12 High Protein Vegan Recipes With No Soy | VegFAQs (2024)

Go look at any list of high protein vegan recipes, and you’ll see the same ingredients…

Tofu, tempeh, edamame, and other soy-derived products.

If you don’t like to eat soy, want to limit your intake, or are allergic to it, it’s rough.

To solve this problem, I put together a huge list of over 150 high protein vegan meals, but with a twist.

If you’re looking for soy free recipes, go to filter above the table that says

“Do NOT show recipes that include:”

And select “soy” from the drop-down menu.

That will filter out all of the recipes that contain soy in most common forms. After you do that, there’s still at least half the original list of recipes to choose from.

I’ve done that exact thing, and have listed 12 of the best ones (highest protein contents) below for you. They are mostly healthy recipes that focus on ingredients like seitan, protein powder (usually from pea protein), and legumes (beans, lentils, etc.) for the most part.

1. The Easiest Protein Pancakes

12 High Protein Vegan Recipes With No Soy | VegFAQs (1)

This is a great breakfast recipe that is based on vegan protein powder. Most vegan protein powders are made from pea protein or other non-soy protein sources.

Coming from someone who has tried quite a few vegan protein recipes, this is one of the more consistent ones that produce pancakes with good texture.

2. Vegan Cauliflower Lentil Loaf

12 High Protein Vegan Recipes With No Soy | VegFAQs (2)

This soy free and gluten free lentil loaf recipe is obviously focused on lentils as a main protein source, but also includes nutritional yeast for a bit extra. All the other ingredients are relatively low calorie so that the meal overall has pretty good macros.

Many vegetables have a decent amount of protein (compared to overall calories), and that includes cauliflower.

It’s super filling, tastes really good, and can be eaten as a main dish or as a side with many other things.

3. Vegan Chocolate Almond Protein Bars

12 High Protein Vegan Recipes With No Soy | VegFAQs (3)

The easiest way to avoid soy is to make use of vegan protein powder. Very few of them are actually made with soy protein.

These bars have solid macros, and basically taste like a dessert.

In addition to the protein powder, the almonds provide a bit extra protein, and really helps with the taste.

4. Red Cabbage Salad with Curried Seitan

12 High Protein Vegan Recipes With No Soy | VegFAQs (4)

Seitan is made from wheat protein and has an incredibly high protein content, even higher than animal meats.

This is a simple cabbage salad paired with curried seitan, a healthy protein packed recipe.

5. Seitan Panang Curry

12 High Protein Vegan Recipes With No Soy | VegFAQs (5)

Again, this recipe incorporates seitan as a main protein source.

It also has a different variant of curry flavor, and can be paired with rice, salad, or other quinoa.

I like recipes like these because it’s easy to adjust the ratio of seitan to rice to achieve whatever macros you’re looking for.

6. Veggie and Red Lentil Soup

12 High Protein Vegan Recipes With No Soy | VegFAQs (6)

This high protein vegan soup recipeis my go-to recipe for lentil soup. It’s delicious and has a solid amount of protein per serving.

You essentially just throw everything in a pot and let it cook.

7. Protein Power Lentils and Amaranth Patties

12 High Protein Vegan Recipes With No Soy | VegFAQs (7)

This recipe combines lentils and amaranth (a gluten free grain) to make small crispy patties.

There’s just a handful of ingredients needed to make this meal. You could eat them by themselves, but I’d recommend making them alongside a basic salad or even some fries.

8. Healthy Chickpeas and Red Lentils Meal

12 High Protein Vegan Recipes With No Soy | VegFAQs (8)

While chickpeas may have the least protein of the main legumes, it’s still a high protein ingredient for a vegan meal, especially when combined with red lentils.

This medley combines these 2 high protein ingredients with a few vegetables and garam masala seasoning. It has approximately 32 grams of protein per serving of 470 calories.

9. Saucy Moroccan-Spiced Lentils

12 High Protein Vegan Recipes With No Soy | VegFAQs (9)

This meal consists of lentils plus a sauce.

Sounds simple, but there are several ingredients in the sauce, so it takes a while to make.

However, it’s worth it in my opinion, it’s an original recipe that tastes great. This is one of my go-to lentil recipes. It has about 10 grams of protein per 150 calories.

10. Best Dang BBQ Vegan Baked Beans

12 High Protein Vegan Recipes With No Soy | VegFAQs (10)

Beans have a good amount of protein, but also quite a few carbohydrates.

In order to create soy free high protein vegan meals that are based on beans, that makes the challenge to find ways to eat them without adding too many other ingredients.

Baked beans are a great way to do this on a vegan diet, as they only involve some form of white bean (e.g. navy, great northern) and a low calorie sauce.

This specific recipe is the one I use in most cases. It takes a long time to make, but it’s worth it.

11. “Cheesy” Mexican Quinoa

12 High Protein Vegan Recipes With No Soy | VegFAQs (11)

Quinoa is one of the better whole grains when it comes to protein.

This unique recipe combines a few different good vegan protein sources:

  • Chickpeas
  • Black beans
  • Nutritional yeast
  • Quinoa

It has 18.4 grams of protein per 289 calorie serving, which is about as good as you can get for a vegan recipe with grains in it (excluding seitan).

12. Mocha Brownie Protein Bars

12 High Protein Vegan Recipes With No Soy | VegFAQs (12)

This is more of a snack than a meal, but this soy free vegan protein bar recipe is one of my favorites that I wanted to include in this list. You can freeze them for a while, making them a good meal prep candidate.

There’s only 5 ingredients, and they incorporate both protein powder and an artificial sweetener to achieve a great macro profile. There’s 12.7 grams of protein in each bar, and just under 100 calories.

12 High Protein Vegan Recipes With No Soy | VegFAQs (2024)

FAQs

How to get enough protein as vegan without soy? ›

  1. Beans and Lentils. Beans and Lentils are perhaps the most crucial parts of your vegan diet. ...
  2. Quinoa. Here's a fact for you, most plant-based foods aren't considered complete proteins meaning they lack some of the essential amino acids however quinoa is a complete non-soy vegan protein. ...
  3. Nuts. ...
  4. Chia Seeds. ...
  5. Hemp.
Oct 15, 2021

How can vegans get 120g of protein a day? ›

One of the easiest plant-based high protein swaps is to replace your usual pasta with red lentil pasta. It's made from protein-rich red lentil flour, and I like to make a vegan bolognese with it. Adding soy mince is a game-changer too when you're struggling to eat enough protein.

What vegan food has the highest amount of protein? ›

20 best vegan protein sources chart
FoodServing (g)Protein (g)
1. Tempeh10020.3
2. Seitan10017.9
3. Edamame12017.2
4. Tofu160 (half block)16.3
16 more rows

What is a good substitute for soy protein? ›

Chickpeas, lentils, lupine, sorghum, broad beans and many other legumes can replace soy in many formulations. Some of these are rich in high-quality protein and fiber and contain low levels of fat compared to soy.

What plant-based meat has no soy? ›

1 Beyond Meat

The Beyond Burger is available in restaurants, fast-food chains, and supermarkets all over the world. As well as the Beyond Burger, several other products from Beyond Meat, including Beyond Beef, Beyond Sausage, and Beyond Meatballs, are soy-free.

What is the best vegan protein without soy? ›

Legumes, chickpeas and beans are one of the best (and most popular) sources of vegan proteins. You can add them to salads or mash them up to create faux “meat” for tacos and burritos. Nuts are also an excellent and delicious source of protein, with almonds, walnuts and hemp seeds being some of the best sources.

Are chickpeas soy? ›

The key to a soy-free diet is to stay away from all foods or products containing soy. Soybeans are classified as a legume. Other foods in the legume family are navy, kidney, string, black, and pinto beans. Also chickpeas (garbanzo beans), lentils, peas, carob, licorice, and peanuts.

Is there soy in peanut butter? ›

Most brands use soy in some of their types of peanut butter but also offer soy-free varieties. If you are struggling to find soy-free peanut butter, try Peter Pan, Skippy Naturals, Trader Joe's, or even Whole Foods varieties. We always keep some soy-free peanut butter in the house.

Can you eat too much vegan protein? ›

Eating too much protein (and any type of nutrient) may do more harm than good to your health. Including a moderate amount of protein every day and enjoying a variety of plant-based foods may be more beneficial in the long run than focusing on short-term gains.

How to hit 100g protein vegan? ›

100 grams of vegan protein
  1. ¼ cup of protein granola (10 grams of protein)
  2. One scoop of plant-based protein powder (20 grams)
  3. 1 ounce of nuts (5 grams)
  4. Two tablespoons of peanut butter (7 grams)
  5. Two tablespoons of chia seeds (about 10 grams)
  6. One tablespoon of hemp seeds (4 grams)
  7. Two slices of rye bread (10 grams)
Apr 6, 2024

What do vegan bodybuilders eat for protein? ›

Foods high in plant-based proteins such as seitan, tofu, tempeh, and new meat alternatives can be beneficial while building a high-protein diet, and supplemental vegan protein powders can also help meet the needs by providing concentrated sources of protein surrounding workouts and throughout the day [7,17].

What does 100% vegan eat? ›

A vegan diet is based on plants (such as vegetables, grains, nuts and fruits) and foods made from plants. Vegans do not eat foods that come from animals, including dairy products and eggs.

What is the most extreme vegan? ›

Level 5 vegans are those who are seen as incredibly committed to the vegan lifestyle, and are often hailed as “extreme vegans”. Level 5 vegans go to an extensive effort to follow a vegan lifestyle that is free of any type of animal product or animal exploitation.

What are the top 5 sources of protein for a vegan? ›

Discover the best plant-based sources of protein to boost your intake as a vegan, including pulses, tofu, quinoa, nuts and seeds, grains and vegetables. Interested in trying our FREE Healthy Diet Plan?

How do vegans get enough complete protein? ›

A few complete vegan protein sources include buckwheat, quinoa, soy products, chia seeds, spirulina, seitan, amarnath, and a combination of beans and grains.

What can I use instead of soy vegan? ›

SOY SAUCE:use coconut aminos, which also replaces tamari, shoyu and Braggs. MAYONNAISE:Just Mayo and Vegenaise offer soy-free vegan mayos. Alternatively, substitute unsweetened coconut yogurt by SO Delicious for less calories. Solid coconut cream from a can will also work in small amounts.

How can a vegan get enough protein daily? ›

If you follow a plant-based lifestyle, you can reach this recommended amount by adding some of these vegan protein sources into your diet:
  1. Beans.
  2. Lentils.
  3. Nuts.
  4. Seeds.
  5. Quinoa.
  6. Oats.
  7. Tofu.
  8. Tempeh.
May 4, 2023

How can vegans eat less soy? ›

How to Switch to a Soy Free Vegan Diet: Useful Food Substitutions
  1. Firm/extra firm tofu —> beans or hemp tofu. ...
  2. Silken tofu —> vegan yogurt. ...
  3. Soy miso paste —> chickpea miso. ...
  4. Soy milk —> other types of non-dairy milk. ...
  5. TVP/TSP/Soy curls —> quinoa and other grains. ...
  6. Soy yogurt —> coconut or almond yogurt.
Apr 11, 2014

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