Best Plant-Based Protein to Eat After a Workout
Best plant-based protein to eat after a workout, these protein-packed plant foods are the perfect choices to support workout recovery.
After a grueling workout, the last thing you want to do is sabotage your recovery with the wrong food choices. Reaching for the right foods, including plant-based proteins, will replenish the nutrients your body needs and set you up perfectly for your next session.
“The two main nutrients you should focus on after exercise are protein and carbohydrates,” says Natalie Rizzo, registered dietitian and TODAY nutrition editor. “Protein provides the amino acids your muscles need to repair and rebuild, while carbohydrates replenish the glycogen you’ve used during exercise.”
Depending on the type of workout you’re doing, you may want to prioritize one of those nutrients over the other.
“After strength training, getting enough high-quality protein is especially important for muscle repair and growth,” Rizzo says. “After a long or intense cardio workout, carbohydrates become particularly important because you’ve likely depleted more glycogen.”
For most of us, though, both getting both is best. “After most challenging workouts, a combination of carbs and protein is ideal,” Rizzo says.
Try to get those nutrients in within an hour or two of your workout, she adds. And if you’re doing especially long or intense training sessions, training more than once in a day or just haven’t eaten in a while, you’ll want to eat your protein and carbs sooner than that.
Plant-based proteins are a great source of protein, of course, and many are versatile enough to turn into the perfect recovery meal — no matter your workout or flavor preferences.
The Best Plant-Based Protein for Recovery
Soy Milk
Among plant proteins, “Soy foods tend to have the most protein per volume of food,” Rizzo says. Those foods include tofu, tempeh, edamame and soy milk.
“They are also really easy to incorporate in the diet, and they are inexpensive,” she adds.
For her, soy milk is a favorite “if you’re looking for something quick immediately after a workout,” Rizzo says. “You can easily add it to a smoothie with fruit and get both protein and carbohydrates without having to prepare a full meal.”
As non-dairy milks go, soy milk is exceptionally high in protein. Just like cow’s milk, a single serving of soy milk contains 8 grams of protein.
Tofu
Another protein-packed soy food, tofu is Rizzo’s other top choice for post-workout recovery because it’s “easy to build into a balanced recovery meal with a carbohydrate source,” she says.
A serving of tofu, about 3 ounces, provides 10 grams of plant protein. If you’re using firm tofu, you’ll get even more protein per serving, possibly more than 20 grams per serving, as TODAY.com explained previously.
If you tend to work out later in the day, she recommends whipping up a tofu stir-fry with rice and veggies. Or feel free to snack on Rizzo’s easy air-fryer crispy tofu.
Tofu was also Rizzo’s top plant-based protein to build and maintain muscle and her favorite to support bone health, too.
Other Plant Proteins to Eat After Working Out
Edamame
Yet another protein-packed favorite, Rizzo reaches for her crispy edamame when she wants a quick snack to support her recovery. Edamame, which are immature soy beans, are also easy to throw into a salad, stir fry or grain bowl for an extra protein boost, she adds.
Just a half-cup serving of edamame packs 9 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber. Rizzo previously named edamame as one of her top plant-based proteins to help keep blood sugar steady.
Peanut Butter
Rich in filling, heart-healthy fat as well as protein, peanut butter can be a satisfying post-workout snack ingredient.
A standard 2-tablespoon serving of peanut butter contains about 7 grams of protein along with 7 grams of carbohydrates and 1 to 2 grams of fiber.
Rizzo likes to make a “a super simple peanut butter sandwich because it’s an incredibly simple option that provides carbohydrates, plant protein and healthy fats,” she says.