The good thing about a vegan diet is that most foods can be eaten raw without any safety concerns.
The main plant protein source that you miss out on a raw vegan diet are legumes, but seeds, nuts, and vegetables are all good options.
I’ve compiled a detailed list of the best raw protein sources for vegans, which are pulled from our main page on vegan protein.
Table of Contents
High Protein Raw Vegan Sources Table
This list is ordered by the percentage of calories that come from protein.
If you’re not worried about macros so much, just sort by the raw protein quantity column.
| Food | Protein (g) per 100g | Protein (g) per 100 calories |
|---|---|---|
| Hemp seeds | 31.6 | 5.7 |
| Peanuts | 25.8 | 4.5 |
| Almonds | 21.1 | 3.6 |
| Pistachio nuts | 20.2 | 3.6 |
| Pumpkin seeds | 18.5 | 4.2 |
| Flaxseed | 18.3 | 3.4 |
| Sesame seeds | 17.7 | 3.1 |
| Oats | 16.9 | 4.3 |
| Chia seeds | 16.5 | 3.4 |
| Cashew | 15.3 | 2.7 |
| Walnut | 15.2 | 2.3 |
| Hazelnut | 14.9 | 2.4 |
| Brazil nut | 14.3 | 2.2 |
| Pine nuts | 13.7 | 2.0 |
| Buckwheat groats | 11.7 | 3.4 |
| Lentils | 9 | 7.8 |
| Garlic | 6.3 | 4.8 |
| Peas | 5.4 | 6.7 |
| Quinoa | 4.4 | 3.7 |
| Amaranth | 3.8 | 3.7 |
| Collard greens | 3.5 | 12.0 |
| Artichoke | 3.3 | 7 |
| Rapini | 3.2 | 14.3 |
| Cowpeas | 3.2 | 3.3 |
| Spinach | 2.9 | 12.5 |
| Mustard greens | 2.9 | 10.7 |
| Kale | 2.9 | 8.2 |
| Broccoli | 2.8 | 8.3 |
| Water spinach | 2.6 | 13.3 |
| Arugula | 2.6 | 10.4 |
The Top 6 Raw Vegan Protein Foods
Let’s take a closer look at the best protein sources in terms of protein per 100 gram serving, since that’s where you’ll be getting most of your protein from.
1. Hemp Seeds
When it comes to raw nutrition, hemp seeds are amazing.
They have 31.6 grams of protein per 100 gram serving, and they are also one of the seeds with the best omega 3 to 6 ratio, as well as a good source of iron.
2. Peanuts
Even though peanuts are technically a legume, they digest fairly easily even when raw, and most people have no issues with them. With 25.8 grams per serving, they can be an important source of plant protein on a raw vegan diet.
Note that while there are raw nut butters, most “regular” peanut butter will be cooked and processed. Unless you have access to specialty foods, that means your peanuts will have to be eaten in whole form.
3. Almonds
In terms of tree nuts, almonds are the best type for protein. Not only do they taste good raw, there’s 21.1 grams of protein per 100 grams of nuts.
Unfortunately, almonds have a terrible omega 3 to 6 fat ratio even among nuts, which means you don’t want to rely on them for protein too heavily
4. Pistachio Nuts
The final nut that makes the very top of this list are pistachio nuts. They have a better omega fat ratio than almonds, but it’s still not great.
Still, they have 20.2 grams of protein per 100 grams, but are typically more expensive than most other types of nuts.
5. Seeds (Pumpkin, Flax, Sesame, Chia)
Seeds are an amazing source of protein, iron, and overall nutrition on a vegan diet, whether you only eat raw foods or not.
I’ve grouped these together here because they have a similar amount of protein per 100 grams:
- Pumpkin seeds – 18.5 grams
- Flaxseed – 18.3 grams
- Sesame seeds – 17.7 grams
- Chia seeds – 16.5 grams
6. Oats
Oats have a lot of carbohydrates, but a decent amount of protein. They are used in a lot of protein bars and related recipes to improve the taste and texture without affecting macros too much.
They are arguably the easiest whole grain to eat raw, and you can eat them dry or soak them overnight.
Should You Use Raw Vegan Protein Powder?
It’s already hard to get enough protein on a vegan diet, let alone on a raw vegan diet.
If you’re not getting enough, consider buying a protein powder.
While there aren’t too many raw vegan protein powders, there are some like Garden of Life Raw Fit. They don’t taste as good and often cost more than non-raw options, but it’s better than nothing.
Raw Vegan Diet High Protein Meal Ideas
Your options are certainly limited on a raw vegan diet, but there are some great recipes out there still that are relatively high in protein.
Here are just a few meal ideas that I’ve tried in the past and I thought were pretty good.
Overnight Oats
Soaking grains like oats overnight is one of the best ways to make them taste better and be easier to consume.
Most overnight oat recipes also call for many of the foods we looked at above that are relatively high in protein like chia seeds. Even non-dairy milk typically has a decent amount of protein.
Here’s a great walkthrough of 5 raw vegan overnight oat recipes if you’d like more details.
Garden Salads
Salads are not only super healthy, but they really lend themselves to most of the raw ingredients that are high in protein that we saw above.
Once you have a base of lettuce and a few other vegetables, you can throw on seeds and nuts to increase the protein content of the salad.
Here’s one particular raw vegan salad recipe, but you often don’t need to follow a recipe exactly once you get used to making salads.
Raw Power Balls
This is one of my favorite recipes. These little balls are easy to make, but taste great and are relatively high in protein..
They include:
- Hemp protein powder (or substitute other plant-based powder)
- Ground flax
- Chia seeds
- Ground almonds
- Cacao powder
- Maple syrup
It’s pretty clear why this recipe is a pretty good sources of protein on a raw vegan diet.
Raw Vegan Chocolate Hemp Protein Bars
To wrap this up I have one more snack recipe.
It also calls for hemp protein powder, but you can use other vegan protein powders that taste good, or even grind up hemp seeds in a pinch.
These are simpler to make with only 4 ingredients, but still make a great snack to have lying around that pack a decent amount of protein.
