Nut and seeds are proof that eating healthy and getting your protein can be both affordable and delicious. Whether you are snacking on them, adding them to a salad, or grinding them into spreads and dips, most of us would be eating nuts and seeds for their wonderful crunch and flavor alone. But they are also nutrient-dense foods that are high in essential vitamins and things like fiber and magnesium. This makes them a filling source of calories that you really can feel good about eating. And one of their best nutritional gifts is as a source of plant-based protein. If you are trying to eat less meat or just don’t feel like shelling out for sliced steak on salad, nuts are a fantastic alternative way to get the protein that your body needs. But the cost of different nuts and seeds can range quite widely, and the nutrient content of individual nuts is pretty diverse as well. So which nuts and seeds provide the best mix of high protein and low cost?
Well the good news here is that the nuts and seeds with the highest levels of protein are also some of the most affordable. Three of the four options with the highest protein per ounce serving are pumpkin seeds, peanuts, and almonds, with eight, seven, and six grams of protein respectively. Other types of nuts like pistachios are close, while popular choices like hazelnuts, cashews and walnuts are certainly healthy, but a little less protein dense.
Pumpkin seeds, peanuts, and almonds are affordable and high in protein
The best protein option is actually hemp seeds, but those tend to be high in price and harder to find. By contrast, pumpkin seeds, peanuts, and almonds are all on the more affordable end of nuts and seeds. The best overall is probably peanuts, which beat out all other nuts in protein and are the most affordable by far, often costing half as much per pound as other nut options. Pumpkin seeds and almonds are a little more expensive, but similarly priced nuts like walnuts aren’t as protein-rich. Pistachios and cashews are closer in nutrition, but they still aren’t on the same level and tend to be more expensive per pound by a dollar or two.
And there is even more good news, as these three options are also some of the most versatile for cooking. Store-bought pumpkin seeds are usually the style also known as pepitas in Latin American countries, and they are perfect in Mexican-inspired bowls or for garnishing soups like pozole. Peanuts aren’t just for snacking and peanut butter, they are great when crushed into a crunchy peanut topping for all kinds of dishes. There isn’t a better way of adding protein to baked goods than almonds, and the slivered variety is an easy addition to roast vegetables or rice dishes. Isn’t it great when some of the best things that you can eat are the things you already want to?
