In this article
- How we ranked protein foods with fiber
- Protein foods with fiber, ranked
- Legumes: the high fiber protein sources that lead
- Soy foods: protein first, fiber second
- Seeds and nuts: big fiber, bigger calories
- Animal proteins and fiber
- Mixed plates: animal protein plus a fiber side
- What else legumes bring to the plate
- Myth and fact: high protein means low fiber
- Building balanced nutrition around protein and fiber
- Which protein food to pick
- Protein foods and fiber: common questions
- Sources
A lot of people assume a food has to choose: high protein or high fiber. The numbers say otherwise. When you eat 20 grams of protein from split peas, you also get about 20 grams of fiber, while 20 grams of protein from chicken breast comes with none.
That gap runs through the whole protein aisle. Every protein food with fiber is a plant, and animal proteins like meat, fish, eggs and dairy contain zero fiber according to USDA FoodData Central.
Below, protein foods with fiber are ranked on one fair measure: how much fiber comes along with the same 20 grams of protein. You’ll also see the calorie cost of each and how to build balanced nutrition around them.
How we ranked protein foods with fiber
Serving sizes make most protein comparisons misleading. A cup of beans and an ounce of seeds aren’t eaten the same way, so we used a single yardstick instead.
For each food, we took USDA values and calculated how much you’d need to eat to get 20 grams of protein. Then we recorded the fiber and calories that come with that amount.
Twenty grams is roughly 40% of the 50 gram Daily Value for protein, a realistic amount for one meal. It makes the trade between protein, fiber and calories easy to see at a glance.
We included the most common plant and animal protein foods, from beans and soy to seeds, nuts, grains, poultry and eggs. Anything with no fiber at all is grouped at the bottom.
Protein foods with fiber, ranked
| Food (USDA) | Amount for 20 g protein | Fiber that comes with it | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Split peas, cooked | About 1 1/4 cups | 20 g | 283 |
| Black beans, cooked | About 1 1/3 cups | 19.7 g | 299 |
| Pumpkin seeds, whole roasted in shell | About 3.8 oz | 19.6 g | 475 |
| Lentils, cooked | About 1 1/8 cups | 17.4 g | 257 |
| Chickpeas, cooked | About 1 1/3 cups | 17.2 g | 371 |
| Quinoa, cooked | About 2 1/2 cups | 12.8 g | 548 |
| Almonds | About 3.3 oz | 11.7 g | 547 |
| Edamame, cooked | About 1 1/10 cups | 8.8 g | 203 |
| Pumpkin seed kernels (pepitas) | About 2.3 oz | 4.0 g | 367 |
| Firm tofu | About 7.8 oz | 2.0 g | 173 |
| Chicken breast, eggs, fish, dairy | Varies | 0 g | 106 to 230 |
Beans, peas and lentils sit at the top, with 17 to 20 grams of fiber for every 20 grams of protein. That’s close to a gram of fiber per gram of protein, and they get there for under 300 calories in most cases.
Seeds and nuts can match the fiber, but the calorie cost climbs fast. Whole pumpkin seeds need about 475 calories to reach 20 grams of protein, and almonds about 547.
Not sure what daily fiber number you should be working toward? Our fiber calculator gives you a personal target in seconds.
Legumes: the high fiber protein sources that lead
Split peas are the closest thing to a perfect match. USDA lists a cooked cup at 16.3 grams of protein and 16.3 grams of fiber for 231 calories.
Lentils run a close second on both counts, with 17.9 grams of protein and 15.6 grams of fiber per cup. Black beans and chickpeas follow with similar fiber but a little less protein.
Harvard’s Nutrition Source points to lentils as an example of a healthy protein package, bringing protein with fiber, virtually no saturated fat and almost no sodium. Any of the legumes above fits that description.
Soy foods: protein first, fiber second
Soy is the most protein dense plant family on the list, but its fiber varies a lot by form. Edamame, the whole green soybean, keeps much of its fiber at about 8.1 grams per cup alongside 18.5 grams of protein.
Tofu loses most of it. USDA lists firm tofu at just 0.9 grams of fiber per 100 grams, so 20 grams of protein from tofu brings only about 2 grams of fiber.
USDA doesn’t report a fiber value for tempeh in its standard reference data. If tempeh is your protein of choice, check the package label for the fiber line.
Seeds and nuts: big fiber, bigger calories
Seeds and nuts are protein foods with fiber, but they’re also dense in fat. That makes them better as add ons than as the main protein in a meal.
Whole roasted pumpkin seeds in the shell are the surprise here, with nearly as much fiber per 20 grams of protein as beans. Shelled pepitas have more protein per ounce but far less fiber, because most of it is in the shell.
Almonds land in the middle, with 3.5 grams of fiber and 6 grams of protein per ounce. An ounce on a salad adds both without much effort, but you’d need over three ounces to reach 20 grams of protein.
Animal proteins and fiber
Meat, poultry, fish, eggs and dairy contain no fiber at all. Their strength is protein per calorie: 20 grams of protein from roasted chicken breast costs about 106 calories, and from about three large eggs about 230.
Harvard’s protein page shows what else comes with animal protein. A 4 ounce broiled sirloin steak has about 33 grams of protein and 5 grams of saturated fat, while 4 ounces of ham carries about 1,500 mg of sodium.
None of that rules out animal protein. It just means the fiber in a meal has to come from somewhere else on the plate.
Mixed plates: animal protein plus a fiber side
You don’t have to pick a team. Pairing an animal protein with a legume gets you the protein efficiency of one and the fiber of the other. Using USDA and Harvard values:
| Plate | Protein | Fiber |
|---|---|---|
| 4 oz roasted chicken breast + 1 cup black beans | About 50 g | 15.0 g |
| 4 oz grilled salmon + 1/2 cup lentils | About 39 g | 7.8 g |
| 2 large eggs + 1/2 cup black beans | About 20 g | 7.5 g |
| 1/2 cup firm tofu + 1/2 cup edamame | About 21 g | 5.1 g |
The chicken and black bean plate covers the full protein needs of a 140 pound adult in one meal and brings 15 grams of fiber. Even the lighter egg and bean breakfast brings 7.5 grams.
The tofu plate shows why soy foods benefit from a partner. Adding edamame to tofu more than quadruples the fiber without changing the flavor much.
What else legumes bring to the plate
Legumes also carry micronutrients that animal proteins are thin on. A cup of cooked black beans has about 256 mcg of folate, 64% of the FDA Daily Value, and 120 mg of magnesium, about 29%.
Lentils add iron, with about 6.6 mg per cup, 37% of the Daily Value. That makes them especially useful if you’re eating less red meat and want to keep your iron intake steady.
Myth and fact: high protein means low fiber
Myth: To eat more protein, you have to give up fiber.
Fact: Legumes break that rule. A cup of split peas gives you about 16 grams of protein, roughly what you’d get from two and a half large eggs, plus about 16 grams of fiber.
The myth comes from thinking of protein only as meat. Once beans, peas and lentils count as protein foods, raising protein and fiber together gets much easier.
Building balanced nutrition around protein and fiber
Harvard notes that most adults need at least 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, about 50 grams a day for a 140 pound person. Its fiber page puts the average American intake at about 15 grams of fiber a day.
So for most people, fiber is the bigger gap. A few simple ways to close it while keeping protein high:
- Swap half the meat in chili, tacos or pasta sauce for beans or lentils.
- Add a cup of edamame or chickpeas to a salad that already has chicken or fish.
- Sprinkle almonds or whole pumpkin seeds on yogurt, which has protein but no fiber.
- Serve tofu with a bean or whole grain side to make up for its low fiber.
Mayo Clinic recommends raising fiber gradually and drinking plenty of water, since a sudden jump can cause gas, bloating and cramping. Add one legume serving at a time over a few weeks.
Want more meals that pair lean protein with beans and whole grains? Our recipe eBooks are full of easy, high fiber ideas.
Which protein food to pick
Use these quick rules when you’re planning a meal, whether you eat meat or not:
- If you want the most fiber with your protein, choose split peas, lentils or black beans.
- If you want the most protein for the fewest calories, choose chicken, fish or eggs, and add a bean, vegetable or whole grain side for fiber.
- If you want a plant protein with a lighter texture, choose edamame over tofu for the extra fiber.
- If you’re adding crunch, choose whole pumpkin seeds or almonds, and keep the portion to about an ounce.
Protein foods and fiber: common questions
Which protein food has the most fiber?
Split peas lead common protein foods, with about 16.3 grams of fiber and 16.3 grams of protein per cooked cup. Lentils and black beans are close behind.
Does meat have any fiber?
No. Meat, poultry, fish, eggs and dairy contain no fiber, so the fiber in a meat based meal has to come from plant foods on the plate.
Is tofu high in fiber?
No. Firm tofu has about 0.9 grams of fiber per 100 grams, so it works better as a protein base paired with beans, vegetables or whole grains.
Is edamame a good source of protein and fiber?
Yes. A cooked cup of edamame has about 18.5 grams of protein and 8.1 grams of fiber.
What are the best high fiber protein sources for vegetarians?
Split peas, lentils, black beans and chickpeas give the most fiber per gram of protein. Edamame and whole pumpkin seeds are good additions.
Do nuts count as protein and fiber foods?
Yes, but they are calorie dense. An ounce of almonds gives about 6 grams of protein and 3.5 grams of fiber for 164 calories.
How can I get more fiber on a high protein diet?
Add a cup of beans or lentils to one meal a day. That single swap adds about 15 grams of fiber along with 15 to 18 grams of protein.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. “FoodData Central” (split peas, lentils 172421, black beans and chickpeas, cooked; edamame, frozen, prepared 168411; tofu, firm, nigari 172448; tempeh 174272; pumpkin seeds, whole roasted 170188 and kernels 170556; almonds 170567; quinoa, cooked; chicken breast, roasted; egg, large). 2026. fdc.nal.usda.gov
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “Protein.” The Nutrition Source. 2025. nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “Fiber.” The Nutrition Source. 2024. nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels.” 2024. fda.gov
- Mayo Clinic Staff. “Dietary fiber: Essential for a healthy diet.” Mayo Clinic. 2025. mayoclinic.org
