After creating a fairly comprehensive database of vegan foods, I made a vegan ketogenic diet food list.
This page will focus specifically on the best protein sources, since getting enough protein as a vegan can be challenging (especially on a keto diet).
List of Best Vegan Keto Protein Options
The list below is based on 100 grams portions, which is standard when comparing the nutritional value of foods.
You can see that after the first 20ish foods, the amount of protein per 100 grams goes way down. So while it’s possible to get enough protein, you won’t have much variety in your diet.
| Food | Energy (kcal) | Protein (g) | Total Fat (g) | Carbohydrate (g) | Fiber (g) | Net Carbs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vital wheat gluten | 370.00 | 75.16 | 1.85 | 13.79 | 0.60 | 13.19 |
| Seaweed (dried) | 285.71 | 57.43 | 7.71 | 23.86 | 4.29 | 19.57 |
| Hemp seeds | 553.33 | 31.57 | 48.73 | 8.67 | 4.00 | 4.67 |
| Peanuts | 567.12 | 25.79 | 49.25 | 16.12 | 8.49 | 7.63 |
| Almonds | 579.63 | 21.15 | 49.93 | 21.56 | 12.59 | 8.96 |
| Pistachio nuts | 559.35 | 20.16 | 45.32 | 27.17 | 10.57 | 16.60 |
| Flaxseed | 533.98 | 18.30 | 42.14 | 28.88 | 27.18 | 1.70 |
| Sesame seeds | 573.61 | 17.74 | 49.67 | 23.44 | 11.81 | 11.64 |
| Chia seeds | 486.67 | 16.53 | 30.73 | 42.13 | 34.33 | 7.80 |
| Cashew | 573.72 | 15.31 | 46.35 | 32.69 | 3.07 | 29.62 |
| Walnut | 654.70 | 15.23 | 65.21 | 13.71 | 6.67 | 7.04 |
| Hazelnut | 628.15 | 14.95 | 60.76 | 16.70 | 9.63 | 7.07 |
| Brazil nut | 658.65 | 14.32 | 67.10 | 11.74 | 7.52 | 4.23 |
| Pine nuts | 672.59 | 13.69 | 68.37 | 13.08 | 3.70 | 9.38 |
| Soybeans | 141.11 | 12.35 | 6.40 | 11.05 | 4.22 | 6.83 |
| Pecans | 690.91 | 9.17 | 71.98 | 13.86 | 9.70 | 4.16 |
| Macadamia nut | 717.91 | 7.91 | 75.78 | 13.82 | 8.66 | 5.16 |
| Garlic | 133.33 | 6.33 | 0.33 | 33.00 | 3.33 | 29.67 |
| Peas | 80.69 | 5.42 | 0.40 | 14.45 | 5.72 | 8.72 |
| Collard greens | 29.41 | 3.53 | 0.59 | 5.88 | 3.53 | 2.35 |
| Coconut meat | 353.65 | 3.34 | 33.49 | 15.23 | 8.97 | 6.27 |
| Artichoke | 46.91 | 3.27 | 0.15 | 10.51 | 5.37 | 5.14 |
| Rapini | 22.11 | 3.17 | 0.49 | 2.85 | 2.74 | 0.12 |
| Kale | 35.71 | 2.93 | 1.50 | 4.43 | 4.05 | 0.38 |
| Spinach | 22.94 | 2.86 | 0.39 | 3.63 | 2.21 | 1.42 |
| Mustard greens | 26.79 | 2.86 | 0.43 | 4.68 | 3.21 | 1.46 |
| Broccoli | 34.07 | 2.82 | 0.37 | 6.64 | 2.64 | 4.00 |
| Water spinach | 19.64 | 2.61 | 0.20 | 3.13 | 2.14 | 0.98 |
| Lotus root | 73.91 | 2.60 | 0.10 | 17.23 | 4.87 | 12.36 |
| Arugula | 25.00 | 2.60 | 0.65 | 3.65 | 1.50 | 2.15 |
Summary of the Best Vegan Keto Protein Options
Certain types of foods make up nearly all the top protein sources on the list above:
- Vital wheat gluten – This is essentially protein powder extracted from wheat. It’s used to make seitan, which has a fairly well rounded amino acid profile.
- Seeds – Almost any seed is a good fat and protein source. Hemp, flax, sesame, and chia all rank highly. Seeds have a better omega 3 to 6 fat ratio than most nuts.
- Nuts – Tons of fat and a decent amount of protein. Almonds, cashews, walnuts, and so on all rank well on this list. However, some of them still have a decent number of net carbs, so you need to consider that. Also, most nuts have a lot of omega 6 fats. See my Omega 3 to 6 Fat Ratio of Nuts page if you’re worried about it.
Soybeans are the one type of bean that ranks fairly high on this list. Technically peanuts are a legume as well, but most people consider those nuts.
Aside from that, the rest of the list is made up of a variety of vegetables for the most part.
So you don’t have a ton of options for getting a relatively high amount of protein, but it is possible if you really want to.
An Alternative Protein Source For Vegans
I would strongly recommend getting a vegan protein powder for any vegans considering or currently on a keto diet.
It just makes it so much easier to hit protein and macro targets, which lets you relax a bit and have more choices for what else you can eat.
I have a list of the best keto vegan protein powders if you’re interested in learning more. They can be used to make things like keto vegan protein pancakes.
