Protein-Rich Indian Foods Chart

The short answer

Per 100 g, the most protein-dense vegetarian foods here are soybean (37.8 g), masoor dal (24.4 g), moong dal (23.9 g). Among non-veg foods, tuna (24.5 g), seer fish (22.3 g), mutton (22.1 g) lead.¹ A 60 kg adult needs about 50 g of protein a day.²

Per 100 g, raw or dry unless the name says otherwise. “From protein” is the share of calories from protein; “For 20 g” is how much you'd eat for 20 g of protein.
#	Food	Type	Protein / 100 g	kcal	From protein	For 20 g
1	Soybean soya bean, white soybean	Veg	37.8 g	377	41%	53 g
2	Methi seeds fenugreek seeds	Veg	25.4 g	235	44%	79 g
3	Tuna	Non-veg	24.5 g	112	89%	82 g
4	Masoor dal split red lentils	Veg	24.4 g	322	31%	82 g
5	Moong dal green gram dal, mung dal	Veg	23.9 g	326	30%	84 g
6	Peanuts groundnut, moongphali	Veg	23.7 g	520	18%	85 g
7	Sunflower seeds	Veg	23.5 g	586	16%	85 g
8	Halim seeds garden cress seeds, aliv	Veg	23.4 g	445	21%	86 g
9	Pistachios pista	Veg	23.4 g	539	18%	86 g
10	Urad dal split black gram	Veg	23.1 g	324	29%	87 g
11	Whole moong green gram, sabut moong	Veg	22.5 g	294	31%	89 g
12	Whole masoor brown lentils	Veg	22.5 g	299	31%	89 g
13	Seer fish vanjaram, surmai	Non-veg	22.3 g	136	66%	90 g
14	Mutton goat meat, leg	Non-veg	22.1 g	160	56%	91 g
15	Whole urad black gram, sabut urad	Veg	22 g	291	31%	91 g
16	Chicken breast skinless	Non-veg	21.8 g	168	53%	92 g
17	Hilsa ilish	Non-veg	21.8 g	259	34%	92 g
18	Horse gram kulthi, kollu, hurali	Veg	21.7 g	330	27%	92 g
19	Toor dal arhar dal, split pigeon pea	Veg	21.7 g	331	27%	92 g
20	Sesame seeds til, white	Veg	21.7 g	520	17%	92 g
21	Chicken liver	Non-veg	21.6 g	124	71%	93 g
22	Chana dal split Bengal gram	Veg	21.6 g	329	27%	93 g
23	Mackerel bangda, ayala	Non-veg	21.5 g	101	86%	93 g
24	Lobia white cowpea, black-eyed beans	Veg	21.3 g	320	27%	94 g
25	Salmon	Non-veg	21 g	172	49%	95 g
26	Dried peas sukhe matar	Veg	20.4 g	303	27%	98 g
27	Mutton liver goat liver, kaleji	Non-veg	20.3 g	126	66%	98 g
28	Rajma red kidney beans	Veg	19.9 g	299	27%	100 g
29	Moth beans matki	Veg	19.8 g	309	26%	101 g
30	Rohu	Non-veg	19.7 g	102	78%	101 g
31	Chicken leg skinless	Non-veg	19.4 g	191	41%	103 g
32	Pork pork chops	Non-veg	19.4 g	179	44%	103 g
33	Prawns jhinga, big prawns	Non-veg	19.2 g	91	86%	104 g
34	Pomfret white pomfret, paplet	Non-veg	19 g	123	63%	105 g
35	Paneer cottage cheese	Veg	18.9 g	258	30%	106 g
36	Cashews kaju	Veg	18.8 g	583	13%	106 g
37	Kala chana whole Bengal gram, brown chickpeas	Veg	18.8 g	287	27%	107 g
38	Flaxseeds alsi, linseeds	Veg	18.6 g	444	17%	108 g
39	Tilapia	Non-veg	18.5 g	83	90%	108 g
40	Almonds badam	Veg	18.4 g	609	12%	109 g
41	Chicken thigh skinless	Non-veg	18.2 g	200	37%	110 g
42	Catla	Non-veg	17.9 g	94	77%	111 g
43	Sardine mathi, tarli	Non-veg	17.9 g	152	48%	112 g
44	Pangas pangasius	Non-veg	17.1 g	204	34%	117 g
45	Omelette	Egg	16.5 g	170	40%	121 g
46	Khoa mawa	Veg	16.3 g	316	21%	122 g
47	Egg yolk raw	Egg	15.7 g	297	22%	127 g
48	Walnuts akhrot	Veg	14.9 g	671	9%	134 g
49	Duck egg	Egg	14.6 g	182	33%	137 g
50	Bombay duck bombil	Non-veg	13.5 g	69	80%	148 g
51	Boiled egg	Egg	13.4 g	148	37%	149 g
52	Egg whole hen's egg, raw	Egg	13.3 g	135	40%	151 g
53	Rajgira amaranth seed, ramdana	Veg	13.3 g	356	15%	151 g
54	Desi egg country hen egg	Egg	13.1 g	168	32%	152 g
55	Quinoa	Veg	13.1 g	328	16%	153 g
56	Sooji rava, semolina	Veg	11.4 g	334	14%	176 g
57	Bajra pearl millet	Veg	11 g	348	13%	182 g
58	Barley jau	Veg	10.9 g	316	14%	183 g
59	Egg white raw	Egg	10.8 g	45	99%	185 g
60	Atta whole wheat flour	Veg	10.6 g	320	13%	189 g
61	Maida refined wheat flour	Veg	10.4 g	352	12%	193 g
62	Little millet samai, kutki	Veg	10.1 g	346	12%	197 g
63	Jowar sorghum	Veg	10 g	334	12%	201 g
64	Brown rice	Veg	9.2 g	354	11%	218 g
65	Kodo millet varagu, kodra	Veg	8.9 g	332	11%	224 g
66	Maize dry corn, makka	Veg	8.8 g	334	11%	227 g
67	White rice raw milled rice	Veg	7.9 g	356	9%	252 g
68	Parboiled rice boiled rice, ukda chawal	Veg	7.8 g	352	9%	256 g
69	Puffed rice murmura, mamra	Veg	7.5 g	362	8%	268 g
70	Poha flattened rice, rice flakes	Veg	7.4 g	354	9%	269 g
71	Dry coconut copra, kopra	Veg	7.3 g	624	5%	275 g
72	Green peas fresh matar	Veg	7.3 g	81	36%	276 g
73	Ragi finger millet, nachni	Veg	7.2 g	321	9%	279 g
74	Moringa leaves drumstick leaves, sahjan	Veg	6.4 g	67	39%	312 g
75	Jackfruit seeds	Veg	5.8 g	77	31%	345 g
76	Buffalo milk whole buffalo milk	Veg	3.7 g	107	14%	543 g
77	Methi leaves fenugreek leaves	Veg	3.7 g	34	43%	543 g
78	Mushroom button mushroom	Veg	3.7 g	27	54%	543 g
79	Cow milk whole cow's milk	Veg	3.3 g	73	18%	613 g
80	Spinach palak	Veg	2.1 g	24	36%	935 g
81	Potato	Veg	1.5 g	70	9%	1.3 kg

Reading the chart

Dry dals and grains look high because they're weighed dry. Cooked, they hold a lot of water, so weigh them before cooking.
Calories matter too. Nuts and seeds have plenty of protein per 100 g but get most of their calories from fat. “From protein” shows how lean a food is.
Mixing helps vegetarians. Dal with rice or roti, or milk with cereal, gives a more complete mix of amino acids than either alone.³
Averages, not labels. IFCT averaged samples from across India; your brand or crop can differ. For packaged food, the nutrition label on the pack wins.

Common questions

Which vegetarian Indian food has the most protein?

Of the foods on this chart, soybean has the most: 37.8 g per 100 g, dry (IFCT 2017). Among dals, soybean leads with 37.8 g, and paneer is the top dairy food at 18.9 g.

Which non-veg food has the most protein?

Tuna, at 24.5 g per 100 g raw, is the highest on this chart. Most fish, chicken and mutton fall between about 17 and 24 g per 100 g raw.

How much protein is in an egg?

IFCT 2017 gives 13.3 g per 100 g of raw whole egg and 13.4 g per 100 g boiled. Egg sizes vary, so weigh yours (without the shell) and multiply.

Are these values for raw or cooked food?

Raw or dry, as IFCT 2017 measured them, unless the name says boiled or omelette. Dals, grains and meat change weight when cooked, so weigh them before cooking for an accurate count.

References

Longvah T, Ananthan R, Bhaskarachary K, Venkaiah K. Indian Food Composition Tables 2017. National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR), Hyderabad. nin.res.in. Read through the open-data copy by Subhajit Sahu (ifct2017, MIT licence).
ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition. Nutrient Requirements for Indians: Recommended Dietary Allowances and Estimated Average Requirements. 2020. nin.res.in
WHO/FAO/UNU Expert Consultation. Protein and amino acid requirements in human nutrition. WHO Technical Report Series 935, 2007. who.int

Protein-rich Indian foods

Reading the chart

Common questions

References