5 Ways To Add Protein To Your Salad Without Meat

Getting an adequate amount of daily protein can be challenging, especially if it comes from plant-based sources instead of protein-heavy meats. Consider that just 3 ounces of poultry or beef can provide between 20 and 30 grams of protein right off the bat, adding those essential amino acids our bodies need for healthy bones, muscles, skin, hormones, cartilage, immune responses, and so much more. However, eating meat is far from the only way to get those crucial benefits from what we eat.

As it turns out, salads are an excellent vessel for building creative, nutritious meals teaming with nature's protein sources — no powders or supplements required. It's actually quite easy to add protein to salad without meat, using very common foods available in almost any supermarket or neighborhood grocery store. Those priceless protein grams rest within everything from nuts to grains, legumes, dairy products, seafood, and even some of the same vegetables already included in basic salad mixtures. 

To aid in your protein pursuit, we've gathered a list of six superstar protein-rich salad add-ins or swap-offs. Some are simply new ways of thinking about everyday foods, while others introduce you to existing Tasting Table salads with new spins for enhancing your daily protein intake.

A bit of crispy-crunchy beautifully tops off a tasty salad, but guess what? That doesn't always mean croutons. Plenty of alternatives exist, including protein-packed edamame. Though edamame, aka soybean, often enters the food equation as a steamed or boiled appetizer or snack, it's easy to toast it up as a crunchy salad topping. Just place the shelled edamame on a parchment paper-lined cooking tray, and bake for about 15 minutes at around 400 degrees Fahrenheit. 

When using pre-cooked frozen edamame, as many people do, be sure to defrost it first, and pat the edamame with a paper towel to dry. You may otherwise end up with overcooked beans and a mushy texture, which is the exact opposite of what you want in a salad topping. Take advantage of edamame as a way to inject subtle new flavors into your salad. Before roasting, toss the edamame in a small amount of oil, and sprinkle with zesty or savory seasonings, ideally ones that complement the other ingredients in the salad. For example, when creating an Italian-style salad, consider adding some grated Parmesan and garlic powder, which is likely to pair well with Italian dressings. 

Be aware that pre-cooked, toasted edamame is often available in supermarkets and online venues. It often comes already seasoned, making it easy to match salad styles and dressings. Common options for seasoned baked edamame include sea salt, ranch, buffalo, sriracha, and wasabi soy sauce, which pair well with Asian-style salads.  

Many legumes make worthy partners for salad ingredients, adding valuable protein to a wide variety of interesting salads — no meat required. That includes two widely available, salad-friendly legumes: lentils and chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans. They range in protein values from 7 to 9 grams in a 3.5-ounce serving, a suitable amount for dinner-size salads, without overpowering their salad-mates. 

Though lentils appear less commonly than chickpeas in standard salads, they're an excellent way to bring Middle Eastern or Mediterranean flair to otherwise ho-hum meals. Soft-cooked lentils in a Greek-style salad provide earthy contrast to crunchy cucumbers, sliced red onions, bright cherry tomatoes, crumbled feta cheese, and chunks of orange bell peppers. For striking visual appeal, create this chickpea Greek-style Seven Layer Salad from Tasting Table recipe creator Joe Dillard. It features similar traditional Greek salad components, layered individually in a clear party-sized bowl and crowned with white feta and sprigs of fresh dill.

Chickpeas can be transformed into a toasty crunchy protein for salads. Similar to edamame, they're easily roasted in the oven, and the relatively bland taste makes them a waiting canvas for color and flavor injection. Consider smoked chickpeas for earthy pizazz and deep crimson hues; just sprinkle with olive oil and smoked paprika before roasting. For extra crispiness, preheat the baking sheet. Alternatively, you can add boiled or pre-cooked canned chickpeas directly into salads for a soft textural component, or mash them into creamy-dreamy salad dressings. 

In unexpected ways, cottage cheese may be the protein-packed base your salads need. The texture makes it less likely to be your go-to choice, but hear us out. Though it's a wet-textured cheese, which could conceivably create a mushy mess in lettuce-based salads, it's actually a lightweight, low-fat dairy staple that's generously high in protein. An 8-ounce portion of cottage cheese cradles a considerable 28 grams of protein.

An obvious way to get this dairy goodness into a salad is to scatter the cottage cheese in small clumps across the top, gently tossing it to keep the consistency intact. But there's a more interesting method: Spread a base of cottage cheese across the base of your salad bowl, then build upward from there. This works best in a shallow bowl, adding light layers of your favorite veggies and leafy greens. As you dig into this salad, scoop a layer of cream cheese into every bite.

Many cheeses work protein miracles when incorporated into salads. Mozzarella, with up to 8 grams of protein in a typical slice, is featured in our recipe for grilled nectarine salad. It joins blueberries, blackberries, nectarines, mixed greens, and pecans, themselves an excellent source of plant-based protein.

Then there are endless salad recipes featuring eggs. Though not an actual dairy product, they do share a common trait: Eggs tuck a whole lot of protein inside those little oval-shaped shells. Just one large, chopped, hard-boiled egg automatically adds 6 grams of valuable protein to any salad.  

Getting your protein fix through pasta salads generally requires rethinking what constitutes an actual batch of farfalle, linguine, penne, and countless other Italian-style pasta. Most are typically grain-based, commonly made with wheat flour, which contains only moderate amounts of protein. However, it's possible to make or buy pasta created with alternative ingredients, namely beans, lentils, rice, quinoa, and even the lesser-known mung beans. And you guessed it: Many of them bring a lot more protein to pasta salad than wheat-based ones. 

Cooking with these alternatives does require some trial and error. But the trade-off in extra protein, plus fresh new flavors and textures, is well worth stepping outside your culinary comfort zones. With this new way of thinking about pasta salads, here's yet another nod to chickpeas. Chickpea pasta is increasingly available from major in-store and online retailers. A popular brand, Banza chickpea pasta, comes in shells, penne, elbows, rotini, and more, all perfect for making pasta salad. 

Quinoa is a seed-based whole grain well-known for being a complete protein harboring all nine essential amino acids that the human body is unable to produce on its own. It also happens to be texturally well-suited for making quinoa pasta, which holds up well in salads. No special recipes are necessary when incorporating these alternative grain- or legume-based pasta into salads. Just swap them into recipes like this Veggie Antipasti Italian Pasta Salad from Tasting Table recipe creator Miriam Hahn. 

Nothing adds textural appeal to salads like nuts and seeds. But that's not all they add; many of those little salad toppers also pack powerful crunchy punches of protein. Especially when lightly toasted, they can bring earthy flavors to lettuce and leafy green salads. They can also help balance the sweetness and soft texture in many types of fruit salads. But not all nuts and seeds are equal when it comes to protein.

Two of the most protein-endowed nuts suitable for salads are peanuts and almonds, with 7 and 6 grams of protein per ounce, respectively. Peanuts are a delightful way of enhancing crunchy Thai peanut salads and Asian-style cucumber salads, while toasted almonds are a staple ingredient in Mediterranean romaine salads with feta and vinaigrette dressings. Switch things up a bit by mixing protein-rich creamy Greek yogurt into oil-based salad dressings.

The little sunflower seed has been long loved at salad bars, most often roasted and salty. Along with pretty little pistachios, these two salad-friendly proteins carry about 6 grams apiece per ounce. Try crunchy pistachios and cranberries for livening up arugula salads, or mix pistachios into fresh fruit salads with oranges, mangoes, or peaches. They're also good companions to fresh mozzarella, basil, and tomatoes in Caprese salads. Other protein-bearing nuts and seeds to experiment with include walnuts, flaxseeds, and cashews.