What are good high protein snacks?
Greek yoghurt, cottage cheese, a tin of tuna, boiled eggs, edamame and a shake are the ones that carry 15 g or more. Nuts, hummus, cheese crackers and most protein bars land under 10 g, which makes them snacks that contain protein rather than snacks that fix a shortfall.
Key takeaways
- The bar for a snack that changes your day is about 15 g. Below that it is a snack that happens to contain protein.
- Nuts are the biggest gap between reputation and number: a 30 g handful is about 6 g of protein and 180 calories.
- Protein bars vary from 6 g to 22 g in the same aisle, and the front of the pack will not tell you which.
- The cheapest properly high protein snacks are the plainest ones: eggs, tinned fish, cottage cheese.
- A snack is worth adding when it lets you spread protein across the day rather than piling it into dinner.
Most lists of high protein snacks are lists of snacks. The distinction worth drawing is between something that contains protein and something that meaningfully changes your day, and the line sits around 15 g.
The ones that carry a real amount
- 32 gTuna, canned in water1 can, 110 g
- 28 gWhey shake with milk1 scoop, 250 ml
- 22 gCottage cheese200 g
- 17 gGreek yoghurt170 g pot
- 17 gSkyr150 g pot
- 17 gEdamame, shelled150 g
- 16 gBeef jerky50 g
- 15 gCottage cheese on rye100 g plus 1 slice
The ones that do not, and are sold as if they do
| Snack | Protein | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| Almonds, 30 g handful | 6 g | 180 kcal |
| Peanut butter, 2 tbsp | 8 g | 190 kcal |
| Cheddar, 30 g slice | 8 g | 120 kcal |
| Hummus, 60 g with vegetables | 5 g | 110 kcal |
| Protein crisps, small bag | 10 g | 130 kcal |
| Milk chocolate protein bar | 6 to 22 g | 190 to 260 kcal |
| Cereal bar | 3 g | 130 kcal |
| Boiled egg | 6 g | 72 kcal |
Nuts are the widest gap between reputation and arithmetic in the whole category. They are a fine food and they are a fat source with some protein attached: 180 calories for 6 g is a ratio nothing else on the good list comes close to. What 30 g of protein looks like makes the point vividly, since 30 g from almonds is five handfuls and 840 calories.
Single boiled eggs have the same issue at a smaller scale. One egg is 6 g. Two or three is a snack; one is a garnish.
Protein bars
The range inside a single aisle runs from about 6 g to about 22 g per bar, and the packaging is not much help in telling them apart, because "high protein" is a legally defined ratio rather than an amount.1 A bar can qualify while carrying very little.
Two checks, both on the back:
- Protein per bar, not per 100 g. Bars vary in size and the per 100 g figure flatters the small ones.
- What else is in it. Many bars are close to confectionery on sugar and fat, which is fine if that is what you wanted and worth knowing if it is not.
They are also usually the most expensive protein in the shop by a distance. Where a protein budget actually goes has the comparison.
Why snack at all
Not for the sake of eating more. The reason a snack earns its place is distribution: the muscle building response to a meal levels off, so protein spread across the day triggers it more often than the same amount concentrated into dinner.2
That means a snack is useful when it turns a 15 g afternoon into a 30 g one, and pointless when it is added to a day that was already well arranged. If your dinner is enormous and your breakfast is coffee, the fix is breakfast, not an extra pot of yoghurt at four o'clock.
The three worth keeping in the house
- Greek yoghurt or skyr. 17 g, no preparation, and it works as a base for anything.
- Tinned fish. 32 g, no refrigeration, and the cheapest large amount on the list.
- Boiled eggs, made in a batch. 12 g for two, and they solve the mornings as well.
Everything else is optional. The full reference numbers are in high protein foods and how much they actually contain.
More questions about Protein in food
Are nuts a good protein snack?
They are a good snack and a weak protein source. A 30 g handful of almonds is about 6 g of protein and roughly 180 calories, which is one of the poorest protein-per-calorie ratios among foods people think of as protein-rich. Eat them because they are satisfying, not to hit a target.
Are protein bars worth it?
It depends entirely on the bar, and the range in one aisle is enormous. Check the panel on the back for protein per bar and pick from there: anything under 15 g is a confectionery bar with a claim on it. They are also usually the most expensive protein per gram in the shop.
What is a high protein snack with no dairy?
A tin of tuna at 32 g, edamame at 17 g for 150 g, two boiled eggs at 12 g, or roasted chickpeas at about 10 g for 80 g. A soy or pea protein shake made with soy milk lands above 25 g and takes a minute.
