Guide
Alfalfa and protein: how much is actually in it
Alfalfa sprouts carry about 4 g of protein per 100 g by USDA data, but a real-world serving is a fraction of that — too little to count as a protein source, capsule or fresh.
By weight, alfalfa sprouts have a respectable protein number for a leafy food — USDA data puts raw sprouts at about 4 g of protein per 100 grams — but a real-world serving is small. A handful of sprouts on a sandwich, or a dried-leaf supplement capsule, delivers a fraction of that, nowhere near enough to count as a protein source.
What USDA data shows
USDA FoodData Central lists raw alfalfa sprouts at roughly 3.99 g of protein per 100 g — comparable to other sprouted legumes, since alfalfa is a legume itself. The catch is portion size: 100 g of loose sprouts is a fairly large amount as a garnish, closer to a small side salad than a sandwich topping. A more typical serving — a handful, maybe 15–30 g — delivers something closer to 0.6–1.2 g of protein, which is a rounding error against a daily target.
Why it doesn't add up to a meaningful protein source
Adult protein needs run around 0.8 g per kilogram of body weight a day under USDA's Dietary Guidelines for Americans — roughly 46 g/day for an average woman, 56 g/day for an average man. A dried-leaf alfalfa capsule (400–650 mg per tablet, per alfalfa dosage) weighs a small fraction of even a modest sprout serving, so its protein contribution is smaller still — not a rounding error so much as effectively zero toward a daily target.
How it compares to other legumes
Alfalfa is a legume, and its sprout protein content sits well below other legumes eaten in meaningful portions — USDA data puts cooked lentils at roughly 9 g of protein per 100 g, about double alfalfa sprouts' 4 g, and lentils are typically eaten in much larger servings (a cup, roughly 200 g cooked) than a sprout garnish ever is. The gap between "some protein per 100 g" and "a food people eat enough of to matter" is where alfalfa falls short as a protein source.
If protein is the goal
Neither alfalfa sprouts nor a dried-leaf supplement is built to deliver protein at a meaningful scale. A dedicated protein source — whey protein, a plant-based protein powder, or protein-dense whole foods — is a more direct route if that's specifically what you're after; see what is whey protein for how that category is formulated and dosed differently, at the gram scale rather than the milligram scale alfalfa is sold at.
Questions people ask
How much protein is in alfalfa?
USDA data puts raw sprouts at about 4 g per 100 g. A typical handful-sized serving delivers well under 1.5 g, and a supplement capsule delivers a fraction of that.
Is alfalfa a good protein source?
No — the amount in a realistic serving is too small to count toward a daily protein target, whether from fresh sprouts or a dried-leaf capsule.
How much protein do alfalfa pellets have?
Pellets are an animal-feed product, not something covered by this page's human supplement and food data — see what is alfalfa for how alfalfa hay and pellets differ from the sprout and dried-leaf forms sold for people.
Related reading: what is alfalfa, alfalfa and calcium, and alfalfa dosage.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.