All of the major macros are important, but if you’re struggling to meet your daily protein goals, today I’m sharing high protein snacks with macros and tips to increase protein intake!
What’s considered high protein is pretty relative, but I’ll be sharing snack ideas with varying amounts of protein, from 5 grams up to 30 grams per serving. Some high protein snacks may also be high in carbs and/or fat. I share them all anyway, because why not? Everyone has different goals and preferences. :)
Consuming more protein does not automatically result in weight loss, but it can help, especially when you’re in a calorie deficit trying to lose fat. Protein helps you feel satisfied after you eat, and it also helps to maintain muscle mass while losing fat, but it can be hard to get it all in in a day, especially if you’re not used to consuming very much.
Carbs and fats tend to be easy for most. Protein? Sometimes not so much.
How Much Protein Do I Need?
According to Mayo Clinic, 10% to 35% of calories should come from protein. People who are more sedentary will be on the lower end and more active people will be on the higher end. This means if you require 1,800 calories daily, 180 to 630 calories should come from protein. Since there are 4 calories per gram of protein, that’d be 45 to 157 grams of protein per day.
Also, beginning around 40 to 50 years of age, we begin to start losing muscle mass. (Whyyyyyyyy?) Increasing protein intake as we age can help preserve more lean muscle mass.
*****
I see questions all the time about how to get more protein, and this is definitely something that I struggle with too. So I decided to brainstorm a big list of high protein snack ideas to help me hit my protein goals and wanted to share them with you.
For each snack idea, I’ve also included the major macronutrient breakdown per serving in grams, according to the label. For the most accurate macros, always weigh (in grams) or measure what you eat using a simple food scale.
71+ High Protein Snacks for Weight Loss (Plus Macros!)
Nuts/Nut Butters, Seeds, etc.
While nuts, nut butters and seeds have some protein, they can also be high in fat. Still, they can help you increase the amount of protein you consume each day.
Peanut butter powders can help you get that peanut butter flavor without the added fat and calories. In no situation ever would I substitute pb powder in a PB&J sandwich, but pb powder is great for adding to smoothies or oats to get the pb flavor.
PBFit (Peanut Butter Powder)
- P: 8g
- C: 5g
- F: 2g
BIENA Chickpea Snacks
- Protein: 6g
- Carbs: 15g
- Fat: 6g
RX Nut Butter Packets (Honey Cinnamon PB)
- P: 9g
- C: 8g
- F: 14g
Blue Diamond Almonds (Lightly Salted)
- P: 6
- C: 5
- F: 16
Pistachios (per ounce)
- P: 6g
- C: 8g
- F: 13g
Cashews (per ounce)
- P: 5g
- C: 9g
- F: 12g
American Dream Nut Butters (Nutter Cookie Crunch PB)
- P: 8g
- C: 8g
- F: 11g
Old Home Natural Peanut Butter
- P: 8g
- C: 7g
- F: 16g
Garbanzo Beans (air fryer, seasoned)
- P: 6g
- C: 20g
- F: 2g
Hemp Hearts
- P: 10g
- C: 1g
- F: 15g
High Protein Protein Bars
Protein bars have come a long way since I started this blog! There are so many options now and plenty of flavors and textures and sizes to choose from. They’re perfect and easy for on-the-go.
Power Crunch bars are amazing frozen! I have not met a flavor I didn’t like. They remind me of wafer cookies: light and sweet. I also really love Clif Builders bars — full size or mini.
The Zone Perfect Macros bar in Fruity Cereal tastes just like Fruity Pebbles! Breaking it into pieces and pouring a little Fairlife milk over it (or other high protein milk) makes it a super high protein snack!
think! High Protein Bars
- P: 18g
- C: 28g
- F: 10g
Barebells Protein Bars
- P: 20g
- C: 18g
- F: 8g
Zone Perfect Bars (Cookie Dough)
- P: 10g
- C: 24g
- F: 5g
Zone Perfect Macros (Fruity Cereal)
- P: 15g
- C: 22g
- F: 8g
Pure Protein Bars (Chocolate Peanut Butter)
- P: 20g
- C: 16g
- F: 6g
Built Bars
- P: 18g
- C: 19g
- F: 7g
Quest Bars (Cookies & Cream)
- P: 21g
- C: 21g
- F: 8g
Power Crunch Bars
- P: 14g
- C: 11g
- F: 13g
Kind Protein Bars (Crunchy Peanut Butter)
- P: 12g
- C: 17g
- F: 18g
Perfect Bars
- P: 17g
- C: 27g
- F: 19g
Rx Bars (Mint Chocolate)
- P: 12g
- C: 23g
- F: 9g
Clif Builders Protein Bars (Chocolate Peanut Butter — full-size bar)
- P: 20g
- C: 29g
- F: 11g
FitCrunch Bars – Snack Size (Chocolate Peanut Butter)
- P: 16g
- C: 14g
- F: 8g
G2G Bars
- P: 18g
- C: 25g
- F: 14g
One Protein Bars (Smores)
- P: 20g
- C: 25g
- F: 7g
High Protein Shakes
Protein shakes are quick, easy and usually packed with protein. Whether you’re using protein powder or ready-to-drink shakes, there are so many to choose from.
We tend to prefer protein powders because they’re typically much cheaper per serving, but ready-to-drink shakes are perfect for in a pinch or on-the-go. We’ve been buying Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey in Mocha Cappuccino for years! So good.
1st Phorm’s Vegan Power Pro in Oatmeal Cookie is great for adding to oats! They have lots of other flavors to choose from, too.
Fairlife Nutrition Plan High Protein Chocolate Shake
- P: 30g
- C: 4g
- F: 2.5g
1st Phorm Vegan Power Pro Protein Powder (Oatmeal Cookie)
- P: 19g
- C: 3g
- F: 2g
Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey (Mocha Cappuccino)
- P: 24g
- C: 3g
- F: 1.5g
Premier Protein Ready-to-Drink Shakes (Caramel)
- P: 30g
- C: 4g
- F: 3g
*Walmart’s Equate brand also has their own line of shakes very similar to Premier Protein and they are thiiiiick. I had switched to Equate to save money because they do taste almost identical, and then all of a sudden I could tell the shakes were obviously thicker (too thick for my taste) and have since gone back to Premier Protein. I suspect they could be great for protein pudding, though!
Orgain Organic Protein Powder
- P: 21g
- C: 15g
- F: 4g
High Protein Dairy Snacks
If you don’t have dairy allergies or sensitivities, there are many options to choose from! I try not to eat too much dairy in one day, but one thing I eat almost daily are Oikos Pro yogurts. With 20 grams of protein, they are an amazing high protein snack.
Great Value String Cheese
- P: 6
- C: <1g
- F: 2.5g
Oikos Triple Zero Greek Yogurt
- P: 15g
- C: 7g
- F: 0g
Oikos Pro Greek Yogurt
- P: 20g
- C: 8g
- F: 3g
:ratio Greek yogurt
- P: 25g
- C: 8g
- F: 4g
Cottage cheese with fruit (pineapple, peaches, strawberries)
- P: 12g
- C: varies
- F: varies
Cottage cheese with Everything Bagel seasoning
- P: 12g
- C: varies
- F: varies
High Protein Chips/Bagels/Muffins/Cereal
These protein chips are actually really good in my opinion. Chili Lime and Loaded Taco are my fave! Could easily add these to a taco salad for a major protein boost.
Quest cookies are also great — Snickerdoodle is my favorite! These pack a good amount of fiber, too (11 grams).
Premier Protein Cereal (Mixed Berry Almond)
*This cereal is tasty, but I find it to be pretty hard. If you check reviews, you’ll see it’s a pretty common complaint. I like to soak it in milk and add lots of fresh strawberries for added softness and sweetness. :)
- P: 20g
- C: 14g
- F: 5g
Better Bagels (Classic Bagel)
- P: 26g
- C: 40g (35g dietary fiber, so 5g net carbs, per website)
- F: 2g
Quest Chips (Loaded Taco)
- P: 19g
- C: 5g
- F: 5g
Quest Protein Cookie (Snickerdoodle)
- P: 15g
- C: 19g
- F: 16g
Thomas Cinnamon Protein English Muffins
- P: 9g
- C: 23g
- F: 1g
Kashi GO Cinnamon Crisp + Fairlife Milk
- P: 13g (+13g if using Fairlife milk)
- C: 37g
- F: 5g
High Protein Meat Snacks
Meat is probably the most obvious source of protein that comes to mind. Things like tuna, turkey, and shrimp can pack a protein punch without added sugar or fat.
Beef sticks, stew meat and jerky have a good amount of protein along with some fat. Chomps are great!
StarKist Chunk Light Tuna Packet (in water)
- P: 17g
- C: 0g
- F: 0.5g
Beef Jerky (Jack’s Links)
- P: 11g
- C: 6g
- F: 1.5g
Deli Meat (Prima Della Turkey Breast)
- P: 11g
- C: 0g
- F: 1g
Chomps
- P: 9g
- C: 0g
- F: 6g
Stew Meat
- P: 21g
- C: 0g
- F: 18g
Archer Grass-Fed Beef Sticks
- P: 9g
- C: 1g
- F: 7g
Turkey Sausage Sticks (Old Wisconsin)
- P: 4g
- C: <1g
- F: 3g
WestEnd Chicken Skewers (Costco)
- P: 24g
- C: 3g
- F: 3.5g
Von Hanson’s Snack Sticks (Sweet and Spicy)
- P: 5g
- C: 3g
- F: 2.5g
Shrimp (Great Value frozen, extra small, peeled and deveined, tails off)
- P: 12g
- C: 2g
- F: 1.5g
P3 Protein Packs (Turkey, Ham & Cheddar)
- P: 14g
- C: 2g
- F: 10g
Collagen Powder
An easy way to get some protein is by adding collagen to coffee, smoothies, soups, or even water. My current favorite is Glow Up Collagen by CVG. It mixes in seconds and has absolutely no taste, which I like.
A lot of people love Vital Proteins, but I taste that one quite a bit and it has a meaty flavor to me, making it great for soups or something like that.
Glow Up Collagen (per scoop)
- P: 7g
- C: 0g
- F: 0g
Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides (per scoop)
- P: 9g
Vital Proteins Chocolate Collagen Peptides (per serving – two scoops)
- P: 18g
- C: 4g
- F: 0.5g
Other High Protein Snack Ideas
Goodles Mac & Cheese varieties
- P: 14g
- C: 47g
- F: 3.5g
Protein Pudding
- Mix protein powder with milk and one box sugar-free instant pudding mix
- Mix one ready-to-drink protein shake with one box sugar-free instant pudding mix
Huel’s Hot and Savory Vegan Mac & Cheese
- P: 25g
- C: 53g
- F: 11g
Hard-Boiled Egg
- P: 6g
- C: <1g
- F: 5g
Protein Mug Cake
- Varies – check Pinterest for recipes!
Oven-Baked ParmCrisps
- P: 13g
- C: 1g
- F: 11g
Kodiak Bear Bites
- P: 5g
- C: 17g
- F: 3.5g
Flatout ProteinUp Wraps
- P: 10g
- C: 22g
- F: 2g
High Protein Quick Oats (add protein powder to oatmeal)
- Macros vary
Harvest Snaps (Green Pea)
- P: 5g
- C: 16g
- F: 5g
Edamame
- P: 17g
- C: 15g
- F: 8g
Sargento Balanced Breaks
- P: 7
- C: 12
- F: 13
Epic Chicken Sriracha Bars
- P: 11g
- C: 3g
- F: 5g
Kodiak Cups
- P: 14g
- C: 35g
- F: 6g
Roasted Salted Pepitas
- P: 8g
- C: 3g
- F: 15g
Popcorners Flex Energy Protein Crisps
- P: 10g
- C: 13g
- F: 3g
2 Top Tips to Increase Protein Intake
Not sure what else you could possibly eat to increase your protein intake? Eating more protein doesn’t mean you have to have a large and wide variety of foods high in protein on hand.
This might sound silly and obvious, but I found it really helpful. If you’re struggling to meet your protein goals and you’re not sure what to do, just increase the amount of protein you’re consuming at each meal by increasing your serving size!
I’m pretty sure I rolled my eyes at myself when I first realized I could eat more protein by just eating more of what I was already eating. Duh. Every little bit helps and it all adds up!
- Add another half or full scoop of protein powder
- Have a few more ounces of chicken
- Have a couple more slices of turkey
- Have two Greek yogurt cups instead of one
Once you know how many grams of protein you’d like to consume each day, divide that number by the amount of meals/snacks you intend to eat in a day and spread your protein consumption more evenly throughout the day.
So for example: 120 grams of protein per day / 5 meals = 24 grams of protein per meal
That breaks it up into something a little more manageable and can help you stay on track throughout the day. If you pre-log your food into an app like My Fitness Pal, you can be sure you’re hitting your protein goal before you even eat!
If you track calories and macros, another tip I’ve learned if you struggle with adequate protein intake is to focus on calories and protein and let the carbs and fats fall where they may. :)
*****
There are so many more ideas out there, but I hope this gets the ball rolling for you!