High-protein vegetarian foods in India

By Niranjan Sonune · 29 October 2026 · 6 min read

The most common problem trainers see with vegetarian clients in India is low protein. A typical day of roti, rice, dal and sabzi gives 40–60 g of protein, while someone training hard usually needs around 1.6 g per kg of body weight: about 110 g for a 70 kg client. The gap can be closed with ordinary Indian food.

Protein per serving (approximate)

• Paneer, 100 g: about 18 g
• Low-fat paneer / tofu, 100 g: 12–20 g
• Soya chunks, 50 g dry: about 26 g
• Greek yoghurt or hung curd, 200 g: 18–20 g
• Regular curd, 200 g: about 7 g
• Milk, 250 ml: about 8 g
• Whey protein, 1 scoop: 20–25 g
• Moong, masoor or toor dal, 1 cup cooked: 12–15 g
• Rajma or chole, 1 cup cooked: about 13–15 g
• Sprouts (moong), 1 cup: about 7–8 g
• Roasted chana, 30 g: about 6 g
• Peanuts, 30 g: about 7 g
• Besan (chickpea flour), 50 g: about 11 g

A 100 g protein vegetarian day

• Breakfast: besan chilla with paneer stuffing (about 25 g) and a glass of milk (8 g).
• Mid-morning: a bowl of moong sprouts chaat (8 g).
• Lunch: 1 cup dal, 2 rotis, sabzi and a bowl of curd (about 22 g).
• Post-workout: 1 scoop whey in water or milk (22–30 g), or 200 g hung curd if the client avoids supplements.
• Dinner: soya chunk or tofu bhurji with a roti and salad (about 20 g).

Tips for trainers

• Add protein to every meal rather than chasing one big protein meal.
• Pair dal with grains (dal-rice, rajma-rice) for a more complete protein.
• Watch the fat in paneer. Full-fat paneer is high in calories; use low-fat paneer or tofu for clients on fat loss.
• Whey is food, not a steroid. Many families worry about it; explain it is a dairy protein. If a client still says no, use hung curd and soya.
• For Jain clients, see our Jain diet plan guide.

My Fit Cult builds vegetarian, eggetarian, Jain and non-veg plans with protein targets shown for every day, and one-tap swaps that keep protein close when a client doesn't like a food.

Nutrition values are approximate, from standard Indian food tables, and vary by brand. This is general guidance for healthy adults, not medical advice. Clients with kidney disease should check with their doctor before increasing protein.