Which Vegetables Can Beat an Egg in Protein? The Honest Answer With Real Numbers

Quick answer: very few vegetables beat an egg gram for gram. A large whole egg (about 50 g) gives roughly 6.3 g of protein, or about 12.6 g per 100 g. Common vegetables such as spinach, broccoli and mushrooms have only 2–3 g per 100 g. The vegetables that come closest are edamame (green soybeans), drumstick (moringa) leaves and green peas. If you look beyond vegetables to legumes and soy foods (dal, chana, rajma, soybeans, tofu, tempeh), many of them match or beat an egg per serving.

So the honest answer depends on how you compare: per 100 g, per serving, or per calorie. This guide gives the real numbers for each, keeps vegetables separate from legumes and other plant foods, and shows how to replace the protein of an egg or two in an Indian vegetarian diet.

How much protein is in one egg?

Older articles (including an earlier version of this one) often say an egg has 3.5 g of protein. That is roughly the protein in an egg white, not a whole egg. According to the USDA's FoodData Central database:

• Whole egg, raw: 12.6 g protein per 100 g (143 kcal). A large egg of about 50 g gives about 6.3 g.

• Egg white, raw: 10.9 g per 100 g. The white of one large egg (about 33 g) gives about 3.6 g.

The yolk supplies the rest. Egg protein is also "complete": it contains all nine essential amino acids in useful amounts, which is why eggs are a common benchmark.

Also read: Are Potatoes Really Bad For Diabetic Patients?

Vegetables vs one egg: the real numbers

All values below are from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy). "To match one egg" is how much you would need to eat to get the same 6.3 g of protein as one large egg.

What the table shows:

• No common vegetable beats an egg per 100 g. Edamame comes very close (11.9 g vs 12.6 g) and is the only one in the same range.

• Per serving, some vegetables do win. A cup of edamame has about three times the protein of one egg, and a cup of boiled green peas has a little more than one egg.

• Per calorie, leafy greens and mushrooms look strong. Raw spinach has about 12 g of protein per 100 kcal and mushrooms about 14 g, against about 9 g for egg. But you would have to eat a very large volume of them to get much protein, so this matters less in practice.

Legumes and other plant foods vs egg

Lentils, chickpeas, beans and soybeans are legumes (pulses), not vegetables. Tofu and tempeh are made from soybeans, and quinoa is a seed eaten like a grain. They are where vegetarians really get their protein, so it helps to see them side by side. Values are again from USDA FoodData Central.

Per 100 g, cooked pulses (about 9 g) are below an egg (12.6 g) because they absorb a lot of water when cooked. A normal bowl of dal, chana or rajma still gives more protein than one egg. Soy foods (soybeans, tofu, tempeh) beat eggs both per 100 g and per serving.

Is plant protein as good as egg protein?

Two things matter: how much protein you eat and its quality.

• Soy is a high-quality protein. Soybeans, tofu, tempeh and edamame contain all nine essential amino acids, which is why they are the closest plant match to eggs.

• Quinoa also contains all nine essential amino acids, but it has only about half the protein of an egg per 100 g once cooked.

• Most pulses are low in one amino acid (methionine) and most cereals are low in another (lysine). Eaten together over the day, they cover each other. Traditional Indian pairings such as dal-chawal, rajma-chawal, chole with roti and idli-sambar do exactly this. You do not need to combine them in the same meal; eating a variety across the day is enough.

The ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition's 2020 nutrient requirements set the safe protein intake for healthy Indian adults at 0.83 g per kg of body weight per day: about 54 g a day for a 65 kg man and about 46 g for a 55 kg woman. The ICMR-NIN also notes that people eating a mainly cereal-based diet with lower-quality protein need about 1 g per kg. Most vegetarians reach this comfortably with pulses, dairy and soy at each meal.

How to replace one or two eggs in an Indian diet

Each of these gives roughly the protein of one large egg (about 6 g) or more:

• Half a cup of cooked dal, chana or rajma (about 7–9 g).

• About 40 g of firm tofu (about 7 g) in a bhurji, stir-fry or wrap.

• About 55 g of shelled edamame as a snack or in a pulao.

• Three-quarters of a cup of boiled green peas in matar pulao, poha or upma (about 6.4 g).

• A small handful of peanuts (about 25 g) in poha, chikki or chutney (about 6.5 g).

• Moringa leaves added to dal, sambar or thepla add protein along with iron and other nutrients.

If you eat dairy, paneer, curd and milk are also good sources, though they are not plant foods. For a wider list of vegetarian and non-vegetarian options with serving sizes, see our guide to the best protein sources.

Also read: Belly Fat: Causes, Safe Waist Size for Indians and How to Reduce It

Beyond protein: what else to weigh up

• Fibre and nutrients. Pulses and vegetables bring fibre, folate, potassium and other nutrients that eggs do not. Eggs bring vitamin B12 and choline, which plant foods lack or provide in small amounts, so strict vegetarians and vegans should talk to a doctor about B12.

• Compare like with like. Cooking adds or removes water and changes the weight, not the protein. Compare cooked dal with a cooked egg, not dry dal with a raw egg.

• Processed plant foods. Mock meats can be high in protein but also in salt. Our article on whether plant-based meat is healthy looks at the pros and cons.

• Medical conditions. If you have kidney disease or another condition that affects how much protein you should eat, ask your doctor or a dietitian before changing your diet.

The verdict

Gram for gram, almost no vegetable beats an egg: edamame comes closest, with moringa leaves and green peas next. Per serving, a cup of edamame or green peas does beat one egg. The real egg-beaters are not vegetables but legumes and soy foods: a bowl of dal, chana or rajma, or a portion of tofu or tempeh, gives more protein than an egg. Mix them with cereals and vegetables through the day and a vegetarian diet can easily match the protein of eggs.

Frequently asked questions

Which vegetable has the most protein?

Among common vegetables, edamame (green soybeans) has the most, at about 11.9 g per 100 g when cooked, close to an egg's 12.6 g. Drumstick (moringa) leaves and green peas come next. Leafy greens such as spinach and vegetables such as broccoli have only about 3 g per 100 g.

How much protein is in one egg?

A large whole egg of about 50 g has roughly 6.3 g of protein, according to USDA data. The white alone has about 3.6 g; the yolk supplies the rest.

Does a bowl of dal have more protein than an egg?

Yes. A cup of cooked lentils has about 18 g of protein and even half a cup has around 9 g, more than the 6.3 g in one large egg. Per 100 g, though, cooked dal has less protein than egg because it contains a lot of water.

Can vegetarians get complete protein without eggs?

Yes. Soy foods such as tofu, tempeh and edamame are complete proteins, and quinoa contains all nine essential amino acids. Eating pulses with cereals over the day, as in dal-chawal or rajma-chawal, also gives you all the essential amino acids.

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