Broccoli sometimes gets promoted as a surprisingly “high-protein” food because it looks respectable when protein is divided by calories. The plate tells a less dramatic story: higher-protein vegetables generally provide only about 2.5–4 grams per 100 grams.
They absolutely contribute to daily protein, but they do not play the same role as legumes, tofu, eggs, fish, or meat—and they do not need to. Their nutritional strength comes from combining volume, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and plant compounds with generally low energy density.
The vegetables that provide the most
| Vegetable | Protein/100 g |
|---|---|
| Cooked Brussels sprouts | ~3.4 g |
| Cooked artichoke | ~3.3 g |
| Cooked spinach | ~3.0 g |
| Cooked kale | ~2.9 g |
| Cooked broccoli | ~2.4–3.0 g |
| Cooked asparagus | ~2.4 g |
| Cooked cauliflower | ~1.8 g |
The exact order shifts with the database entry, variety, and cooking method. Cooking mostly changes water content, so a vegetable that loses water can look more protein-dense per 100 grams without somehow creating protein.
Serving size puts the numbers in perspective
A 150 g serving of Brussels sprouts provides about 5 g protein; 150 g broccoli about 4 g. The same weight of cooked lentils provides roughly 13.5 g and cooked chicken breast can exceed 40 g.
Vegetables add protein, but if a meal needs 25–30 grams, simply making the broccoli pile larger is rarely the most practical route. Reaching that target from ordinary vegetables alone would require a very large volume of food.
Peas and edamame break the ranking because they are legumes
Cooked green peas provide around 5.4 g/100 g and edamame about 11–12 g. Both are often served like vegetables, but botanically they belong to the legume family.
Dropping edamame into a vegetable ranking without that context makes it look as though one “vegetable” triples the others, when the comparison is actually crossing food groups. If the goal is to raise protein in a plant-based plate, that difference is exactly why edamame, peas, and other legumes are so useful.
Broccoli looks good per calorie — volume is the catch
Broccoli has about 35 calories and 2.5–3 g protein per 100 g, equivalent to roughly 7–8 g protein per 100 calories. Cooked lentils are in a similar range per 100 calories, while chicken breast is much more concentrated.
The broccoli number sounds competitive until you ask how much food supplies 20 grams of protein: roughly 700–800 grams. Protein per calorie and protein per plate are answering different questions. One describes energy efficiency; the other describes a realistic serving.
Raw and cooked values can reshuffle the list
Spinach is a good example. Raw spinach contains a great deal of water and a large volume weighs relatively little. Once cooked, it loses water and collapses, so 100 grams cooked represents many more leaves than 100 grams raw.
That makes a cooked-versus-raw comparison technically valid but not always equivalent in practical portion size. When planning a meal, the amount you actually eat is more informative than a single per-100-gram ranking.
Vegetables do not need protein to be their main selling point
Depending on the vegetable, they contribute fiber, folate, vitamins C and K, carotenoids, and potassium. Their nutritional importance does not depend on winning a protein ranking.
A large vegetable serving can still add several grams of protein to the day’s total almost incidentally. Two vegetable portions that contribute 6–8 grams together are not a replacement for a dedicated protein food, but they are not zero either.
How to turn a vegetable-heavy plate into a higher-protein meal
Pair the vegetables with something built to carry more protein. Two hundred grams of broccoli supplies about 5 g; adding 6 ounces / 170 g firm tofu can bring the meal into the 25–30 g range depending on the tofu. Beans, eggs, fish, dairy, or meat can do the same job in different ways.
You can also distribute protein across components: quinoa with vegetables and chickpeas, eggs with spinach and yogurt, or a broccoli stir-fry with edamame and tofu. The vegetables keep their volume and micronutrients while another food carries most of the protein target.
The useful takeaway
Brussels sprouts, artichokes, spinach, kale, and broccoli are among the higher-protein vegetables, but their serving-level contribution remains modest. Vegetables add protein; when a meal needs a substantial amount, give them a dedicated protein partner.
The ranking is useful for comparing vegetables with one another, not for pretending they are nutritionally interchangeable with foods whose main role is protein. That keeps the numbers accurate without underselling what vegetables do contribute.
Frequently asked questions
Which vegetable has the most protein?
Brussels sprouts, artichokes and cooked spinach are around 3–3.5 g/100 g among common vegetables.
Is broccoli high in protein?
It provides about 2.5–3 g/100 g, or roughly 4 g in a 150 g serving. It contributes protein but is rarely a main protein source.
Is edamame a vegetable?
It is young soy and botanically a legume, with about 11–12 g protein/100 g.
Sources
- USDA FoodData Central — Vegetable composition.
- BEDCA — Base de Datos Española de Composición de Alimentos — Independent Spanish food-composition database used to cross-check nutrient values.