12 High Protein Low Carb Vegan Recipes (20g+ protein)
These high protein low carb vegan recipes are here to switch up your vegan diet and help you get (or stay) in shape!
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Low carb diets are known to be a great way to lose weight, while the extra grams of protein allow you to maintain, or even gain, muscle mass.
While it is true that vegans have fewer high protein sources available than vegetarians or omnivores, it’s still possible to get in enough protein, even with low carbs! Here are our best finds!
Introducing 12 high protein low carb vegan recipes!
1. Crunchy Asian Tofu Salad
Bonus: serious salad upgrade, crunchy and bright
A crunchy and colourful mix of delicious vegan foods that look great and taste even better! The best way to incorporate a salad into your plant-based meals!
2. Smashed Cucumber and Edamame
Bonus: light lunch or snack, raw ingredients
Try this oriental-inspired smashed cucumber and edamame recipe, a quick high-protein snack to have at home or on the go! Also works well as a side dish to larger meal in a plant-based diet.
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3. Avocado Spinach Smoothie
Bonus: filling, fuelling, simple to prepare
Avocado Spinach Smoothie, a great high protein vegan recipe for weight loss (check out other tasty vegetable smoothies here). It packs high amounts of almost everything – fibre, protein, vitamins A and C, potassium, iron, calcium – a good choice all round and a true nutrition bomb.
Ingredients
- 1 handful spinach
- 1 tbsp parsley, fresh
- ½ avocado
- 1 tsp cacao powder (not the Nesquik rubbish, haha)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ⅓ tsp sea salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp walnuts (almonds are fine too)
- 1 tsp dark chocolate nibs
- 2 tsp coconut flakes
- ½ cup water (maybe a bit more)
- ½ tsp maple syrup (honey, if you are fine with that)
- ½ cup soy milk (milk would work too – just keep it gluten-free if necessary)
- 1 serving protein powder
Instructions
- Throw everything into a blender and blend for 60 seconds.
- Done.
NOTES
Nutrition
4. Low Carb High Taste Zoodles
Bonus: delicious, refreshing, super speedy
Low Carb High Taste Zoodles. Italian style spiralized zucchini noodles with cherry tomatoes ready in just 15 minutes, excellent for a quick lunch or dinner (easily one of our fave vegan zucchini recipes!). Truly one of the easiest high protein vegan/ vegetarian recipes.
5. Tofu Scramble
Protein: 16g
Calories: 275kcal
Ready in: 10 minutes
Recipe by: DebraKlein
Bonus: easy, tasty, healthy
Vegan Tofu Scramble for a quick and easy breakfast. A delicious low carb high protein vegan recipe for an alternative to scrambled eggs (if you don’t mind eating eggs every so often, try these high protein low carb vegetarian dishes too). Seriously one of the easiest vegan meals with 16 grams protein (and we don’t mess around when it comes to plant-based protein meals!)!
6. Keto Berry Smoothie
Protein: 14g
Calories: 131kcal
Ready in: 5 minutes
Recipe by: WholesomeYum
Bonus: sweet, fibrous, refreshing
An EASY berry protein smoothie recipe made with just 7 simple ingredients and no added sugar. Suitable for a vegetarian diet, vegan diet and keto diet and can be whizzed up in minutes in a smoothie maker or food processor. Try this low carb vegan recipe for a healthy smoothie that is perfect for low-carb diets (this is definitely one of our fave vegetarian low carb breakfast recipes)!
7. Kung Pao Tofu
Protein: 13g
Calories: 238kcal
Ready in: 25 minutes
Recipe by: SpiceCravings
Bonus: sweet, spicy, full of veg
This Kung Pao Tofu is a healthy, vegetarian version of your favorite Chinese takeout without the animal products (check out these healthy vegetarian Chinese recipes, if you want more ideas like this and are ok with dairy!). Stir fried veggies and tofu are tossed in a sweet and spicy sauce for a delicious meal that only takes 25 minutes to make! The perfect easy high protein vegan recipe!
8. Sriracha and Peanut Butter Tofu
Protein: 15g
Calories: 191kcal
Ready in: 37 minutes
Recipe by: Kalyn’sKitchen
Bonus: rich, tasty, umami flavours
For this Peanut Butter Tofu with Sriracha, strips of firm tofu are fried and served with a peanut-butter sauce, where the nut butters boost protein intake. And this low carb high protein vegan recipe is so easy, remember to pick up some tofu next time you’re at the grocery stores!
9. Tofu Panzanella Salad
Protein: 23g
Calories: 277kcal
Ready in: 15 minutes
Recipe by: FitMealIdeas
Bonus: fresh, full of veg, easy, so much protein
Try this spicy tofu Panzanella salad that is vegan, low-carb, protein-packed, and gluten-free. Replacing bread with pan-roasted crispy tofu to make it healthier. It’s slightly higher in grams of carbs but it absolutely rammed with protein too, so we just had to include it, and tofu is one of the few vegan complete proteins, meaning it contains all nine essential amino acids!
10. Vegan Salami
Protein: 16g
Calories: 111kcal
Ready in: 55 minutes
Recipe by: ThisHealthyKitchen
Bonus: spicy, delicious, versatile
Spicy vegan salami that’s meaty, smoky, packed with flavour and truly irresistible. It’s easy to make, with a perfectly chewy texture, you may have a hard time believing it’s vegan! An awesome homemade plant-based protein vegan food and your best friend if you’re plant based but crave umami flavour!
11. Vegan Seitan Chicken Breast
Protein: 27g
Calories: 148kcal
Ready in: 40 mins
Recipe by: MyPlantifulCooking
Bonus: super high protein, perfect with a side salad
These vegan chicken breasts are super meaty and chewy, making them a great high-protein meat substitute! Easy to make and can be grilled, fried, or baked. Seitan chicken is also freezable, making it a great recipe to meal prep on the weekends.
12. Vegan Hot Pot
Protein: 16g
Calories: 207kcal
Ready in: 1 hour
Recipe by: IHeartUmami
Bonus: warming, one pot wonder
Vegan hot pot with milky miso broth is a healthy recipe loaded with vegetables. This shows you how to host a hot pot party at home easily!
High protein low carb vegan recipes FAQ
What vegan foods are high in protein and low in carbs?
The best low carb vegan sources of protein include legumes (like black beans and lentils), soy products (like tempeh and soy) and nuts (like peanuts, almonds and similar nut butters). Try to aim for whole, unprocessed and fresh foods where possible as it’s easier to keep track of the carbohydrates this way!
What happens if you don’t eat enough protein?
A lack of protein can cause you to lose muscle mass, impacting everything from your strength to your balance, and can lead to complications like anemia, swelling and slow healing injuries and cuts.
How do vegans avoid eating too many carbs?
It’s important to avoid becoming over reliant on carbs in a vegan diet, which is why foods like tofu, tempeh, lentils, beans and nuts are the best way to incorporate plant based protein into every meal time. It’s easy to make direct substitutes, like swapping scrambled eggs for scrambled tofu, or mince meat for lentils cooked with olive oil and red onion for the base of a vegan bolognese. Even adding a sprinkling of nutritional yeast to your meals can help!
Check out our vegan meal plan for more inspiration, and be sure to let me know in the comments which of these high protein low carb meals you want to make first!
Dave Bell
I’m not a foodie, although I do love eating. I believe food should serve us and our goals, not hinder. Taking control and responsibility for what I eat is important to me. Lots of veggie protein is my way forward.
This article has been medically reviewed by James LeBaigue MSc Learn More
James LeBaigue MSc
James has a Masters Degree in Sport and Exercise Nutrition, as well as an Advanced Diploma in Human Nutrition.
He loves combining his scientific knowledge along with food in the real world, and these recipes are the result.
He’s on top of all the latest evidence and guidelines to make sure our nutrition advice on the website is as accurate as it can be.
By day he works as an Advanced Clinical Practitioner in a busy NHS GP Practice.
Each recipe is tested and then eaten (much to James’ delight), many times before it is deemed worthy to be published. Bon appetit!
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