30 Vegetarian High Protein Salads
- Updated on Aug 22, 2022
Vegetarian protein salads are a great addition to a healthy vegetarian diet. Protein is SO important, so why waste time with leafy, unsatisfying salads when you could be eating a hearty, protein packed, salad BOMB, instead!?
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Vegetarian salads are a surprisingly good way to eat protein. A big bowl of beans, lentils or chickpeas, with finely sliced veggies and a delicious dressing? Yes please!!
Where’s the protein coming from?
Vegetarian high protein salad recipes can use many different sources of protein.
Legumes are a great example: they are protein packed and make a fab base for a delicious salad. This family encompasses everything from peas to beans to lentils.
Aside from protein, they have numerous other benefits. They are generally low in fat and high in fibre and studies have shown that eating plenty of legumes can help prevent heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
For a legume based salad, try our fitness bean and lentil salad!
Another way to go is the tofu or tempeh route. Both these products are made from fermented soybeans and are commonly used in asian cuisine. This article highlights the differences between them.
Both are high in protein, though tempeh is more densely packed than tofu, containing 20g protein per 100g to tofu’s 10g.
They are quite bland in flavour but can be easily dressed up with the right seasoning. Try this tangy tempeh salad for a good example!
Now let’s dive into the 30 Vegetarian High Protein Salads that will keep you fuelled all day!
1. Lentil Tabbouleh
Bonus: filling, flavourful
Looking for an easy tabbouleh recipe? Get a load of our lentil tabbouleh – a protein packed take on the classic dish! Healthy salad recipes don’t get much better than this.
2. Buckwheat Salad with Kale & Feta
Bonus: gluten-free, transportable
Looking for an easy gluten-free lunch you can bring to work with you? Try our vegetarian kale, feta cheese and buckwheat salad, with a delicious salad dressing.
Subscribe to get our FREE 7-Day Vegetarian High Protein Meal Plan for Weight Loss
3. Vegetarian Ramen Noodle Salad
Bonus: transportable, good for meal prep
Looking for healthy, straight forward lunch options? Try our ramen noodle salad – it’s veggie, gluten free and a good source of protein.
4. Avocado Citrus Salad with Feta
Bonus: high fibre, colourful
After something different for lunch? Try this avocado and citrus salad with feta – it’s sweet, sour & packs a punch! A truly refreshing salad.
5. Sweet Potato & Beetroot Salad
Bonus: colourful, full of flavour
Smooth and hearty meets sweet and crunchy, this sweet potato and beetroot salad has got it going on! Your taste buds will thank you
6. Vietnamese Green Noodle Salad
Bonus: gluten-free, crunchy
Ready to blow your tastebuds away with a Vietnamese green noodle salad? Grab your noodles and tofu and chop-chop!
7. Spring Salad with Peas & Lentils
Bonus: creamy, herby
Looking for a salad that is filling, healthy and high in protein? Try this spring salad with lentils & veggies now!
8. Vegan Mediterranean Pasta Salad
Bonus: vegan, meal prep
Looking for a healthy vegan pasta salad that you can prep ahead for lunch? Try our Mediterranean pasta salad!
9. Brussel Sprouts Salad With Quinoa
Bonus: vegan, festive
Try our quinoa & Brussel sprouts salad this festive season. Christmas’s most infamous vegetable has never tasted so good!
10. Potato Salad with Feta & Pesto
Bonus: high in antioxidants, simple
Looking for a tasty, healthy new way to use up some sweet potatoes? Try this Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with red pesto! A great side dish or main.
11. Thai Quinoa Salad
Bonus: light, fibrous
Thai Quinoa Salad – Tropical Vibes. A refreshingly light, tasty Asian super-dish with lots of protein, fiber and tropical flavour. Lemon juice, ginger and hot sauce bring the zest! Get your summer feeling here.
12. Quick White Bean Salad
Bonus: high in iron, high in calcium
High Protein White Bean Salad with bell peppers that’s healthy and vegan (if this sounds perfect, you should also try these vegetarian legume recipes!). High in fiber, vitamins A, C, E, B2 and B6 as well as iron and calcium. Takes less than 10 minutes.
13. Pasta Salad with PB Dressing
Bonus: creamy, quick
Pasta Salad with an unbelievable Peanut Butter Dressing. Did we mention it’s actually healthy too? Ready in 15 minutes, and packed with fiber and protein.
14. Turkish Lentil Salad
Bonus: vegan, high in vitamin K
Turkish Lentil Salad with bell pepper and a honey mustard dressing made with healthy olive oil (if that sounds yummy, why not give some of these low calorie salad dressings a whirl too?). Easy and quick, ready in 7 minutes. Full of fiber, protein and vitamin K.
15. Red Kidney Bean Salad
Bonus: colourful, legume loaded
High Protein Kidney Bean Salad. It’s like throwing the Greek and American cuisine In one bowl. A refreshing and satisfying salad ready in just 7 minutes.
16. Edamame Vegetarian Poke Bowl
Bonus: aesthetic, filling
Love the idea of poke, but not a fan of fish? Our edamame bean vegetarian poke bowl is the dish for you! Try it now!
17. Wedge Salad with Cashew Dressing
Bonus: filling, hearty
Fresh, easy and delicious vegetarian wedge salad with a flavorful dressing of creamy cashew nuts makes a perfect high protein lunch in a jar.
18. Chickpea Avocado Salad
Bonus: healthy fats, creamy
A chickpea avocado salad!? That’s elite level health right there. From just one serving you get a great amount of protein and fiber, almost 20g of each!
19. Crispy Potato Lentil Buddha Bowl
Bonus: filling, warm
Ok, this is only loosely a salad…but it’s so good we couldn’t leave it out! Four easy steps to a delicious and nutritious crispy, crunchy potato lunch. Make your colleagues jealous!
20. Heavenly Halloumi Salad
Bonus: cheesy, filling
Full of protein, fiber and loads of other nutrients this halloumi salad will keep you feeling full for hours – and you’ll secretly be looking forward to more!
21. Fitness Lentil Bean Salad
Bonus: workout fuel, super speedy
Fitness Lentil Bean Salad. Ridiculously high in protein post-workout salad. 45g per bowl. Ready in 7 minutes. Tasty and effective. Half the portion is still 17g protein, if the full portion is too much!
22. Couscous & Pear Salad with Cheese
Bonus: low fat, high fibre
After a salad recipe that actually fills you up? Try our Couscous & Pear Salad! It’s high protein, high fibre & low fat! Not to mention the delicious flavors!
23. Healthy Egg Salad
Bonus: hearty, full of superfoods
Looking to up your salad game? Try this healthy egg salad recipe with quinoa and beets – the perfect weight loss lunch!
24. Vegan Lentil & Potato Salad
Bonus: super filling, simple
This protein packed vegan lentil and potato salad is a perfect weight loss recipe. It’s a mega filling salad, which is healthy and nutritious, while still tasting amazing!
25. Smoked Tofu & Hummus Buddha Bowl
Bonus: adaptable, simple
Indulge with this smoky and savory Buddha Bowl. The combination of smoked crispy tofu, hummus, and turmeric rice makes for a perfect vegan lunch (or easy dinner!)
26. Tangy Tempeh Salad
Bonus: gluten-free, versatile
This tangy tempeh salad is just the best – quick, tasty and packed with protein. And better yet – use whatever you have in the fridge! What a great salad!
27. Black Bean Salad with Corn
Bonus: high fibre, super speedy
High Protein Black Bean and Corn Summer Salad. A great recipe ready in just 10 minutes, bursting with summery flavours, protein, fiber and iron.
28. Roasted Fennel & Carrots with Chickpeas
Bonus: flavourful, colourful
Looking for new oven ideas? Try this delicious roasted fennel and carrots with chickpeas! 22g protein per serving!
29. Vegan Salad with Hummus
Protein: 31g
Calories: 629kcal
Ready in: 10 minutes
Recipe by: TheLiveInKitchen
Bonus: aesthetically pleasing, super filling
A high protein vegan salad with hummus, pepitas, and hemp seeds. You can half the suggested portion size and still get 15g protein!
30. Arugula Lentil Salad
Bonus: quick to prepare, high in iron
High protein, iron and fibre in an exotic Arugula and Lentil Salad that’s healthy and vegan. Only 12 minutes to make with easy to find ingredients. A great way to eat a healthy lunch. Check it out now!
Ingredients
- 1 can black beans (kidney beans also work well! 1 can = 15.5 oz)
- ½ can sweet corn (1 can = 1.75 cups/ 15oz)
- 1 red onion
- 2 spring onions
- ⅓ cup instant couscous (get the ‘just add water’ variety for quickest results. If you have it/like it then quinoa can also be used here)
- ½ cup vegetable broth
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lemon (juiced)
- 2 tsp cumin, ground
- 2 tsp paprika powder
- 2 tsp chili flakes (less can be more, so scale down if you don’t want it with much of a kick)
- 1 clove garlic (chopped; dried is fine too)
Optional
- 1 handful raisins
Instructions
- Prepare the vegetable broth with boiling water. Then pour it over the couscous in a large bowl. Don’t put too much water in – the ideal water level should be just enough to cover the couscous. You can always add more as needed – it’s much harder to take away excess water again.
- Chop the spring and red onions into thin half slices.
- Chop the garlic (if you’re having it).
- Drain and rinse the beans and corn.
- After 5 about five minutes the couscous should be ready, so throw in the chopped onions, beans and corn.
- Add the olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, paprika powder, chili flakes and give it all good mix.
- Ready!
NOTES
Nutrition
Protein salad FAQs
Why does your body needs protein?
Protein is SO IMPORTANT. We can’t stress this enough: you NEED to eat enough protein.
Your body uses protein in order to make cells, carry oxygen through your blood and make antibodies to protect you from illness.
Not getting enough protein can lead to loss of muscle and lack of energy, alongside other long term health issues.
A good reason to focus on protein is if you are trying to build muscle or lose weight. For those trying to build muscle, protein provides the literal building blocks for muscle, so eating plenty of protein to fuel your workouts should help you reach your goals.
For those looking to lose weight, protein salads for weight loss are a great option because protein has an appetite suppressing effect. When you eat protein, it suppresses production of the hunger hormone ghrelin, so you feel full.
If the meals you eat fill you up, you are less likely to snack and therefore more likely to maintain a calorie deficit. Check out our Vegetarian for Weight Loss E-book to learn more about the science behind healthy weight loss!
What can I put in my salad instead of meat?
It’s not that hard to find high protein salads that don’t include meat (you can even find plant-based protein salads). Black beans, white beans, chickpeas are all good protein sources, containing around 15 grams of protein per cup (cooked).
Perfect building blocks for a vegetarian high protein salad!
Can you eat salad on a protein diet?
When we talk about high-protein salad recipes, we aren’t talking about lettuce, red onion, cucumber and cherry tomatoes. You can eat salad on a protein diet, but you need to make sure you have good sources of protein in there, not just leafy greens (duh!).
The kind of salad we are talking about contains a balance of fibrous veggies and veggie protein sources, such as tofu or legumes. A salad is mostly just a cold dish, so as long as it has healthy proteins in it, you’re good to go!
How do vegetarians get enough protein?
Just like anyone else! By incorporating a great source of protein into every meal! Vegetarian protein sources include: all manner of legumes, eggs, tofu, seitan, tempeh and more!
If you aren’t used to using these ingredients and need a helping hand upping your protein intake, check out our vegetarian high protein meal plan!
We hope you enjoyed trying these vegetarian high protein salad recipes! Let us know which you preferred in the comments!
Hauke Fox
I’m always on the lookout for these damn smart recipes. You know, those that only take a few minutes to put together and taste delicious. Vegetarian Cooking at home is a way to take back control over what I eat. I don’t like what many companies do to animals and the environment with their products.
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38 comments
You arent really vegetarian if you consider haloumi cheese salad as vegetarian
Due to the rennet? There are haloumi cheeses using microbiotic lab.
place me in your email list please
Hi Norma, if you head over here: https://hurrythefoodup.com/high-protein-vegetarian-meal-plan/
You can sign up for the email list 🙂
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thanks
Sure thing, Gloria!