Which Indian Vegetables Have the Most Protein? 17 Raw Rows Ranked (IFCT 2017)
Most vegetables in an Indian sabzi carry only a gram or two of protein per 100 g, and the ones that carry more are mostly fresh legumes and a few leaves. This guide ranks 17 raw vegetables from the ICMR-NIN Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (IFCT 2017) by protein per 100 g, shows how many grams of each hold 10 g of protein, and sets two rows next to them for scale. The calories of the everyday ones are in our calories in common Indian vegetables guide.
The short answer
By IFCT 2017, the raw rows with the most protein per 100 g are tender fresh red gram (8.09 g), fresh peas (7.25 g) and drumstick leaves (6.41 g). Cauliflower, spinach and ladies finger sit near 2.1 g, brinjal at 1.48 g and bottle gourd at 0.53 g. Our reading: a vegetable can add some protein to a plate, but the legumes and dairy beside it add far more per gram.
17 raw vegetables ranked by protein per 100 g
Each row is one IFCT 2017 Table 1 row, per 100 g of raw edible portion as listed in the book; energy in kJ is converted at 4.184 kJ per kcal. Where IFCT lists several varieties we use one row and name it. The last column is our arithmetic: 1,000 divided by the protein per 100 g, to the nearest gram.
| Raw vegetable (IFCT 2017 row) | Protein per 100 g | Water per 100 g | Calories per 100 g | Protein per 100 kcal | Grams that hold 10 g protein |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red gram, tender, fresh (hara toor) (D067) | 8.09 g | 64.00 g | 124 kcal | 6.5 g | 124 g |
| Peas, fresh (matar) (D061) | 7.25 g | 73.37 g | 81 kcal | 8.9 g | 138 g |
| Drumstick leaves (moringa leaves) (C019) | 6.41 g | 75.65 g | 67 kcal | 9.5 g | 156 g |
| Jack fruit seed, mature (D052) | 5.79 g | 72.32 g | 77 kcal | 7.5 g | 173 g |
| Broad beans (D032) | 3.85 g | 84.20 g | 29 kcal | 13.1 g | 260 g |
| Field beans, tender, lean (sem) (D048) | 3.71 g | 85.57 g | 33 kcal | 11.1 g | 270 g |
| Fenugreek leaves (methi) (C020) | 3.68 g | 86.73 g | 34 kcal | 10.7 g | 272 g |
| Cluster beans (gavar) (D039) | 3.55 g | 84.65 g | 40 kcal | 8.8 g | 282 g |
| Drumstick, pod (moringa) (D046) | 2.62 g | 85.39 g | 29 kcal | 8.9 g | 382 g |
| French beans, country (D049) | 2.49 g | 89.14 g | 24 kcal | 10.2 g | 402 g |
| Cauliflower (phool gobhi) (D036) | 2.15 g | 90.76 g | 23 kcal | 9.4 g | 465 g |
| Spinach (palak) (C033) | 2.14 g | 90.31 g | 24 kcal | 8.8 g | 467 g |
| Ladies finger (bhindi) (D056) | 2.08 g | 89.06 g | 27 kcal | 7.6 g | 481 g |
| Potato, brown skin, big (aloo) (F006) | 1.54 g | 80.72 g | 70 kcal | 2.2 g | 649 g |
| Brinjal (baingan), all varieties (D031) | 1.48 g | 90.00 g | 25 kcal | 5.8 g | 676 g |
| Tomato, ripe, hybrid (D075) | 0.76 g | 93.79 g | 19 kcal | 4.0 g | 1316 g |
| Bottle gourd (lauki), elongate, pale green (D007) | 0.53 g | 95.17 g | 11 kcal | 4.8 g | 1887 g |
Per 100 kcal, the highest is broad beans at 13.1 g and the lowest is potato (brown skin, big) at 2.2 g. The water column fits the spread: the rows with the most protein per 100 g are also the driest (64.0 g of water in tender red gram, 95.2 g in bottle gourd).
For scale: dry dal and paneer
These two are not vegetables. They are here so the grams above have something to be read against. Masoor dal is the dry, uncooked row.
| For scale (not vegetables) | Protein per 100 g | Water per 100 g | Calories per 100 g | Protein per 100 kcal | Grams that hold 10 g protein |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masoor dal (lentil dal), dry (B013) | 24.35 g | 9.71 g | 322 kcal | 7.6 g | 41 g |
| Paneer (L003) | 18.86 g | 51.96 g | 305 kcal | 6.2 g | 53 g |
For protein across ten dals, see which dal has the most protein.
What the numbers say
- The top two rows are legumes. Tender red gram (8.09 g) and fresh peas (7.25 g) are pulses eaten fresh, not leaves or gourds.
- Leaves are mixed. Drumstick leaves have 6.41 g per 100 g, fenugreek leaves 3.68 g and spinach 2.14 g.
- Ten grams of protein is a lot of vegetable. It is about 481 g of raw ladies finger or 465 g of raw cauliflower, against 41 g of dry masoor dal.
To see where vegetables fit in whole plates, see our lunch and dinner guide, our snacks guide and the seven example days, which add up dal, paneer, milk and atta but not vegetables.
What this page leaves out
- Cooked values: IFCT 2017 Table 1 rows are raw, so a cooked sabzi, with its oil and water, is not covered.
- Vegetables with no row used here, and the other IFCT varieties of the ones that are (we use one named row each).
- Protein quality or digestibility, a protein target, and anything about weight loss or health outcomes: the page adds up food data and makes no such claim.
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Join the NYUS waitlistFrequently asked questions
Which vegetable has the most protein?
Of the 17 raw rows in this guide, IFCT 2017 gives the most protein per 100 g to tender fresh red gram (hara toor, D067) at 8.09 g, then fresh peas (matar, D061) at 7.25 g and drumstick leaves (moringa leaves, C019) at 6.41 g. The first two are legumes eaten fresh. The everyday sabzi vegetables are lower: cauliflower 2.15 g, spinach 2.14 g and ladies finger 2.08 g per 100 g raw.
Is spinach high in protein?
Raw spinach (palak, IFCT 2017 code C033) has 2.14 g of protein per 100 g and 24 kcal, which is 8.8 g per 100 kcal. By our arithmetic you would need about 467 g of raw spinach to reach 10 g of protein, against about 41 g of dry masoor dal (B013). Our reading: spinach adds some protein, but dal and paneer add far more per gram.
How much protein is in fresh green peas?
IFCT 2017 lists fresh peas (matar, D061) at 7.25 g of protein per 100 g raw, with 73.37 g of water and 81 kcal. IFCT has no cooked-peas row, and dry peas are a different row (B017), so these figures are for fresh raw peas only.
How much protein from vegetables do I need?
We have not looked up a protein target for any body weight, so this guide gives none and makes no claim about health or weight. Ask a doctor or registered dietitian what amount is right for you.
Sources
- ICMR-NIN, Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (IFCT 2017). Table 1, per 100 g edible portion, rows opened and read from the PDF on 24 Oct 2026: leafy vegetables C019, C020, C033 (PDF pages 44 to 45); other vegetables D007, D031, D032, D036, D039, D046, D048, D049, D052, D056, D061, D067, D075 (pages 45 to 48); potato F006 (page 52); masoor dal B013 (page 42); paneer L003 (page 57). Energy converted from kJ at 4.184 kJ per kcal.
The grams that hold 10 g of protein, 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 are our matching to the IFCT row names.