Swiggy adds muscle to menus with new ‘high protein’ category

On-demand delivery platform Swiggy said on Wednesday that it has launched a dedicated ‘High Protein’ category across its food marketplace to help health-conscious consumers make smarter food choices. The new offering is now live in 30 cities, including Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, and Chennai, featuring over five lakh dishes from more than 35,000 restaurant partners nationwide.

The move comes in response to rising awareness about nutritional health, particularly the need for higher protein intake in Indian diets. According to national health surveys, over two-thirds of households in semi-arid regions and nearly three-quarters of Indians fail to meet the recommended daily protein intake.

Swiggy’s new category aims to address this nutritional gap by offering easy access to balanced, protein-rich meals. Each dish listed under the category meets stringent nutritional benchmarks: a minimum of 15 grams of protein per serving, fewer than 700 kilocalories, and at least 10% of the dish’s caloric value derived from protein.

“We believe that small, everyday choices shape long-term well-being,” said Deepak Maloo, Vice President of Food Strategy, Customer Experience & New Initiatives at Swiggy. “Our goal is to make healthy choices more accessible without compromising on taste or convenience.”

The category also introduces a user-friendly discovery experience. Customers can access it through simple searches like “protein” or “diet” within the Swiggy app, where dishes are grouped by protein content and source — whether paneer, soya, or others. Once inside the section, users can filter meals based on their dietary needs or even jump straight to protein-rich offerings at their favourite restaurants.

Swiggy reports that over 1.8 million users interacted with the high protein options during the pilot phase, with strong adoption in metros and growing traction in cities like Chandigarh. The trend underscores the emergence of a broader “mindful eating” movement across India’s urban and semi-urban centres.

Earlier this month, Swiggy entered into a strategic partnership between its express food delivery platform, Bolt, and global QSR giant Subway, in a major fillip to its quick-commerce operations. The collaboration promises to deliver Subway’s full menu—including signature subs, wraps, salads, and breakfast specials—in just 10 minutes across 125 Indian cities.