Is this the perfect summer-to-fall bridge meal? I’m thinking so! This is my extremely vegan take on butter chicken. We keep all the spices, the tomatoes, and the richness too (with coconut oil and cashew cream)! But we sub in chickpeas as our protein and I’m telling you: it’s magic.
I’ve used the last of my garden tomatoes for the sauce in this recipe. You could definitely use canned crushed tomatoes if yours are all gone already (or they’re out of season where you live). I just simply boiled mine so that I could slip the skins off, and then I crushed them by hand in a big bowl. It gives this saucy stew a bright and fresh note.
This hearty main is super weeknight friendly too. It’s a basic sauté that you add spices, chickpeas, the tomatoes, and a quickly blended cashew cream to. Let it simmer for a tiny bit, adjust the seasonings to your needs, and then heat up some flatbread or put on a pot of rice. This recipe freezes well too.
Hope that you’re all enjoying this special transition season! We’ve been getting some cooler days and its making me so happy. Soup and stew weather is when I’m at my happiest :). I find this season is really potent in terms of creative energy and just motivation in general. Almost like a fresh start.
Among other things that I’m working on lately, I’ve decided to get with the times and up my email newsletter game! If you’ve signed up for my email list already, you know that you basically get a very boring notice in your inbox when a post comes up on the site with a tiny preview of the text and the recipe title. I’m hoping to share a little simple recipe every week along with an update on all of my work online, an article or two that I’m into, some things/products that are lighting me up etc! Basically a slightly condensed, more easily digestible version of my old happy hour posts. Sound good? I’m so excited for this!
Hope that everyone has a great week! Big hugs to all of you. Make these spiced vegan “butter” chickpeas! It’s guaranteed to get you in the cozy (and spooky) spirit of Fall 😉
SPICED VEGAN “BUTTER” CHICKPEAS RECIPE
SERVES: 4-6 NOTES: Yes, 3 tablespoons of coconut oil is a lot! We’re trying to replicate the mega creamy texture of a typical butter chicken recipe, so we need to go ALL in. Feel free to reduce the oil if you need to.
-I used unscented coconut oil because I find it to be the most “buttery” of all plant-based oils. If you don’t mind a strong coconut flavour (it would taste great!), you could certainly use virgin coconut oil.
-Maybe the maple syrup seems like a “HUH?” ingredient, but we add it to the cashew cream to evoke that natural sweetness of real dairy cream. Again, it would be fine to leave out if added sugar is a concern.
-If you’re using canned crushed tomatoes, you will need exactly 2 cups (16 ounces) for this recipe.
⅓ cup raw cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours and drained
⅔ cup filtered water
2 teaspoons maple syrup
2 large, ripe tomatoes (mine weighed 550 grams)
3 tablespoons unscented coconut oil
1 large yellow onion, fine dice (about 1 ½ cups diced onion)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of ground nutmeg
sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3 cups cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed (from approximately 2 15-oz cans)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
chopped cilantro, for serving
In an upright, high speed blender, combine the drained cashews, water, and maple syrup. Blend on high until you have a heavy cream-like consistency, about 1 minute. Set aside.
Set a saucepan full of water over medium-high heat. Once the water is boiling, cut an “X” into the bottom of the tomatoes and gently place them into the water. Once the skin starts peeling, remove the tomatoes from the water and set aside to cool. Once cool, cut the tomatoes in half and remove the core. Then, place the tomato halves in a medium bowl and crush them with your hands. You can leave this pretty rustic as you’ll be blending the sauce later on. Set aside.
Place a large, deep skillet (or braiser) over medium heat. Add the coconut oil to the skillet and swirl it around. Add the onions to the skillet and saute until translucent and soft, about 5 minutes. Add the cumin, coriander, paprika, cardamom, cinnamon, and nutmeg to the skillet, and cook, stirring often, for about 1 minute. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute. Season liberally with salt and pepper and stir. Add the crushed tomatoes and stir to combine. Then, add the cashew cream and stir.
Carefully transfer the sauce to an upright, high speed blender. Carefully blend the mixture on high until smooth, about 30 seconds. Return the pureed sauce to the skillet on the stove. Add the chickpeas and stir. Bring the vegan “butter” chickpeas to a boil, and then simmer for 10 minutes, or until sauce is slightly thickened and clinging to the chickpeas.
Stir in the lemon juice and check the dish for seasoning. Adjust salt/pepper/spice/acidity if necessary. Top the vegan “butter” chickpeas with chopped cilantro. Serve hot with rice or flatbread of choice.
We vegetarians often run into the trap of turning into a “carbatarian” – someone who mostly eats foods high in (refined) carbohydrates. This often happens when we replace meat with the “wrong” stuff.
Simply put: too much white bread, pasta, rice and heavily processed foods like breakfast cereals, frozen pizzas and other snacks.
But fret no more!
Whether you’re on a weight-loss journey or building muscle programme, these well-tested recipes will help you achieve your goal. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, we’ve covered it all!
Before we dive into the recipes let’s quickly answer how much protein we actually need and what vegetarian foods provide a proper amount of protein.
How much protein do we need?
The RDA, recommended daily allowance, is at a minimum of 0.36g of protein per pound of body weight (0.8g per kg bodyweight).
By percentage that would be roughly 10% of your daily caloric income. Note that is the minimum requirement for a non-active sedentary person to avoid a protein deficiency and get sick as a result. That means a full-on couch potato would just get by on that daily intake.
But how much protein does an active person need?
Of course this depends on your goals. But in general you can safely say if you want to build muscle you need more protein than that basic daily recommended allowance.
A higher protein intake is also likely to be beneficial for weight loss.
So, if you’re an active person, who does sports regularly, a healthy recommendation would be between 0.75g-1g of protein per lb of bodyweight per day (about 1.6-2.2 grams of protein per kg bodyweight).
By percentage that would be roughly 20-30% of your daily caloric income.
This is based on studies that have investigated the rates of something called muscle protein synthesis (essentially, new muscle being created) and how it differs depending on protein intake.
How much protein per vegetarian meal is realistic?
For most people, reasonably sized healthy meals have around 600kcal, give or take 200kcal.
If we want to hit protein requirements and aim to eat a wide variety of foods (not just cheese and processed meat replacements), here are the protein amounts we believe a vegetarian meal should at least have to be considered “high protein”:
Meal size
Protein
~300kcal
12.5g+
~400kcal
16.5g+
~500kcal
21g+
~600kcal
25g+
NOTE: high-protein vegetarian meals can easily go up to 35g+ protein per 600kcal, if using cheese, eggs and processed meat replacements.
We purposefully took lower numbers per meal as a benchmark, because it allows for a wider variety of foods while still hitting protein goals even for sporty people.
And let’s be honest, to make protein account for 20%+ of your daily caloric intake, you have to make compromises as a vegetarian.
This means either a heavy focus on eggs, cheese, soy, seitan and other meat replacements or including protein shakes in your diet.
Make sure to check out our free meal plans, where all the calculations are done for you:
As you can see there are many protein rich vegetarian foods around. But notice that some foods also come with a high amount of calories, like seeds and nuts.
But this list should help as a rough guideline. So, if you’re prepping a meal without a recipe make sure to use one or more of these ingredients for a protein boost.
How can I add protein to my vegetarian meal?
To an already-finished meal think of sprinkling nuts, cheese or nutritional yeast over the top. To replace meat within the meal try tofu, seitan, lentils or different types of cheese.
You can also add chia seeds to virtually any pancake batter – you’ll get a nice omega-3 boost, too!
Of course, the recipes below can use all types of the food in this list.
Recipe by:HurryTheFoodUp Bonus: works as a breakfast or snack
Boasting 22 grams of protein per serving due to the smoked tofu, cheddar cheese and eggs. Ever had a French Tarte Flambee? That’s what these egg muffins taste like!
Bonus: Swap Greek yogurt for “skyr”, if you have it available in your location for an extra protein boost.
This yogurt dish is relatively low in calories at roughly 303 kcal per serving. That’s enough to make a filling breakfast and still leave you plenty of calories left for the rest of your meals, if you are on a weight loss diet.
Bonus: works well for breakfast, lunch or dinner 😉
Hearty and filling Farmer’s Breakfast. Full of protein and energy to keep you going. Perfect any time of the day. Ready in 30 mins. Embrace your rustic side.
Bonus: very quick and easy, can be stored for a while in the fridge, sooo yummy 🙂
This deliciously smooth cashew milkshake can be made any way you like – just follow the simple instructions and you’ll be drinking a mega shake in five minutes!
Spinach, chickpeas, eggs and feta make this dish a premium protein source for vegetarians. On top it’s easy, delicious and super healthy- a breakfast your body will thank you for!
This tempeh sandwich is THE new vegan sandwich. Mega tasty and super nutritional, it sets the new bar for all sandwich lovers out there. Whole grain sandwich bread is a great option to increase protein a little more.
After a cool and refreshing summer drink that is healthy too? Try our pineapple and spinach smoothie with fresh mint! Greek yogurt, flax seeds and cashews give this smoothie a serious protein boost!
Not sure whether lentils really work in a pancake batter? We’ve tried and tested this recipe and can say these pancakes are not only delicious, but this is also a clever way to increase the amount of protein per serving.
Red lentils belong to the legumes with the highest amount of protein. They’re also super quick to cook making them one of the “most efficient” plant based protein sources out there. Luckily, this soup is a staple in the Turkish cuisine, not because of its high protein content, but because of its good taste.
Bonus: suitable for a quick lunch, nice party snack
If you are looking for a satisfying high protein alternative to hummus and give this recipe a bash. This dip is also very versatile. Out of black beans? Use white or kidney beans instead!
Bonus: works as a side, but excellent as a main dish for a quick lunch
With feta, spinach, and chickpeas, this salad features a few of the best high protein ingredients the vegetarian diet has to offer. But not only that, the dressing is the secret star of this recipe. I was hooked for months!
With some mozzarella, spinach and whole grain tortillas you’ll get in a proper amount of protein. Granted, not the healthiest of all dishes in this list, but delicious nonetheless.
This ramen soup comes with a proper amount of vegetarian protein (egg, tofu, edamame, sesame seeds). What I really like about it though is the versatile spicy Thai style broth. Try it out with any veggie combo you like! Delicious.
The real star of this recipe is the honey mustard dressing! It’s such a good fit for the red onion, red bell pepper and lentils. Make this dish vegan by using maple syrup instead of honey. Wanna add some carbs? I love adding some simple microwaved potatoes as a side!
Bonus: new, fresh, tangy, works as a side dish or main meal
With beets and oranges as main ingredients this dish is best eaten in autumn and winter. Chickpeas and sunflower seeds contribute as a protein source. But hey, a salad is only as good as its dressing and this parsley dressing kicks ass, if I may say so!
Bonus: quick and nutritious, easy to make, full of health benefits
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!
Bonus: amazingly tasty and nutritious, can be stored for a while in the fridge
This is the perfect vegetarian food for a busy weeknight dinner. 10 minutes prep time, then for 20 minutes in the oven. High in vitamins A, C and B6, protein and fiber.
Vegan stuffed peppers featuring tempeh, nutritional yeast and quinoa, three vegan sources high in protein. Quinoa is particularly cool, because it’s one of the few vegan foods that contain all nine essential amino acids!
Vegan Bolognese. It was about time we veganized the Italian classic. And we’re proud to say we were successful. Please welcome, the amazing Anti Bolognese!
These pizza pancakes are perfect for lunch or dinner – super simple and full of the most exciting base and taste combos make it the best of both worlds!
This traybake meal features two of my favorite ingredients, quinoa and halloumi. The latter is not only tasty but works as a pretty good meat replacement due to its consistency.
Dal khichdi is a very traditional Indian dish that works nicely as a weight loss dinner! It’s healthy, light but still filling, and a source of complete protein.
Bonus: Super versatile dish: don’t have kidney beans at home? Just use black beans.
Who said meat-free recipes can’t deliver? This meatless (aka vegan) chili proves that you can still enjoy your favourite meals, but in a new, animal friendly way.
Another healthy vegetarian traybake dinner with plenty of protein featuring broccoli, lentils and halloumi. So easy to make and 32 grams of protein each serving!
I think you should give this recipe a shot, how about writing the ingredients onto your shopping list right now? The recipe is right below! 🙂
Cut the broccoli into big florets and slice the red onion in half and then each half into four pieces lengthwise. Thinly slice the chilli pepper if using.
Seasoning
In the food processor add the cashews with 5 tbsp of water, basil, garlic, juice from ½ lime, ½ tsp salt, black pepper, and process until you have a pesto like texture (not fully smooth). Taste and add more salt per taste. If necessary add a little extra water too.
1 chili pepper,2 tbsp cashews,2 handful basil, fresh,2 clove garlic,½ lime,1 tsp salt,¼ tsp black pepper
Assembling
In a baking sheet place the lentils and thinly sliced chilli pepper if using. On top add the red onion, broccoli florets and halloumi.
Drizzle the pesto seasoning on top of the veggies and sprinkle remaining ½ tsp of salt + black pepper per taste. Brush the broccoli florets and halloumi with the olive oil.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the broccoli florets are tender. Turn on the grill or broiler of the oven at the highest temperature and bake for 3-5 minutes, until the veggies are golden brown.
Top with chopped fresh parsley or dill and serve immediately. Serve with a side of ciabatta bread.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
63 High Protein Vegetarian Recipes: Focused on Fitness
Amount per Serving
Calories
561
% Daily Value*
Fat
17
g
26
%
Saturated Fat
7
g
44
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
2
g
Monounsaturated Fat
7
g
Sodium
1830
mg
80
%
Potassium
1455
mg
42
%
Carbohydrates
78
g
26
%
Fiber
19
g
79
%
Sugar
11
g
12
%
Protein
32
g
64
%
Vitamin A
1649
IU
33
%
Vitamin C
247
mg
299
%
Calcium
447
mg
45
%
Iron
7
mg
39
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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Alright, that’s it for this post!
If you’re still on the recipe hunt, check out even more high protein recipes over here.
Let us know how you liked this collection of high-protein vegetarian recipes! Was there anything you liked and want to see more of? Leave us a comment below 🙂