Can You Really Get Enough Protein From Plants?

If you eat a mostly plant-based diet, you've probably been asked the question. Usually at a family barbecue, or across the table from someone who can't figure it out. "But where do you get your protein?"

It's a fair question. Protein matters. And for a long time, the conventional wisdom was that plant foods simply couldn't measure up to animal sources. That you'd always be a bit behind.
The reality is more nuanced than that, and more encouraging.

The short answer: Yes, you can get enough protein from plant sources. Most plant foods contain all nine essential amino acids, and eating a varied plant diet across the day covers your needs. It takes a bit more attention to total intake than an omnivore diet, but it's well within reach. A quality plant protein supplement can also help close the gap without requiring a big dietary overhaul.

What does "enough protein" mean?

Before getting into sources, it helps to understand what you're aiming for.

According to Dietitians Australia, the recommended daily protein intake for most Australian adults is around 0.75g per kilogram of body weight for women and 0.84g per kilogram for men. For people who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or over 70, that rises to around 1g per kilogram. So for a 65kg woman, the baseline is roughly 49g of protein per day.

If you're active and exercising regularly, your needs are higher. The International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand on protein and exercise recommends 1.4 to 2.0g per kilogram per day for athletes and people in regular training, roughly double the baseline for sedentary adults.

What matters most is hitting your total intake across the day, not getting it all from one food or one meal.

Do plant proteins contain all the essential amino acids?

This is where a lot of the confusion lives.

Your body needs nine essential amino acids it can't produce itself; you have to get them from food. Many animal proteins are considered "complete" because they contain all nine in strong proportions. Plant proteins are often described as "incomplete" because most are lower in at least one essential amino acid. Dietitians Australia notes that legumes, nuts, seeds, and wholegrains are typically incomplete sources, while soy products, quinoa, amaranth, and buckwheat are plant-based exceptions with complete amino acid profiles.

The word "incomplete" causes a lot of unnecessary worry. Here's a more useful way to think about it: most plant foods still contain all nine essential amino acids, just not always in the same proportions as animal proteins. Some are lower in methionine, others in lysine. This matters much less than people assume, because your body pools amino acids from everything you eat across the day, not just one meal at a time. The research community has largely walked back the older advice to combine specific proteins at every meal.

Faba bean protein, like that used in Inna Protein, has a good amino acid profile for a plant source. All nine essential amino acids are present, and the isolate form has one of the stronger profiles in the plant protein category. That's part of why faba bean has been gaining attention as a protein base. 

How much protein can you realistically get from plant foods?

Let's be practical. Plant proteins can contribute meaningfully to your daily intake, but some sources are more efficient than others.

Cooked lentils deliver around 18g of protein per cup. Chickpeas provide around 15g. Tofu gives you roughly 10g per 100g. Edamame sits at around 11g per 100g. Tempeh is higher, at around 19g per 100g. Hemp seeds and pumpkin seeds both offer solid amounts per serving, and both contain all essential amino acids.

Whole grains contribute in smaller amounts. Oats, quinoa, and buckwheat are good examples, and quinoa in particular has a complete amino acid profile.

A common challenge for people eating mostly plants isn't protein quality; it's volume. A 65kg woman exercising regularly and aiming for 1.4g per kilogram needs around 91g of protein daily. Getting there through food alone requires significant intake of legumes and tofu, particularly if appetite is limited or meals are rushed. A plant protein powder can help bridge that gap practically, not as a replacement for whole food, but as an efficient top-up when the day gets busy.

Is plant protein as effective as animal protein for muscle building?

This is a question the research has been catching up on. A 2026 systematic review and meta-analysis published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics examined 12 studies comparing plant and animal proteins for muscle protein synthesis. Nine of the twelve studies (75%) found no significant difference between plant and animal protein. The overall effect size favouring animal protein was 0.004, which is essentially negligible in practical terms.
The conclusion: plant proteins can effectively support muscle building, especially when total daily intake is adequate, and protein sources are varied or high-quality.

Leucine is worth a mention. It's the amino acid most closely associated with triggering muscle protein synthesis. Animal proteins, and especially whey, tend to be higher in leucine than many plant sources. This matters less when you're hitting adequate total protein, but it's one reason why the quality of your plant protein choices is worth paying attention to if you're regularly training.

Getting enough plant protein in practice

If you want to make sure you're hitting your protein targets on a plant-based or mostly plant diet, the approach is fairly straightforward.

Start with a realistic target based on your weight and activity level. Build meals around a protein anchor: lentils, chickpeas, tofu, tempeh, or edamame are all reliable. Add protein-rich snacks where you can — nuts, seeds, or dairy if you include it. And if food alone doesn't reliably get you there on a busy day, a scoop of plant protein powder, stirred into oats or blended into a smoothie, covers a lot of ground with little effort.

The question of whether you can get enough protein from plants doesn't have a complicated answer. The gap between plant-based and omnivore diets is smaller than most people assume, and it's easily managed with variety and, when useful, a quality supplement to top things up.

Inna Protein is made in Australia from faba bean isolate. If you're looking for a plant protein powder with a solid amino acid profile, it's worth a look. The unflavoured version contains just faba bean isolate if you prefer to keep things minimal.