Is Spinach High in Protein?

Not really. A cup of raw spinach carries about 1g of protein, which barely registers next to real protein sources. A cooked cup runs closer to 5g, but that’s mostly because more spinach fits into the same measuring cup once it wilts, not because cooking adds protein.

The actual numbers

Raw spinach is mostly water and volume, which is why the raw-cup number looks so low. Once wilted down by sautéing or steaming, a cup packs in several times more actual spinach, and the protein number scales up accordingly, to around 5g. For where spinach ranks against every other common vegetable, see High-Protein Vegetables.

Where it shows up in real cooking

Spinach adds volume, color, and iron to a dish, the protein in this kitchen’s spinach recipes comes from the meat, eggs, or dairy alongside it, not the spinach itself, the same way it does in the egg muffins here.

FAQ

Why does cooked spinach have more protein than raw?

It doesn’t, per gram. Cooking doesn’t add protein, it just shrinks the volume: spinach wilts down to a fraction of its raw size, so a cooked cup contains several times more actual spinach (and therefore protein) than a raw cup does.

Is spinach a good protein source for a vegetarian diet?

Not on its own. Even a full cup of cooked spinach carries a fraction of what an egg or a cup of cottage cheese does. It’s worth eating for fiber, iron, and volume, not as a primary protein source.

For the vegetables that actually carry meaningful protein, see High-Protein Vegetables, or browse the full Foods High in Protein reference list.