8 Easy Ways To Add More Vegetarian Protein To Your Day

The good news is that adding protein throughout the day can make it easy to meet your needs. Make protein powder, bars, and fortified foods your last resorts instead of staples, and instead, try these easy real-food approaches to up your protein intake:

Instead of croutons, top your soup or chili with a generous spoonful of hemp hearts. Each tablespoon provides about 3 grams.

Another great soup topper, roasted chickpeas also make a great addition to salads and grain bowls or even enjoyed on their own as a handy snack. They’re easy to DIY—just toss with a little olive or coconut oil and your favorite spices and roast at 375°F until crispy, about 20 to 30 minutes. A half-cup adds about 7 grams of protein.

It sounds kind of funky to the uninitiated, but nutritional yeast is super-convenient for adding protein to all kinds of foods. Its pleasant, savory taste makes is a nice complement to many flavors. Shake it over salad, pasta, grain bowls, or popcorn. You can also use it to make a vegan "cheese" sauce by cooking it with nondairy milk and savory spices.

Puréed tofu is a great way to bulk up smoothies, baked goods (vegan cheesecake, anyone?), or soup. My personal favorite take is to combine it with pumpkin or butternut squash purée and add miso paste, garlic powder, and turmeric. Toss this sauce with cooked chickpea pasta for a nourishing vegan take on mac & cheese.

One large egg provides about 6 grams of high-quality protein. I love to top lentil soup, a bowl of beans and veggies, or even savory oatmeal with a poached egg. Hint: It’s a great way to elevate your avocado toast. Cooking in an egg also adds a fluffy texture and rich taste to a humble bowl of oatmeal.

Because they’re strained, Greek yogurt and Icelandic skyr offer up as much as double the protein content of regular yogurt. One cup can have as much as 20 grams! Just skip the sweetened stuff. It’s also a great sub for mayonnaise or sour cream in recipes.

Cottage cheese has a reputation as an old-school "diet" food, but there are some seriously delish cultured, organic options on the market. Not into it? Try ricotta. Its smooth texture and versatile flavor give you endless options. Both cottage cheese and ricotta contain about 6 to 8 grams of protein per quarter-cup. They make great toast toppers instead of cream cheese or butter, and they also add staying power to a smoothie or oatmeal (stir in at the end). If you’ve never tried ricotta on top of pancakes, you’re welcome.

Wanna add in some protein powder? These are the healthiest options.