Broccoli Protein Per 100G | Small Veg, Big Protein

In 100 grams of raw broccoli you get about 2.8 grams of protein plus fiber, vitamin C, and other nutrients that help balanced meals overall.

Why Broccoli Protein Per 100G Matters For Everyday Eating

If you track food in an app or keep a food diary, you often see serving sizes listed per 100 grams. That standard portion makes it easy to compare foods side by side, whether you eat meat, plants, or a mix of both.

Broccoli appears often in those lists. Many people think of it only as a green side dish, yet it adds a steady amount of protein along with vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Once you know what 100 grams of broccoli gives you, it becomes much easier to plan plates that feel satisfying and still stay close to your nutrition targets.

How Much Protein Is In 100 Grams Of Raw Broccoli?

Standard nutrition databases such as USDA FoodData Central show that 100 grams of raw broccoli contain about 2.8 grams of protein and roughly 34 calories. That same portion has around 6.6 grams of carbohydrate, 2.6 grams of fiber, and less than half a gram of fat.

Nutrition.gov and similar government resources echo these values for broccoli and treat 100 grams as a standard reference serving, so you see the same ballpark numbers wherever you check.

Those numbers look modest beside a chicken breast or a protein shake, yet they add up when broccoli shows up several times a week. That 2.8 gram portion also arrives with vitamin C, vitamin K, folate, potassium, and small amounts of iron and calcium.

The protein in broccoli carries all the required amino acids. The total amount does not match animal sources, yet it still fits your overall pattern when you mix it with beans, grains, nuts, seeds, eggs, or dairy across the day.

Cooked Broccoli Protein Per 100 Grams

Most people do not eat large piles of raw florets. Steaming, boiling, stir frying, or roasting change the texture and the nutrient values slightly while protein per 100 grams stays in a similar range.

Data for cooked broccoli usually show around 3 grams of protein per 100 grams of the cooked vegetable. The small bump happens because the vegetable loses some water, so each bite holds slightly more dry matter. On the plate that means a scoop of cooked broccoli still lands in the same protein ballpark as the raw version.

To keep nutrients as high as possible, gentle methods such as steaming or quick stir frying work well. Long boiling times lead to more vitamin loss, so shorter cooking times give you a better mix of texture and nutrition.

Broccoli Protein Per 100G Compared To Other Foods

Numbers make more sense when you can compare them. A 100 gram standard gives you that common yardstick. The table below shows how broccoli stacks up next to other foods per 100 gram portion so you can see where it fits in your day.

Broccoli Protein Per 100G Compared To Other Foods Table

Food	Protein Per 100 g	Notes
Broccoli, raw	2.8 g	Low fat, high vitamin C
Broccoli, cooked	3.0 g	Slightly denser after cooking
Chicken breast, grilled	31 g	Classic high protein animal source
Firm tofu	8 g	Soy based, moderate energy, no cholesterol
Cooked lentils	9 g	Legume protein with fiber and iron
Cooked quinoa	4.4 g	Grain with complete protein
Spinach, cooked	3.0 g	Leafy green with notable micronutrients
Green peas, cooked	5.4 g	Starchy vegetable with steady protein

Broccoli lands in the light to moderate range for protein density. It supplies less protein per 100 grams than most beans, tofu, or meat, yet more than many other vegetables. When you build a plate with a main protein source plus a generous serving of broccoli, the total rises without many extra calories.

Think of broccoli as a helpful contributor. It does not replace the main protein on its own, yet it improves the overall picture when it sits beside lentils, tempeh, grilled fish, or lean meat.

How Broccoli Protein Fits Into Daily Needs

Daily protein targets depend on age, body size, and activity level. Many public health guidelines suggest at least 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day for most adults, with higher amounts for active people or those with specific medical guidance.

Those grams still matter when you take a full day view. Two 100 gram servings of broccoli bring you close to 6 grams. Add similar portions of peas, beans, whole grains, yogurt, eggs, or meat and you easily reach your range.

Plant based protein, including broccoli, also tends to carry fiber and low saturated fat, which links with heart health in reports from Harvard Health Publishing.

See broccoli protein as part of a pattern. On its own a serving will not meet your needs, yet as a side in two meals, stirred into a pasta dish, or served in a grain bowl, it helps lift the total without extra effort.

Broccoli As A Protein Side, Not The Main Event

Some graphics online claim that broccoli matches or beats beef gram for gram. Those comparisons often use cooked volume or cherry picked numbers instead of simple weight based data. When you stick to 100 gram measures from reliable databases, broccoli sits far below beef or chicken for raw protein content.

That does not lessen its value. Broccoli shines when it plays a side role: part of a stir fry with tofu, a side to salmon, or a topping for baked potatoes and cheese. In those meals the main item carries most of the protein while broccoli adds a few grams plus extra fiber and water that keep the meal feeling balanced.

If you follow a vegetarian or vegan pattern, broccoli still helps but should not stand as your only main protein source. Pair it with beans, lentils, chickpeas, tofu, tempeh, nuts, and seeds to reach your numbers and keep amino acid intake varied across the day.

Meal Ideas That Use Broccoli Protein Per 100G

The next table gives ideas that use roughly 100 gram servings of broccoli in different dishes along with estimated total protein content for the whole plate.

Broccoli Protein Meal Ideas Table

Meal Idea	Broccoli Portion And Protein	Approximate Total Protein
Steamed broccoli with grilled chicken and brown rice	100 g broccoli (2.8 g)	About 35–40 g per plate
Stir fried broccoli with firm tofu and mixed vegetables over rice	150 g broccoli (4.2 g)	Around 20–25 g per bowl
Whole wheat pasta with broccoli, chickpeas, and olive oil	120 g broccoli (3.4 g)	Roughly 18–22 g total
Broccoli and cheddar omelet with side salad	80 g broccoli (2.2 g)	About 20 g total
Baked salmon with roasted broccoli and sweet potato	120 g broccoli (3.4 g)	Around 30–35 g total
Broccoli and lentil soup with whole grain bread	100 g broccoli (2.8 g)	Roughly 18–24 g total
Broccoli, pea, and quinoa salad with lemon dressing	100 g broccoli (2.8 g)	Around 15–18 g total

Broccoli adds a couple of grams each time, yet the total protein climbs because you mix in eggs, dairy, fish, soy, or other protein rich foods.

Tips To Get More Protein From Broccoli

Small tweaks in how you buy, store, and cook broccoli can raise the protein you actually eat across the week.

First, think in generous handfuls. A tight 100 gram serving looks like about one cup of chopped raw florets. If your plate has only a few small pieces, you likely fall below that.

Second, keep the stalks. Many people trim and toss them, yet the stalk contains the same protein and fiber as the florets. Peel the tough outer layer with a knife or vegetable peeler, slice the tender inner part, and cook it along with the florets.

Third, watch your cooking time. Overcooked broccoli turns limp and loses more water soluble vitamins. Light steaming, quick microwaving with a splash of water, or short stir frying in a pan with a lid keep texture pleasant.

Fourth, lean on frozen broccoli when fresh heads look tired or expensive. Frozen florets are usually packed soon after harvest, so the nutrition profile stays close to that of fresh broccoli.

Raw Vs Cooked Broccoli For Protein

When you stand at the stove you might wonder whether raw or cooked broccoli gives more protein per bite. In pure numbers per 100 grams, the values look almost the same, with cooked broccoli sometimes testing a touch higher due to lower water content.

The main difference comes from how much you eat. Many people find it easier to eat a large handful of cooked florets than the same weight of raw ones. That means a typical cooked portion might bring you more total protein simply because you eat more grams of broccoli in a sitting.

From a nutrition view, mixing raw and cooked preparations across the week works well. Raw broccoli in salads and snack trays gives crunch and keeps heat sensitive vitamin C higher. Cooked broccoli in soups, stir fries, and pasta dishes brings warmth and comfort while still offering a steady protein boost.

Is Broccoli A Good Protein Source On Its Own?

You can think of broccoli as a helpful plant protein food instead of a stand alone protein anchor. A 100 gram serving of raw broccoli with 2.8 grams of protein helps push your total upward, yet it rarely replaces a main protein source on the plate.

Broccoli earns its spot through the package it brings. Along with protein you get fiber that helps digestion, vitamins and minerals linked with many body systems, and almost no saturated fat. Reports from Harvard Health Publishing and related research summaries point toward patterns where higher intake of plant protein in place of red and processed meat relates to lower heart disease risk.

In practical terms, if you aim for a daily protein target and also care about long term heart health, filling half your plate with vegetables like broccoli while keeping room for beans, tofu, fish, or lean meat makes sense. You enjoy color, texture, and flavor, and you know that every 100 grams of broccoli on that plate quietly adds a couple of grams of protein to help your body. That pattern matches plant based eating advice from Harvard Health, which favors vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and nuts.