Nuts, seeds and grains
Pumpkin seeds on a GLP-1: protein, portions and how to actually eat it
About 30 g of protein per 100 g (3.5 oz), kernels (pepitas), raw or roasted, for around 560 calories. Three tablespoons, about 30 g (1.1 oz), give roughly 9 g of protein for 168 calories.
To reach 30 g of protein from pumpkin seeds alone you would need about 100 g (3.5 oz). On a small appetite that is often more than one sitting allows, which is why we pair it rather than chase the whole target from one food.
How pumpkin seeds sits on a GLP-1
Pumpkin seed kernels are about 30 g of protein per 100 g (3.5 oz), the highest of the common seeds, along with a lot of magnesium, zinc and iron, which are worth having when you are eating very little. They are small and crunchy rather than hard, so they take less chewing than nuts. On a GLP-1 they are a sprinkle food: three tablespoons, about 30 g (1 oz), is 9 g of protein over yoghurt, soup or a salad without adding a mouthful you have to manage.
When your appetite is small
Toast a jar of them once a week and keep it on the bench. A tablespoon on anything you are already eating adds 3 g; three tablespoons on a protein pot takes it from 16 g to 25. They are also one of the few things that make a bowl of soup feel like a meal without making it bigger.
Three ways to prepare it
Toasted in a dry pan with salt
Three minutes in a hot pan until they pop and colour, then salt. Toasted kernels taste nutty rather than green, and they keep for weeks in a jar.
Sprinkled over soup or eggs
A tablespoon on a mug of soup or a plate of scrambled eggs. Crunch and 3 g on top of protein that is already there.
Ground into a crumb for fish or chicken
Kernels blitzed with parmesan and pressed onto white fish before baking. A crust that adds protein and flavour where breadcrumbs add neither.
What to eat it with
Yoghurt, soup, eggs, salad, porridge, or a piece of dark chocolate. They are a topping, so they go with whatever protein was already in the bowl.
How it compares
| Food | Protein per 100 g | Energy per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pumpkin seeds | about 30 g | 560 kcal | this page |
| Hemp seeds | about 31 g | 550 kcal | See the page |
| Almonds | about 21 g | 580 kcal | See the page |
| Chia seeds | about 17 g | 490 kcal | See the page |
All figures are typical values for the food as eaten, kernels (pepitas), raw or roasted, not laboratory figures for a particular brand.
Australian, US and UK names
Pepitas in Australia and the US for the green hulled kernels, pumpkin seeds in the UK. In the US, pumpkin seeds can also mean the whole white seed in its shell, roasted as a snack, which carries much less protein per handful because of the shell.
Questions people ask
Are pumpkin seeds high in protein?
Yes, about 30 g per 100 g (3.5 oz) for the hulled kernels, which is more than almonds or peanuts. Three tablespoons, about 30 g (1 oz), is 9 g of protein and around 170 calories, and they bring magnesium and zinc as well.
Your number comes first
Knowing what is in a food only helps once you know how much you are aiming for. The target is 1.2 to 1.6 g of protein per kg of your goal weight, not your current weight, which for most people is 90 to 140 g a day.
Work out your protein targetMore on eating well when your appetite is small: high protein foods for a small appetite, how much protein on a GLP-1, and every food we have written up. The whole system in five documents is the Keep Muscle Kit, A$47 / US$29 / £23.
EverStrong provides nutrition and strength coaching and education. It is not medical advice and does not replace your prescribing doctor.