5 Realistic Ways For Indians To Get Enough Protein On A Plant-Based Diet

Tired of seeing lists suggesting brussels sprout, kale, and hemp seeds? Same here. There's no denying their health benefits, but they're not grown in India, and quite frankly, they're not foods most Indians consume.

Instead, we're going to show you 5 plant-based foods every Indian can eat more of to get enough protein!

1. Urad Dal

One cup (8 oz) of cooked urad dal (black gram) contains 15g of plant-based protein. 

Urad dal is a staple, and it's a good source of protein. There's a host of recipes across various states in India with urad dal. It's used in idlis to gojjus in the south, and more mouth-watering applications in the north. 

To make your childhood favorites vegan, use One Good Curd, One Good Ghee, and One Good Butter. 

2. Groundnuts

One ounce of peanuts contains 7g of plant-based protein. 

Pretty high, no? We think so too. Apart from being used in lemon rice and puliogres in the south, most parts of our country also use peanuts generously to make chikkis and laddus. Millennials have also found a great way to get their protein with peanut butter banana smoothies in the mornings. Feel free to Google away 100 different ways to use groundnuts in your diet.

3. Sesame Seeds

1 tablespoon of sesame seeds contains 4g of plant-based protein. 

While being packed with protein, sesame seeds have a host of other nutrients like good fats, fibre and loads of minerals. The “Til Laddu” or “Yellu Bella” eaten during the harvest festival isn’t just a tasty snack. If you’re bored of sesame balls, there’s the Hyderabadi “Til ka Khatta” which can serve as a double portion of protein when eaten with the humble Khichadi.

4. Chickpeas AKA Channa

1 cup of cooked chickpeas contains 8g of plant-based protein. 

Channa, an old favourite, has to be on the list, of course! If your go-to snack isn’t the karnataka-andhra style usli with loads of fresh grated coconut, this is your sign to make it today!

And did you know sprouting your chickpeas makes their inherent nutrients more bioavailable?

5. Plant-Based Paneer 

100g of One Good Paneer contains a whopping 14g of plant-based protein.

We’re definitely NOT talking about tofu posing as paneer, we’re talking about a creamy, firm alternative made from cashews and almonds. And it happens to be one of the few vegan paneers that is soy-free!

Make all the rasmalais, manchurians, stir-fries, and curries without the guilt!

This is just a list of our favourite plant based protein sources, there’s loads of other options like Rajma, beans, pumpkin seeds, chana dal, toor dal, moong dal etc. Check out our other blog posts on protein:

And remember to keep shopping plant-based! Share this blog with someone who needs it.