High-Protein Indian Vegetarian Breakfast: Protein per Plate (IFCT 2017)
Breakfasts built on rice flakes, wheat or semolina carry little protein per gram in IFCT 2017, so the protein has to come from somewhere on the plate. This guide takes protein and calories per 100 g from the ICMR-NIN Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (IFCT 2017), then adds up seven example breakfast plates with weights we chose, so you can see where the grams come from.
The short answer
By our arithmetic from IFCT 2017, the plates below range from 3.7 g of protein (50 g of dry poha on its own) to 20.0 g (moong dal chilla with paneer). Dal and paneer carry most of the protein; atta, poha and semolina carry little per gram. Our reading: if breakfast is poha, upma or plain roti, a dal or paneer component is what changes the protein number.
Protein per 100 g of common breakfast foods
Each row is one IFCT 2017 Table 1 row, per 100 g as listed in the book; energy in kJ is converted at 4.184 kJ per kcal. Cereals, pulses and nuts are dry (uncooked). The table is sorted by protein per 100 g.
| Food (IFCT 2017 row) | Protein per 100 g | Calories per 100 g | Protein per 100 kcal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green gram dal (moong dal), dry (B010) | 23.88 g | 326 kcal | 7.3 g |
| Ground nut (peanut), dry (H012) | 23.65 g | 520 kcal | 4.5 g |
| Green gram, whole (sabut moong), dry (B011) | 22.53 g | 294 kcal | 7.7 g |
| Bengal gram dal (chana dal), dry (B001) | 21.55 g | 329 kcal | 6.5 g |
| Peas, dry (B017) | 20.43 g | 303 kcal | 6.7 g |
| Paneer (L003) | 18.86 g | 305 kcal | 6.2 g |
| Bengal gram, whole (kala chana), dry (B002) | 18.77 g | 287 kcal | 6.5 g |
| Almond (H001) | 18.41 g | 609 kcal | 3.0 g |
| Whole egg, boiled (M004) | 13.43 g | 148 kcal | 9.1 g |
| Wheat, semolina (suji), dry (A022) | 11.38 g | 334 kcal | 3.4 g |
| Wheat flour, atta, dry (A019) | 10.57 g | 320 kcal | 3.3 g |
| Rice flakes (poha), dry (A011) | 7.44 g | 354 kcal | 2.1 g |
| Ragi, dry (A010) | 7.16 g | 321 kcal | 2.2 g |
| Milk, whole, cow (L002) | 3.26 g | 73 kcal | 4.5 g |
IFCT 2017 has no row for curd (dahi), oats, besan, idli or dosa batter, roasted chana or packaged breakfast foods, so we give no numbers for them here; use the pack label.
Seven example breakfast plates
These weights are ours, not a recommendation. Each plate is the sum of its IFCT rows at the weight shown, dry or raw, before water and cooking fat.
| Plate (weights are ours) | What is counted | Protein | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moong dal chilla with paneer | 60 g dry moong dal + 30 g paneer | 20.0 g | about 290 kcal |
| Sprouted-moong bowl | 60 g dry whole moong | 13.5 g | about 180 kcal |
| Paneer bhurji with roti | 80 g paneer + 40 g atta | 19.3 g | about 370 kcal |
| Black chana with a glass of milk | 50 g dry kala chana + 200 g whole cow milk | 15.9 g | about 290 kcal |
| One boiled egg with roti | 1 egg, about 50 g + 60 g atta | 13.1 g | about 270 kcal |
| Poha with groundnuts | 50 g dry poha + 20 g groundnuts | 8.5 g | about 280 kcal |
| Plain poha | 50 g dry poha | 3.7 g | about 180 kcal |
Not counted: cooking oil or ghee, chutney, spices, curd, tea and sugar. A teaspoon of ghee or oil adds calories that these plates do not include; see our ghee guide for the arithmetic. Soaking and grinding add water, which is why we weigh dal dry.
What the numbers say
- Among these seven plates, the dal-based ones are the highest in protein per calorie. Dry green gram dal gives 7.3 g of protein per 100 kcal against 2.1 g for dry poha and 3.3 g for dry atta.
- Paneer adds protein and a lot of fat. IFCT lists 18.86 g of protein and 24.78 g of fat per 100 g, so its protein per 100 kcal is 6.2 g. Our reading: use it as an addition, not the whole plate, if calories matter to you.
- Nuts add protein and calories together. 20 g of groundnuts gives 4.7 g of protein and about 100 kcal.
- Eggs. One boiled egg is in one plate. Studies on how many eggs a day are covered in our eggs guide; this page does not say how many to eat.
For protein per 100 g across more foods, see our high-protein Indian foods guide. For breakfast choices and weight loss, see best Indian breakfast for weight loss, and for poha, upma and dalia by dry weight, see poha, sooji and dalia calories and protein.
What this page leaves out
- A protein target: we have not looked up one for any body weight, so we give none.
- Cooked values, and foods with no IFCT row (curd, oats, besan, idli and dosa batter, roasted chana, packaged foods).
- Anything about muscle gain, weight loss or health outcomes: the page adds up food data and makes no claim about what a plate does to your body.
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Join the NYUS waitlistFrequently asked questions
How much protein is in a moong dal chilla?
Our arithmetic from IFCT 2017: 60 g of dry green gram dal (moong dal, B010) holds 14.3 g of protein and about 200 kcal, before the water in the batter and the oil in the pan. With 30 g of paneer as stuffing, the plate in this guide comes to 20.0 g of protein and about 290 kcal. We count the dry dal because the batter weight depends on how much water you add.
Is poha a high-protein breakfast?
IFCT 2017 lists dry rice flakes (poha, A011) at 7.44 g of protein per 100 g, so 50 g of dry poha gives 3.7 g. Adding 20 g of groundnuts (23.65 g per 100 g) raises that plate to 8.5 g of protein and about 280 kcal. Oil, peas, curd and anything else in your poha are not counted here.
Which breakfast foods give the most protein for the calories?
In the IFCT 2017 rows on this page, boiled whole egg gives 9.1 g of protein per 100 kcal, dry whole green gram 7.7 g, dry green gram dal 7.3 g and dry peas 6.7 g. Paneer gives 6.2 g because of its fat (24.78 g per 100 g), and poha gives 2.1 g. Our reading: protein per calorie is one lens; the plate also has to taste like breakfast to you.
Can a vegetarian get protein at breakfast without eggs?
The plates in this guide that contain no egg come to 3.7 to 20.0 g of protein (8.5 to 20.0 g if you leave out plain poha), by our arithmetic from IFCT 2017 rows and the weights we chose. We have not looked up a protein target for any body weight, so ask a doctor or registered dietitian what is right for you.
Sources
- ICMR-NIN, Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (IFCT 2017). Table 1, per 100 g edible portion, read from the PDF 23 Oct 2026: cereals A010, A011, A019, A022 (PDF pages 41 to 42), pulses B001, B002, B010, B011, B017 (pages 42 to 43), nuts H001, H012 (page 55), milk and paneer L002, L003 (page 57), boiled whole egg M004 (page 58). Energy converted from kJ at 4.184 kJ per kcal.
The plate weights, the sums, the protein-per-100-kcal figures and every sentence starting "Our reading" are NYUS's own arithmetic or opinion, not from a study. Names in brackets (moong dal, chana dal, kala chana, suji, poha) are our matching to the IFCT row names.