This Teriyaki Stir Fry with Broccoli and Chickpeas is so easy to make and you might be surprised at how much your child will love it! It’s great for a vegan family dinner!
Does your child like broccoli? I feel like broccoli is the quintessential vegetable that you think of when you think of something kids don’t like. But, thankfully I have found quite the opposite! I asked my three year old what kind of recipe I should make for the blog and he said, “Something with broccoli and chickpeas.” so I came up with this Teriyaki Stir Fry and he at so much! He even asked for more broccoli
I make teriyaki stir frys a lot because they’re so easy to make and great for when you have a bunch of vegetables that need to be used up. I always have the ingredients on hand for my go-to stir fry sauce and the kids love it.
Teriyaki Stir Fry Recipe Ingredients
Broccoli – You can use fresh or frozen. I usually have fresh broccoli on hand but if you don’t, frozen is great too.
Chickpeas – I just used one can of pre-cooked chickpeas. You could also use another bean you like, tofu or tempeh. I like to use canned beans because they help make this recipe super quick to make.
Teriyaki Sauce – To make this recipe even easier you could always use a good quality store-bought teriyaki sauce but it’s also so easy to make at home! My teriyaki sauce recipe just has a few ingredients, including: toasted sesame oil, tamari, maple syrup, water, ginger, garlic and cornstarch.
How To Make Teriyaki Stir Fry
This recipe is so easy to make! There are just a few simple steps:
Start by sautéing the broccoli in a little bit of oil with some salt. You then add in a little bit of water to help the broccoli steam.
To make the teriyaki sauce al you do is add all the sauce ingredients to a jar and mix until completely combined.
Then, add the sauce mixture and the chickpeas to the broccoli and cook until sauce thickens and will coat the back of a spoon.
Serve broccoli and chickpea mixture over rice, or your favorite grain and enjoy!
Why Kids Will Love This Teriyaki Stir Fry
I obviously can’t say 100% that your children will like this meal, but if you’re trying to get them to eat more veggies, this stir fry is a good way to do that!
The broccoli is cooked until it’s soft so it’s easy for little teeth to eat, unlike raw broccoli.
The teriyaki sauce is sweet and flavorful, which I’m pretty sure is my son’s favorite thing about it
I serve it over rice, which is usually a favorite of all kids! You could also serve it over cauliflower rice, my son can’t even tell the difference.
My son loves chickpeas so he gets excited about eating anything with chickpeas in it!
This Teriyaki Stir Fry with Broccoli and Chickpeas is so versatile. You can add in any veggies you have that your children enjoy. If you child doesn’t like chickpeas, you could easily substitute tofu or chicken. I also love to use this recipe as a meal prep lunch for my husband and I. I hope you and your family enjoys this!
This Teriyaki Stir Fry with Broccoli and Chickpeas is so easy to make and always a hit with my kids!
Ingredients
2 teaspoons olive oil 6 cups broccoli florets 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/3 cup water 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
White rice or cauliflower rice for serving with, optional Teriyaki Sauce: 1/3 cup water 1/3 cup tamari, I like to use low sodium 1/4 cup pure maple syrup 1/4 cup toasted sesame oil 1 clove garlic, finely grated 1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated ginger 1 1/2 teaspoons arrowroot starch 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add olive oil, broccoli and salt. Cook for a minute and then pour in water, cover and let steam until water has cooked off and broccoli is tender, about 7 minutes.
Make the teriyaki sauce while the broccoli is cooking. Add all sauce ingredients to a jar and mix until combined.
Add the chickpeas in with the broccoli and pour the sauce over. Cook until sauce has thickened, 5-7 minutes. Serve stir fry over rice and enjoy.
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 🙂
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