a decent article about why protein isnt the big problem people think it is, even for people with higher-than-average protein needs.

beans, tofu, and lentils are the obvious ones for cheap and plentiful sources of protein. :bean:

i also like to snack on nuts during the day, which are protein-rich too (although kinda pricey these days!)

heres a few recipes you might like that have heaps of protein in them and more-or-less just involve shoving a bunch of stuff in a pot and leaving it for a while (i make these all the time and can absolutely vouch for them - theyre cheap, really easy even if youre terrible at cooking like i am, very filling, very tasty, and they make a few days' worth in one go)

• easy vegan chili (the sour cream is optional and you can get vegan sour cream)

• coconut red lentil daal

• tomato and chickpea stew

• potato and red lentil soup

• chickpea tofu curry

• mushroom and kidney bean coconut curry

• vegan black bean chili

My go to cheap protein (other than beans and tofu and all the other great answers in here) is Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP). Sometimes called textured soy protein.

Basically when the make soy bean oil they squeeze all the oil out of the beans and TVP is what's left. Soy its basically soy beans without any fat.

You can get at bulk food stores for maybe 7$ a kg or so? Its about 50% protein by weight., and doesn't need to be refrigerated You can use it as a sort of mince or hamburger replacement in any meals you make. It doesn't really have a natural taste you will have to flavour with spices etc. Here is a recipe i make often

I mix warm water and soy sauce, a splash rice wine vinegar, a small spoon of miso and a drop of sesame oil. Put that all in a bowl with about 40g of TVP, let it rehydrate( which only takes about 1 minute) and you’re done.

I aim for a texture that is a little more firm kind of like crumbled Tuna, then mix it all with rice .

Easy meal 2 seconds to make, nothing needs to be refrigerated, and has more than 20g of protein. Cost is under 1$.

There are lots of options depending on your preference and any dietary restrictions.

The answer to the question, "how do I get lots of protein with little effort?" is actually the same as for omnis: protein powder, just made from plants. It doesn't taste good (no protein powder tastes good, pure protein tastes like bleh), but you can dress it up with other stuff to make a shake just like you would with dairy-based protein powder. My favorite combo is to use a plant milk, maple syrup, peanut butter, and then protein powder. The amount of syrup dictates how healthy (and tasty) it is. You can get powders made from different plants if you have allergies. I think my current one is based on rice.

Next up on the list of easy lazy protein is vegan transitional junk food. You can get fake meat stuff and cook it up quickly for a lazy protein-rich meal that also might help you out if you feel like having a comfort food but still want to eat like a vegan. Like fake nuggets or a fake burger. Because it's nearly always a frozen item, you can wait to buy it when it's on super sale at a bulk or overstock grocery store. I don't eat this stuff very often but I have seen it at a massive discount at shops lately. Keep in mind that some of it is arguably not vegan because it'se development (R&D) often uses animals.

Next up is semi-processed protein-rich foods: tofu, seitan, tempeh. Tofu is amazing if you learn how to cook it right (it's not a meat substitute don't cook it like meat it's its own yummy food cook it like people do in East Asia). Seitan is pretty common and is often the basis of the less-convincing (and therefore imo better) meat substitutes. Tempeh is also yummy and imo tastes best in Indonesian food. IMO tofu is the best bang for your buck on protein + nutrition, on average. $2 for a pack that has 30 g of protein.

Finally, whole foods. Pulses and grains will be the leaders of this category. Anything bean-like or any high-protein grain. Even pasta can have a decent amount of protein in it (durum flour). Lentils are a classic poverty food and have incredible nutritional value to cost ratio. I recommend eating lentils regardless, they are very nutritious. Other good options are chickpeas, red beans, black beans, whole urad dal, toor dal. Buying canned beans is fine but you'll really get into money-saving territory if you buy dry beans and cook them yourself.

Preparing dry pulses can be done with two methods. The first method is the traditional way, where you soak them in water for at least 8 hours, usually overnight, and then cook for 30-60 minutes (red beans and similar need the most cooking m, otherwise they're a little poisonous). This method also produces a better texture and flavor. The second method is to use a pressure cooker, just cooking for 15-45 minutes depending on the pulse variety. This method is the most convenient because you don't have to plan your meal the day before or in the morning. Instant pots are great if they're in your budget (they are often on sale for about $60). A simple pressure cooker that has a whistle will cost $15-$20.

There are tons of really good and fairly simple foods you can make from everything I've listed. Let me know if you'd like some dish recommendations!

Hey, good job on trying to make more ethical choices! :avoheart:

As for affordable sources of quality protein, beans strike me as the most obvious candidate for that--black beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, lentils, etc. Buying in bulk will obviously be cheaper, too, especially dried beans.

Nutritional yeast is a favorite of many vegans for its nutty, cheese-esque flavor, and that can have up to like 15 grams of protein per 100 calories.

Whole grain pasta is also fairly affordable if it's a brand like Barilla, and has a surprising amount of protein, like 8 grams per serving.

Obviously peanut butter has decent protein too and is usually pretty affordable.

There's also stuff like textured vegetable protein and soy curls, but I'm not sure if it's any more economical than the animal protein sources it would be replacing for you cuz I haven't eaten meat in years, wish I could be more helpful about that comparison lol

And yeah, of course there are also plant-based protein powders and the like, too

I'd recommend making seitan. You can buy a 4 lb bag of vital wheat gluten for around $20. I use this, which is apparently 23 grams of protein per serving, I usually make two servings.

There's plenty of recipes online, most recommended boiling or steaming the seitan but lately I've been following this recipe where you pan fry it since I'm lazy.

Wish I could give some tips on how to make seitan but frankly I suck at it and eat it purely for the protein without much enjoyment haha.

I'm not vegan though so idk if this is the best affordable vegan protein source out there fyi. Just wanted to share.

Along with all the other great answers here, I'll just add a piece of trivia I like bring up whenever anyone is worried about protein:

Per calorie, spinach has more protein than beef. If you're getting enough calories and eating a reasonably wide variety of foods, protein is literally not an issue, because vegetables have protein in them.

And, of course, :bean: Eat lots of :cool-bean: Mainly because they're delicious, but also they're full of fiber and protein and micronutrients and everything good.

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A while ago I worked out what I consider to be a pretty minmaxed recipe for vegan nutrition. Basically, every 2 days I make a loaf of bread in the bread machine, substituting defatted soy flour for about half of the flour. Soy flour is expensive if you buy it retail, but if you buy a 50 lbs bag (https://shop.honeyville.com/bakers-soy-flour-50lb.html) it's pretty cheap. I also make hummus with half a cup of soybean oil (aka "vegetable oil") in it (good source of essential fatty acids). 1 batch of hummus (i.e. 2 cans of chickpeas) will last 8 days. I also take a vegan multivitamin every 2 days, and because my job burns a lot of calories I drink about 1/2 cup of sugar dissolved in water while I work (buzz buzz im a bee).

That's my breakfast and lunch every day, which gives me >1700 calories, >50 g protein, and >40 g fat for less than $1.50. I could eat the same thing for dinner but I usually just eat normal food instead.