Sources

Vegan sources of protein include whole-wheat breads, pasta, oats, seitan & plant-based meats, quinoa, lentils, beans (all types), green peas, soy products, chickpeas / garbanzo beans, almonds, peanuts, nut butters, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, hemp seeds, sunflower seeds, plant-based protein powders, and many more.

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What about "complete proteins"? That's not really a thing. ALL plant foods contain ALL essential (and non-essential for that matter) amino acids in some amounts, as amino acids are literally the building blocks of life.(1)(2) While of course each food contains different, higher and lower amounts of amino acids, no one is eating one food for their entire diet so vegans do end up getting enough of all of them (see below).

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Intake & Status

The largest study to ever examine the protein intake of vegans found sufficient intake on par with that of the meat-eaters.(3) Smaller studies using more precise measurements of dietary intake have also found good protein intake in vegans,(4)(5) with studies on vegan athletes demonstrating it possible to even achieve much higher protein intakes.(6)(7) There are also many anecdotal examples online of vegans who easily manage to get even over 150g per day.(8)(9)(10)(11)

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A 2022 German study assessed dietary intake of protein and amino acids, and plasma concentrations of amino acids in vegans and omnivores.(5) It found adequate status and intake of both essential and non-essential amino acids (and protein) in vegans.

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Quality & Absorption

There is consistent evidence to support there being no difference between animal vs. plant protein and vegan vs. omnivorous diets in supporting muscle and strength gains and muscle protein synthesis when protein intake is matched.(7)(12)(13)

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It is often claimed that plant-based protein sources have lower digestibility/absorption usually based on data from two protein scoring systems known as PDCAAS and DIAAS. These scoring systems have major flaws that have been discussed previously, the main one being that they're are measured in rodents and pigs. When accurately measured in humans there appear to be miniscule differences in digestibility.(14)