Those following, or looking to follow, a vegan diet can sometimes be concerned about their protein intake.
Protein is an important macronutrient required by your body for maintenance, energy, and repairs.
The truth is that those following a healthy, balanced plant-based diet shouldn’t have any problems hitting their daily protein intake.
Protein can be found in a variety of foods, including lentils and beans to nuts, seeds, and tofu.
Together with lots of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains – you’ll have yourself a perfectly balanced vegan diet.
By simply incorporating quinoa, kanut, barley, tofu, or root vegetables, amongst a wide range of other ingredients, into your vegan recipes, you’ll instantly increase your protein content.
Are you looking for some high-protein vegan meals? Then you’ve come to the right place. Below, we have outlined some of the best vegan meals that are not only healthy but high in protein.
Let’s get straight into it!
1. Lettuce Wraps With Teriyaki Tempeh
In addition to being delicious, this lettuce wrap and teriyaki tempeh recipe can be made in just under 30 minutes – the best of both worlds!
Packed with plant-based protein and goodness, you’ll receive satisfying bursts of flavor with each mouthful. Plus, you’ll find gorgeous fermented soybeans which are great for your gut.
For a ground meat substitute, instead of pan-frying or baking the tempeh, try crumbling it up for a similar meat texture.
These tempeh lettuce wraps make for an easy yet delicious vegan dinner. Bonus? They are meal-prep friendly so you can whip up a big batch to be used throughout the week!
2. White Beans And Kale Skillet
This white bean and kale skillet is the perfect hearty, healthy meal. Complemented with sweet onions, fire-roasted tomatoes, and beautiful artichoke hearts, these Italian beans are both 100% and insanely delicious.
The best part? This skillet recipe can be whipped up in less than 20 minutes, with very minimal cleanup after!
Simply throw all the ingredients into the skillet to cook, and then, serve it alongside some warm bread – beautiful Italian flavors without leaving your kitchen!
Feel free to add some extra spices, such as rosemary, fresh parsley, oregano, thyme, and basil. Bay leaves are also a great addition once the liquid is incorporated.
3. Black Bean And Sweet Potato Chili
Whether you’re looking to create a healthy hearty vegan meal, or a plant-based dish the whole family is guaranteed to enjoy, then you can’t go wrong with the black bean and sweet potato chili.
The carrots and sweet potatoes work in complete harmony to counteract the heat from the spices while the added beans create a hearty texture.
All the ingredients in the recipe can be substituted to suit all dietary requirements, and, if you use water or gluten-free vegetable broth, you can make it gluten-free, too.
This meal is an excellent source of protein for all diets. Serve your chili with all your favorite toppings and a side of cornbread to complete the meal.
4. Peanutty Quinoa Bowls
Packaged-baked tofu could be considered the vegan equivalent of a rotisserie chicken. Simply pick it up from the store, and you have yourself hundreds of different meal options.
Whether you throw a slab into a bun and top it with lettuce, add it to a veggie stir fry, cube it for a salad, or eat it on its own – the possibilities are endless.
This Peanutty Quinoa Bowl is just one way to make the most out of your tofu, and the great part is that it is super simple to make.
All you need to do is toss some quinoa with veggies and peanut sauce and then serve with a few slices of tofu. It is an effective yet delicious way to increase your protein intake.
This recipe serves two people, however, if you’re only serving one, simply toss the rest in the refrigerator for lunch the next day!
5. Stuffed Peppers
Mexican food is known for its burst of intense flavors and mouth-watering aromas, however, not all Mexican food caters to vegans.
Luckily, these stuffed peppers contain everything you know and love about Mexican food but with a plant-based twist.
This recipe is entirely vegan and will leave you feeling satisfied and full. They are hearty, delicious, and oh-so full of flavor.
Plus, these plant-based stuffed peppers take on the ingredients, flavors, and concepts commonly found in Mexican cuisine.
With only 10 ingredients, chances are you already have everything you need right in your pantry – there’s no need to worry about dashing to the grocery store!
You’ll find heavenly quinoa which has been cooked in smoky spices, vegetable stock, corn, and black beans, which all come together when stuffed in a crunchy sweet bell pepper and then roasted to perfection!
6. Pea And Carrot Soba Noodles
This is a fantastic, green soba dish that is packed with vitamins and minerals to keep you healthy. It contains more produce than it does noodles – keeping it light and fresh.
Once you have the vegetables prepared and the dressing assembled, this is a pretty simple recipe to whip together.
Simply bring two pots of water to boil: one for the snap peas and edamame, and the other for the bottles, which are all cooked briefly before draining.
Then all you have to do is toss the ingredients together, mix, and serve!
7. Tuscan Kale And Lentil Soup
This Tuscan kale and lentil soup are sure to become a family favorite. Packed with wholesome goodness, it is a vegan meal-in-one ready in less than one hour!
It will keep you full for hours without any heavy feelings or bloating – this perfect winter dinner to warm you from your head to your toes.
The best part about this recipe is that the lentils don’t require any soaking or cooking ahead of time. All you have to do is rinse them well then pop them in the soup – easy peasy!
8. Lentil Loaf With A Maple Glaze
This recipe is reminiscent of all those meatloaves you ate throughout your childhood on holidays, although, instead of meat you’ll find an array of lentil goodness.
It is incredibly flavorful and works perfectly as a vegetarian or vegan entree before your holiday meals. Despite it being vegan, you’ll find all the meat-eaters in your family enjoying it, too.
This lentil load has plenty of flavor and textures much like a meatloaf… but make it vegan! The sweet and savory glaze is made using tomatoes, free from refined sugars but still incredibly delicious.
Plus, you don’t have to worry about it crumbling apart, the meatloaf holds together surprisingly well, even when cut!
It is the perfect meal if you’re looking to recreate the classic but without the meat for a classic holiday dinner.
9. Quinoa Veggie Black Bean Burgers
This is sure to become your new go-to veggie burger recipe! These Black Bean Quinoa Veggie Burgers are gluten-free, filled with plant protein, and absolutely vegan!
This recipe doesn’t recipe any technical or intricate cooking skills, it’s simple enough for a simple weekday meal when you don’t know what to cook.
Plus, it makes for the perfect meal-prep recipe, to make those Mondays and Fridays even easier!
The furthest your cooking skills will be stretched is by sauteing your vegetables before assembling the burgers.
While using both the stove and baking the burgers may sound excessive, trust us, this step will be worth it – packing the black bean burgers with plenty of caramelized flavors.
This Vegan Enchilada Casserole is the very definition of hearty vegan comfort food! Plus, it makes the perfect dinner recipe, coming together in just under an hour.
10. Enchilada Casserole
Typically, when thinking of comfort foods, your mind automatically wanders to foods such as stews, casseroles, or soups, which are usually reserved for the winter.
However, that doesn’t mean you can’t eat them all year round!
Top this enchilada casserole with plenty of avocados, cilantro, tomato, and freshly squeezed lime for summer flavors.
In addition, thanks to the hearty black beans, lots of sauce, and more vegan cheese, this dish will give you the big hug-on-the-plate you’re looking for in the winter months.
You may be thinking, it can’t possibly get better than this! Well, wait till you hear this. It only requires 15 minutes of hands-on preparation before popping this beauty in the oven – where it does the rest of the work for you.
Final Thoughts…
It’s a common misconception that vegans struggle to maintain appropriate levels of protein. However, this is just not the case.
With a healthy, balanced diet, those following a vegan diet are able to get more than enough protein from foods such as nuts, legumes, tofu, and much more!
With the right recipes, you’ll be reaching your protein consumption goals in no time. Hopefully, this guide has provided you with some high-protein vegan meal inspiration.
