With the increasing prevalence of metabolic diseases associated with high-starch diets, how to effectively regulate the rate of starch digestion has become a hot research topic in the field of food science and nutrition. As a class of natural functional components, exogenous proteins have been shown to play important roles in inhibiting starch digestion. This paper reviews recent progress in research on the inhibition of starch digestion by exogenous proteins, focusing on the properties of proteins from different sources, the effect of protein pretreatment on their digestive properties, and their potential inhibitory mechanisms, involving the protein network barrier effect, protein-starch interactions, and inhibition of starch-like enzyme activities. Finally, it discusses the prospects and challenges for the application of inhibition of starch digestive properties by adding proteins in the development of functional foods and health management. The aim of this paper is to provide theoretical support for the devment of functional foods and to offer scientific references for the public in healthy dietary regulation.