Sharing is caring!

If you are wanting to discover new foods that are high in protein, look no further Shayla is here to help!

Like any fitness junkie, I always stress the importance of consuming larger amounts of protein- this may be through fresh foods or even protein supplements.. I love food and with my new healthy lifestyle, I am on a constant search for new recipes and ideas.

Why Should I Include Protein In my Diet?

I often hear people ask, what do I need protein? Well we need protein to stay healthy and we need protein for our bodies to work! many studies have shown that protein can help with weight-loss and preventing loss of muscle mass.

Protein also keeps us fuller for longer which is great if your goal is to lose weight or even for combatting binge eating disorder.

But why settle for boring old chicken breasts 7x a week!? There are tons of different foods that you probably didn’t know were high in protein! Don’t believe me? lemme show you:

20 Unexpected Foods That are High In Protein

1. Greek yogurt

This one shocked me the most! 100g of greek yogurt contains about 10g of protein, which is quite a lot if you ask me! Now I usually use greek yogurt as a healthier topping for desserts or even to make a simple breakfast parfait with granola and fruit!

My Favourite Healthy Recipes Using Greek Yogurt:

• Strawberry Banana Granola Parfait
• Healthy Gluten Free Sugar Free Carrot Cake
• Cookie Dough Greek Yogurt

Cheeses That Are High In Protein

I love cheese, I don’t think I could live without it. So what better excuse for indulging in it’s fatty goodness than its high protein content!

Below is a list containing the amount of protein in 100g of 4 different cheeses- that comes to around 3/4 of a cup.

• 2. Cottage cheese. There are 11g of protein in 100g of cottage cheese.
• 3. Swiss cheese. There are 27g of protein in 100g of Swiss cheese.
• 4. Parmesan. There are 38g of protein in 100g of parmesan.
• 5. Cheddar. There are 25g of protein in 100g of your average cheddar cheese.

My Favourite Healthy Recipes Using Cheese:

• Sheet Pan Parmesan Crusted Chicken and Broccoli 
• Light Chocolate Cheesecakes
• Broccoli Cheese Casserole

Beans That Are High In Protein

Beans may make you fart but they are rich in protein so who cares!? I sure don’t!

Here is a list showing the amount of protein in 3 different type of bean/legumes:

• 6. Black Beans. There are 16g of protein in 1 cup of cooked black beans.
• 7. Lima Beans. There are 15g of protein in 1 cup of cooked lima beans.
• 8. Chickpeas. There are 11g of protein in 1 cup of cooked chickpeas.

My Favourite Healthy Recipes Using Beans:

• High Protein Brazilian Chicken Stew With Black Beans
• Chickpea Blondies

Nuts That Are High In Protein

If I could, I’d drizzle peanut butter on absolutely everything! Peanut butter steak anyone? It’s a pretty common staple in many people’s fitness journeys but raw nuts are equally as effective. They also make the perfect snack and a handful of almonds helps to curb my sugar cravings!

• 9. Walnuts. There are 4.5g of protein in a 1/4 cup of walnuts.
• 10. Almonds. There are 7.6g of protein in a 1/4 cup of almonds.

My Favourite Healthy Recipes Using Nuts:

• Raw Gingerbread Bites

11. Quinoa

I used to hate the idea of quinoa but cooked the right way, it can be pretty darn delicious. 1 cup of cooked quinoa provides about 8g of protein.

My Favourite Healthy Recipes Using Quinoa

• Creamy Tomato & Mozzarella Quinoa Risotto (Although listed for kids, I have tried this with a few alterations and it tastes amazing!)

Seeds That Are High In Protein

Seeds are an amazing way to get some extra protein into your diet without even really realising. As they are so small, you can add them to your morning oatmeal or even bake them in a cake- they are likely to go unnoticed!

Here are some seeds that are high in protein:

• 12. Pumpkin Seeds. There are 7g of protein in about 1/2 a cup of pumpkin seeds.
• 13. Chia Seeds. There are 14g of protein per 1/2 cup of almonds.
• 14. Sunflower Seeds.  There are 14 g of protein per 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds.

My Favourite Healthy Recipes Using Seeds

• Cinnamon Apple Pie Chia Pudding
• Chia Seed Water

Shell fish That Is High In Protein

When you think protein, you may immediately think of salmon and tuna… but what about the poor ol’ shellfish!? Shellfish in fact has a large amount of protein too! Why not treat yourself to a lobster tail this weekend eh? You deserve it queen!

Below are 2 different types of shellfish that are high in protein!

• 15. Shrimp. There are 24g of protein in 100g of shrimp. That’s about 10!
• 16. Lobster. Your average lobster tail contains 23g of protein.

My Favourite Healthy Recipes Using Shellfish

• Quick & Easy Prawn Curry
• 20-Minute Bang Bang Shrimp Air Fryer Recipe
• Herby Lemon Garlic Lobster

Vegetables That Are High In Protein

Oh, you didn’t think you’ll be seeing any vegetables here did you!? Don’t worry veggies, I see you and all of your protein goodness! I don’t know about you, but when cooked the right way, I can eat cups and cups of vegetables, they taste soo good! So just as well that they are also rich in protein- it’s the best of both worlds!

Here are 3 types of vegetables that are highest in protein, each measured to 1 cup (the average serving size):

• 17. Mushrooms. There are 3.9 g of protein per cup of cooked white button mushrooms.
• 18. Broccoli. There are 3.7g of protein per cup of cooked broccoli.
• 19. Brussel sprouts. There are 4g of protein per cup of cooked Brussel sprouts.

My Favourite Healthy Recipes using Veggies

• One Pan Roasted Vegetables and Sausage Meal Prep Bowls
• Broccoli Mushroom Stir Fry
• Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts with Honey Sriracha Sauce
• Healthy Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry 

20. Oats

1 cup of cooked oatmeal has about 6g of protein in it. Served alongside or cooked with some extra high-in-protein foods, you could have yourself a very delicious protein rich meal! And trust me, after 1 bowl of oatmeal, you’ll be full for hours!

My Favourite Healthy Recipes Using Oats

• Carrot Cake Overnight Oats
• Broccoli Cheddar Oatmeal Bake
• Peanut Butter Banana Baked Oatmeal
• The Ultimate Healthy Apple Crumble 

Did you know all of these foods were high in protein? Paired with a good home workout schedule, you will be sure to notice results if you get in enough of these foods (and more of course) into your diet!
Do you know of any other protein rich foods that may shock me or even have a recipe to share? Let me know in the comment below!

Thanks for stopping by