Best High Protein Portable Snacks
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A list of the best high protein portable snacks. All of these snacks have at least 10g of protein and most are shelf stable!
It can be hard to eat enough protein simply from 3 meals a day. Snacks are an easy opportunity to increase your daily protein intake.
Most snacks are high in carbs and don’t have enough protein to keep you full.
Why It’s Important to Have a Protein Packed Snack
Eating more protein is important for a variety of reasons, but eating a high protein snack can:
- Help keep you fuller for longer – Eating more protein with your snacks can help you stay fuller for longer. Protein is the most satiating macronutrient.
- Stabilizes blood sugar: Most snack options are high carb which can cause your blood sugar to spike and fall – making you hungry all over again.
- Help with weight loss goals – If you’re looking to lose or maintain weight, protein is important! It’s very difficult to over-eat protein, and since it keeps you fuller for longer than carbs and fats – it’s a great option for those looking to lose weight
- Help build muscle – If you want to get strong, you need to fuel your muscles with protein!
We’ve put together a list of high protein snacks that have at least 10g of protein per serving.
Here are some of our favorites! (Or click here to shop them!)
Jerky/Meat Sticks
Jerky/Meat Sticks are the ultimate high protein snack. They’re shelf stable, portable, and easy to eat (not messy at all!)
I like to pair them with sliced peppers, carrots or cucumbers for some fiber to keep me fuller for longer. You can also pair with a cheese stick for a snack that’s over 20g of protein total!
There are many brands of jerky/meat sticks – but they often have lots of added sugar and aren’t made with the highest quality of meat. Here are some of our favorite brands that are made with great ingredients!
Chomps (12g protein) are great for an easy quick snack. They’re gluten, dairy, soy and sugar free. Paleo, Keto, and Whole30 friendly. They come in a wide variety of flavors. I like the Turkey and the Taco Beef.
Nutrition Facts: (per one turkey stick) Calories: 80, Fat: 3.5 Carbs: 0g, Protein: 12g
You can get 10% off with code CLEANEATING.
Click here for a variety pack!
Prevail Jerky (12g protein) is another great option. Gluten free, soy free, dairy free and refined sugar free! Their jerky is sweetened with coconut sugar and is paleo friendly. It comes in a lot of different flavors (Beef- Original, Lemongrass, Spicy, Umami) and they also have a Turkey Flavor!
Nutrition Facts: (per one oz): Calories: 70, Fat: 1.5g, Carbs: 5g Protein:12g
The whole bag has 2.5 servings and over 30g of protein!
Click here for a variety pack on Amazon.
Cheese
Cheese and cheese sticks might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of a protein packed snack, but they can be a really great option!
Cheesesticks- I like to get organic whole milk cheese sticks from Organic Valley or Aldi. They’re easy to eat and delicious! You can have 2 cheese sticks for under 200 calories and 14g of protein!
Nutrition Facts (1 stick) Calories: 80, Fat: 6g, Carbs: 0g, Protein: 7g
Parmesan cheese has the highest protein per serving, but a square of gouda, swiss or colby cheese also make for a good higher protein snack.
Trying to eat more protein?
If you’re trying to eat more protein, check out our High Protein Dinners Ebook! It has 24 easy recipes you can make in under an hour with 25g+ protein per serving!
Yogurt
We eat yogurt daily for a high protein snack. My go to is plain, unflavored nonfat or whole milk greek yogurt with fresh fruit and a little granola on top. It’s delicious and easy to put together.
We like unflavored/unsweetened yogurt best and buy a big tub of it rather than the single serving containers.
What’s the difference between regular yogurt and non fat/full fat greek yogurt?
Regular Yogurt: Greek yogurt is strained differently from regular yogurt, making it higher in protein, thicker and creamier than regular yogurt
Lowfat Yogurt: Low fat yogurt often has stabilizers/gums added to it to mimic the fat that is removed.
Non Fat Greek Yogurt: Nonfat greek yogurt is your best option for highest protein, lowest calorie snack. It’s strained during the cooking process to skim the fat off – leaving you with a thick, tart, creamy, protein packed yogurt.
Whole Milk Greek Yogurt: Whole Milk or Full Fat Greek Yogurt is also higher in protein than regular yogurt. It’s slightly higher in fat than non fat greek yogurt, making it more creamy and less tart.
These are our high protein healthy yogurt parfaits or you can check out these yogurt bowls for more ideas!
What’s the best type of high protein yogurt?
The best yogurt to eat for protein is plain, unsweetened non fat greek yogurt. It’s lowest in sugar and highest in protein.
Nutrition Facts (6 oz serving): Calories: 100, Fat: 0g, Carbs: 6g and Protein: 17g!
I like to pair unsweetened yogurt with my favorite granola (code CLEANEATING saves $$) and some fresh fruit for a yummy snack.
Best Yogurt Brands
Our favorite yogurt bought brands are:
- Whole Foods/Costco both sell Organic Nonfat Greek Yogurt
- Aldi sells Organic Whole Milk Greek Yogurt
- Icelandic Provisions, Siggis and Fage sell regular nonfat Greek Yogurt
If you’re looking for a small portable cup of yogurt rather than a big tub, these are our favorites:
- Icelandic Provisions Skyr: There are 2 types from this brand, one is higher in fat. I like the ones that are lower in fat because they have more protein (usually 15g per cup!) Nutrition Facts (Key Lime Yogurt): Calories: 150, Fat: 2g, Carbs: 15g and Protein: 15g
- Siggis: Siggis has a few different types. Their vanilla bean yogurt is the highest in protein/lowest in calories. They have higher fat options and also have a plant based option but they are not as high in protein. Nutrition Facts (Vanilla): Calories: 110, Fat: 0g, Carbs: 11g and Protein: 16g!
- Oikos: I haven’t had it, but Oikos makes a high protein yogurt that has 20g per serving. It’s made with whey protein. Nutrition Facts (Vanilla): Calories: 140, Fat: 3g, Carbs: 8g and Protein: 20g
Cottage Cheese
If you’re not a fan of yogurt, or you’re looking for something different – cottage cheese is an awesome option!
We absolutely love Good Culture cottage cheese. It’s so delicious, and it’s small curd which I like best!
Nutrition Facts per 1/2 cup Calories: 80, Fat: 2.5g, Carbs: 3g, Protein: 14g
Topping ideas:
- Sweet: Mango, Strawberries, Blueberries, Peanut Butter & Jam
- Savory: Tajin seasoning, everything bagel seasoning, stir in cucumbers & tomatoes
Our Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip and Healthy Spinach Artichoke Dip are both made with cottage cheese – they’re a great high protein snack with veggies!
These Protein Pancakes are also made with cottage cheese (great for breakfast!)
Protein Powder/Smoothies
Protein powder is a great option for when you’re short on time and need a quick source of protein.
Be Well by Kelly is my favorite protein powder. It’s made with only 3 super high quality ingredients. They have a beef and vegan option – both of which are delicious. I love the vanilla in this Mango Smoothie or on it’s own with milk or water.
You can get 15% off with code CLEANEATING with this link or if you prefer to shop on amazon you can get free shipping with prime with this link.
You can easily make a smoothie with over 30g of protein. We like to blend in a scoop of protein powder with water or milk, a little bit of nonfat greek yogourt, frozen spinach and a 1/4 cup of our favorite frozen fruit. During the fall and winter, we love this Pumpkin Protein Smoothie.
SmoothieBox is also a great option if you are short on time. Use half a packet + blend with a scoop of protein powder for healthy snack! Get $35 off with this link or code CLEANEATING.
Trying to eat more protein?
If you’re trying to eat more protein, check out our High Protein Dinners Ebook! It has 24 easy recipes you can make in under an hour with 25g+ protein per serving!
Grilled Chicken/Meatballs
Ok.. this might sound weird BUT… eating a mini version of a meal IS a great snack! Here are some things we always have in our fridge/freezer for a quick snack.
- Balsamic Grilled Chicken or check out these High Protein Chicken Recipes
- Buffalo Chicken Meatballs or Buffalo Turkey Meatballs
- a piece of Potato Crust Quiche
- Egg Muffins
- Healthy Tuna Salad and Healthy Chicken Salad
Our High Protein Meal Prep Recipes may be helpful and High Protein Dinners Ebook has a ton of high protein meals you can make in under an hour!
Protein Bars
I’ll be honest, I’m not a huge fan of protein bars. Here’s why:
- Ingredients– Most protein bars are made with funky ingredients. A lot have artificial sweeteners and gums.
- High Calorie – Many protein bars are over 200 calories which is great in a pinch, but if you’re looking to stay in a caloric deficit – some of these can easily push you out of that range.
- Not a lot of protein – Despite the name, most protein bars don’t have more than 15g of protein. There’s nothing wrong with this, but for the amount of calories/fat that many have, they’re not as good of a snack as one might think!
RX Bars (12g protein) are a good option if you care about ingredients. I love that what you see is what you get with these bars. There are no random funky ingredients, they taste amazing and they have 12g of protein per bar! They are shelf stable and portable.
If you want to try them this sampler gives you two of each bar!
Otherwise – the Chocolate Sea Salt is my favorite.
Nutrition Facts (1 bar) Calories: 210, Fat: 9g, Carbs: 23g, Protein: 12g
Built Bars are the best macro friendly protein bar I’ve found, but their ingredients aren’t as ‘clean’. They’re made with a mix of collagen/whey protein. I think that these bars truly taste like candy – and use these as a treat when I want something sweet but want to stick to my goals.
They are shelf stable and portable. The Brownie Batter is my favorite!
You can get this sampler on Amazon
Nutrition Facts (1 bar) Calories: 140, Fat: 2.5g, Carbs: 14g, Protein: 17g
Perfect Bar (15g) is another good option if you are focused on ‘clean’ ingredients. Their bars taste amazing (the Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter tastes like a peanut butter cup!) but they are very high calorie. They’re also not shelf stable and need to remain refrigerated.
These are a better snack option than a bag of chips, but at over 300 calories and only 15g of protein – they’re a higher calorie food.
Nutrition Facts (1 bar) Calories: 330, Fat: 20g, Carbs: 24g, Protein: 15g
Thanks for the ideas! I am lactose intolerant so regular yogurts don’t work for me. However Fage makes a lactose free plain yogurt — I’m not sure if there are any other brands. I add frozen wild blueberries which don’t go bad like fresh ones and instead of granola I add minced walnuts. This is really delish!
Looking for Protein snacks that would be dairy free? all your options have dairy in them.
No they dont 🙂 jerky is all dairy free, same with the protein powders I linked/smoothies, grilled chicken/meatballs and some of the protein bars. I’d re-read the post! hope this helps
What about Pure Protein Bars? I see they are 20g protein
I haven’t tried those, sorry!
multiple of your links go to “out of stock” items. For a new post, one should be able to expect clean links
What was out of stock? I just double checked and can’t find a single instance of this. For a rude comment, one should provide more context to the issue they’re having.
Please tell us what all the yogurt toppings are! I’m always looking for new ways to dress up my yogurt and these look amazing!
I just upadted the post to include a link it it – it’s our Healthy Yogurt Parfaits.
I live off RX Bars. Seriously I have one a day when I’m on the go with my kiddos. All these snacks looks PERF for busy mommas like me!
Me too… they’re so easy and so yummy!
Love these suggestions! I’m always trying to find easy, high protein snacks to fit in at the end of my work day before heading to the gym. My go-to is super easy and boring: a slice of whole wheat bread with a spread of peanut butter.
Thanks, Emily! Sometimes the super easy/boring snacks are the best ones! I love toast w/peanut butter