Protein Sources Beyond Meat: A Local Guide

Minneapolis grocery receipts are telling a story. Ground beef at Cub Foods on Franklin Avenue hit $6.49 a pound this week, up from $4.89 two years ago. Meanwhile, a pound of dried black lentils at Seward Co-op on Franklin Avenue South sits at $1.79—and delivers roughly 18 grams of protein per cooked cup. The math is pushing a lot of Twin Cities households toward the bean aisle.

The shift matters beyond household budgets. A 2025 report from the American Institute for Cancer Research found that adults who replaced one daily serving of red or processed meat with legumes, nuts, or soy reduced their risk of colorectal cancer by up to 17 percent. That kind of evidence is landing in Minneapolis at a moment when the city's food culture—always a few steps ahead of the national average on plant-forward eating—is ready to absorb it. Registered dietitians at Hennepin Healthcare's outpatient nutrition clinics say plant-protein consultations have increased noticeably since early 2026, driven partly by cost and partly by sustained interest in longevity nutrition.

Where to Shop and What to Buy

Seward Co-op remains the gold standard for bulk-bin shopping in South Minneapolis. Its Franklin Avenue location stocks 14 varieties of dried beans and legumes, plus hemp seeds at $8.99 a pound—three tablespoons of which adds 10 grams of complete protein to a smoothie. The Friendship store on 38th Street East carries tempeh made by local producer Rhapsody Natural Foods out of Vermont, one of the few national brands that still uses non-GMO organic soybeans throughout the supply chain.

Afro Deli, with locations on Nicollet Mall downtown and in the Midtown Global Market on East Lake Street, has been quietly building one of the city's better plant-protein menus. Its misir wot—a spiced red lentil stew—runs $11 for a lunch bowl and packs close to 20 grams of protein. The Midtown Global Market location also houses La Loma Tamales, whose black bean tamales ($4 each) combine masa with a filling that hits 9 grams of protein per piece.

For Greek yogurt and eggs—still technically animal products but significantly less resource-intensive than beef—Kowalski's Markets on Hennepin Avenue in Uptown stocks Siggi's Icelandic skyr at $2.49 for a 5.3-ounce cup with 15 grams of protein. Nutritionists often point to skyr and cottage cheese as transition proteins for people cutting red meat who are not ready to go fully plant-based.

Making It Work at Home

Edamame is underused in home kitchens here, which is worth correcting. A one-cup serving of shelled edamame—available frozen at any Hy-Vee location, including the Minnetonka location on Ridgedale Drive—delivers 17 grams of complete protein for about $0.80 a serving when bought in a 16-ounce bag. Toss it with tamari and sesame oil and it takes eight minutes.

Nutritional yeast is another overlooked option. Two tablespoons stirred into pasta or soup add 8 grams of protein plus a full day's supply of B12 for people avoiding dairy. Mississippi Market Natural Foods Co-op on West 7th in St. Paul stocks it in bulk for $1.20 per 100 grams, and their nutrition-focused staff can walk shoppers through basic preparation ideas.

The practical path forward looks something like this: swap one meat-based meal per week for a lentil or chickpea dish, add hemp seeds or edamame to two or three meals, and keep Greek yogurt or cottage cheese on hand for the days when time is short. None of this requires a dramatic dietary overhaul. It requires knowing where the bulk bins are. Minneapolis has good ones. Use them.

For personalized dietary guidance, consult a registered dietitian at Hennepin Healthcare, M Health Fairview, or another Minneapolis-area provider.