Light triggers chloroplast differentiation whereby the etioplast transforms into a photosynthesizing chloroplast and the thylakoid rapidly emerges. However, the sequence of events during chloroplast differentiation remains poorly understood. Here we used whole-seedling proteome data to quantify changes in protein abundances during the course of de-etiolation within the first four days of light exposure. This data complements quantitative lipid and (ultra)structural data described in Pipitone et al. (doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.08.30.274043).