Keep the foods. Change the source.
You don’t have to give up burgers, nuggets or breakfast sandwiches. Tap any food to see what to buy instead, portioned to match its protein.
New to tofu, seitan or tempeh? Take the free Protein Masterclass →Meat
Burgers3 swaps · tempeh saves 105 cal
Green means lower than the original.
Tip. Buy a new brand's burger once, cook it smashed and well seasoned, and judge it on that. Don't decide from a bland frozen patty.
Ground beef4 swaps · TVP saves 110 cal
Green means lower than the original.
Tip. In a heavily seasoned dish like chili or tacos, most people can't tell TVP from beef, and it costs about a quarter as much.
Chicken breast3 swaps
Green means lower than the original.
Tip. Tear tofu by hand instead of cutting it into neat cubes. The rough edges crisp up like fried chicken.
Chicken nuggets3 swaps · tofu saves 144 cal
Green means lower than the original.
Tip. Air-fry any frozen plant nugget at 400°F instead of baking it. It's the difference between soggy and actually crispy.
Hot dogs2 swaps · Smart Dogs saves 115 cal
Bigger, smokier and more like a deli dog. Great on the grill.
Green means lower than the original.
Tip. Plant dogs taste best seared or grilled until they blister. Boiling them makes them rubbery.
Tuna salad3 swaps
Shelf-stable and flaky, the closest in texture to canned tuna.
Green means lower than the original.
Tip. A little crumbled nori or kelp flakes adds the ocean flavor that makes it taste like tuna salad.
Breakfast
Bacon3 swaps · tempeh saves 43 cal
Ready in 2 minutes. Best crisped in a hot dry pan.
Rice-paper based, gets shatteringly crisp. Best crumbled over things.
Green means lower than the original.
Tip. Bacon is really just smoke, salt, fat and crunch. Get those four right and it doesn't matter what it's made of.
Breakfast sausage3 swaps · sausage saves 106 cal
Juicier and closer to pork. Pan-fry for the best crust.
Green means lower than the original.
Tip. Most of what makes breakfast sausage taste like itself is sage and fennel, so add some to any crumble.
Eggs4 swaps · silken tofu saves 28 cal
Green means lower than the original.
Tip. Black salt (kala namak) is the trick. Its sulfur note is what makes tofu scramble taste eggy.
Dairy
Milk3 swaps
The only plant milk that matches dairy on protein, about 7 to 8 g a cup. Choose a fortified one.
The creamiest in coffee, but low in protein. Use it for lattes, not shakes.
High protein and nut- and soy-free. Mild and creamy.
Green means lower than the original.
Tip. Choose a milk fortified with calcium, vitamin D and B12. It covers three of the nutrients vegans most often run low on.
Cheese4 swaps · silken tofu saves 55 cal
The best melt for pizza and bakes. Coconut-oil based and free of soy, nuts and gluten. 0 g protein, so it's a topping, not a protein.
Slightly lighter at 80 calories an ounce, soy- and gluten-free. Great on nachos and quesadillas.
Oat-based, very stretchy, with a little protein (about 1 g an ounce). Easy to find everywhere.
Green means lower than the original.
Tip. Cheese is the hardest food to give up, and most of that is its salt and umami. Nutritional yeast plus a little miso or Dijon gets you most of the way there.
Greek yogurt2 swaps
The high-protein ones get close to Greek yogurt. Always check the protein on the label.
Green means lower than the original.
Tip. Many plant yogurts have only 1 to 3 g of protein. Choose soy or pea-based ones labeled high protein.
Butter2 swaps
Bakes and browns like dairy butter, cup for cup.
The healthiest fat for sautéing and roasting. Use it anywhere butter is just the cooking fat.
Green means lower than the original.
Tip. Use plant butter where you can taste it, like on toast, in mash or in baking, and olive oil everywhere else.
Sweet
Ice cream3 swaps · silken tofu saves 152 cal
The same chunky flavors, made with oat or almond milk.
Creamy, widely available, and often cheaper.
Green means lower than the original.
Tip. Blended frozen banana makes surprisingly good soft-serve, and it's a good one to make with the kids.
Common questions
Does soy give you estrogen or lower testosterone?
No. Soy contains isoflavones, sometimes called phytoestrogens. They're plant compounds, not estrogen. They bind to estrogen receptors weakly and selectively, which is very different from the hormone itself.
The research on men is clear. A 2021 meta-analysis of clinical studies found that soy and soy isoflavones don't change testosterone or estrogen levels at normal intakes.
Are plant proteins complete?
Every plant protein contains all nine essential amino acids. Some are lower in one or two (grains are a little low in lysine, for example), which is why they get labeled incomplete.
In practice it doesn't matter. Eat enough total protein from a few different sources across the day and the gaps cover each other. You don't need to combine foods at each meal. Soy, seitan paired with beans, and most protein powders are strong on their own.
Are plant-based meats healthy?
They're a great tool. Compared with the meat they replace, most have no cholesterol, less saturated fat and some fiber. They make the switch easy and they're perfect on busy nights.
Whole foods like beans, lentils, tofu and tempeh are still the healthiest base. We label every protein as Whole food, Simply made or Ready-made so you can pick your mix. Most people land somewhere in between, and that's fine.
Can I do this without soy?
Absolutely. Fava bean tofu, seitan, pea-protein meats like Beyond, beans, lentils, chickpeas and pea protein powder get you there. Set soy as something to leave out in your plan and every recipe adjusts its swaps.