How much plant protein should you take a day?

There's no single "right" dose of plant protein — it depends on your total daily protein target, which the U.S. dietary reference intakes set at 0.8 g per kg of body weight for a generally sedentary adult, and which most sports-nutrition guidance runs higher for anyone doing regular resistance training. Our label provides 21 g of protein per two-scoop serving, once daily — one part of that daily total, not the whole target.

The general protein target most numbers start from

The U.S. RDA for protein is 0.8 g per kilogram of body weight a day for a generally sedentary adult — about 54 g a day for a 150 lb (68 kg) person — set out in the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements' protein fact sheet. That figure is a baseline meant to avoid inadequate intake, not a target for building muscle. Sports-nutrition guidance for people doing regular resistance training commonly discusses a higher range, roughly 1.2-2.0 g/kg/day, though that upper range comes from position papers rather than one single controlled trial.

What the largest trial evidence says about a ceiling

A 2018 systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of 49 randomized trials (1,863 adults) tested protein supplementation alongside resistance training of 6 weeks or more. It found no further gain in fat-free mass once someone's total daily protein intake — food plus any supplement — passed about 1.62 g per kg of body weight a day. Below that point, adding protein helped; above it, more protein didn't do more. The pooled supplements were mostly whey and other animal protein, not plant protein specifically, but the finding is about total protein intake, which doesn't depend on the source.

Where our label's serving fits

One two-scoop serving (34.7 g of powder) of Electric Tiger Plant Protein provides 21 g of protein, taken once daily per the label, 24 servings a tub, as low as $54.47 on subscription ($2.27 a serving). For a 68 kg (150 lb) adult, that's well under both the ~54 g RDA and the ~110 g/day ceiling implied by the 1.62 g/kg figure above — meaning it's one contribution to a day's total, not something meant to cover it alone. The label doesn't print a per-scoop amount, only the full two-scoop serving; halving it gives an estimated 10.5 g of protein for a single scoop, though that's our arithmetic, not a number on the panel.

Does the protein source change how much you need?

Not by much, according to the clearest comparative data available: a 2021 meta-analysis of 16 pooled trials found protein source didn't change overall lean mass or strength gains, though animal protein had a slight edge on percent lean mass in adults under 50. Nothing in that research suggests a plant-protein dose needs to be higher, gram for gram, than an animal-protein dose to hit the same daily target — it suggests outcomes may differ slightly at the same gram amount, which is a different question from dosage.

Questions people ask

How much plant protein per day?

Enough to reach your total daily protein target — commonly 0.8 g/kg as a baseline, higher if you train regularly — counting food and supplements together. Our label provides 21 g in one daily serving.

How much plant protein do I need?

That depends on your body weight and activity level more than on the source of the protein. See the RDA and training-related ranges above, and count what you already get from food before adding a supplement on top.

How much plant protein for women per day?

The RDA formula (0.8 g/kg/day) applies the same way regardless of sex; it scales with body weight, so a woman and a man of the same weight and activity level land on a similar target.

How much protein is in one scoop of plant protein?

Our label states amounts only for the full two-scoop serving: 21 g of protein. A single scoop would be roughly half that, about 10.5 g, though that's an estimate — the panel doesn't print a per-scoop number.

How much plant protein equals animal protein?

Gram for gram, the research above doesn't show a meaningful difference in overall lean mass or strength gains by protein source, so there's no established multiplier to convert one to the other for dosing purposes.

How much plant protein can the body absorb at once?

There's ongoing debate in the research about a per-meal ceiling on muscle protein synthesis, but the clearest data point available is about total daily intake, not a single-meal limit: benefit from added protein leveled off around 1.62 g/kg/day in the meta-regression above.

How much less bioavailable is plant protein?

Digestibility does vary by plant source, but we don't have a published digestibility score (like a DIAAS or PDCAAS figure) for this specific fava bean and yeast protein blend, so we can't give you a number for our product.

Related reading: what is plant protein, when to take plant protein, and how to choose a good plant protein.