or crumble. You can eat it as a stick together with a piece of whole-grain bread and a bell pepper, giving you a protein-rich, fairly affordable lunch that is easy to eat on the go :)

Salad bars

Many supermarkets now have a salad bar with a (large) selection of vegan meat alternatives that you can stock up on at reasonable prices. In Germany, we can especially recommend Rewe:

Sandwiches / Wraps

In general, bakeries now often sell vegan wraps and sandwiches in addition. As already mentioned, however, these stores pay little attention to offering their vegan customers any protein rich and reasonably nutrient-balanced selection. For example: alongside the ham-and-cheese sandwich made from dead animals (which is rich in protein and calcium) they offer their vegan sandwich filled with avocado, vegetables, and hummus (which is all rather low in protein and high in fat). It is therefore not surprising that inattentive new vegans may sometimes unintentionally adopt a less nutritious and lower-protein diet if they continue their habit of “quickly grabbing something from the bakery during the day” without reflecting on the nutritional aspects and simply switch to the vegan options!

In the to-go section of supermarkets, train stations, and many gas stations, the occasional protein-rich vegan wrap and sandwich have now secured a place alongside the usual baked goods. In everyday life, it’s not recommended due to the high salt content and the often sugary sauces/breads. Processed foods can contain high amounts of salt, and daily salt intake should not exceed 3.5 g (see Food Pyramid Guide). However, if your only other options while traveling are salad and fries, these products can be a reasonably sensible solution:

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Restaurants

It’s now very common for every restaurant (even steakhouses!) to offer at least one vegan dish. At the risk of repeating ourselves, it must be said again: The vegan versions of animal-carcass main courses are NOT designed by restaurants with a focus on providing reasonable nutrition for their vegan customers! This sometimes goes so far that instead of a calorie- and protein-rich cow carcass burger, vegans are served a literally slimmed-down version with a fried mushroom instead of the meat patty. The calcium- and protein-rich breast milk cheese is also carelessly omitted or replaced with a vegan processed cheese made entirely from coconut oil. Please DO NOT fall into these traps for your nutritional needs! Eating something like this occasionally is OK, but you have to be aware that you’re eating significantly less and less nutritious food than with a regular menu.

In general, the following can be said about restaurant visits (even vegan restaurants!): Restaurant owners have one primary goal in mind: making sure you enjoy the food so much that you’ll come back! Salt, fat, and sugar are obviously important flavor drivers here, so please be aware that restaurant food is harder to track (how much oil is in it?) than cooking it yourself. Restaurant meals can also contain high amounts of salt, and daily salt intake should not exceed 3.5 g (see Food Pyramid Guide).

But we also have a few tips for eating out as a fit vegan:

• Ask for less oil (“Could you please fry/cook this with as little oil as possible? Thank you!”)
• Ask if you’re unsure: Is this meal very fatty?
• Stay away from (coconut) curries and vegan cream sauces
• Good restaurants for healthy, low-fat, and protein-rich meals: Asian (edamame, tofu, vegetables, rice, ask for low-fat preparation!), Indian (potatoes, chickpeas, sometimes tofu; edamame, ask for low-fat preparation!)
• Bad restaurants for healthy, low-fat, and protein-rich meals: Italian (at regular Italian restaurants, often only pasta with tomato sauce and oil for vegans; at vegan Italian restaurants: greasy pizzas with oil-cheese, although sometimes good protein sources like vegan chicken), various fast-food chains

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More helpful resources for your vegan life

• ➡️ ℹ️ All guides (HOW-VEGAN.COM)
• ➡️ 🍽️ Plate composition + vegan food pyramid
• ➡️ ✅ Nutrient guide
• ➡️ 🛒 Grocery guide
• ➡️ 🤰 Pregnancy and breastfeeding guide
• ➡️ 🥜 Allergy guide
• ➡️ 📖 Recipe collection + kitchen essentials
• ➡️ ⚖️ WHY-VEGAN.COM
• ➡️ 🤝 Our vegan community

Our vegan nutrition team

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