Vegans are constantly asked, "But where do you get your protein?! [1]" It's easy to get plenty if you eat legumes, whole grains, tofu, tempeh, nuts, seeds, and plant milks like soy milk or pea protein milk. If you feel like you need a little more, here are some ways you can add beans to recipes to increase the protein and fibre, making meals more filling. These are great hacks to keep you satiated for hours, which can help if you're trying to lose weight.
Add Beans to Smoothies
I know it sounds weird to add beans to smoothies, but because they're virtually flavourless, you'll never even realise they're there. They not only add a wonderful creamy texture, but they're chock-full of fibre and protein, two must-haves to make your smoothie extra filling.
Here are three smoothies that are made with beans:
- high-protein banana milkshake smoothie [3]: 335 calories, 13.6 grams fibre, 20.3 grams protein
- blueberry-mango-kiwi smoothie [4]: 366 calories, 14.7 grams fibre, 12.2 grams protein
- metabolism-boosting smoothie [5]: 343 calories, 8.1 grams fibre, 30.4 grams protein
If you don't have time to open up a can of beans, freeze pureed beans, so when you're ready to make your smoothie, you can just throw two cubes into your blender.
Add Mashed Beans to Oatmeal
Add mashed beans to cooked oatmeal or overnight oats. Chickpeas and white beans work for vanilla or fruit-flavoured oatmeal [6], and black beans work for chocolate oatmeal [7].
Add Beans to Mashed Potatoes
Mash beans and potatoes together and this creamy side dish will offer more protein and fibre. Once you try it, you'll never make regular mashed potatoes again.
Add Beans to Dessert Recipes
This chocolate chip cookie dough fudge [8] is made using lentils! Mixed with the other sweet ingredients, you'll never know they're there! Here are some other dessert recipes using beans:
- chocolate doughnuts
- black bean brownie bites [9]
- chocolate hummus [10]
- chocolate pudding [11]
- peanut butter oatmeal raisin cookies
- chocolate mousse cups
Add Beans to Tomato Sauce
Mash beans into tomato sauce to use in baked ziti or a spaghetti squash pasta bake [12], or to top spaghetti as a replacement for ground beef. And since tofu is made from soybeans, you should know you can use it to replace ricotta in lasagna [13] or stuffed shells [14].